Ms. Bramhall's Diverse Text Set:
Race & Ethnicity Section:
Max for President
Summary: It is time for the class to elect a new president in Mrs. Antonio’s classroom! Two candidates, Max and Kelly, run for class president. They both do everything they can to get their classmates to vote for them. Max promises better indoor recess and more exciting games in the game room. Kelly promises more exciting morning announcements and better school lunches. The students can only vote for one classmate. Who will win this suspenseful election?
Main Theme: The main underlying theme in this story is friendship. While the class election is very competitive, it is important to remain humble. Kelly shows this humbleness by recognizing how disappointed Max was when he did not win the vote. Instead of bragging, Kelly decided to elect Max as her vice president! Another recognizable theme in this story is teamwork. After Kelly selects Max as her vice president, they work as a team to make the school a better place.
Critical Review:
Strengths: New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, Jarrett J. Krosoczka was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, a vibrant city with a diverse culture. His book illustrations reflect the diverse culture in which he grew up. For example, as readers flip through the pages of this book, they will see students from all different race and ethnicities. The students in the classroom have different features including skin color and hair styles. These illustrations are authentic and accurate. Within this book, readers will notice the multidimensionality and interconnections between the students in Mrs. Antonio’s classroom. The storyline brings these diverse students together in a realistic way, as many classrooms today are very diverse. The diverse students interact in the hallways and throughout class to elect their very own class president.
Weaknesses: One rather large weakness that readers can point out is that the majority characters in this story are dominant, while the minority characters are submissive. Both Max and Kelly, who are running for class president, are the dominant characters in the story. They are both of the Caucasian race. As class president, you dominant and control what your class does. The African American students play a minor roll in this story. They are illustrated as part of the class and are expected to vote. One could argue that the author should have had an African American student run for class president.
Resources:
Website: http://www.studiojjk.com: This link will take you to the author's official website where you can see more of his work and learn all about him!
YouTube Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmAznoBVUcQ
Author’s Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/studiojjk: This link will take you to the author's twitter profile page, where you can follow him to keep up with his latest work!
Main Theme: The main underlying theme in this story is friendship. While the class election is very competitive, it is important to remain humble. Kelly shows this humbleness by recognizing how disappointed Max was when he did not win the vote. Instead of bragging, Kelly decided to elect Max as her vice president! Another recognizable theme in this story is teamwork. After Kelly selects Max as her vice president, they work as a team to make the school a better place.
Critical Review:
Strengths: New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, Jarrett J. Krosoczka was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, a vibrant city with a diverse culture. His book illustrations reflect the diverse culture in which he grew up. For example, as readers flip through the pages of this book, they will see students from all different race and ethnicities. The students in the classroom have different features including skin color and hair styles. These illustrations are authentic and accurate. Within this book, readers will notice the multidimensionality and interconnections between the students in Mrs. Antonio’s classroom. The storyline brings these diverse students together in a realistic way, as many classrooms today are very diverse. The diverse students interact in the hallways and throughout class to elect their very own class president.
Weaknesses: One rather large weakness that readers can point out is that the majority characters in this story are dominant, while the minority characters are submissive. Both Max and Kelly, who are running for class president, are the dominant characters in the story. They are both of the Caucasian race. As class president, you dominant and control what your class does. The African American students play a minor roll in this story. They are illustrated as part of the class and are expected to vote. One could argue that the author should have had an African American student run for class president.
Resources:
Website: http://www.studiojjk.com: This link will take you to the author's official website where you can see more of his work and learn all about him!
YouTube Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmAznoBVUcQ
Author’s Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/studiojjk: This link will take you to the author's twitter profile page, where you can follow him to keep up with his latest work!
Boy, You're Amazing
Summary: Boy, You’re Amazing is a rhyming book that celebrates all the different talents and skills boys have. It incorporates some of the easiest skills that some people may overlook or forget to recognize. It highlights the things boys can do, how they play, the things they know, the courage they show, etc. This book is a self-esteem and confidence booster for most boys.
Main Theme: The main theme in this story is that every student is unique and has different talents and skills. For example, the illustrations depict some of the different skills and talents students may have. One picture shows a boy crafting a birthday card, while another picture shows a different boy playing an instrument. Another overarching theme in this story is confidence and self-esteem. It tells students to value the small things that they enjoy or are good at. The last page is very powerful to this theme as it states, “Boy, you’re amazing! I’m glad that you’re YOU!”
Critical Review:
Strengths: There are so many strengths to this story, as the whole book reflects on the author and illustrators past experiences. Virginia Kroll has published over forty-two books for children. Kroll has written several books dealing with the African American experience. She has won several awards for these books, including American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 1991, for Wood-Hoopoe Willie; Children's Choice Award in 2004. She grew up in West Seneca, New York, and now lives in Hamburg, New York. The illustrator, Sachiko Yoshikawa was born in Tokyo, Japan. The cover of this book states that, “for this book, she drew on her own memories of riding her bike, racing on roller skates, and playing tag with her friends who were mostly boys.” Yoshikawa’s illustrations authentically and accurately represent a diverse group of children. As readers read the book and look at the illustrations, they will notice boys of different race and ethnicities throughout the book. The boys all have different skin colors, hair styles, and clothes. The illustrations depict interconnections between these diverse characters. For example, on the last page students are celebrating their talents and skills together. More interactions of diverse characters are seen throughout the book, including on the page that talks about sports. The characters are playing sports together and shaking hands.
Weaknesses: One rather large weakness that this book has is the potential for gender stereotypes. It specifically highlights what boys can do, completely leaving out the ability of girls. The words even state, “Boy, You’re Amazing.” There are no illustrations that picture any girls either. All of the talents, skills, and activities listed in this book can be done by both boys and girls. (Side Note: the author does have a book called, “Girl, You’re Amazing.”)
Resources:
Author’s Website: http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2140/Kroll-Virginia-L-1948.html: Click here to learn more about Virginia Kroll and to view her other books!
Author’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaLKroll/: Kroll keeps her Facebook page updated with her latest work! Click the link to find out more.
