I am the messenger

I am the messenger

markus zusak

 

Markus Zusak is the author of 5 books including The Book Thief. I am the messenger was nominated for a Michael L. Printz Award in 2006, a Los Angeles Times Book Award in 2006 and a Bluegrass Award in 2006. It also won 2003 Australian Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award and the 2003 NSW Premier’s Literary Award.

 

 

I am the Messenger is a realistic fiction novel about a cab driver named Ed who begins anonymously receiving playing cards in the mail with messages written on them. Ed must figure out what the words mean and what he must do, and ends up changing the lives of many people, including his own.

 Realistic fiction can include many different subjects including "survival, the search for identity, the roles of family and peers, growing up, animals and sports. The tone of the story can range from serious and tense to humorous and even outrageous" (Vardell pg. 144). Ed finds his identity in the novel. In the beginning he is lost within himself; his father was an alcoholic, he isn't in school and really has no idea what he's doing with his life. When talking about himself he says "No real career. No respect in the community. Nothing" (Zusak pg. 14). At the end of the novel he has gained more of a sense of who he is, what he wants, and the impact he has on other people. With realistic fiction, the character's "emerging self-knowledge" is very important regarding character development (Vardell pg. 158).

The novel is both humorous and serious at different times. The conversations between Ed and his friends are usually humorous and the beginning chapter where they are being held up at a bank and are talking back to the robber is funny. However, there are serious situations. For example, Ed gets beaten up on a few times throughout the novel. He also helps a family whose father is sexually abusing the mother while the daughter is witness.

Mystery is a subgenre in contemporary realistic fiction. Mysteries "emerge as a very popular choice with children in the middle grades who are stretching their problem solving skills" (Vardell pg. 147). The mystery in this novel is compelling. The reader wonders where these playing cards are coming from and why Ed was chosen for the tasks.

Professional Reviews for I am the messenger:

• Voice of Youth Advocates: "Ed's journey into secret lives is so emotional and intellectually challenging that older readers will enjoy the trip."

• School Library Journal: "Zusak's characters, styling, and conversations are believably unpretentious, well conceived, and appropriately raw. Together, these key elements fuse into an enigmatically dark, almost film-noir atmosphere."

More about the author.
Video Interview with the author

 

Zusak, M. I am the messenger. New York: Knopf, 2002. 

ISBN 978-0-375-83099-0

$6.32 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author photo from randomhouse.com

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman

with illustrations by Dave McKean

 

Neil Gaiman's work has been honored with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. His books and stories have also been honored with 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 1 World Fantasy Award, 6 Locus Awards, 2 British SF Awards, 1 British Fantasy Award, 1 International Horror Guild Award and 2 Mythopoeic Awards. The Graveyard Book was nominated for the Nene Award in 2012 and the Golden Archer Award in 2013.


The Graveyard Book is a Newbery Medal winning novel about a boy named Nobody, nicknamed Bod, who is raised by ghosts in a cemetery after his family is murdered. Bod struggles internally with whether he belongs with the living or the dead, and at the same time searches for the mystery behind his family's death.

Gaiman's fantasy novel contains most of the six basic ingredients or motifs that Vardell explains helps establish the pattern or character of fantasy novels: magic, other worlds, good versus evil, heroism, character archetypes, and fantastic objects (Vardell, pg. 206). Fantasy novels also contain made up words and scientific concepts, which holds true in The Graveyard Book. Bod learns how to Fade, allowing only ghosts to see him, and Dreamwalk, where he can get inside other people's dreams. The child protagonist in fantasy novels usually is "a bit different - extremely bright, often misunderstood, possibly a loner" (Vardell, pg. 206). Bod is misunderstood when he tries to attend a public school and is different from everyone else. A girl from his school tells him "You're weird. You don't have any friends" (Gaiman, pg. 192).

Fantasy novels have plots that "often involve quests or journeys with tasks to accomplish, obstacles to overcome, and villains to vanquish" (Vardell, pg. 219). Bod solves many mysteries during his time at the graveyard, including what ghouls are and where they live, how to talk to the magical Seer, and how to find and get rid of his villain, the man who killed his family.

Professional Reviews for The Graveyard Book:

• Voice of Youth Advocates: "Everyone who reads this book will hope fervently that the very busy author gets around to writing one soon."

