Continuation

Even though my LME class at Western is coming to a close, I plan to continue my blog. I will continue listing books that are of interest. This is not only for my own benefit, but for the benefit of 0thers. This is a good way to keep a running record of books that I want to remember and that I can use in my classroom. I hope this blog can be of help to others as well.

Tresa

Book VS Movie

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a book my children at home and at school love. It tells the story of the Grinch, a fictional character living alone on a mountain overlooking Whoville. All the inhabitants of Whoville love Christmas, but the Grinch does not. He decides to steal Christmas from Whoville. A little girl named Cindy Lou catches the Grinch when he comes down her chimney dressed as Santa, but he steals her presents anyway. The Grinch manages to "steal" Christmas from Whoville, but his joy is shortlived. The Grinch finds that Christmas is not just about presents and food, it is about family.

The movie is the same storyline, but includes much more detail than the book. It explains why the Grinch is so angry and why he does not like Christmas. When he was a child, he looked different than the other children in Whoville and was teased. The teasing became worse when he told a girl he loved her, therefore, he moved up on the mountain to escape. Stealing Christmas was to be his revenge. Cindy Lou climbs to the top of the mountain and invites the Grinch down to a celebration (the same one he was humiliated at) and even though it is a disaster, there is a happy ending with all learning the true meaning of Christmas.

Retrieved on May 4, 2009 from website http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=how+the+grinch+stole+christmas&box=how%20the%20gr&pos=0

The Polar Express, a 1986 Caldecott winner, is an excellent book. It is not only well written, but the illustrations are fabulous. It tells the story of a young boy who is having a hard time believing in the magic of Christmas. He is chosen to take a journey by train to the North Pole. Upon arrival, he receives the first gift of Christmas from Santa and as a result, believes in Christmas magic.

There are many similarities and even more differences between the book and the movie. In order to make a movie out of the book, there were a lot of scenes added that are not found in the book. The scenes in the movie mocked the pictures in the book as did the characters. There was really nothing in the book that was not found in the movie. The boy did not sleep well, boarded the Polar Express and took an adventure to the North Pole. He received the first gift, which was a bell, lost it on the way home, then received it under the tree from Santa. This changed the boy's mind about Christmas. In the movie, there were many scenes added in the beginning that happened before material from the book. There were also extra characters such as the boy and girl on the train that were not introduced in the book. There was, of course, more dialogue in the movie than in the book.

I must say, I liked the book much more than the movie. The movie seemed to be drawn out. It was almost as though they added things just to get movie length.

Retrieved on May 4, 2009 from website http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=the+polar+express&box=the%20polar%20ex&pos=0

Charlotte's Web is definitely a classic. E.B.White's book has been read and loved by many. When my daughter was in Kindergarten, 8 years ago, we went to the Children's Theater and saw the play. The children were thrilled! Their teachers read the book in the days prior to the play. The book and the movie were very similar. The movie and the book were the same as far as characters go. The same characters were in both. The events in the story were the same. Fern kept her father from killing Wilbur and when he got too large for her to take care of, they sent him to her Uncle Homer's barn where she could still see him. Wilbur finds that he will not be around to see winter and his friends Charlotte the spider and Templeton the rat help him find a way to be spared. Wilbur is saved, but Charlotte does not survive. Wilbur learns a lot about friendship.

The main difference between the movie and the book is the amount of dialogue between the animals. There is much more in the movie. This can be expected in order to make the movie more appealing and longer. There were other small differences in setting, but these were few and far between. Wilbur's escape was different in the movie than in the book.

Both the movie and the book are wonderful and I truly enjoyed both.