Author Interview: https://www.eerdmans.com/Pages/Item/9007/Author-Interview-Virginia-Kroll.aspx: Learn even more about the author by reading through her interview!
Main Theme: The main theme in this story is that every student is unique and has different talents and skills. For example, the illustrations depict some of the different skills and talents students may have. One picture shows a boy crafting a birthday card, while another picture shows a different boy playing an instrument. Another overarching theme in this story is confidence and self-esteem. It tells students to value the small things that they enjoy or are good at. The last page is very powerful to this theme as it states, “Boy, you’re amazing! I’m glad that you’re YOU!”
Critical Review:
Strengths: There are so many strengths to this story, as the whole book reflects on the author and illustrators past experiences. Virginia Kroll has published over forty-two books for children. Kroll has written several books dealing with the African American experience. She has won several awards for these books, including American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 1991, for Wood-Hoopoe Willie; Children's Choice Award in 2004. She grew up in West Seneca, New York, and now lives in Hamburg, New York. The illustrator, Sachiko Yoshikawa was born in Tokyo, Japan. The cover of this book states that, “for this book, she drew on her own memories of riding her bike, racing on roller skates, and playing tag with her friends who were mostly boys.” Yoshikawa’s illustrations authentically and accurately represent a diverse group of children. As readers read the book and look at the illustrations, they will notice boys of different race and ethnicities throughout the book. The boys all have different skin colors, hair styles, and clothes. The illustrations depict interconnections between these diverse characters. For example, on the last page students are celebrating their talents and skills together. More interactions of diverse characters are seen throughout the book, including on the page that talks about sports. The characters are playing sports together and shaking hands.
Weaknesses: One rather large weakness that this book has is the potential for gender stereotypes. It specifically highlights what boys can do, completely leaving out the ability of girls. The words even state, “Boy, You’re Amazing.” There are no illustrations that picture any girls either. All of the talents, skills, and activities listed in this book can be done by both boys and girls. (Side Note: the author does have a book called, “Girl, You’re Amazing.”)
Resources:
Author’s Website: http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2140/Kroll-Virginia-L-1948.html: Click here to learn more about Virginia Kroll and to view her other books!
Author’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaLKroll/: Kroll keeps her Facebook page updated with her latest work! Click the link to find out more.
Author Interview: https://www.eerdmans.com/Pages/Item/9007/Author-Interview-Virginia-Kroll.aspx: Learn even more about the author by reading through her interview!
The Library Doors
Summary: In elementary school, you can hear and see so many different activities going on in the library. The library can be both a quiet and noisy place. You can hear doors opening and shutting, students SHHHHing, the librarian talking, books being read aloud, and computer keys clicking. In the library, you can see children checking out books, reading, playing computer games, and waving goodbye.
Main Theme: This book is read or sung to the rhythm of “The Wheels on the Bus,” and shows children all the different activities that take place in the school library. This book would be a great teaching tool for teachers to read to students prior to visiting the library the first time. It could help teach students the daily routine in the library, and also which parts of the library they need to use their quiet voices in. Another great teaching point is shown through the pictures. The illustrations suggest that anyone is welcome in the library, no matter what race or ethnicity a student may be. When the reader flips through the pages of this book, they will see illustrations of students who have many different colors of skin (tan, brown, white, etc.)
Critical Review:
Strengths: Toni Buzzeo grew up and spent her childhood in Dearborn, Michigan, which is a community known for its rich history, cultural cuisine, and diverse population. She found a love for reading, and often spent her days at the library with her mother. This book is based on her experiences at the library as a child. Knowing this information, it should be no surprise that the illustrations in this book includes a diverse group of students. Readers can identify students from all different race and ethnicities by looking at the pictures as they read the story. For example, readers will recognize that the students have different skin colors and eye shapes. These characteristics are very subtle. Throughout the book, the students are working together and interacting with each other while they are in the library. For example, the students are talking to each other in the halls, helping each other pick out books, and sitting by each other while reading books.
Weaknesses: One could argue that this book reinforces the stereotype that white Americans are “rednecks,” due to the clothing that the illustrator has pictured on some of the characters. For example, this book pictures a white girl with a western outfit on including pink cowgirl boots and a western skirt. Another weakness of this book is that it lacks cultural clothes. Mostly all the clothes pictured on the characters are modern and alike.
Resources :
Authors Website: http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/HOME.html: Learn more about Toni Buzzeo by clicking on this link!
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBlcLKSxBHY: Click here to listen to this book read aloud on YouTube!
Lesson Plan: http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/THE_LIBRARY_DOORS_files/librarydoorscurriculumguide.pdf: This link will take you to a lesson plan that aligns directly with this book.
Main Theme: This book is read or sung to the rhythm of “The Wheels on the Bus,” and shows children all the different activities that take place in the school library. This book would be a great teaching tool for teachers to read to students prior to visiting the library the first time. It could help teach students the daily routine in the library, and also which parts of the library they need to use their quiet voices in. Another great teaching point is shown through the pictures. The illustrations suggest that anyone is welcome in the library, no matter what race or ethnicity a student may be. When the reader flips through the pages of this book, they will see illustrations of students who have many different colors of skin (tan, brown, white, etc.)
Critical Review:
Strengths: Toni Buzzeo grew up and spent her childhood in Dearborn, Michigan, which is a community known for its rich history, cultural cuisine, and diverse population. She found a love for reading, and often spent her days at the library with her mother. This book is based on her experiences at the library as a child. Knowing this information, it should be no surprise that the illustrations in this book includes a diverse group of students. Readers can identify students from all different race and ethnicities by looking at the pictures as they read the story. For example, readers will recognize that the students have different skin colors and eye shapes. These characteristics are very subtle. Throughout the book, the students are working together and interacting with each other while they are in the library. For example, the students are talking to each other in the halls, helping each other pick out books, and sitting by each other while reading books.
Weaknesses: One could argue that this book reinforces the stereotype that white Americans are “rednecks,” due to the clothing that the illustrator has pictured on some of the characters. For example, this book pictures a white girl with a western outfit on including pink cowgirl boots and a western skirt. Another weakness of this book is that it lacks cultural clothes. Mostly all the clothes pictured on the characters are modern and alike.
