Module 5: Forged By Fire

Title: Forge by Fire

Author: Draper, Sharon M.

Summary:
Forge by Fire is about a little boy name Gerald. He's been brought up with a mother that can't live without drugs. Most of the time he's left at home to fend for himself unless his aunt is called by some neighbors that the little boy is at home all by himself. Although his mother loves him, he's abused but understands that what his mama says he must obey or else he will deal with the consequences. Until one day, she leaves him at home to go to the store. He looks for something to do to keep himself from getting bored while he waits for his mother to return. He finds a lighter and flicks it on, it catches on the curtain and starts spreading until its too late. Gerald wakes up in the hospital, his mother is taken in by the police for questioning and after that he learns that he will now live with his aunt Queen for a long time. He becomes a very dependable young man and is a big help to his aunt. One day he gets terrifying news that his mother is out of jail and  wants to come and visit him. At first he says no, but his aunt talks him into just seeing his mother at least once. The day finally comes when she shows up at their house with a man and a little girl whom he later learns it's his half sister. Sometime later, aunt Queen has a heart attack and dies, and now Gerald has no where to go but to his mother. Years past he learns to love his sister and accepts his mother again, but not his step-father. He doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Gerald finds out that his sister has been afraid of their step-father when she was younger, and she is even more scared now than before. He tries to protect Angel as much as he can and notices that Jordan looks at Angel in weird ways that he doesn't understand. He tries to get Angel to tell him what is going on but always she shy's away and doesn't say anything until one day he comes home and finds Angel crying. She tells him what happened and he gets angry and wants to beat Angel up but can't confront him. He pleads with his mother to leave Jordan but Monique doesn't want to believe anything he says. One day Gerald confronts Mr. Washington about what has been happening with Angel and Jordan, and the man tells Gerald to let him know if it happens again. Jordan is caught trying to do nasty things to Angel and is sent to prison. Monique starts falling apart and the children become stronger in getting their family to get back up again. Finally, as Gerald was on his way home from a basketball game he felt uneasy and decided to run home cause he knew Angel was at home with Jordan. As he was running he could smell smoke and thought back on what happened the night he was caught in the fire of their apartment. When he got closer home he saw the smoke and ran up the flight of stairs quickly. He was yelling for Angel but did not get any replies from her, he busted the door to her room and saw Jordan trying to move towards Angel. He yelled out to Jordan "don't touch her you pervert", don't you know there's a fire. When everything was cleared, the fireman found Jordan dead by the door. Gerald and Angel were taken to the hospital with Monique riding with them in the ambulance. They will all become stronger and live a better life.

Biography:
Draper, M. S. (1997). Forged  By Fire. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

My Impression:
This is truly an inspirational story of a young man that has been through so much as a little boy, and even growing up as a young man. As a young boy Gerald was living with his mother, most of the time he spent alone, eating what ever he could find. Sometimes as he waited for his mother to come home, with a full loaded pamper, he never knew what to expect. She would be in a good mood, she would blow up when he bothered her at the wrong time, but she was still the beautiful angel, his mommy. This story is sad, at the same time full of excitement because his character at a very young age of abusive and left alone only made  him stronger. Gerald was a very determined young man, who only wanted to find happiness. His life as a young boy was not pleasant, always having a hard time in life. I like how he never gave up especially when he met his half sister and knowing how she was been treated by their step-father. I would have just left and didn't care, but he decided to do something about it. A lot of children would have turned out bad, but Gerald was able to pull himself up and still be strong for his mother and sister.

Professional Review:

Booklist ( February 15, 1997; 9780689806995 )
Gr. 7^-10. Gerald Nickelby, a minor character in Tears of a Tiger (1994), emerges full-fledged and courageous in this companion story. His stable life with a firm but loving aunt (who is caring for him while his mother serves a prison sentence for child neglect) is shattered when his mother returns to claim him on his ninth birthday. With her is a young daughter, Angel, to whom Gerald is drawn, and her husband, Jordan, whom Gerald instinctively dislikes. When Gerald learns that Jordan is sexually abusing Angel, he risks physical assault and public embarrassment to rescue her. Although written in a more conventional form than the earlier novel, the dialogue is still convincing, and the affection between Angel and Gerald rings true. With so much tragedy here (the car crash and death of Gerald's friend Rob in Tears are again recounted, though Draper, thankfully, stops before Andy Jackson's suicide), there is some danger of overloading the reader. Nevertheless, Draper faces some big issues (abuse, death, drugs) and provides concrete options and a positive African American role model in Gerald. --Candace Smith
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. Review: Use in Library Setting: This book will be used in the library as a group discussion. Librarian will have students work in groups depending on how many students in the class. Each group will list the many ways of getting help and discuss with other groups what other assistance children are given in cases like this. Image retrieve from: http://www.walmart.com/ip/368418