Retrieved May 4, 2009 from website http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?SRT=R&WRD=charlottes%20web&SAT=11

Henry and the Freedom Box by Ellen Levine - DIVERSITY

This book is a great book to have in a library to show diversity. It tells the story of a young African-American boy named Henry Brown. Henry does not know when his actual birthday is because slaves were not allowed to know this information. Henry and his family worked very hard and thier master was very good to them. When Henry's master was dying, he thought his master might free him, but instead, he gave Henry to his son. Henry worked hard in his master's factory, but longed to be as free as a bird he had watched earlier. Henry could not afford to daydream, because if you made a mistake, the master would beat you. Henry met an African-American lady, Nancy, who was shopping for her mistress. They later became married and had a family. Nancy told Henry that her master was losing money. The master sold Henry's family. Henry decided to escape. Two men he had become acquainted with helped him. They put Henry in a box and addressed it to Philadelphia. Henry travelled by train and boat, sometimes upside down. He finally reached his destination. He arrived at a home in Philadelphia where friends of his acquaintances were waiting for him. He decided this date was now his birthday because is was the first day of his freedom.

This picture book should be on library shelves because of its ease of reading and the great pictures. The book tells a great story and one that will be easy for even elementary students to relate to. There is a note in the back from the author that has even more explanations about the story. The book tells how slave families were beaten, treated unfairly, and separated. The book tells these things without being crude or graphic.

Levine, Ellen. (2007). Henry and the Freedom Box. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Levine, Ellen. (2007). Retrieved on May 3, 2009 from website http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Henry+and+the+freedom+box&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis - DIVERSITY

Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child in Buxton, Canada born into freedom. He has never had any experience with slavery other than being born to former slaves. When a thief steals money from a friend, Elijah decides to do something about it. His friend was saving money to free his enslaved family and bring them to Canada. Elijah decided to leave Canada and cross into the dangerous territory of America in pursuit of his friend’s money. Elijah discovers first hand what his parents endured. Elijah saw the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled. This story shows how a fragile child becomes a capable young man. His withstands a confrontation with slavery in order to pursue a crooked preacher.

This chapter books shows a lot of diversity. The language in the book reflects the Southern and African-American dialect known during the era. The way African-Americans were treated by whites is shown in this book. The African-Americans were treated worse than animals. They really had no rights and were in no way treated as citizens. This book gives a lot of facts about the Buxton settlement. It gives a lot of insight while being humorous and sad at the same time. This book is fairly easy to read and is a must have for any school or public library.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007). Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2007) Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from website

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=elijah+of+buxton&aq=0&oq=Elijah+of+Bu

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax is a fabulous children's story that teaches about the environment. Dr. Seuss uses his magic of rhyming to explain the importance of taking care of the world around you. The Once-ler in the story begins cutting down all the Tuffula trees to further his business. As his business grows, he polutes the air, cuts down all the trees, and runs off all other inhabitants. Eventually, the Once-ler realizes what he has done to the environment where he lives and gives a boy the last Truffula seed to plant. He explains to the boy how to take care of it. He needs to provide fresh air, water, and protection. The Once-ler tells him to protect the Truffula from those who would want to cut it down.

I read this book to my fourth grade students when we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday. We spent some time discussing the environment. We compared how the Once-ler destroyed the environment and how we destroy it. We talked about ways to help our environment and how the Once-ler could have done things differently. The Great Kapok Tree written by Cherry Lynn is another book I have used to talk to my students about the environment. Both books are great books to use.


Geisel, T.S. (1971). The lorax. New York, NY: Random House.

Geisel, T.S. (1971). Retrieved on May 1, 2009 from web site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=The+lorax&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

Cherry, Lynn. (1990). The Great Kapok Tree. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss has written classics that will withstand the ages. His books have been around for years and will continue to be popular with children, parents, and teachers. The Cat in the Hat is a book with a lot of tension that children really do not seem to understand without prompting. The fish acts as the "angel" on the shoulder of the children while the Cat in the Hat is the "devil" on the other shoulder. While the Cat in the Hat is enticing the children to do things they know are wrong and don't necessarily want to do, the fish is reminding them not to. This is much like children really are. They are always enticed to do what is wrong, but in the back of their mind, they know they shouldn't . The fish is their conscience and the Cat in the Hat represents the battles they face every day.

An example of another book with similar tension is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. The reader is told immediately not to let the pigeon drive the bus while he is away. The pigeon, much like the rabbit in the "Trix" commercial, is constantly trying to convince the reader to let him drive.