Resources :
Authors Website: http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/HOME.html: Learn more about Toni Buzzeo by clicking on this link!
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBlcLKSxBHY: Click here to listen to this book read aloud on YouTube!
Lesson Plan: http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/THE_LIBRARY_DOORS_files/librarydoorscurriculumguide.pdf: This link will take you to a lesson plan that aligns directly with this book.
ESL/ELL Students Section:
F is for Fiesta
Summary: Learn the Spanish alphabet as you read through this rhyming story about a Hispanic boy’s birthday party. The party is filled with lots of decorations, guests, food, sweet treats, dancing, and gifts. Not only do readers learn the Spanish alphabet, but also some Spanish words as they read the story and refer to the pictures and glossary in the front of the book.
Main Theme: The underlying theme in this story is to be proud of your culture and traditions. In this story, the birthday boy’s family throws him a party. At the party, the guests eat food from the Hispanic culture such as churros, salsa, and queso. The guests also partake in many Hispanic activities such as hitting a piñata and dancing. While reading this story, readers will learn Spanish words as they take a journey through the Spanish alphabet. As they are reading, they can reference the front page of the book, which has a glossary of all the Spanish words and their meaning in English. The glossary also lists the letters in the Spanish alphabet with their pronunciation beside them.
Critical Review:
Strengths: Susan Middleton Elya is an expertise in ESL/ELL students. Before she became a published picture-book author, she was a teacher in three different states. She taught in Ashland, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Romana, California. Elya studied Spanish as a foreign language and earned her degree. Her inspiration for learning Spanish came from her dad and older sister carrying on a Spanish conversation at the dinner table. She wanted to know what they were saying, but they would never tell her. She has visited Mexico City with her high school Spanish teacher to learn about their culture and language. Later, she student taught a first grade trilingual (English, Spanish, Native language) class in Caracas, Venezuela. She has also studied in Spain for two months. Elya later taught middle school and high school Spanish and ESL classes in Nebraska. Because of the author’s experiences in Mexico and Spain, she was able to work with G. Brian Karas to make the Hispanic culture come to life in this book. The illustrations are extremely authentic and accurate. The main family in this story is Hispanic. The illustrator did a great job of including recognizable features so that readers know that they are Hispanic. For example, the family has brown skin and dark hair. He also has included Hispanic costumes in the book. For example, the guitar player has a sombrero and suit on, just like members of a mariachi band. The pictures also show many decorations that are included at Hispanic celebrations, such as piñatas, confetti, Hispanic crafts. Readers can also notice interconnections between characters of different race and ethnicities. Although this is a Hispanic birthday party, the guests who were invited are a diverse group. For example, there are Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic guests invited. They all interact with each other while celebrating the birthday. Readers can see the guests celebrating together singing and dancing through the illustration on page twenty-four.
Weaknesses: One of the biggest weaknesses of this book is that it reinforces many Hispanic stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes include: Mexicans always eat tacos, Mexicans always have mustaches, Mexicans only listen to mariachi music, and Mexicans always wear sombreros. The food provided for the party in this story is all the stereotypical Mexican food such as tacos, queso, salsa, and churros. One of the characters in the story is a mariachi band player. He is pictured with a stereotypical mustache, and is wearing the full mariaji uniform, including a sombrero. Although these things can be taken as a stereotype, I believe that they also help portray the Hispanic culture.
Resources:
Susan Middleton Eyla Website: http://www.susanelya.com/about.htm: Click here to learn more about the author!
G. Brian Karas Official Website: http://www.gbriankaras.com: Click here to learn more about the illustrator!
Lesson Plan: http://teachersnetwork.org/lessonplans/lesson-plan-hispanic-heritage-month/cinco_de_mayo.htm: This link will take you to a lesson plan that aligns with this book.
Main Theme: The underlying theme in this story is to be proud of your culture and traditions. In this story, the birthday boy’s family throws him a party. At the party, the guests eat food from the Hispanic culture such as churros, salsa, and queso. The guests also partake in many Hispanic activities such as hitting a piñata and dancing. While reading this story, readers will learn Spanish words as they take a journey through the Spanish alphabet. As they are reading, they can reference the front page of the book, which has a glossary of all the Spanish words and their meaning in English. The glossary also lists the letters in the Spanish alphabet with their pronunciation beside them.
Critical Review:
Strengths: Susan Middleton Elya is an expertise in ESL/ELL students. Before she became a published picture-book author, she was a teacher in three different states. She taught in Ashland, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Romana, California. Elya studied Spanish as a foreign language and earned her degree. Her inspiration for learning Spanish came from her dad and older sister carrying on a Spanish conversation at the dinner table. She wanted to know what they were saying, but they would never tell her. She has visited Mexico City with her high school Spanish teacher to learn about their culture and language. Later, she student taught a first grade trilingual (English, Spanish, Native language) class in Caracas, Venezuela. She has also studied in Spain for two months. Elya later taught middle school and high school Spanish and ESL classes in Nebraska. Because of the author’s experiences in Mexico and Spain, she was able to work with G. Brian Karas to make the Hispanic culture come to life in this book. The illustrations are extremely authentic and accurate. The main family in this story is Hispanic. The illustrator did a great job of including recognizable features so that readers know that they are Hispanic. For example, the family has brown skin and dark hair. He also has included Hispanic costumes in the book. For example, the guitar player has a sombrero and suit on, just like members of a mariachi band. The pictures also show many decorations that are included at Hispanic celebrations, such as piñatas, confetti, Hispanic crafts. Readers can also notice interconnections between characters of different race and ethnicities. Although this is a Hispanic birthday party, the guests who were invited are a diverse group. For example, there are Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic guests invited. They all interact with each other while celebrating the birthday. Readers can see the guests celebrating together singing and dancing through the illustration on page twenty-four.
Weaknesses: One of the biggest weaknesses of this book is that it reinforces many Hispanic stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes include: Mexicans always eat tacos, Mexicans always have mustaches, Mexicans only listen to mariachi music, and Mexicans always wear sombreros. The food provided for the party in this story is all the stereotypical Mexican food such as tacos, queso, salsa, and churros. One of the characters in the story is a mariachi band player. He is pictured with a stereotypical mustache, and is wearing the full mariaji uniform, including a sombrero. Although these things can be taken as a stereotype, I believe that they also help portray the Hispanic culture.