Module 5: Bud, Not Buddy

Title: Bud, Not Buddy
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary:
Bud, Not Buddy is a story about a ten year old boy that was left behind by his mother when she passed. When he was told by a caseworker that he would be leaving to go and stay with the Amoses, he didn't budge because he was so familiar with how the system worked. While living with the Amoses he found out that he didn't like how he was being treated by their son Todd and his mother. He decides to runaway to look for his father, well at least its what he thought, his fathers picture was on the flyers that were in his small suitcase. His mother never mentioned anything about who his real father was and he never understood why. After walking for a long time, he runs into Bugs, one of his friends and they go off together until the day they tried to catch the train. The police showed up and people were running away trying to get on the train, Bugs was able to jump on the train but Bud missed it. So he was now on his own again. After a long walk a man sees him on the highway and stops to ask him questions. In realizing that this boy was on the run, he finds out that he knows the boys father after hearing the story from Bud. He takes the boy along with him and later drops him off at the place where his father plays music at. Bud learns that this man who he assumes is his father is actually his grand-father, and that his mother left home and never returned which left a big void in his grand-fathers heart. He finally hears the true story and has come to find peace in his life.

Biography:
Curtis, C. P. (1999). Bud, Not Buddy. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

My Impression:
An inspiring story of a young man who sets out looking for the only person that can and should look out for him. This story has such a sad storyline that encourages you to understand how life would be without family to lean on. The character played by Bud has a strong appeal to our children that we must be strong to be able to survive life out in the street. I admire his strength for survival especially when he was placed under the care of the Amoses. He wouldn't have the determination to get out of that place if it wasn't for the personal things in his suitcase. Something as little as a flyer was all he had in finding his father, and so he lived each day protecting his suitcase. Bud was such a strong individual that knew exactly what he wanted and what needed to be done. Never feeling sorry for himself, he set out in the big world so his questions could be answered. I'm sure it was hard, tough, and scary for Bud, I don't think I would have done what Bud did.

Professional Review:

Booklist ( September 01, 1999; 9780385323062 ) Gr. 4^-6. Bud, 10, is on the run from the orphanage and from yet another mean foster family. His mother died when he was 6, and he wants to find his father. Set in Michigan during the Great Depression, this is an Oliver Twist kind of foundling story, but it's told with affectionate comedy, like the first part of Curtis' The Watsons Go to Birmingham (1995). On his journey, Bud finds danger and violence (most of it treated as farce), but more often, he finds kindness--in the food line, in the library, in the Hooverville squatter camp, on the road--until he discovers who he is and where he belongs. Told in the boy's naive, desperate voice, with lots of examples of his survival tactics ("Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar out of Yourself"), this will make a great read-aloud. Curtis says in an afterword that some of the characters are based on real people, including his own grandfathers, so it's not surprising that the rich blend of tall tale, slapstick, sorrow, and sweetness has the wry, teasing warmth of family folklore. --Hazel Rochman From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Use in the Library Setting:
I would probably want the children to do a small skit on this book. The storyline would be a more understandable if the children actually see what happens to children who are left to fend for themselves.
Image retrieve from :
Bowker, Books for print:
http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1219&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=Q7RXbizlrT-UAM:&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com

