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.