• School Library Journal: "Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family."

More about the author.
Other books by the author.

Gaiman, N. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins, 2008. 

ISBN 978-0-06-053093-8

$8.99 at Barnes & Noble

Work cited: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author photo and bio from neilgaiman.com

Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco

Lunch Lady 

and the Field Trip Fiasco

Jarrett J. Krosoczka

 

Jarrett J. Krosoczka has authored twenty one published books—ten picture books, ten graphic novels and his new chapter book—Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked. His Lunch Lady series has twice won a Children's Choice Book Award, in the Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year category, and was nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.

Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco is a hilarious story about the Breakfast Bunch and the Lunch Lady going on a class field trip to a museum. When the gang finds out some of the artwork is fake, they must stop the criminals while still making it back in time for the end of the museum tour.

The Lunch Lady series is a graphic novel series which are "new kinds of 'handheld books' with graphic and nonlinear formats that today's young people find especially appealing.. there is a fun connection here between fantasy fiction and graphic interpretation" (Vardell pg. 228). Krosoczka's book is definitely entertaining. Humor can be found in both the text and in the illustrations. For example, the Lunch Lady has an array of tools she uses like a Spork Phone, GPS gum & Gum-Wrapper GPS Tracker, Whisk Whackers, a Ziti Microscope and a Spatu-copter.

One evaluation criteria is that "it should be possible to identify with the main characters.. they may be strange or extraordinary, but we should still feel a kinship with the protagonist" (Vardell, pg. 218). Krosoczka has done a great job of this. Even though the Breakfast Bunch fights bad guys with the help of Lunch Lady, they are still normal and relatable kids. They get picked on while riding the school bus, they accidently knock over a museum exhibit and they forget to have their parent sign a permission slip.

More books by Krosoczka

Video Interview with Krosoczka

Krosoczka, J. J. Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco. New York: Knopf, 2011. 

ISBN 978-0-375-86730-9

$6.99 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author bio and picture from http://www.studiojjk.com/biography2.html

Okay For Now

Okay For Now

by Gary D. Schmidt

Gary D. Schmidt was born in New York and has written over 10 books for children and young adults. He is a two time Newbery Honor winning author for his Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy published in 2004 and The Wednesday Wars published in 2007.  Presently he is an English professor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Schmidt earned a MA in English literature and a Ph.D. in medieval literature.



In Okay For Now Doug is an 8th grader in 1968 who is forced to move towns because of his dad's new job. Doug must face problems like being the new kid in school, his brother Chris being tagged as a robber, his father's anger that almost tears up the family, his older brother coming home from Vietnam and more. Doug becomes friends (and then more) with Lil, becomes part of a Broadway play and learns how to draw with the help of a friendly librarian & Birds of America.
 
Vardell explains that it's important for historical fiction to have "universal themes that still speak to readers of today" (pg. 191). Although Schmidt incorporates elements from Doug's time like the Vietnam war, Babe Ruth and the Apollo space missions, he still  manages to successfully add themes that readers from any generation can relate to like healing from an abusive father and brother, dealing with feeling inferior and finding self-worth.

Doug's thoughts of humans taking their first steps on the moon mixed with surviving junior high and overcoming being seen as other than 'the kid whose brother is a criminal' makes him realize that anything is possible. 

Professional Reviews for Okay For Now:

• Voice of Youth Advocates: "Schmidt writes a journal-type story with a sharp attention to detail, patterns in the story line, and an unexpected twist at the end. It is well written."

• School Library Journal: "Schmidt's masterful characterization and balance of humor and pathos make this coming-of-age novel so memorable."
• Booklist: "stealthily powerful, unexpectedly affirming story of discovering and rescuing one's best self."

More books by Schmidt
Educator Guide: Okay For Now.
Author interview

Schmidt, Gary D. Okay For Now. New York: Clarioin Books, 2011. 

ISBN 978-0-547-15260-8

$6.99 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author photo from https://hmhbooks.com/schmidt/about.html

The Green Glass Sea

The Green Glass Sea

by Ellen Klages 

 

Ellen Klages is a science and historical fiction writer and earned her degree in philosophy. The Green Glass Sea is her first novel. Its sequel White Sands, Red Menace was published in 2008 and her short story Singing on a Star was published in 2010. The Green Glass Sea is the winner of the 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the winner of the 2007 Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature and the winner of the 2007 New Mexico State Book Award. 