Another book is Where the Wild Things Are. The young boy in this book is sent to his room without supper and this makes him angry with his mother. He then dreams of taking a boat and visiting where the wild things are. They make him their king and he can be as terrible as he chooses. The wild things are lashing out and acting like Max until he tires of it and tells them to "be still". He sees in them what his mother might have seen in him and wants to go home.

These two books are good books, but Dr. Seuss is the best!

Geisel, T.S. (1957). The cat in the hat. New York, NY: Random House.

Geisel, T.S. (1957). Retrieved on April 28, 2009 from web site http://jennifermorrill.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/cat-hat-book.jpg

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Willems, M (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!. New York, NY: Hyperion Books For Children.

Willems, M. (2003). Retrieved on April 28, 2009 from web site http://www.larl.org/kids/images/don%27t_let_the_pigeon.jpg


Sendak, M. (1963). Retrieved on April 28, 2009 from web site http://assets.kaboose.com/media/00/00/05/1d/e23332247e1d3c2f593f8d072395b972a74c95b3/476x357/Where-The-Wild-Things-Are_476x357.jpg

The Butterfly Boy by Laurence Yep

This book is taken from the writings of Chuang Tzu, a fourth-century B.C. thinker who was known by some as the Butterfly Philosopher. The book is the story of a boy who dreams of being a butterfly until he is a butterfly, and he then dreams of being a boy. People make fun of him when he dreams of being a butterfly. He attempts to fly over a buffalo, suck nectar from a flower, and finds great beauty in stagnant water.

Another book I enjoy by Yep is "The Magic Paintbrush". This is a very good book as well. It has good meaning and is a little easier to understand for younger children.


Yep, Laurence. (1993). The Butterfly Boy. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.



Yep, Laurence. (1993). Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from web site http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/author.jsp?No=30&mcid=2000686&Ntt=2000686&Ntk=P_ContribIDs&N=0&isrc=b-authorsearch

The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney

Jerry Pinkney has been winning Caldecot Medals and Honors for years. He has been illustrating since 1962. "The Ugly Duckling" is a favorite book originally written by Hans Crhistian Andersen, but this version was adapted and illustrated by Mr. Pinkney. The colors in this book are fabulous. He uses muted blues, greens, and yellows at the beginning of the book and moves to brighter colors at the end. This seems to symbolize the muted feeling of the duck in the beginning and the happier mood at the end. Jerry Pinkney has illustrated other books such as "Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales", "John Henry", and "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". All of these books have wonderful illustrations. I really like a well written book, but for children, great illustrations are a plus.

Pinkney, Jerry. (1999). The Ugly Duckling. New York: Morrow Junior Books.
Pinkney, Jerry. (1999). Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from Web site

2007 Coretta Scott King Award - Poetry for Young People by Langston Hughes

In this book, Langston Hughes incorporates African-American musical traditions into literature. He uses material from the world around him to write his poetry. He wrote what he saw and experienced. His poetry is written so that the rhyming has actual rhythm. Under the title to each poem you will find the reason for its being. "Aunt Sue's Stories" is one of my favorites in the book. This poem was written in honor of his maternal grandmother's stories. He writes about his the blues, his dreams, the African-American struggles, and places he has seen.

This book addresses diveristy in each and every poem. The poems tell of the hard times had by African-Americans during Hughes' life. (He lived from the 1920's until 1967) He lived through the years of separation and talks about this in his poems, it is seen in the poem "The Merry-Go Round".

Hughes, Langston. (2006). Poetry for Young People. New York: Sterling Publishing Company.

Hughes, Langston. (2006). Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from Web site http://aalbc.com/books/2007_csk_winners.htm

1982 Newbery Winner - Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Ramona, who just turned 8 was starting her first day of school as a third grader. Ramona was excited about going to a new school, but even more excited about getting to ride the school bus. Although Ramona seems happy, being 8 was harder than she thought. Her dad is starting college to study art and child development and her mother is working at a doctor’s office. Ramona stays with her friend Howie Kemp's grandmother, Mrs. Kemp, after school. Howie’s little sister, Wilma Jean is also there. Wilma Jean is a thorn in Ramona’s side, and no matter what Wilma Jean does, her grandmother thinks it’s Ramona's fault because Ramona's bigger. Ramona’s mom wants her to be nice to Wilma Jean and to be responsible so that she can keep working.