Module 4: Sarah, Plain and Tall

Title: Sarah, Plain and Tall

Author: Patricia MacLachlan

Summary:
This is a very moving story about a father and his two children Anna and Caleb. When their mother died after giving birth to Caleb, Anna and her father didn't know what hit them, although they were sad they now were responsible in taking care of the new baby. Caleb grew up not knowing his mother but was told that she always sang songs with their Papa, and he never stop asking Anna questions about their mother. Since Mamas passing, Papa never sang any more either said Anna to Caleb. Then one day Papa finally admitted to the children how he had put an ad in the paper asking for a wife. Although the children were surprised, they wondered if anyone was going to answer their fathers ad, until they started getting letters from a lady name Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton.
As busy as they were with the farm, and feeding the animals, they were excited and happy when father mentioned one day that Sarah was coming to see meet them. Anna and Caleb wondered if she would except them or would she leave after she sees how their house looks like. Would she like their Papa, or the way they act in front of her. They couldn't wait for the day when she arrives at the farm and they knew that their Papa was just as excited as they were.
Finally that day arrive when they saw the wagon that Papa drove coming up the hill to the house. They both ran to greet her, and she was just as she said she would be, plain and tall. Sarah met the children and saw the farm and everything that belonged to Papa. Although she missed home, and her brother, especially the sea, Sarah was content with what she was going to have, the children loved her and so was Papa. The day that she left for town, the children thought she would never come back because she was gone all day, but when they saw the wagon coming home they were delighted knowing that she was returning to them for good.

Bibliography:
MacLachlan, P. (1985). Sarah, Plain and Tall. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Impressions:
I loved reading this book. Many times when I look at the collection in the library, I would come across this book but never had the time to read  because I would always look for books that are familiar and popular. But as I read through it, I read it with teary eyes because although it had a sad storyline, the author turned the story around by creating a beautiful character that accepted this man's offer for a mother to his young children, and a wife for himself. Sarah never found time to think about herself, giving up everything that she loved. Moving to a place and meeting people she never even knew. Sarah was such a strong individual, knew what she was getting her self into and especially what she wanted. If it was me, I don't think I would have answered the ad, especially knowing that this man have two young children. I wouldn't leave the home that I love, the things that I have for a farm, but Sarah but different. She gave up everything to go and meet this man and his children, what a sacrifice this young lady made. I loved how the children accepted her too, especially the man. Showing her everything and giving her respect is what I believe helped Sarah make her final choice.

Profession Review:

School Library Journal ( May 01, 2002; 9780694526024 )

Gr 3-6-Glenn Close narrates Patricia MacLachlan's beautiful novels on this fine audio collection. Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of Sarah, who came from Maine to answer Jacob's advertisement for a wife and mother, all from the point of view of young Anna. The classic story continues in Skylark, as Anna and her brother, Caleb, must travel with their new mother, Sarah, to Maine when a terrible drought threatens their home. Caleb picks up the story several years later in Caleb's Story, telling of the return of his grandfather, who had abandoned the family when Caleb's father was a young boy. Close, who played the role of Sarah in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of the first book, creates distinct voices for each character without ever resorting to theatrics. Anna and Caleb's voices mature as listeners progress through the stories, and Close's carefully unobtrusive narration showcases MacLachlan's simple yet poetic words. An interview with Patricia MacLachlan at the end of the collection gives students more information about the author's life and writing process, and about the real-life inspiration for Sarah. A beautiful collusion of an excellent story with a perfect narrator, and a treat for all listeners.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  Review: Use in Library Setting: This book will be used in the library as buddy pairs. With a poster board, children will partner up and use half of the paper and create a farm with supplies that they will be getting from the librarian. They will use the other half of the paper and create a scene of the Sea using the supplies that they receive from the librarian. Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1338&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=FzuFFOMGbYodoM:&imgrefurl=http://childrensbookalmanac.com/2010/10/sarah-plain-and-tall/&docid=gqksDi-AiTgJHM&imgurl=http://childrensbookalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/Sarah-Plain-and-Tall.png&w=320&h=320&ei=T9hfUOylMoK4iwLTkYDICg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=1&sig=104151175255594110228&page=1&tbnh=96&tbnw=93&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:104&tx=942&ty=315