The Green Glass Sea tells the story of a young girl named Dewey in the early 1940s. When her grandfather dies and she must travel to her father in New Mexico, Dewey is forced to transition to a new place while facing the impacts of WWII and being an 'outsider' at school struggling to fit in.

 
Our text explains that setting is very important when it comes to historical fiction: "time and place should be explicit and vividly described, because this influences everything else" (Vardell pg. 190). Klages's work is a perfect example of this when describing the land around the Hill: "The Hill was a natural fortress, a flat mesa fissured with canyons on three sides. The land didn't slope down, it dropped off abruptly vertically, with sheer cliffs" (pg. 119) and "The land was flat and endless, bounded by craggy mountain canyons on one side and distant dusky blue ridges on the far horizons" (pg. 306). 

One thing that stuck out to me is that the first part of the book, while Dewey is traveling to New Mexico, the text is written in third person present. However, on pg 41 the story turns its focus onto Suze and the text shifts into third person past. Then when Dewey is dealing with the death of her father the texts shifts back to third person present.

Professional Reviews for The Green Glass Sea:

• Voice of Youth Adrravocates: "Poetic and real, this one will keep you reading and leave you thinking."

• School Library Journal: "Discussions of physics, mathematical function, cultural boundaries of gender and race, censorship, and the vulnerable child raised by a single parent make this exceptional story even more fascinating."
• Booklist: "Characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the compelling, unusual setting makes a great tie-in for history classes."

Ellen Klages' Webpage
Read an excerpt  
Download the audiobook

Klages, Ellen. The Green Glass Sea. New York: Viking, 2006. 

ISBN 0-670-06134-4

$8.99 at Barnes & Noble

Work cited: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author photo from http://ellenklages.com/

Nory Ryan's Song

Nory Ryan's Song

Patricia Reilly Giff

 

Patricia Reilly Giff has written over 60 books for young people and is a two time Newberry Honor-winning novelist for her Lily's Crossing in 1998 and Pictures of Hollis Woods in 2003. She enjoys speaking at schools, libraries, bookstores and conferences.

Nory Ryan's Song tells the story of a potato disease that strikes Ireland, and is told from Nory Ryan's point of view. Nory Ryan and her family struggle to survive when her and her neighbor's potato crops are destroyed. Her father is away fishing for the family, so the only people she has to rely on are her sisters, grandfather, little brother and her neighbors. They will do anything to survive including eating grass and leaf soup. 
 
One of the evaluation criteria is that the characters should "seem real and believable.. historical validity rests in recreating accurately the social fabric of the times and the patterns of daily life" (Vardell, pg. 190). Giff does a great job of this by making Nory Ryan and her family seem relatable enough to the child reader, but the characters also have qualities and do things that make them unique to an Irish person during the Great Hunger of 1845-1852. One example of this is that Giff incorporates the language from that time in the story and includes a short glossary. She uses the word 'madra' for dog and 'sidhe' as a creature from another world. 

The plot is another evaluation criteria. Vardell states that historical fiction for young people "should not be sugar-coated, but be presented accurately in terms that children can understand" (pg. 190). Giff also does this well because her story is definitely not sugar coated. The family's struggle is breathtakingly real, and the pain can be felt eminently when the family first realizes their crop is ruined: "Granda leaned against the wall at the edge of the field, looking up at the cliffs. He had tears in his eyes. Da wouldn't even know what had happened to us, and neither would Maggie... I didn't want to think about the potatoes, or being hungry, or the pain tapping in the back of my eyes" (Giff, pg. 52-53). 

Professional Reviews for Nory Ryan's Song:

• Voice of Youth Advocates: "Vivid detail brings to life the fields filled with rotting crops, the merciless landlords, and the rocky landscape that offers no respite to the starving families. Readers will be drawn to Nory's spirit and admire the courage she shows while helping her family and friends. By breathing life into the events that led her great-grandparents to emigrate from Ireland, the author transports readers to a time and place few will be able to forget."