Resources:
Susan Middleton Eyla Website: http://www.susanelya.com/about.htm: Click here to learn more about the author!
G. Brian Karas Official Website: http://www.gbriankaras.com: Click here to learn more about the illustrator!
Lesson Plan: http://teachersnetwork.org/lessonplans/lesson-plan-hispanic-heritage-month/cinco_de_mayo.htm: This link will take you to a lesson plan that aligns with this book.
The Moon is La Luna: Silly Rhymes in English & Spanish
Summary: The Moon is La Luna is a rhyming book that is full of silly rhymes in English and in Spanish. This book does not have a story line, however, it rhymes and introduces over fifty Spanish/English words. The purpose of this book is to learn some basic Spanish words through rhyme and picture.
Main Theme: The main theme to this story is learning Spanish words. The Spanish words are introduced through rhyme and pictures. For example, the second page reads, “A river is un rio. When the river’s cold, it’s frio. As the water turns chill, it gets harder until you can walk on un rio frio.” Along with that rhyme, the illustration is of a person bundled up in warm clothes, skating on the icy river. By reading this page and looking at the illustration, students learn that rio means river and frio means cold. This is just one of the many examples of how Spanish words are introduced through rhyme and pictures in this book.
Critical Review:
Strengths: A huge strength of this story is that the cultural details are current and correct. The author, Jay M. Harris, includes words in both the Spanish and English language. He was inspired to write this book due to his love for Spanish and Mexican food. All of the Spanish words are very clear and translated throughout the story. For example, the first page reads, “The moon is la luna. The sun is el sol. To say ‘Spanish’ in Spanish, you say ‘Español.’” Readers clearly understand that la luna means the moon, and el sol means the sun. This book is very easy to read because each page is a different rhyming poem that teaches readers different Spanish words. The illustrations are also very authentic and accurate. They are a great reminder for what the Spanish words mean as readers read the text. For example, on the first page, the illustrations are of the moon and the sun. Readers can reference the pictures as they read to help them comprehend and remember the Spanish words. The illustrator also has a brief knowledge of Spanish, as he studied Spanish for two years in high school where he learned basic vocabulary and sentence structure. Another great reference for the reader is the Spanish glossary in the back of the book. This glossary lists each of the Spanish and English words used within the poems.
Weaknesses: Readers could argue that the biggest weakness of this story is that it has no storyline. Each poem is about a completely different topic. For example, on the first page, it talks about the moon and the sun, while on the second page, it talks about the river freezing over. This can make the story kind of difficult for readers to comprehend. Another weakness to The Moon is La Luna is that the author has not been credited with any awards for this book. This is the only book he has ever written, although he plans to write more children’s books in the future.
Resources:
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDPXcrFvAOo (Click this link to hear this story read aloud!)
Matthew Cordell Official Website: http://www.matthewcordell.com/ (Click here to find out more about the illustrator and to see some of his illustrations in other books.)
ESL Books: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalvarez/read-conmigo-please?utm_term=.ihZEZWrOG#.uym2PyVWM (Click here to view some ESL books that are formatted the same as “The Moon is La Luna.”)
Main Theme: The main theme to this story is learning Spanish words. The Spanish words are introduced through rhyme and pictures. For example, the second page reads, “A river is un rio. When the river’s cold, it’s frio. As the water turns chill, it gets harder until you can walk on un rio frio.” Along with that rhyme, the illustration is of a person bundled up in warm clothes, skating on the icy river. By reading this page and looking at the illustration, students learn that rio means river and frio means cold. This is just one of the many examples of how Spanish words are introduced through rhyme and pictures in this book.
Critical Review:
Strengths: A huge strength of this story is that the cultural details are current and correct. The author, Jay M. Harris, includes words in both the Spanish and English language. He was inspired to write this book due to his love for Spanish and Mexican food. All of the Spanish words are very clear and translated throughout the story. For example, the first page reads, “The moon is la luna. The sun is el sol. To say ‘Spanish’ in Spanish, you say ‘Español.’” Readers clearly understand that la luna means the moon, and el sol means the sun. This book is very easy to read because each page is a different rhyming poem that teaches readers different Spanish words. The illustrations are also very authentic and accurate. They are a great reminder for what the Spanish words mean as readers read the text. For example, on the first page, the illustrations are of the moon and the sun. Readers can reference the pictures as they read to help them comprehend and remember the Spanish words. The illustrator also has a brief knowledge of Spanish, as he studied Spanish for two years in high school where he learned basic vocabulary and sentence structure. Another great reference for the reader is the Spanish glossary in the back of the book. This glossary lists each of the Spanish and English words used within the poems.
Weaknesses: Readers could argue that the biggest weakness of this story is that it has no storyline. Each poem is about a completely different topic. For example, on the first page, it talks about the moon and the sun, while on the second page, it talks about the river freezing over. This can make the story kind of difficult for readers to comprehend. Another weakness to The Moon is La Luna is that the author has not been credited with any awards for this book. This is the only book he has ever written, although he plans to write more children’s books in the future.
Resources:
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDPXcrFvAOo (Click this link to hear this story read aloud!)
Matthew Cordell Official Website: http://www.matthewcordell.com/ (Click here to find out more about the illustrator and to see some of his illustrations in other books.)
ESL Books: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalvarez/read-conmigo-please?utm_term=.ihZEZWrOG#.uym2PyVWM (Click here to view some ESL books that are formatted the same as “The Moon is La Luna.”)
Counting Ovejas
Summary: Have you ever laid down in bed, and immediately started hearing strange noises? This book is all about a young boy who lies down to go to sleep and starts hearing strange noises such as the faucet dripping and the clock ticking. To help him go to sleep, he begins counting colorful sheep. Once the boy, counts ten colorful sheep, he is fast asleep.
