SLIS 5420 - Module 3 - Book Blog - Time of Wonder

Time of Wonder  by Robert McCloskey
Pub. Date: December 1957
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Format: Hardcover, 64pp
Age Range: 5 to 8
ISBN: 0670715123


"...standing alone on the edge of nowhere..." Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey follows children on a summer adventure of doing nothing but enjoying the nature that surrounds them in Maine. The illustrations evoke such strong emotions and the body language conveyed through the simple, yet beautiful art does much to help the reader feel what the children feel. I thought this book was wonderfully illustrated and really enjoyed reading it. I think it might be a book you would pass up at first because it the cover doesn't look very exciting, but once you pick it and actually read it you find it is fantastic.

Book Review

Find this page online at: http://www.kidsaboard.com/magazine/book_reviews/time_of_wonder_mccloskey.shtml


Book Review - Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey

A classic that belongs on every family's bookshelf
By Lupe Tucker
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Robert McCloskey's book "Time of Wonder" is a breath of fresh air. It is a classic picture book that, even though it was first published in 1958, never loses its freshness and joy.
"Time of Wonder" is a book about the beauty of the outdoors and the life we weave around the sun, the sky, the sea and the weather. In its 63 pages it reminds us of the smell of rain before it starts to fall, the cold, squishy feeling of wet sand between our toes on a hot summer day, the sound of the wind between the tall pines on a rocky shore, the way the sun shimmers on the bay andthe color of it melting below the horizon.
It's a story about a family that spends its summers in a cottage on an island in Maine. The main mode of travel is by boat, be it outboard, lobster boat or sailing dinghy. Clams are often on the menu, freshly dug up from the beach, and everybody knows everybody.
It's a story about the way life used to be, when kids could feel free to explore on their own, sailing around the bay for hours, exploring islands, having picnics and jumping off of rocks into salty water.
The first time I read "Time of Wonder" I felt a longing for a youth I never had! Not having grown up in Maine, of course, I never even heard of a lobster boat until I became an adult, but I immediately wanted to share this story with my kids. I wanted them to feel that same longing as I did, and want deep down in their hearts to have that kind of fun in their childhood. It is a book for dreamers, for quiet contemplation and admiration of the world around us.
"Take a farewell look at the waves and the sky. Take a farewell sniff of the salty sea. A little bit sad about the place you are leaving, a little bit glad about the place you are going. It is a time of quiet wonder- for wondering, for instance: Where do hummingbirds go in a hurricane?"
Robert McCloskey illustrated this book himself, and was awarded a Caldecott Medal for his work. I can't recommend it enough! Treat yourself and your family with this book. It is worth it.


Library Uses

I would use this book as a read aloud when students are working on descriptive language and voice. McCloskey's use of vocabulary to describe the summer time in Maine is a great example of how to paint a picture with words. I would have the students pick their favorite lines from the book and illustrate their own page or create similar passages for their own summer memories and illustrate those as well.

SLIS 5420 - Module 3 - Book Blog - The Blacker the Berry

The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas
Pub. Date: July 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardcover, 32pp
Age Range: 4 to 8
ISBN: 0060253754

I was so moved by the poems in this book. I think it would be so great to use this book at the beginning of the year to talk about differences in the classroom and to help students start the year off in a good way. By demonstrating to all students that beauty comes in many different shades we can influence our students for years to come. My favorite poem from the book was "The Blacker the Berry", so beautiful!

This is a collection of poems that celebrates the uniqueness of the African American heritage through the many colors found in skin tone. Each poem uses descriptions of berries to create a beautiful picture of our many human shades.

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews


"What shade is human?" Thomas's evocative, colorful poetry seeks to answer that question with this celebration of the diversity of African-American children across the spectrum. From "Raspberry Black" to "Golden Goodness," Cooper's soft and realistic illustrations almost leap from the page, incorporating natural images from the text in their depiction of a gallery of beautiful, self-confident children. Difficult intraracial social issues related to skin color are handled with truth and respect. For instance, in the poem "Snowberries," a fair-skinned child speaks back to those who would question her identity: "The words cut deep down / Beyond the bone / Beneath my snowy skin / Deep down where no one can see / I bleed the ‘one drop of blood' / That makes Black me." On the page opposite, an auburn-haired girl smiles at the reader, eyes twinkling. An essential picture book that helps young children understand and appreciate differences in skin color. As the epigraph states so truthfully, "Colors, without black, / couldn't sparkle quite so bright." (Picture book/poetry. 5-10)