• School Library Journal: "Listeners will be drawn into her moving tale."
• Booklist: "Giff brings the landscape and the cultural particulars of the era vividly to life and creates in Nory a heroine to cheer for. A beautiful, heart-wrenching novel that makes a devastating event understandable."

Other books by Giff.
Author Video.

Giff, Patricia R. Nory Ryan's Song. New York: Scholastic, 2000. 

ISBN 0-439-32949-3

$6.99 at Barnes & Noble

Work cited: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

Author photo from http://www.rhspeakers.com/speaker/patricia-reilly-giff/

What To Do About Alice?

What To Do About Alice? :

How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove her Father Teddy Crazy! 

by Barbara Kerley

illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

 

Barbara Kerley has written 13 books for children and young adults, including picture books about Mark Twain, Waterhouse Hawkins, Alice Roosevelt, Walt Whitman, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Edwin Fotheringham has done illustrations for CD and record covers, Neiman Marcus ads, magazines, fiction books and children's books. What To Do About Alice has been recognized with the following honors and awards: Sibert Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, the Irma Black Award Honor Book, the Parents Choice Award and the Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award.

What To Do About Alice? is a biography of Alice Roosevelt. The reader watches Alice grow from a small child into a married woman, while her father Teddy struggles with how to handle her colorful personality. She refuses to attend boarding school, joins an all-boys club, brings a pet snake to the White House, allows her name to be all over the press, gets a song written about her, gets a color named after her, was caught betting on a horse race, drover her own car while other women rode in carriages, and takes adventurous rendezvous over the world including Hawaii, China and Japan.

Kerley uses phrases like "eating up the world," "hungry to go places," and "voraciously," to describe Alice's desire to see and do everything she possibly could. Alice's independence shines bright through the text and I love the lines: "She watched the students of Miss Spence's boarding school walk oh-so-primly down the sidewalk. That didn't look like much fun to Alice. She wanted to own a pet monkey and wear pants." Those lines sum her up perfectly! 

The best part about this book is the hilarious illustrations. Fotheringham shows Alice jumping on the sofa, hanging upside down next to a monkey, riding a bike with her feet on the handle bars, sulking on her bed in a messy room, waving to the adorning crowd with her father next to her giving her a frustrated look, and doing the hula in Hawaii. My favorite illustration is of Alice and her step-siblings laughing and racing down the White House stairs and the text says "Alice tried to be helpful. She watched her younger brothers and sisters so her stepmother could get some rest." 

Professional Reviews for What To Do About Alice?

• Publishers Weekly: "Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start: his stylish digital art sets a fast pace, making use of speed lines and multiple vignettes to evoke characters in perpetual motion. His compositions wittily incorporate headlines, iconic images and plenty of Alice blue, too."
• Booklist:  "invigorating look at larger-than-life Alice."

• School Library Journal: " This book provides a fascinating glimpse into both a bygone era and one of its more interesting denizens as well as a surefire antidote for any child who thinks that historical figures are boring."

Books by Barbara Kerley

Interview with Barbara Kerley 

About Edwin Fotheringham

Kerley Barbara. What to Do About Alice? : How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drover her Father Teddy Crazy! New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. 

ISBN 0-439-92231-3

$14.52 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

Kakapo Rescue

Kakapo Rescue

Saving the World's Strangest Parrot

Text by Sy Montgomery

Photographs by Nic Bishop 

 

Sy Montgomery has authored 15 books for adults and children and is a board member of the Rainforest Conservation fund, Restore! The North Woods and the Center for Tropical Conservation. She has received many honors including the 2010 Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award. Nic Bishop has authored and/or illustrated over 20 books, most of them being books for children. Kakapo Rescue has received the following recognitions and awards: the 2011 Sibert award, BCCB Blue Ribbon 2010, 2011 ALA Notable Children's books, 2011 Orbis Pictus Recommended, Booklist 2010 Editor's Choice and Kirkus 2010 Best Children's Books.

Kakapo Rescue tells about a 10 day excursion of the New Zealand's National Kakapo Recovery Team to Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand. The team works together to try and restore the kakapo population, prepare special food, install radio-wave tracking devices, monitor live video, and hatch and feed baby kakapo. Beautiful photographs accompany the text showing the teams adventures with the kakapo as well as other wildlife and the gorgeous landscapes of New Zealand. 

