Welcome to Zanzibar Road

Welcome to Zanzibar Road

Author and Illustrator: Niki Daly

Publisher: Clarion Books

Copyright 2006

31 Pages

Fiction/ Multicultural

          This book had such an odd word within the title that I thought it would be interesting to see what this book was about. It starts with Mama Jumbo looking for a place to build a house so she decides that Zanzibar Road would be perfect because there is a pawpaw tree right where she could build her house. So Mama Jumbo starts build and soon her new neighbors start to ask if they can help her. Because of her new neighbors help, Mama jumbo house is ready to live in. Then Mama Jumbo goes in search of someone to live with her. But no one can live with her because they already have their own places to live. However, one small chicken named Little Chico. So Little Chico and Mama Jumbo live together and have fun having parties, scaring away shadow monsters, and even playing hide and seek on Mama Jumbo’s head!  The author chose to separate each event by placing the different event into chapters so that the story does not have just one plot but many plots.

          The illustrations in this book were completed using watercolor, pen, and digital media. Niki Daly shoes to implement spot art throughout the book which also means there is a great deal of negative space. The illustrations have lighter hues and do not contain many small details. The illustrations are outlined in a light line around all of the objects. The text placement is varies from formal to informal throughout the book.

          This book would be appropriate for younger children and older children. Younger children would enjoy the illustrations and characters while older children would understand the moral lessons of friendship that the author has conveyed. Most teachers of any grade level could implement this book in their classroom as a character education book. Upper elementary grades could also use this book has a review or introduction to the African culture and the many animals that live in parts of Africa.

The Day the Dragon Danced

The Day the Dragon Danced

Author: Kay Haugaard

Illusrtator: Carolyn Reed Barritt

Publisher: Shen’s Books

Copyright 2006

28 Pages

Fiction/ Chinese Culture

          This book has so many bright colors that I wanted to pick up the book just to see what the subject was. Seeing that the subject was a Chinese celebration I decided to read further into the book. The Day the Dragon Danced is about a young girl and her grandmother going to see the Chinese New Year’s Day Parade. The grandmother is not very happy about seeing a dragon; however, the young girl is excited because she has learned so many new things about the Chinese New Year from her teacher and she wants to see her father in the parade. Once the parade starts and the girl and her grandmother see the dragon they notice that it is not dancing. The girl then notices that her father’s shoes are untied and he is having trouble keeping up with the dancers under the dragon. The little girl runs under the dragon and ties her father’s shoe and soon the dragon is dancing again and chasing the sun.

          The illustrations in this book seem to have been completed using oil paintings. The illustrator chose to use many rich colors that are vibrant and stand out to the reader. There are not many small details in the illustrations. There is also not any negative space throughout the book; instead, the illustrator chose to make each page bright and colorful. The text placement varies throughout the book from very formal to informal.

          The Day the Dragon Danced is appropriate for any student of any age. Most all students would enjoy the story of the young girl and learn about the Chinese culture. Teachers can use this book in the classroom to teach about being accepting of other cultures and about the Chinese culture. Showing the students the similarities and differences between our culture and the Chinese culture will help students accept the differences between the two and be more accepting towards people from that culture.

The Firekeeper's Son

The Firekeeper’s Son

Author Linda Sue Park

Illustrator Julie Downing

Publisher: Clarion Books

Copyright 2004

39 Pages

Fiction/ Multicultural

        This book was talked about in our EED 312 during a book talk and I was so interested in the book and how it might end that I wanted to read the book for myself. In The Firekeeper’s Son, Sang- hee lives in Korea and his father is responsible for lighting the first fire every night to allow the king to know that everything is at peace in the land. Sang-hee wishes just once he could see the soldiers that would come to the rescue if the fire was not lit. One afternoon, Sang-hee notices that his father has not lit the fire yet to show the other villages that all is well so he goes in search of his father. Sang-hee finds his father and realizes that his ankle his hurt so it is left to Sang-hee to light the fire. So Sang-hee climbs the mountain and all the while he is thinking that he would like to see the soldiers just once. However, Sang-hee overcomes his own wants and lights the fire for the other villages and the king to see that there is peace in the land and that he is trustworthy enough to light the fire.