From Booklist


Black comes in all shades from dark to light, and each is rich and beautiful in this collection of simple, joyful poems and glowing portraits that show African American diversity and connections. In the title poem, a smiling girl says, “Because I am dark, the moon and stars shine brighter.” Other pages have fun with terms, such as skin deep and night shade. A grandma turns “Coffee will make you black” from a warning into something great. A boy is proud to be raspberry black as he reads his great-great-grandmother’s journal about her love for her Seminole Indian husband. A girl says she is “cranberry red” from her father’s Irish ancestry. In the final, joyful double-page spread, the kids celebrate their individual identities and laugh together. Many families will want to talk about this and their own family roots: “We count who we are / And add to all who came before us.” Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman

Library Uses
Of course this book would be perfect for February and Black History Month, but it could also be used in many other ways. The poems could be learned and then performed during poetry lessons. As a classmate has suggested the book could be enjoyed with a snack of berries and yogurt. We could grow berries in the school garden or have students bring in berries from home to paint, discuss and compare to their own skin.

SLIS 5720 - Blog 1 - Individual Technology Assessment

As an educator, what are your present strengths and weaknesses in technology? How do you plan to use your strengths? How do you plan to address the weaknesses?

My greatest strength when technology is concerned is my willingness to try anything and keep an open mind. I also think my willingness to ask questions is a strength. Technology is rapidly changing and there is always someone who can help explain the newest trends. Whether it be someone directly involved with the creation of the technology, or just simply someone who loves to learn new things, you can always find help when you need it. My weaknesses where technology are concerned would probably be time constraints on learning new technology as well as the lack of time to really explore in depth the many advances made everyday. I plan on being a good example for my students by showing them it's ok to ask questions and work together on learning new technologies. I will address my weaknesses by setting aside time to spend making myself familiar with new developments even if I am not able to fully explore them. By just being familiar I can at least provide my students with a starting point to new experiences.

SLIS 5420 - Module 2 - Book Blog - "Ramona and Her Father"

Pub. Date: May 1990
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback, 192pp
Age Range: 8 to 10
ISBN: 0380709163

Beverly Cleary is one of my favorite authors (I named my son Henry Huggins, after her book of the same title). She is a fantastic author who always manages to capture the innocence of a child without making children seem too naive. In this particular book she tackles many tough topics: smoking, unemployment, and of course fear. Ramona is a well developed character with a personality that is both typical and atypical for a little girl. Love reading about her relationship with her family and especially her father.


Ramona loves her family and she just wants them all to be happy. Ramona begins this adventure by making her Christmas list, which is quickly altered when her father loses his job. Ramona struggles with the way her family reacts to their changing circumstances, she feels to blame for things that go wrong and worries desperately about her father's smoking habit. How will Ramona cope and help her family through this experience?

Reviews:
Children's Literature


Author Beverly Cleary's book is only one title in a series about a girl named Ramona. This book was first published in the seventies but is now a re-illustrated Harper Trophy edition. Ramona's adventures have been many, but in this book, Ramona tries to come to her father's aid when he loses his job. One day Ramona decides that maybe she can make a million dollars by making a TV commercial. She practices by dressing up and placing a crown on her hair. But her hair becomes entangled in the crown and her dad has to cut her hair. Ramona tells her dad she wants money for him, but dad tells her he would not trade her for a million dollars. That makes Ramona feel good. Ramona is also worrying about something else. Her dad smokes and she wants him to quit. She tapes a picture of a cigarette on the refrigerator and crosses it out with a big black X. Under it she prints in big letters BAD. She is definitely on a campaign to get her father to quiet smoking. One day, Ramona takes her father's cigarettes and throws them in the garbage. Mr. Quimby is not happy about this, but he tries not to smoke. Ramona's father has lots of time on his hands now that he is out of a job, and he and Ramona are spending more time together and not always getting along. But even when Ramona is acting like a brat, her father loves her. When Ramona becomes annoyed with her dad, she makes sure he knows she loves him. Beverly Cleary's books are always funny and insightful. Black-and-white illustrations are included.

Library Uses
I think this would be a great book to read sections aloud to students working on projects about marketing or persuasion. Ramona and Beezus both go to some extraordinary lengths to try to convince their father that smoking is bad, a great example for students on persuading.