Broken up into chapters and with more text in smaller font, Kakapo Rescue is meant for older children and young adults (grades 5-9) and is intended to stimulate interest and understanding of conservation for nature and animals that most readers may not experience during their day-to-day life. The book is filled with amazing photography and each page spread contains at least one photograph with accompanying captions. 

The text pulls at the reader's emotions and builds anticipation: "But what if he died of a contagious disease? What if there was something wrong with the food? Are the other kakapo in danger? What should we do?" (Montgomery 61). The book contains an index, a selected bibliography and information about giving private donations for the Kakapo Recovery Program.

Professional Reviews for Kakapo Rescue:

• Horn Book Magazine: "Montgomery's in-depth descriptions and Bishop's glorious photographs cover all aspects of the conservation effort."
• Booklist:  "Montgomery's delight in her subject is contagious, and throughout her enthusiastic text, she nimbly blends scientific and historical facts with immediate, sensory descriptions of fieldwork. Young readers will be fascinated by the incredible measures that the passionate workers follow."
• School Library Journal: " Excellent photos and a readable, conversational text provide an intimate look at a concerted effort to save a drastically endangered species unfamiliar to most of the world outside Down Under."

More books by Sy Montgomery
Interview with Nic Bishop
Classroom Activities 

Sy Montgomery. Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. 

ISBN 978-0-618-49417-0

$15.39 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

Bones

Bones:

Skeletons and How They Work

Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins has written and illustrated 30 books for young readers and is a Caldecott Honor winner for What Do you Do with a Tail Like This? written in 2008. Bones  has been recognized with the following awards: A Junior Library Guild Selection for Fall 2010, ALA Notable Books for Children 2011, 2011 SB&F Prize Finalists Children's Science Picture Book and  2010 Cybils Nonfiction Picture Book Finalists.

Bones is an informational book for young readers that compares bones from different animals. Jenkins shows specific parts like arms, feet, and ribs, as well as full skeletons. Each page tells what size the bones are shown versus actual size. For example, the thigh bones are shown one-fourth actual size. In the back there is a section called "More About Bones: Facts, Stories, History, and Science" that offers more interesting information.  


Each page shows text and pictures on dark colored backgrounds, which makes the details easier to see. The pages are well organized with a small amount of text for each bone section placed in different areas corresponding to the photo placement. There are three gateway spreads that show the skeleton of an entire python, a whole human skeleton and different skulls. The extra pages in the back discuss what bones are made of, broken bones, cyclops and unicorns, fossils, animals with skeletons on the outside, the biggest bone, the largest skeleton and sharks. My favorite section is titled "Some Assembly Required" because it shows all 206 separate bones that make up the human skeleton. Then there's a spread inside that shows the same bones as a full skeleton. 
 

The text evokes curiosity from the reader by asking questions like "Where do you think this bone belongs?" Jenkins also states that joints "move in complex ways," and an animal's skeleton is "beautifully adapted," making the reader want to find out more.

Professional Reviews for Bones:

• Booklist: "the clean design of the intricate skeletons set against solid background colors is striking and provides a wonderful visual introduction."
• School Library Journal: "...A hodgepodge of fascinating facts. With applications that range from anatomy to evolution and mathematics, this book will find a place in every collection."
• Horn Book Magazine: "Bones of all shapes and sizes glow like jewels on richly colored backgrounds, allowing readers to pore over each and every nuance of Jenkins's intricate cut-paper illustrations."

More books by Steve Jenkins
Book trailer - Bones
Interview with Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins. Bones: Skeletons and How They Work. New York: Scholastic Press, 2010. 

ISBN 978-0-545-04651-0

 $14.52 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

and other School Poems for Two Voices

Betsy Franco

illustrated by Jessie Hartland

 

Betsy Franco has authored over 75 books including poetry collections, picture books and a young adult novel. She also writes screenplays and sketch comedies. Jessie Hartland has written and illustrated eight picture books for children, including two that she also wrote.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars contains 19 poems intended to be read aloud by two people.The reader 1 text is normal font, reader 2 has bold text and when they read at the same time the text is bold & italicized. Each poem is about school experiences from the school bus ride, to visiting the library, to the long-awaited recess period, to lunch, all the way up until the last bell of the day. 