        Julie Downing completed these illustrations using watercolor and pastel. The illustrations have light hues and are very detailed. The grass on the huts and other small details stand out to the reader. Downing also used many shades of blue and green throughout the book. The text placement is formal and there is no negative space throughout the illustrations. The illustrator filled every page with details from the text to allow the story to come alive to the reader.

        Children of most any age will enjoy reading this book because most all children can relate to Sang-hee wanting to see the soldiers. Teachers can use this book in their classroom to teacher character education and knowing how to be reliable. Also teachers could use this book as an introduction to the Korean culture and history.

Abadeha

Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella

Adapted by: Myrna J. de la Paz

Illustrator: Youshan Tang

Publisher: Shen’s Books

Copyright: 2001

31 Pages

Philippine Folklore

            I chose to read this book because Cinderella is one of my favorite Disney stories and I was curious how different cultures vary in their interpretation of Cinderella. Abadeha is raised in the islands called the Philippines with her father and mother until her mother gets very sick and dies when Abadeha is thirteen. Abadeha’s father remarries a woman with two daughters of her own and they all become very jealous of Abadeha because of her beauty and kindness. Running from her stepmother, Abadeha cries out in the forest and she then sees the Spirit of the Forest. The Spirit of the Forest helps Abadeha so that her stepmother will not punish her for the impossible tasks that she has given her just so she will be able to punish her later. The Spirit of the Forest gave Abadeha a sarimanok to take home with her has her pet; however, when her stepmother sees the big, beautiful chicken she kills it for supper. Abadeha is very upset and goes to the Spirit of the Forest to show her what her stepmother has done. The Spirit of the Forest instructs Abadeha to bury the feet of the sarimanok beside her mother’s grave. There a beautiful tree starts to grow that was laden with jewelry. Abadeha does not tell anyone of the special tree; however, the son of the island chieftain happens upon the tree and takes a ring from it. The prince’s finger swells and he cannot get the ring off so he decides to tell his father what has happened. Then the prince has a dream of a beautiful girl who takes the ring off for him. The prince tells his father of his dream and his father sends messengers out to announce that any girl who can remove his son’s ring will marry him. Word gets to everyone on the island including Abadeha and her step sisters. Abadeha knows that she can remove the ring so she goes to the prince and takes the ring off for him. So the prince marries her that day and Abadeha is never mistreated again.

            The illustrations in this book contain many rich, vibrant colors. The illustrator seems to have chosen watercolors as the medium because some of the illustrations seem almost transparent. The text placement is very formal with spot art of the pages with the text and full pages of illustrations. The illustrations are also very detailed a have dream-like mood. The illustrations are somewhat blurred and very thick, dark lines outlining the characters and the details in the illustrations. The illustrations do not have any negative space and the backgrounds of the illustrations add to the richness of the pictures.

       This book is appropriate for both young and older children. I believe any age student would enjoy reading about Abadeha. Teachers could use this in their classroom has a character education book on how to treat others nicely and to always be kind. Teachers could also use this book to introduce the many cultures throughout the world and how our culture is so similar to the Philippine culture.

  

Elizabeth Leads the Way

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

Author: Tanya Less Stone

Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Copyright 2008

30 Pages

Historical Fiction

“She decided right then and there that she could do anything any boy could do.”

            I chose to read this book because of the huge change that women’s right to vote had on American citizens. Because I never really studied this part of American history I had never heard of Elizabeth Cady Stanton so I thought it would be interesting to read about the woman who led the way to the right to vote for women. In Elizabeth Leads the Way, Elizabeth is described as a feisty young girl who is surprised when a woman says it was a shame her baby sister had not been a boy. Elizabeth starts to see the differences between being a boy and being a girl and decides that she can do anything that a boy can do. Instead of getting married right away like all of the other young women her age, Elizabeth convinces her father to send her to school. When Elizabeth does get married she decides to keep her name and simply add her husband’s. Being married did not change Elizabeth’s view on the role of women so she and her friends organized a meeting for women in which they all decided the way to fix the many problems that women face would be to have the right to vote. In the author’s note it states that although Elizabeth did not get to the right to vote in her lifetime, she helped lead the way for the generations to come.

            The illustrations in this book were completed using gouache and color pencils on paper. The illustrator of Elizabeth Leads the Way chose to include a great deal of negative space and spot art throughout the book. The backgrounds in most of the illustrations are white and the actual illustrations are completed using colors that contrast with the background and stand out to the reader. The text placement is very informal and the illustrations lack depth such as shadows and details of the faces and surroundings.