SLIS 5420- Module 2 - Book Blog - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Pub. Date: April 1982
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Format: Paperback, 32pp
Age Range: 4 to 8
ISBN: 0689707495

Such a cute book that has really stood the test of time. I loved the illustrations throughout this book and really think they add such detail and dimension to the story. Really like the point made through this story that sometimes things might seem like a good idea but it's important to look at as many points of view as possible before deciding you want something to be a certain way. You might not think there would be anything wrong with your food falling from the sky at first, but the book makes it very clear that too much of a good thing is not good.


In the town of Chewandswallow, food falls from the sky morning, noon, and night. The townspeople have no choice about what makes its way to their plates. For a while things are great and the food is delicious, but the weather soon changes and becomes more dangerous; the food becomes less and less appetizing. The sanitation department has a busy job that they soon find they simply cannot do. What will the people of Chewandswallow do?

Reviews:

From Booklist

In the tiny town of Chewandswallow, only food falls from the skies—“it rained soup and juice. It snowed mashed potatoes and green peas. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers.” But one day the weather takes a turn for the worse, and the town is inundated with peanut butter and mayonnaise over brussels sprouts, a thick fog of pea soup, storms of pancakes, 15-inch drifts of cream cheese and jelly, and a tomato tornado. Conditions soon become so bad that life rafts are fashioned from stale bread, and the villagers set sail for a new land where rain and snow fall from the sky, and food is bought in supermarkets. Told as a story within a story (a breakfast of pancakes motivates Grandpa), this wildly inventive tall tale might work better without an extra plot topping the end and without going on quite so long, but the humor is proportionately heightened in straight-faced, closely lined pictures washed in exaggerated colors. Prediction: children dreaming up their own weather menus are sure to follow up on the fun.— Barbara Elleman


Library Uses
I would use this book to demonstrate to students how the illustrations of a book can add to the story and even tell another story at the same time. I would share it with the students by making large copies of some of the illustration and having them tell a story about what's happening in the illustration.

SLIS 5420 - Module 1 Book Blog - "Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind"

I really enjoyed this book as a teacher, librarian, and parent I think the importance of finding something a child wants to read is mandatory. I enjoyed the lengths Mrs. Malarkey went to, to find that one book he would want to read.

Miss Malarkey wants to find a book for everyone! The school is having a contest to read 1,000 books as a school, if they succeed, the principal will dye his hair purple AND sleep on the roof of the school. One boy has decided he just doesn't like to read and Miss Malarkey spends the entire book trying to find a book for him. She learns so much about the boy and his interests that she finally discovers the perfect book for him, but will he like it?


Reviews:

From School Library Journal


Kindergarten-Grade 2–During the first week of school, Principal Wiggins promises that if the students read 1000 books by June 12, he will dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof. Miss Malarkey tells her class that they will be doing the Everybody Reads in America program and promises that all of the students will find books they love before the end of the school year. She picks some for each of them, engaging even reluctant readers. One boy remains unable to find a book he likes until June 10, when Miss Malarkey chooses one that has aliens, race cars, funny jokes, chewing gum, hot sauce, and cannonballs. It becomes number 1001 read by the students and the story ends with everyone wishing Principal Wiggins (whose hair is now purple) a good night on the roof. This title will resonate with those who choose math, video games, and sports over books. O'Malley's illustrations, done in markers and colored pencils, enhance the text with expressive pictures of the students and their teacher as they explore (or choose not to explore) the joys of reading. The illustrations lend humor and credibility to the reluctance of some of the students. A must-have for all libraries.–Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
 
From Booklist


Gr. 1-3. Ace teacher Miss Malarkey returns in a picture book narrated by a reluctant reader. Although comfortable within his small group of video-game-playing buddies, a boy wants to contribute to the schoolwide goal of reading 1,000 books in hope of seeing Principal Wiggins "dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof of the school." Trying one of Miss Malarkey's suggested books after another, he rejects them all--until she finds the perfect one to match his eclectic interests. Expressive cartoon-style illustrations, brightened with markers and colored pencils, create a series of lively scenes in which speech balloons record conversations and comments not found in the text. With an unstated moral, this is one volume that librarians won't soon forget. Short lists of recommended books, including a bibliography of adult books that recommend children's books, are appended. Carolyn Phelan

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
 
Library Uses:
 
I would use this book as a read aloud at the beginning of the year to show students the possibilities of books and subjects. I would have the students complete interest surveys after we read the book to help me get to know them.