Franco's short and fun poems have a sing-song cadence that are both entertaining and  energetic. The lines from "Jump Rope Jingle" are a good example of this: "Come on in./ I'll jump with you./ It's double fun/ to jump with two./ Jump, jump,/ spin around./ Jump jump,/ slap the ground./ Turn to the east./ Turn to the west./ Choose the one/ you like the best. If I had to select one book to be used to get children excited about poetry it would definitely be this one. 

Hartland's memorable illustrations are quirky but loveable. One of the first things I noticed is that many of the inanimate objects are drawn as being alive. The bus for the "Wild Bus Ride" poem has eyes, lips, and sharp teeth and the children are shown crawling out of its opened mouth. The objects shown for the "Anatomy Class" poem are alive as well; the ruler is winking, the chair has arms and the show is sticking out its tongue, which adds humor to the text. The teacher looks mean and the librarian is old and has glasses. My favorite illustration accompanies the "Homework Blues" poem, which talks about an alien stealing homework and shows a smiling alien walking up a ladder to his UFO.

Professional Reviews for Messing Around on the Monkey Bars:

• Booklist: "Hartland's energetic gouache illustrations add interest, portraying relevant objects and lively scenes in a childlike style with cartoonlike details."

• School Library Journal: "An enjoyable romp through playgrounds and cafeterias, this book will please class poets, performers, and clowns alike."
• ForeWord Magazine: "the poems are fun, provocative, and include lots of onomatopoetics. Jessie Hartlands always fresh and lively illustrations are the perfect accompaniment. This book should be a standard in classrooms."

Books by Betsy Franco
Interview with Betsy Franco
Click here for classroom activities to accompany the book.

Franco, Betsy. Messing Around on the Monkey Bars: and other School Poems for Two Voices. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2009. 

ISBN 978-0-7636-3174-1

$13.95 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 

I Am the Book

I Am the Book

poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

illustrations by Yayo

 

Lee Bennett Hopkins has written/edited over 100 children's books, many of these being anthologies. He has won several awards including the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 2009 and the Christopher Award in 1995 for his autobiographical poetry collection. Yayo has illustrated 8 children's books and has won awards for his cartoons and illustrations from the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Europe and Japan. 

I Am the Book contains 13 poems from different authors pertaining to the joys of books & reading, and each poem has an accompanying illustration that fills the entire page.

 My favorite poem called "Wonder Through the Pages" by Karla Kuskin describes the adventures that can be taken through books: "nonsense and knowledge/ came tumbling out,/ whispering mysteries,/ history's shout,/ the wisdom of wizards,/ the songs of the ages,/ all wonders of wandering/ wonderful pages" (pg. 6). I love this anthology because each poem is unique and adds its own touch to the book. "When I Read" by Beverly McLoughland is about experiencing the ocean through a book: "When I read, I like to dive/ In the sea of words and swim./ Feet kicking fast across the page/ Splashing words against my skin" (pg. 10). There is also a page near the back that tells a bit about each contributing author. 

Yayo's whimsical acrylic illustrations complement the poems perfectly, using both light and dark shades, different patterns, scenes with one main focus (like the school bus in "Don't Need a Window Seat") and scenes that show many things and do not have one main focus (like in "A Poem Is" that shows an amusement park, a child, a dog, birds and the ocean). The word placement varies on each page depending on the illustration. For example, in "This book" the text is white and on a young girl's black hair. In "Book" the text is black and on a beige sandy beach.

Professional Reviews for I Am the Book:

• Publishers Weekly: "this collection of poems by contemporary writers celebrates the joys of reading."

• School Library Journal: "The attractive and fanciful acrylic paintings feature exaggerated shapes and perspectives that go nicely with the flights of imagination depicted in the poems. Literature-loving adults will want to share this book with the young people in their lives."
• Booklist: "13 well-known children's poets celebrate how books can take readers on wild adventures, as well as how plain words can reveal the surprising drama in ordinary things... Fun for sharing with preschoolers, this will also spark discussion in grade-school writing and art classes."

Books by Lee Bennett Hopkins

A short biography of Yayo

Lee Bennett Hopkins. I Am the Book. New York: Holiday House, 2011. 

ISBN 978-0-8234-2119-0

$16.44 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.