            This book would be appropriate for most any child that is starting to read or can already ready proficiently. Younger students would enjoy the many illustrations and the story. Older students would be able to learn from Elizabeth Stanton’s story and how she fought to make her dreams come true. Teachers in any grade could use this book to teach character education. Teachers of upper elementary grades could use this book as an introduction to the right to vote movement and how women’s rights came about. This book is very enjoyable because of the story and the illustrations and I believe that most any student would enjoy reading Elizabeth Leads the Way.

Stand Straight Ella Kate

Stand Straight Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant

Author: Kate Klise

Illustrator: M. Sarah Klise

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Copyright 2010

30 Pages

Historical Fiction

            The reason I chose this book is because of the title. Most everyone has heard the saying “stand straight” so I thought this would a book that I could relate to. I was somewhat right and somewhat wrong because this book is about a giant woman. Stand Straight Ella Kate starts with Ella Kate and explains that she was small as a baby just like all the other children. However, when Ella Kate started to grow, she never really stopped. Ella Kate’s mother would have to add fabric to lengthen her dresses and her father had to make a special desk for Ella Kate to use at school. Ella Kate did not have many friends in school because she was so different from all of her friends and she soon became ashamed of her height. Ella Kate grew older she also grew taller and by the time she was seventeen years old she was eight feet tall! Because of her height Ella Kate was offered a job in a museum where she was paid a great deal of money to simply let people look at her! Ella Kate realized that her height allowed her to meet new people and see new places. Soon after, Ella Kate decided to make a career of traveling the world and showing people her amazing height. The book ends with a note from the author about the true story of Ella Kate Ewing and her unusual height.

            The illustrator of Stand Straight Ella Kate used acrylic on Bristol board to complete the illustrations. Most of the illustrations have bright colors that are also have a muted hue with the use of many different blue and green shades. There is very little negative space throughout the book. The illustrations do not have much definition and are very simple. The placement of the text varies from formal to informal.

            Students of any age would enjoy reading Stand Straight Ella Kate. Younger children and older children will be able to relate to Ella Kate and her dreams. Most teachers could implement this book into their classrooms by focusing on how we should always accept others even though they may be different. Teachers could also use this book to introduce the concept of dreaming and being positive about any situation. Overall I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to sharing it with my future students.

Moses

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Author Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrator Kadir Nelson

Publisher: Jump at the Sun/ Hyperion Books for Children

Copyright 2006

38 Pages

Historical Fiction

            I chose to read this book because of the unusual title and Mrs. Strain recommended that as future teachers, we should read this book. Moses is about Harriet Tubman and her journey into freedom and the Underground Railroad. The book introduces the concept of slavery and what it meant to people in the 1619 to 1861 in the forward of the book. Then the book depicts Harriet Tubman and her longing to be free and safe. Harriet prays to God and God leads Harriet to her freedom. Through the journey Harriet faces many trails and is even forced to hide in a potato hole for days. Finally with the help from God Harriet reaches freedom in Philadelphia; however, she is then faced with a longing to free her family that she left behind in slavery. Harriet journeys back to her old home of slavery to free her family as well as many others who are willing to take the risk of getting caught. The book ends with a note from the author that describes the true story of Harriet Tubman and how many lives she effected by helping to free slaves and how she was referred to as a “Moses of her people”.

            The illustrator of Moses chose to include many details throughout the book and use many different colors. The illustrator detailed every object in the illustrations from the veins in Harriet’s hands to the grass, tree leaves, and the horse’s mane. The colors that were used are rich, have deep hues, and are very intense. The readers of Moses can almost feel Harriet Tubman’s emotions by simply looking at the illustrations. The mediums that the illustrator used seem to be oil paintings and acrylic paintings. The illustrator really captures the feelings of the book and transports the reader into the life of Harriet Tubman and the race against slavery.

            This book is appropriate for older children that are interested in studying history and slavery. Most younger children would enjoy the detailed illustrations; however, they may not understand the story or the concept. Most teachers could use this book in their classroom to introduce Harriet Tubman and her role in the Underground Railroad, the concept of slavery, or the Underground Railroad and how it affected slavery. This book is a Caldecott Honor Book and received the Coretta Scott King Award.