Ramona’s first day of school was interesting. She ran into a bully named Danny, but she called him a Yard Ape. He steals her eraser, which Ramona doesn't think is very nice. Ramona feels as though she is a nuisance to everyone. She especially feels this way towards her third grade teacher Mrs. Whaley. There is a lot of quarreling at home and lots of accidents at school. One day at lunch Ramona cracks an egg on her head, and it wasn't boiled so it messes up her hair.

This is a good book for group reading in class. There are lots of topics that pertain to students in the classroom. It would be a great discussion book. There are lots of situiations that occur in teh book that actually occur in school. You could talk about different ways to handle these situations.

Cleary, Beverly. (1992). Ramona Quimby, Age 8. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Cleary, Beverly. (1992). Retrieved on April 13, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/%257B7B34F0BD-F237-406F-B4E3-A8022FD316D6%257DImg100.jpg&imgrefurl=http://elm.lib.overdrive.com/00000244-0000-0000-0000-000000000001/10/383/en/ContentDetails.htm%3Fid%3D%257B7B34F0BD-F237-406F-B4E3-A8022FD316D6%257D&usg=__sDLi9QpRSQHBEHKF2e3528Y8FPo=&h=680&w=510&sz=135&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=Nz3iCt_uicOCGM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dramona%2Bquimby%2Bage%2B8%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

Newbery VS Caldecott

The Caldecott and Newbery Medals are both awarded by the American Library Association. Both of these awards are very prestigious. I do not know how anyone can say that one is more important or better than the other. There are very distinct differences between the two.

The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to an American children's picture book printed in English. The book has to be from the preceding year and the artist must be a U.S. citizen or resident. The Caldecott Medal was awarded for the first time in 1938. It is named after a nineteenth century English illustrator, Ralph Caldecott. There is one Caldecott Medal winner awarded every year and several honor books awarded every year.

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to an American children's literature book. The book can be fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. The book has to be from the preceding year and the artist must be a U.S. citizen or resident. The Newbery Medal was awarded for the first time in 1922. It was created by Frank Melcher and named for John Newbery, a 1700's in England. There is one Newbery Award winner and several honor books awarded yearly.

1990 Newbery Award Winner - Number the Stars

This story is set in Germany in 1943 during the time of the Nazi attacks on the Jews. It tells of a young Jewish girl named Annemarie Johansen whose family has to leave and she moves in with her friend Emily Rosen's family. This book tells the stories of men sneaking around delivering papers that inform residents what the Nazis are doing. There are food shortages and Jews are being relocated from Copenhagen.

The Rosen's and Annemarie have to go to the lake where Annemarie must participate in a dangerous mission to save her friend Emily and her own family.

Lowry, Lois. (1989). Number the Stars. New York: Houghton, Mifflin Company.

Lowry, Lois. (1989). Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=number%20the%20stars%20by%20lois%20lowry&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

1990 Newbery Award Winner - Holes

Stanley Yelnats is accused of stealing a pair of shoes he said fell out of the sky. So when he is sentenced to Camp Green Lake, he thinks he has it made because he is innocent anyway. But Camp Green Lake is like no other camp, it is not green, there is no lake, and it is definitely not a camp. It used to hold "the largest lake in Texas," but now it is a scorching desert full of holes dug by the boys who live at the camp.

At Camp Green Lake, the warden makes the boys spend all day digging holes that are five feed deep and five feed wide to "build character". Stanley realizes that there's more than character building going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something, and before long Stanley begins his own search—for the truth. Stanley makes friends together, they work to learn all the secrets of the lake and find a way out.

This is a really good book. My son turned me on to this book when he was in elementary school. This was long after is won the Newbery Award. My students like this book, but they have seen the movie and this makes them want to read the book.

Sachar, Louis. (2000). Holes. New York: Random House Children's Books.