Module 4: Missing May

Title: Missing May
Author: Cynthia Rylant

Summary:
Like Sarah, Plain and Tall...Missing May also has a sad moving storyline that touches people's heart and makes you wonder why do things like these happen. Missing May is about a girl name Summer and her uncle Ob missing the women in their life name May. Summer is a young girl that was taken in by her aunt May and uncle Ob during one of their visits to Ohio. Now that May is gone, uncle Ob doesn't talk much and Summer is wondering if he will give her up to someone else. Things have changed whereas now Summer walks to wait for the school by herself, no one bothers to make breakfast and Summer has to get up on her own to get ready for school.
Everything Uncle Ob did he believed that May was there with him, never doubting that she left even though he knew she was gone in body but not in spirit. At times he looked spaced out, he would say to Summer that shes not gone. One day Ob got sick and looked like he was giving up, Summer found him in bed and quickly helped him to try and get better which is something that he really didn't care about until one day a neighbor name Cletus showed up and said that Ob needed to see a spiritualist.
After a long discussion they all decided that they would go and seek help for Ob. Finally when they got there through the means of driving far, they found out that she had passed a couple of months before. Ob decided that they were going back home, but in the middle of the road he turns the car around and went straight to the capital building for sight-seeing. With everything that has happened, Ob decided that he wanted to live after all, so he could take care of Summer just as May had wanted them to do from the start. The next morning Summer smelled coffee and breakfast. Things were better and Mays garden was growing, Cletus read from one of the handouts that they brought back from the trip they took looking for the spiritualist. Suddenly they felt the brush of wind and they all smiled at each other knowing exactly that May was setting everything free.

Biography:
Rylant, C. (1992). Missing May. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books

My Impression:
Just like Sarah, Plain and Tall its a very sad story that only people who has love one that are gone can truly understand. I can relate to this story because I also miss my dear father, although I wasn't left alone like Summer, I understand how she feels knowing that not one close relative would take her in like May did. It's difficult when your partner for life leaves you, especially when it unexpected like how May passed. Ob seeing how strong his wife was felt awful and lifeless after she was gone, so he became weak and didn't want to do anything. I believe that Ob believing that May was around him showed that she wanted him to be strong for Summer. Although he was giving up, her spirit encouraged him to be strong, and to continue living so he could be there for Summer, especially when they had so much things that they had planned and wanted to give her because they had no child of their own. It was also good that they had a young and good neighbor Cletus that also helped them both out a lot. Example: My husband and I are very close and love each other very much. We do a lot of things together, as a human being I think about things like what if my husband passes, what am I going to do without him. To tell you the truth, I don't think I can handle it, I would be just like Ob. I would probably want to give up also, but we have the good lord that gives us strength to go on. It's our choice to make it our not, and I would also be like Ob and get better to help our children out.

Professional Review:

Publishers Weekly ( February 03, 1992; 9780531059968 )

This short novel is a study of grief--chiefly, that felt by Summer after her foster mother's sudden death, but also her sorrow at witnessing the grief of Ob, her foster father--she realizes that she herself may not be reason enough for him to go on living. And for several months it seems as if he may not in fact go on, until Summer and Ob take a short car trip that somehow transforms their lives. In a direct, matter-of-fact voice occasionally laced with irony and wry humor, Summer articulates many discerning insights about sorrow and loss. The reader remains a distant observer of her emotions, however--perhaps because the novel begins after May's death, making her a less immediate figure, perhaps because Summer's perceptions are quite sophisticated, even adult. And the novel's emotional turning point is difficult to grasp, either verbally or intuitively: all Summer, and we, know is that ``something happened to Ob'' to make him embrace life fully again. Ages 11-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Review:

Use in Library Setting:
I would use this book in the library as a essay writing. Each child will write an essay about how they feel when a love one passes. Discuss with children the importance of love and dying so children to have a better understanding.

Image from:
http://shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_28553_-1_10001_10002

Module 3: My Friend Rabbit

Title: My Friend Rabbit

Author/Illustrator: Eric Rohhmann

Summary:
My friend rabbit is a beautiful well illustrated book which the author/illustrator have truly a unique style that tells a story mostly by the pictures itself. Mouse is telling how his friend rabbit always wants to help but always trouble follows where ever he goes and whatever he does. An airplane is stuck on a branch of a tree so rabbit decides to get it down by having all his animal friends help by having them stand on each other so they can reach the airplane. Just before mouse reaches the plane, the animals come clashing down and they were all angry with rabbit. Mouse understands as he tries to tell the animals that rabbit means well, and that they're still friends.