Main Theme: The there are two main themes in this story. These themes include counting and identifying color names in Spanish. While the little boy is sleeping, he begins counting sheep until he gets to ten. Readers are able to pick up on the number names in Spanish as they count sheep along with the boy. The numbers include: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez (1-10). Along with learning number names in Spanish, readers will also learn color names in Spanish. The colors of the sheep the character counts include: white-blanca, brown-marrones, black-negro, pink-rosa, green-verde, red-rojo, turquoise-turquesas, violet-violetas, blue-azul, and yellow-amarillas.
Critical Review:
Strengths: The author based this story off of her own experience of having a hard time going to sleep. She said that when she is struggling to fall asleep, she goes through the alphabet, trying to think of people she knew in elementary school whose names start with each letter. Sarah weeks said that she tends to write about what she is interested in or knows a lot about, which for her is animals. This is why many of her children’s picture books are about animals. She designed this story for fluent and new Spanish readers. One noticeable characteristic of this story is the big sheep figures that make the counting concept easy for the readers to follow. Weeks uses both the Spanish and English language in this story. The Spanish words are both portrayed in the illustrations and translated in English for the readers. None of the terms seem to be confusing or unclear, as they are all very straight forward. This story’s illustrations show three African American characters including a mom, dad, and child. These three characters are brought together in a very realistic way. Bedtime is a common time for children and their parents to come together no matter what culture. Parents often come into their children’s room to help them get settled in bed. They usually tuck their child in and tell them goodnight.
Weaknesses: I do not believe that there are any weaknesses to this story, as it is very clear. It not only has both the Spanish and English language included on each page, but also the pronunciation of the words. If one had to find a weakness in this story, they could argue that it has the potential for stereotyping. One stereotype that could be reinforced in this story is that African American and Hispanic people only speak Spanish, and need to learn English. This weakness is a stretch, but is the only one I could find as I think the strengths of this book tremendously outweigh any weaknesses.
Resources:
Sarah Weeks Official Website: http://sarahweeks.com/: Read more about the author by visiting her official website!
All About David Diaz: https://www.nccil.org/artists/david-diaz: Read more about the illustrator!
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_9d2fhB900: This link will take you to a lesson plan that aligns with this book!
Main Theme: The there are two main themes in this story. These themes include counting and identifying color names in Spanish. While the little boy is sleeping, he begins counting sheep until he gets to ten. Readers are able to pick up on the number names in Spanish as they count sheep along with the boy. The numbers include: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez (1-10). Along with learning number names in Spanish, readers will also learn color names in Spanish. The colors of the sheep the character counts include: white-blanca, brown-marrones, black-negro, pink-rosa, green-verde, red-rojo, turquoise-turquesas, violet-violetas, blue-azul, and yellow-amarillas.
Critical Review:
Strengths: The author based this story off of her own experience of having a hard time going to sleep. She said that when she is struggling to fall asleep, she goes through the alphabet, trying to think of people she knew in elementary school whose names start with each letter. Sarah weeks said that she tends to write about what she is interested in or knows a lot about, which for her is animals. This is why many of her children’s picture books are about animals. She designed this story for fluent and new Spanish readers. One noticeable characteristic of this story is the big sheep figures that make the counting concept easy for the readers to follow. Weeks uses both the Spanish and English language in this story. The Spanish words are both portrayed in the illustrations and translated in English for the readers. None of the terms seem to be confusing or unclear, as they are all very straight forward. This story’s illustrations show three African American characters including a mom, dad, and child. These three characters are brought together in a very realistic way. Bedtime is a common time for children and their parents to come together no matter what culture. Parents often come into their children’s room to help them get settled in bed. They usually tuck their child in and tell them goodnight.
Weaknesses: I do not believe that there are any weaknesses to this story, as it is very clear. It not only has both the Spanish and English language included on each page, but also the pronunciation of the words. If one had to find a weakness in this story, they could argue that it has the potential for stereotyping. One stereotype that could be reinforced in this story is that African American and Hispanic people only speak Spanish, and need to learn English. This weakness is a stretch, but is the only one I could find as I think the strengths of this book tremendously outweigh any weaknesses.
Resources:
Sarah Weeks Official Website: http://sarahweeks.com/: Read more about the author by visiting her official website!
All About David Diaz: https://www.nccil.org/artists/david-diaz: Read more about the illustrator!
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_9d2fhB900: This link will take you to a lesson plan that aligns with this book!
Bullying Section:
Henry and the Bully
Summary: Henry, a mouse who is in the first grade, loves to play soccer with his classmates during recess. One day while the first graders were playing soccer, Henry was chasing the soccer ball, and suddenly bumped into the new second grader named Sam. Sam kicked the ball over the fence, as the rest of the second graders laughed and made fun of Henry. Henry did not know how to stand up for himself, and none of his classmates knew how to either. Henry decides to go to his teacher, Mr. McCarthy to tell him about Same bullying him at recess. Mr. McCarthy promises to look out for Henry and the rest of the first graders at recess. Suddenly, recess is a very busy time for Mr. McCarthy as he has to help students who are hurt. Sam continued to make fun of Henry when the teacher was not around by calling him “Shrimp” and grabbing his tail to prevent him from scoring a goal. Henry suddenly stops feeling well, and pretends to play hooky. On Saturday, Henry and his mother go to the store, and who do they find but Sam, trying on an embarrassing dress. Henry worries what Sam will do to him the next day at school for seeing him at such an embarrassing time. Will Sam continue to bully Henry?
Main Theme: The theme of this story is to treat everyone how you want to be treated. It was so easy for Sam to bully Henry until he was put into a bad situation that he could have easily been made fun of for. At school the next day after Henry had seen Sam trying on that dress, they met up in the hallway. Sam threatened Henry by saying, “Shrimp if you tell anyone you saw me trying on that dress, I’ll kick your soccer ball into space!” Henry was frightened at what Sam would do if he were to tell his secret, so he replied by saying, “I wouldn't tell anyone. You looked pretty embarrassed, and it wouldn't be nice.” Later that day at recess, Henry invited Sam and the rest of the second graders to play soccer with them. This time everyone played so nicely together. Henry could have taken revenge on Sam for all the bullying done to him prior to the dress situation, but chose to be kind instead.