Sachar, Louis. (2000). Retrieved March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=Holes&btnG=Search+Images

1994 Newbery Award Winner - The Giver

This book is a somewhat strange but interesting book about a perfect future society. Once a year, stages are celebrated with all children celebrating on the same day. There are groups of nines, tens, twelves, all ages from one to twelve are celebrated on the same day. There are no set birthdays. The nines receive bicycles, which are the only way for transportation, but the twelves are the most celebrated of the stages. When a child turns twelve, he or she receives her life assignment as determined by the Elders of the community.

Jonas is given a special assignment, he is named as the Receiver. Jonas is to receive all the memories from many generations ago given to him by the Giver. This is perceived by his people to be a special assignment, but as Jonas finds out from the Giver, it is really a burden. By becoming the Receiver, Jonas is finding out that his "perfect" community is lacking so many things he was never aware of. There is no color, no pain, no past, no weather changes, no choices to be made, and no real feeling of love or grandparents. The memories Jonas is given are of snowfalls, sledding, Christmas presents, and families where children and older people are always cherished.

The most horrible thing for Jonas is finding out the truth about his father's job as Nurturer. He finds that when a baby is released, he is actually killed by injection. This is done by the Nurturer. He then learns the same thing happens to older people when they are released. When Jonas finds out that the child who has been staying with his family for a long period of time is going to be released, he takes the child and leaves his community in the middle of night.

Jonas keeps the infant alive in the cold and snow by giving the baby his own memories of sunlight and warmth. The community sends people out looking for Jonas and the baby, but they are not found, instead, Jonas and the baby find the life of color, music, sunlight, and happy people, while those in the perfect community are having to deal with the memories Jonas left behind.

I did not think I would like this book, because science fiction is not usually in my forte', but I loved it. It was the first of many Lois Lowry books I have read. One of my 4th grade students tried reading the book, but it was a little too "out there" for him. It would probably be better for an older child.

Lowry, Lois. (1993). The Giver. New York: Houghton, Mifflin Company.

Lowry, Lois. (1993). Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=The+Giver&btnG=Search+Images

1977 Newbery Awared Winner - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

This book is the first in a series of books centered around the Logan family. This particular book is about the black family's struggles in the South. This family owns land at a time when blacks are not looked at by whites as equals. Black families endured night riders and burnings, they were tarred and feathered, and Cassie, the Logan's daughter was humiliated by a white girl just because she is black. They can not go to the same school as white children, they do not have buses, and the only books they have are handed down from the white schools. The children learn in this book how important the land they own is to them and why. They learn that no matter what anyone does or says to them, they have one thing by owning land that no one can take away.

This book should move anyone who reads it. It is very well written by an author who uses her own family history to write. Mildred Taylor is by far one of the best African American authors.

Taylor, Mildred. (1997). Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York: Penguin Books.

Taylor, Midlred. (1997). Retrieved March 1, 2009 from Web site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Roll+of+Thunder%2C+Hear+My+Cry&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

1976 Caldecott Winner - Strega Nona

This book is about a curious boy and a magic pot. Strega Nona warns Big Anthony not to ever touch her magic pasta pot. One day, Big Anthony sees Strega Nona sing to it and suddenly the pot fills with spaghetti. What Anthony does not see are the three kisses Strega Nona gives the pot to make it stop producing spaghetti. When Strega Nona leaves Anthony alone for the day, he excitedly uses the pot to feed the entire town. Anthony sings to the pot and it magically starts making spaghetti, but he can not get it to stop. Spaghetti flows all over town. When Strega Nona returns, she stops the pot and punishes Anthony by giving him a fork.

This is a funny book that will be enjoyed by all. The illustrations use a minimum of color, but are outlined with thick black lines. This is just one of the books using these two characters.

dePaola, Tomie. (1979). Strega Nona. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's.

dePaola, Tomie. (1979). Retrieved March 1, 2009 from Web Site http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Strega+Nona&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=IiqrSa3YOte4tweJqfHbDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

1995 Caldecott Winner - John Henry

What a great tale about the birth of a legend! The animals came to witness his birth and the sun stayed up just to see him. John Henry grew through the roof the day he was born and an addition to the house had to be made the next day. John Henry was good at manual labor and was always entering races. He won a race against Ferret-Faced Freddy; John Henry was on foot and Freddy was on a horse. He left his home to go to work in West Virginia. He beat a steam drill in a contest drilling through a mountain. John Henry drilled a mile and a quarter and the steam drill only drilled on quarter of a mile. John Henry drilled so fast and furious, that was a rainbow around the outside of the area he was drilling in. John Henry literally worked himself to death.


