Module 2/Caldecott Medal Winners/Picture Books/June 9-June 15

Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney

Illustrated by Anna Dewdney

Dewdney, A.  (2007).  Llama llama mad at mama.  New York: Penguin Young Readers Group.

Summary 

Baby Llama is happily playing in his room when his mom comes in and tells him it is time to go run errands.  It isn't bad until they are at the Shop-O-Rama for far too long and Baby Llama gets mad and throws a fit.  Mama Llama calms him down and by the end of the trip baby is happy again. 

My Impression

I love the Llama Llama series and this is my favorite of all of them.  It is so cute and hilarious and the story is so true.  So many times I have seen kids who are simply over being at the store and running errands with their moms and they are screaming and crying.  I could read this book over and over again and laugh every time. 

Reviews and Awards

"The engagingly expressive and emotive protagonist of Llama Llama Red Pajama has another reason to be grumpy in this droll follow-up. Having survived bedtime in the earlier tale, Llama Llama here faces another childhood bugaboo: a shopping expedition. None too happy when Mama Llama drags him away from his toys, the overall-clad youngster discovers there’s little to like at Shop-O-Rama: “Yucky music,/ great big feet./ Ladies smelling way too sweet./ Look at knees and stand in line./ Llama Llama starts to whine .” Forced to try on itchy clothing and wait while Mama deliberates over food items, her increasingly disgruntled progeny decides, “It’s no fun at Shop-O-Rama./ Llama Llama/ MAD at Mama !” Sitting in the shopping cart, he furiously throws would-be purchases on the ground, creating toddler-tickling mayhem and eliciting from Mama the tale’s reassuring message: “Please stop fussing, little llama./ No more of this llama drama ./ I think shopping’s boring, too—/ but at least I’m here with you .” After helping her offspring clean up the mess, Mama holds his hand as they push the cart together, finishing their shopping as a team. After Mama (in a parent-pleasing diversion) remembers where she left the car, they drive off (“Say good-bye to Shop-O-Rama”) and are then seen happily holding ice cream cones (“Llama Llama/ loves his mama”). Snappy rhythm, pleasing rhyme and large-scale art—plus the easily identifiable experience depicted—make this an involving read-aloud, one that will leave kids and parents hoping Llama has many more adventures ahead. Ages 2-up" (2007, Sept. 16).  [Review of the book Llama llama mad at mama].  Publisher's

     Weekly.  Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-670-06240-9.  

Booksense Book of the Year Award, Honor Book, 2008 

Suggestions for Use

*Children can have storytime and tell about their worst experience at the store

*Children can also describe their favorite ways to spend time with their parents 

Module 2/Caldecott Medal Winners/Picture Books/June 9-June 15

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead 

Illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Stead, P.  (2010).  A sick day for Amos McGee.  New York:  Roaring Brook Press. 

Summary

Amos McGee is a man devoted to the animals at the zoo.  He works there but he also spends time with each of his special animals, doing something different.  With the elephant, he plays chess.  He reads to the owl who is scared at nighttime.  He helps the rhinoceros blow his nose because he constantly has a cold.  However, one day Amos wakes up and he is the one who is sick, so he decides to stay home.  The animals wait for him but he never comes.  Therefore, they all get on the bus and travel to Amos' house where it is their turn to take care of him.  

My Impression

I loved the book because of both the storyline and the beautiful illustrations.  They are very unique.  There is not a ton of color in the drawings but there is red somewhere in every page.  The illustrations are more like very detailed sketches; not the first type of illustration you would think of when reading a children's book.  I also love the way animals were incorporated into the story, like they were truly Amos' friend.  I believe this could be a great book to not only teach children about animals but also how it is important to love them and take care of them. 

Reviews and Awards

"Newcomer Erin Stead's elegant woodblock prints, breathtaking in their delicacy, contribute to the story's tranquility and draw subtle elements to viewers' attention: the grain of the woodblocks themselves, Amos's handsome peacock feather coverlet. Every face—Amos's as well as the animals'—brims with personality" 
(2010, May 10). [Review of the book A sick day  for Amos McGee].  Publisher's Weekly.   
      Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59643-402-8.

 "Wrinkles and crinkles describe the elephant’s sagging mass and the rhino’s girth, as well as their keen sensitivity. Owl’s furrowed brow communicates deep concern even as the group heads to Amos’s home to check on him. This gentle, ultimately warm story acknowledges the care and reciprocity behind all good friendships: Much like Amos’s watch, they must be wound regularly to remain true"  
(2010, Sept. 23).  [Review of the book A sick day for Amos McGee].  Kirkus Reviews.

     Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/philip-c-stead/a-sick-day-for-

     amos-mcgee/.

2011 ALA Youth Media Award

2011 Caldecott Medal

Suggestions for Use

*Set up different stuffed animals around the library and have them doing what they would do in the book (have a chess board with a stuffed elephant, a book with the owl, etc.) and have a copy of the book sitting next to it to promote it.

*Schedule an activity day for the children who visit the library to take a field trip to the zoo to observe the animals described in the book. 

Module 1/Introduction to Children's Literature and Classic Children's Literature/June 2-June 8

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Robinson, B.  (1972).  The best Christmas pageant ever.  New York:  HarperCollins.  

Summary
The story is written from the point-of-view of Beth Bradley, a teenager who has gone to school with the Herdmans her entire life.  The Herdmans are not normal kids:  the six of them set things on fire, smoke (even in the church bathroom!) and steal anything from money to belongings.  There is a Herdman in every grade and they are infamous for their pranks.  Never stepping foot in a church, after they are told refreshments are served, all six of them show up to try out for the annual nativity scene production.  Although there are bumps along the road, the most wonderful part of the story is the end where the story of baby Jesus brings out the best in the Herdmans and everyone else, too.

My Impression
I thought this book was hilarious and it was hard to put down, which is why I read it all in one sitting.  I loved reading from the POV of Beth because of her funny and often sarcastic tone, especially when it came to describing the Herdman kids.  I also liked that in the beginning, the reader is made to dislike the Herdmans but near the end it is hard not to like them.  I liked how they put a different spin on the nativity scene play (wanting to fight the king for trying to kill baby Jesus) even if the Ladies Society wasn't too crazy about it.  It was a funny story but also heartwarming at the same time.  The Herdmans did nothing but breath new life into a play done too many times the same way.  They also gave everyone a different perspective of themselves which was one of the best parts of the story.

Reviews and Awards
"...but the Herdmans' outrages -- from setting fires, stealing, and blackmailing other children at home and school to burping the baby Jesus and bearing a ham (a more suitable offering in their hungry eyes than oil or perfume) at the pageant -- add enough spice to make this one livelier than most."
(1972, Oct. 1).  [Review of the book The best Christmas pageant ever].  Kirkus Reviews.     
      Retrieved from  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/barbara-robinson-4/the
      best-christmas-pageant-ever/. 

Library of Congress Children’s Books
ALA Notable Children’s Book
Georgia Children’s Book Award
Young Hoosier Book Award (Indiana)
Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award (Minnesota)

Suggestions for Use

*Children in the library could act out their own version of the Herdman nativity scene play
*Discuss what is the most important thing about the Christmas season.  Extend this by having children draw pictures of the most important things to them during the Christmas season.

Module 1/Introduction to Children's Literature and Classic Children's Literature/June 2-June 8

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

Tillman, N.  (2005).  On the night you were born.  New York:  Feiwel and Friends.

Summary

On the night a baby is born, nature runs wild with happiness.  Polar bears dance, geese fly, and the wind whispers the name of the baby.  Nature is sure to remind the baby how special he is each time he forgets it. 

My Impression

I absolutely loved this beautiful book.  What I love most about it is how special it can make a child feel, especially if they forget it as children sometimes do.  I love that everyone and everything celebrate the birth of the child, a miracle in itself.  It is told in such a beautiful way.  The miracle of a baby is celebrated in this book and that is why I enjoyed it so much.

Reviews

"...New parents and grandparents will get teary as they celebrate with the author the wonder and marvel that is their newborn baby, while young listeners will be thrilled at being the center of creation's attention..."  

(2010, May 20).  [Review of the book On the night you were born].  Kirkus Reviews.  Retrieved 

      from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nancy-tillman/on-the-night-you-were-

      born/.

"...Tillman successfully sidesteps the soft-focus sappiness that can accompany this genre. Her writing has the authenticity of whispered conversation; occasionally, she pauses in her exaltations of the baby to address the subject directly: ""I think I'll count to three so you can wiggle your toes for me."" Her strong, assured paintings truly set this book apart..." 

(2006, Oct. 16).  [Review of the book On the night you were born].  Publisher's Weekly.   

      Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-34606-5.

Suggestions for Use

*The librarian could read the book to a group of children and they can tell the group what was so special about the day they were born.

*Children can act out what they think the animals did on the day they were born. 

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog for SLIS 5420. I am very excited about this class because it gives me an excuse to read my favorite type of books...children's and young adult! I will be posting two new books a week. I will include all of the required information as well as my personal take on it. I hope it inspires you to go out a read a few of them! :)