Critical Review:
Strengths: Nancy Carlson, author and illustrator, writes stories based on her own childhood experiences. “She believes that life should be fun for everyone, but especially children. The optimistic message permeates her picture books and provides a positive counterpoint to much of what children are influenced by in today’s society” (Nancy Carlson’s Website). Bullying is unfortunately very popular in today’s society, and this book helps student understand what to do if they are being bullied. This story also has a very positive and optimistic ending. According to Carlson, “Her characters are not always perfect. They often have fears, anxieties, and disabilities. Through her book, kids learn to cope with difficult challenges.” Reader’s should notice the author’s dedication message on the very first page that reads, “To everyone who stands up to bullies by asking for help. You are cool! Bullies are not!” Carlson has won many awards for her picture books including “several Reading Rainbow selections, the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association and Children’s Book Council, the Minnesota Children’s Museum Great Friends to Kids Award and several others” (Nancy Carlson’s Website). The illustrations and storyline in this book are very accurate. Most the time bullying is done in the hallways, at recess, or during other periods of the day when the teacher is not around. The author has included several types of bulling including verbal, social, and physical bullying within this text.
Weaknesses: This books strengths tremendously outweigh its weaknesses. The only weakness a reader may find in this story is that it portrays that bullies are bigger and older than their victims. In this story the bully, Sam, is in the second grade, while the victim, Henry, is in the first grade. The illustrations show that Sam is physically a lot bigger and taller than Henry. Bullying happens all the time in schools today, and the bullies are not necessarily bigger and older than their victims. Another weakness is that the book makes the reader think that the teacher is clueless. If a student has approached a teacher about being bullied, most of the time a teacher will keep a closer eye on the students than what the teacher in this book did. While the teacher would be very happy to see that the bullying has ended, the teacher is most likely not going to take the credit for solving the bullying issue if they did nothing about it.
Resources:
Nancy Carlson Official Website: https://nancycarlson.com: Click here to learn more about the author and illustrator
Book Overview and Bullying Message from Nancy Carlson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qVzNJjeXM0: This link will take you to a YouTube video of Nancy Carlson talking about the message in her book.
Read Aloud Lesson Plan: http://www.keepkidsreading.net/docs/henryandthebully.pdf: Here is a lesson plan with essential questions to ask while reading this book.
Main Theme: The theme of this story is to treat everyone how you want to be treated. It was so easy for Sam to bully Henry until he was put into a bad situation that he could have easily been made fun of for. At school the next day after Henry had seen Sam trying on that dress, they met up in the hallway. Sam threatened Henry by saying, “Shrimp if you tell anyone you saw me trying on that dress, I’ll kick your soccer ball into space!” Henry was frightened at what Sam would do if he were to tell his secret, so he replied by saying, “I wouldn't tell anyone. You looked pretty embarrassed, and it wouldn't be nice.” Later that day at recess, Henry invited Sam and the rest of the second graders to play soccer with them. This time everyone played so nicely together. Henry could have taken revenge on Sam for all the bullying done to him prior to the dress situation, but chose to be kind instead.
Critical Review:
Strengths: Nancy Carlson, author and illustrator, writes stories based on her own childhood experiences. “She believes that life should be fun for everyone, but especially children. The optimistic message permeates her picture books and provides a positive counterpoint to much of what children are influenced by in today’s society” (Nancy Carlson’s Website). Bullying is unfortunately very popular in today’s society, and this book helps student understand what to do if they are being bullied. This story also has a very positive and optimistic ending. According to Carlson, “Her characters are not always perfect. They often have fears, anxieties, and disabilities. Through her book, kids learn to cope with difficult challenges.” Reader’s should notice the author’s dedication message on the very first page that reads, “To everyone who stands up to bullies by asking for help. You are cool! Bullies are not!” Carlson has won many awards for her picture books including “several Reading Rainbow selections, the Children’s Choice Award from the International Reading Association and Children’s Book Council, the Minnesota Children’s Museum Great Friends to Kids Award and several others” (Nancy Carlson’s Website). The illustrations and storyline in this book are very accurate. Most the time bullying is done in the hallways, at recess, or during other periods of the day when the teacher is not around. The author has included several types of bulling including verbal, social, and physical bullying within this text.
Weaknesses: This books strengths tremendously outweigh its weaknesses. The only weakness a reader may find in this story is that it portrays that bullies are bigger and older than their victims. In this story the bully, Sam, is in the second grade, while the victim, Henry, is in the first grade. The illustrations show that Sam is physically a lot bigger and taller than Henry. Bullying happens all the time in schools today, and the bullies are not necessarily bigger and older than their victims. Another weakness is that the book makes the reader think that the teacher is clueless. If a student has approached a teacher about being bullied, most of the time a teacher will keep a closer eye on the students than what the teacher in this book did. While the teacher would be very happy to see that the bullying has ended, the teacher is most likely not going to take the credit for solving the bullying issue if they did nothing about it.
Resources:
Nancy Carlson Official Website: https://nancycarlson.com: Click here to learn more about the author and illustrator
Book Overview and Bullying Message from Nancy Carlson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qVzNJjeXM0: This link will take you to a YouTube video of Nancy Carlson talking about the message in her book.
Read Aloud Lesson Plan: http://www.keepkidsreading.net/docs/henryandthebully.pdf: Here is a lesson plan with essential questions to ask while reading this book.
Noni Speaks Up
Summary: Noni, the protagonist in this story, is always doing good deeds. She is always trying to do the right thing and seeing the best in people. For example, she gives up her seat on the bus to a senior. At school, she suddenly notices kids making fun of Hector for his name, size, and big glasses. When this happens, it upsets her, however, she immediately freezes and can’t find words to say. It constantly bothers her that she cannot find the words to say to stand up for Hector. She is afraid that if she speaks up, the kids will start leaving her out and making fun of her. The next day at the park, Noni notices a boy pushing Hector off the swing set. What will Noni do? Is she brave enough to stand up for Hector?