There are very good illustrations in this book. Jerry Pinkney does a great job with the details. John Henry is shown as the big man he is said to be in the story. The muted browns and blacks are a great asset to the age of the story. This would be a great story for children from kindergarten through late elementary.



Lester, Julius. (1994). John Henry. New York: Dial Books.

Lester, Julius. (1994). Retrieved February 24, 2009 from Web site: http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=john+henry+book+cover&btnG=Search+Images

1953 Caldecott Winner - Puss In Boots

This book is a great story about a cat who uses trickery to bring fortune to his master. The cat wears boots and tricks animals into going into bags that he then takes to the King, telling him the animals are gifts from his master. When the King and his daughter come through the area where the cat and his master live, the cat pushes his master into the water and hides his clothes. This forces the King to have his servants save the master and loan him royal clothes. Puss in Boots goes ahead of the King's caravan and tricks workers into saying the land where they are working belongs to his master. The cat then comes to a castle owned by a magician and tricks the magician into turning himslelf into a mouse, then Puss in Boots eats him. When the King, princess, and the master arrive at the magician's castle, the castle is thought to be the master's. The King offers his daughter's hand to the master and they are married and live in the magician's castle.

The illustrations in this book are tremendous. The cat with boots is brought to life by the illustrator, he even has the facial expressions to match the devious tricks he conjures. I think this would be a very good book for children ages six and up. They will love the pictures and the story. They always like a story with a princess and any animal who can talk and wear clothing score huge points.



Penault, Charles. (1990). Puss in Boots. USA: Horowitz/Roe Manufacturers.

Penault, Charles. (1990). Retrieved February 24, 2009 from Web site: http://www.amazon.com/Puss-Boots-Caldecott-Honor-Book/dp/0374361606

1999 Caldecott Award Winner - No, David

This book is about a little boy named David, who is constantly in trouble. No matter what he does, his mother always says the same things: "No, David!", "That's enough, David!", "Come back here, David!". David does such things as breaking a vase and getting mud on the carpet. Despite constantly being told "No", his mother always pulls him close, hugs him, and tells him she loves him.

This book teaches a good lesson to kids and parents both. Children learn that their parents may punish them, but they will love them no matter what. Parents need to know that their children will make mistakes, bu that is part of growing up.

My students in school absolutely love the David books. I have had to repair the two I have in my classroom more than once and am ready to replace them. They love the illustrations. The vibrant colors and the way David is portrayed in the pictures. They can relate to the book because many of them have done the same things David does.


Shannon, David (1998). No, David!. New York: The Blue Sky Press.

Shannon, David (1998). Retrieved February 18, 2009 from Web site: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?&index=books&keywords=david%20shannon&_encoding=UTF8

2000 Caldecott Award Winner: When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry

This 2000 Caldecott Award winner written by Molly Bang is about a little girl named Sophie and how she deals with anger. Sophie gets angry when her mother makes her share with her little sister. Her way of dealing with anger involves temper tantrums, slamming out of the house, running until she can not run anymore, and then, crying, Sophie climbs her favorite tree, lets the world comfort her, and then returns home.


This book has fabulous illustrations. Molly Bang not only wrote th book, but also illustrated the book. The colors are very bright and vibrant. There is a variety of bright red, yellow, green, and purple. There are lots of details in these illustrations that will not go unnoticed by children. Sophie comes to life in the illustrations and the facial expressions are priceless.


This is a good book to use for elementary school children when talking about feelings. Children deal with anger in different ways, and this book would be a great starting point for talking about anger. This book allows you to discuss the right and wrong way to deal with anger. The fact that the anger was caused by being forced to share with a younger sibling is something most children can relate to.

Bang, Molly (1999). When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry. New York: The Blue Sky Press.


Bang, Molly (1999). Retrieved February 15, 2009 from Web site: http://www.mollybang.com/sophie.html