Friday, March 27, 2009
Babymouse Puppy Love By: Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Graphic Novel- Modern Fantasy)
Babymouse Puppy Love by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm, is a children's graphic novel. It is a story about a mouse named Babymouse who has always dreamed of having a dog, however has only been allowed by her mother to have small animals such as fish. Babymouse has also not been the most responsible mouse at taking care of animals. When her fish that she currently has dies, her mother begins scolding and asking her how many fish she has had all together. Babymouse begins to think in her head, and counts to five. After school, her mother takes her to the pet store to get another pet. She see's the dogs and automatically wants a puppy! However, her mother tells her to start with something small, like a hamster. Babymouse decides to get a hamster and name it Hammy. She buys a book about the hamster to learn more about them. However, after her mother cooks cupcakes, Babymouse is eager to get to the kitchen to eat them and leaves the cage open. She later comes back to find her hamster gone. Babymouse continues to go through the process of getting a pet, then somehow losing it. One day she is sitting outside and a stray puppy comes up to her. She tells her mom they must keep it and take care of it, and that she will promise to do all the work. Babymouse discovers how hard it is to keep up with a dog. Having to take it out, feed it and give it baths takes a lot of time. She finally gets the hang of it, and trains the dog when all of a sudden the dogs real owner see's them out on a walk. Babymouse is sad when the owner takes the dog, who she had finally thought was hers. This is a funny book! I had never read a graphic novel before, and this was a good one to start with. It incorporates daydreams and the reality of Babymouse's life in a very humorous way. I think this would be a great book to read with students to show them new and different types of books and genres. Many students have not read graphic novels, and I think this would be a funny one to show them how stories can be written in different ways.
Zathura By: Chris Van Allsburg (Modern Fantasy)
Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, is a modern fantasy fiction book. Also the author of Jumanji, Chris Van Allsburg has the same idea in mind with the story of Zathura. Two brothers, Danny and Walter are always bickering and fighting with one another. Walter, the older brother, is tired of Danny always being in the way and breaking his things. One day while outside playing, Danny and Walter were wrestling and Walter had Danny pinned down. Danny spotted a game that said "Jumanji." He asked his older brother Walter what the game was, and Walter simply said it was game for babies like him. Danny tucked the game under his arm and took it inside with him. When their parents decide to go out one night and leave the boys at home alone, Walter is less than thrilled to be at home watching his younger brother. While Walter is busy watching TV, Danny takes out the board game and finds that there are in fact two games in the box. He pulls out the other game which is called Zathura. He rolls the dice and begins to the read the directions, when everythings starts to change. Little did they know they were in for an outer space adventure. Much like Jumanji, this board game brought outerspace to life for these two boys. Having to work together to complete the game and keep themselves safe from getting lost in outerspace, brings them closer together as brothers and teaches Walter a big lesson. He realizes how important his brother is and how much he loves him, and from then on never complains about having to spend time or play with him. I loved this story, especially the end! It was an exciting yet inspiring story. The pictures were amazing as well. It was as if you were right in the story yourself. I think this would be a great book to read with students and explain the importance of not taking things or people for granted. It has great morals behind it but is also a fun and exciting book.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Clever Beatrice By: Margaret Willey and Heather Solomon (Traditional/Folk Literature)
Clever Beatrice by Margaret Willey and Heather Solomon is a tall tale from Michigan's upper peninsula. It is a great story about a clever and sharp little girl named Beatrice. One day her mother sets a bowl of porridge in front of Beatrice and explains to her to eat slow because it's the last of it they have left. Eager to help her mother get more money, Beatrice tells her mom that she's going to get money for them. Her mother explains that there is only two ways to get money, one is to cut down trees with the lumberjacks and the other is to win a bet with the rich giant, neither a job for a little girl. Beatrice asked her mother if the giant was smart and her mother replied "when you are rich you don't have to be smart." Beatrice decided to set out to find the giant and make a bet with him. She bet him ten gold coins that she could strike a blow harder than him. The giant took her on and with his fist punched his door. The walls trembled as the giant said "your turn." Beatrice and her clever ways, pointed to a tree laying on the ground and told him that's what he could use to make a new front door after she knocked it down. The giant, not being very smart, did not like the idea of having to build a new front door. Instead of finishing out the bet, he gave Beatrice the ten gold coins. Getting tricked into doing two more bets, and being outsmarted in two more bets, Beatrice won a total of thirty gold coins from the giant. This is a great story of a young girl believing in herself and out smarting a giant with three times her strength. This would be a great story to read when introducing tall tales and fairy tales. It also has great morals behind it that could be used in lessons!
The Brothers Grimm: Hansel and Gretel By: Elizabeth D. Crawford (Traditional/Folk Literature)
Hansel and Gretel by Elizabeth D. Crawford, is a Folk Literature book about a brother and a sister who are abandoned by their parents. Famine has struck the town and the stepmother talks their father into leading them into the woods and leaving them there for good. Hansel and Gretel over hear the stepmothers plan and Gretel becomes very sad. Hansel promises that they will be ok and that he will save them. As they get left in the woods and can't find their way back home, they come across a house made of sweets. They begin to eat parts of the house when an old lady comes out and invites them inside to stay with her. However, they soon discover the old woman is a witch and intends to kill and eat them. The witch tells Gretel that she is going to fatten up Hansel and then cook him and eat him. Gretel is sad, but realizes its up to her to save Hansel now. Gretel tricks the witch and kills her and they are then both safe. They go into the house and gather al the witches stones and jewels. They head back on a journey to find their house and when they arrive, their father is excited to see them. They give him the riches and never have a problem with food ever again! This was a great fairy tale and I feel that students would love reading a story like this. It is very exciting with ups and downs throughout the whole story. It could be used when studying fairy tales and different versions in the classroom.
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