Main Theme: The main theme in this story is conquering your fears and having courage to stand up for your friends. At the beginning of the story, Noni is struggling to understand why everyone is making fun of Hector for his name, size, and glasses. She does not understand this situation because she is always trying to do the right thing. When Noni sees Hector being bullied and doesn't say anything, she feels extremely guilty to the point where she cannot sleep. She is extremely scared to stand up for Noni because she is afraid the other kids will start bullying her too, but she has the courage to overcome these fears to stick up for Hector. This shows the reader what true friendship and standing up for each other is all about.
Critical Review:
Strengths: This book has very powerful messages woven into it. The book starts out with a dedication from the author and illustrator. The author dedicated this book “For Mom and Dad, and for anyone who has the courage to stand up for anyone else. “The illustrator dedicated this book “For those who speak up—and those who will. This book is very accurate, as people are bullied for their names and physical appearance quite often today. Hector, the victim of the bully in this story, is pictured as a very tall and slender by boy who has huge circular glasses. Another very accurate detail of this book is how hard it truly is to stand up for someone when you see them being bullied. Standing up for someone is not an easy task, and it is true that it comes along with the feeling of fear, anxiety, and guilt. When Noni sees Hector being bullied she really wants to stand up for him but can’t seem to find the words to do it. She is filled with the feeling of fear and anxiety because she is afraid that if she speaks up, the kids will start bullying her. Noni also experiences the feeling of guilt to the point of not being able to sleep. Noni realizes that choosing to stand up for somebody who is being bullied is hard to do, but she later finds out how fulfilling and rewarding it can be. She has not only gained bravery and courage for doing so, but also an everlasting friendship. The illustrations of bullying in this book are also very realistic. Although the characters look like cartoons, the picture of what bullying looks like is portrayed exceptionally well. For example, on page three, readers can see how uncomfortable Hector is feeling as the kids make fun of him through his facial expression. The kids are laughing and making fake glasses with their fingers. On pages fourteen and fifteen, reader see what physical bullying looks like and the reaction from other bystanders. One kid is pushing Hector off the swing as his glasses go flying off his face. There are two bystanders on this page. One is Noni who has a surprised and sad look on her face, and the other is a girl who is hysterically laughing at what just happened. This illustrations portray the different reactions from bystanders when bullying happens in real life. Some feel sorry for the victim, while other just point and laugh.
Weaknesses: The book never came out and directly stated how this mistreatment from the kids was causing Hector to feel. It only highlighted how Noni felt throughout her experience of trying to stick up for her friend. The only way readers can identify how the bullying was affecting Hector was through his facial expressions in the illustrations. This book could have been more powerful had it shown the readers how this bullying was making Hector feel. This would’ve given the readers two different perspectives of bullying; the bystander’s and the victim’s.
Resources:
Heather’s Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/heatherhartt?lang=en: Click here to learn more about the author!
Cote’s Website: http://genevievecoteillustration.com/en/ : Click here to learn more about the illustrator!
Lesson Plan: https://tundrabooks.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/noni-speaks-up_poster-guide.pdf : Here is a lesson plan that involves discussion questions to ask while reading this book.
Main Theme: The main theme in this story is conquering your fears and having courage to stand up for your friends. At the beginning of the story, Noni is struggling to understand why everyone is making fun of Hector for his name, size, and glasses. She does not understand this situation because she is always trying to do the right thing. When Noni sees Hector being bullied and doesn't say anything, she feels extremely guilty to the point where she cannot sleep. She is extremely scared to stand up for Noni because she is afraid the other kids will start bullying her too, but she has the courage to overcome these fears to stick up for Hector. This shows the reader what true friendship and standing up for each other is all about.
Critical Review:
Strengths: This book has very powerful messages woven into it. The book starts out with a dedication from the author and illustrator. The author dedicated this book “For Mom and Dad, and for anyone who has the courage to stand up for anyone else. “The illustrator dedicated this book “For those who speak up—and those who will. This book is very accurate, as people are bullied for their names and physical appearance quite often today. Hector, the victim of the bully in this story, is pictured as a very tall and slender by boy who has huge circular glasses. Another very accurate detail of this book is how hard it truly is to stand up for someone when you see them being bullied. Standing up for someone is not an easy task, and it is true that it comes along with the feeling of fear, anxiety, and guilt. When Noni sees Hector being bullied she really wants to stand up for him but can’t seem to find the words to do it. She is filled with the feeling of fear and anxiety because she is afraid that if she speaks up, the kids will start bullying her. Noni also experiences the feeling of guilt to the point of not being able to sleep. Noni realizes that choosing to stand up for somebody who is being bullied is hard to do, but she later finds out how fulfilling and rewarding it can be. She has not only gained bravery and courage for doing so, but also an everlasting friendship. The illustrations of bullying in this book are also very realistic. Although the characters look like cartoons, the picture of what bullying looks like is portrayed exceptionally well. For example, on page three, readers can see how uncomfortable Hector is feeling as the kids make fun of him through his facial expression. The kids are laughing and making fake glasses with their fingers. On pages fourteen and fifteen, reader see what physical bullying looks like and the reaction from other bystanders. One kid is pushing Hector off the swing as his glasses go flying off his face. There are two bystanders on this page. One is Noni who has a surprised and sad look on her face, and the other is a girl who is hysterically laughing at what just happened. This illustrations portray the different reactions from bystanders when bullying happens in real life. Some feel sorry for the victim, while other just point and laugh.
Weaknesses: The book never came out and directly stated how this mistreatment from the kids was causing Hector to feel. It only highlighted how Noni felt throughout her experience of trying to stick up for her friend. The only way readers can identify how the bullying was affecting Hector was through his facial expressions in the illustrations. This book could have been more powerful had it shown the readers how this bullying was making Hector feel. This would’ve given the readers two different perspectives of bullying; the bystander’s and the victim’s.
Resources:
Heather’s Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/heatherhartt?lang=en: Click here to learn more about the author!
Cote’s Website: http://genevievecoteillustration.com/en/ : Click here to learn more about the illustrator!
Lesson Plan: https://tundrabooks.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/noni-speaks-up_poster-guide.pdf : Here is a lesson plan that involves discussion questions to ask while reading this book.
The Berenstain Bears and the Bully
Summary: One day, after school, Sister came home crying with a scratched up face and torn clothes. Mama, Papa, and Brother couldn’t figure out what happened to Sister, as she was too upset to talk. Mama thought she might have fallen, Papa thought it was an accident, and Brother thought that she got beat up at school. Brother was right. As Mama took Sister inside to clean her up and take care of her, Brother immediately went to the park to find Tuffy. Brother had planned to get revenge on Tuffy, but to his surprise, Tuffy was a girl. He knew he could not beat up a girl, so he came up with an alternative plan to help Sister. What could this plan be? Would it work? Will Sister be safe at school next week?
Main Theme: The main theme in this story is standing up for your siblings. After finding out that Sister got beaten up on the playground, Brother immediately felt the urge to stand up for her. He went directly to the playground to find the bully who beat up Sister. When he arrived at the playground and realized that Tuffy was a girl, he knew he couldn't beat her up. Although Brother couldn't beat Tuffy up, he knew something had to be done so he came up with a different plan. He went to the gym teacher to borrow two pairs of boxing gloves, and made a punching bag out of Mama’s dried beans. He set this up in the basement and trained his sister later that night. The next day, Brother encouraged Sister to avoid Tuffy, just like their parents wanted her too. However, Brother knew that if Tuffy came near Sister, Sister would be able to defend and protect herself.
Critical Review:
Strengths: This book portrays bullying in an accurate and realistic sort of way. For example, physical bullying happens in schools today. Many of times, bullying occurs in places where teachers are less likely to see such as the hallway, locker room, and recess. In this book, Sister gets bullied at school while playing on the playground at recess. The bully, Tuffy, tripped Sister, causing her to fall down. Sister got up and told Tuffy to watch where she puts her feet. Tuffy did not like the way that Sister was mouthing-off to her, so she punched her to the ground, sat on top of her, and rubbed dirt in her face. The author and illustrator, Stan and Jan Berenstain, raised a family of their own. They started out by putting their cartoons in magazines, and later started creating children’s books. The focus for their magazine cartoons and children’s books was on humor about their children and family. Another strength of this book is that it does not display the stereotypical bully. Most bullies in books are portrayed as a male who is big and tough, especially if the book is displaying physical bullying. In this book, the bully is a small girl named Tuffy. This helps make the book accurate and realistic as well because both boys and girls bully others in schools today. Another thing that is completely accurate about this story is that often times the bully has something going on in their life that causes them to act like this. In the story, Sister finds out that Tuffy gets hit a lot at home by her parents.
Weaknesses: The largest weakness in this book is the title page, as it displays some very cruel ways of getting revenge on the bully. This page pictures Sister walking home from the playground crying with a large thought bubble of all the ways she could get revenge on the bully. Inside the thought bubble, readers will see Sister in a tank, on a horse with a lance, carrying a Medieval flail, and flying in a jet. While the victim can feel very depressed and angry after being bullied, readers could argue that these thoughts are over exaggerated and too gruesome for a children’s book.
Resources:
Berenstain Bear Official Website: http://www.berenstainbears.com: Click here to learn more about the Stan and Jan Berenstain, and to view their official website!
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTfBr3WFWM : This link will bring you to a YouTube video of the book being read aloud.
Bullying Lesson Plan: https://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=12019: Here is a lesson plan that an educator can use that incorporates this book and the concept of bullying.
Main Theme: The main theme in this story is standing up for your siblings. After finding out that Sister got beaten up on the playground, Brother immediately felt the urge to stand up for her. He went directly to the playground to find the bully who beat up Sister. When he arrived at the playground and realized that Tuffy was a girl, he knew he couldn't beat her up. Although Brother couldn't beat Tuffy up, he knew something had to be done so he came up with a different plan. He went to the gym teacher to borrow two pairs of boxing gloves, and made a punching bag out of Mama’s dried beans. He set this up in the basement and trained his sister later that night. The next day, Brother encouraged Sister to avoid Tuffy, just like their parents wanted her too. However, Brother knew that if Tuffy came near Sister, Sister would be able to defend and protect herself.
Critical Review:
Strengths: This book portrays bullying in an accurate and realistic sort of way. For example, physical bullying happens in schools today. Many of times, bullying occurs in places where teachers are less likely to see such as the hallway, locker room, and recess. In this book, Sister gets bullied at school while playing on the playground at recess. The bully, Tuffy, tripped Sister, causing her to fall down. Sister got up and told Tuffy to watch where she puts her feet. Tuffy did not like the way that Sister was mouthing-off to her, so she punched her to the ground, sat on top of her, and rubbed dirt in her face. The author and illustrator, Stan and Jan Berenstain, raised a family of their own. They started out by putting their cartoons in magazines, and later started creating children’s books. The focus for their magazine cartoons and children’s books was on humor about their children and family. Another strength of this book is that it does not display the stereotypical bully. Most bullies in books are portrayed as a male who is big and tough, especially if the book is displaying physical bullying. In this book, the bully is a small girl named Tuffy. This helps make the book accurate and realistic as well because both boys and girls bully others in schools today. Another thing that is completely accurate about this story is that often times the bully has something going on in their life that causes them to act like this. In the story, Sister finds out that Tuffy gets hit a lot at home by her parents.
Weaknesses: The largest weakness in this book is the title page, as it displays some very cruel ways of getting revenge on the bully. This page pictures Sister walking home from the playground crying with a large thought bubble of all the ways she could get revenge on the bully. Inside the thought bubble, readers will see Sister in a tank, on a horse with a lance, carrying a Medieval flail, and flying in a jet. While the victim can feel very depressed and angry after being bullied, readers could argue that these thoughts are over exaggerated and too gruesome for a children’s book.
Resources:
Berenstain Bear Official Website: http://www.berenstainbears.com: Click here to learn more about the Stan and Jan Berenstain, and to view their official website!
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTfBr3WFWM : This link will bring you to a YouTube video of the book being read aloud.
Bullying Lesson Plan: https://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=12019: Here is a lesson plan that an educator can use that incorporates this book and the concept of bullying.