Biography:
Rohmann, E. (2003). My Friend Rabbit. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

My Impression:
My Friend Rabbit is one of my favorite because I love how the illustrator drew the animal pictures. Although it doesn't have too much text, the illustrations itself can tell the story of what is going to happen. The illustrators detail drawing expresses how the animals feel with facial expressions that each one has, especially during the part of when they are falling down. I love how rabbit is trying so hard to help his friend mouse, the strength that he has as he carries all the animals stacking them up on the other really shows how much he cares for his friend. A good example would be my grand children helping me to clean. Whenever they come for a visit, I would let them play in the family room until its time for dinner. They already know that when I come down to that room they are suppose to start cleaning up. Of course I would wait and see what they would do first but instead they wait until I start cleaning than they follow. By the time I come around to where they started its like nothings being done because they leave a trail of toys so they could come back and pick them up again. Why? so they would go back and play again and not have to clean up.

Professional Review:

School Library Journal ( May 01, 2002; 9780761324201 )

PreS-Gr 1-A simple story about Rabbit and Mouse, who, despite Rabbit's penchant for trouble, are friends. When Rabbit launches his toy airplane (with Mouse in the pilot seat at takeoff) and it gets stuck in a tree, he convinces his friend that he will come up with a plan to get it down. He does so by stacking animals on top of one another (beginning with an elephant and a rhinoceros) until they are within reach of the toy. The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here.-Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review of the book My Friend Rabbit retrieved from Bowker Books in Print.

Library Use:
Librarian will use this book by having the students work in groups.  Each students in groups create a list of words putting them in complete sentences, and explaining why animals in the story are important and how are they able to assist people.

Image from:
http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1338&bih=516&tbm=isch&tbnid=HC3j_5DgXDwyDM:&imgrefurl=http://raspwire.com/multimedia-for-my-kid/&docid=HhObYKdcOdoa9M&imgurl=http://raspwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/my-friend-rabbit.jpg&w=294&h=228&ei=TuBWUJblOqLJigKAx4DgDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=106&vpy=146&dur=21101&hovh=182&hovw=235&tx=127&ty=108&sig=104151175255594110228&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=166&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:95

Module 3: Jumanji

Title: Jumanji

Author: Chris Van Allsburg

Summary:
This is a really great book of how two children who just happened to be bored on the evening that their parents were going out and expected to bring home some special guests. Judy and Peter happened to walk out of their house to get some fresh air or even play for awhile never expecting that in a few minutes they would be in the wildest game they ever played. These children walked across the street to the park and came across a board game under a tree while playing. Although they were uncertain whether or not to take it home, it did look just like other board games they had, but it came with a note so they were curious and they ran home with it. After reading the note, they started to play. Peter was the first one to move his piece after throwing the dice when Judy notice a lion lying on the piano. Every throw made them move and every move there appeared an animal, as they were getting scared of what they were now seeing, they could not get rid of them until the last player reached the finish point. Judy now knew that they could not stop as weird things were happening before their eyes. Time was flying and they needed to get rid of the lion, monkeys, rain, guide, rhinoceros, and python before their parents got home with the guests. Judy needed to roll a twelve, when she finally did she yelled with her might "JUMANJI" and everything disappeared just as they have appeared. When their parents got home everything was in order and they were so tired.

Biography:
Allsburg Van, C. (1981). Jumanji. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

My Impression:
I loved and had a good laugh at this story because these children didn't expect anything like this to happen. The author decided to make the story line very exciting for two normal who just wanted to do something fun being that they were bored. Allsburg went out of his way to creating this story with wild and scary animals and blowing everything out of proportions where the children couldn't believe what they were seeing. As much as they wanted to get rid of these animals, I loved how they had to get back to the game to finish it. It really showed team work as Peter although scared the whole time, he listened and did what his sister told him to do because if it was me, I would have probably ran off leaving her in the room by herself. They would have never finished the game by the time their parents got home and it would have been a whole different story by then.

Professional Review:

Review: 
Pollack, Pamela D. (1981, May). School Library Journal. [Review of the book Jumanji]. 27 (9), p 60.  

Library Use:
Librarian will read the book and children will act out characters in the story to make it more exciting.

Image from: 
http://www.target.com/p/jumanji-hardcover/-/A-11456322?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM|11456322&CPNG=&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11456322

Module 2- Title: The Snowy Day

Title: The Snowy Day
Author:  Ezra Jack Keats

Summary:
This is a beautiful book about a boy name Peter who woke up one morning, looked out his window and saw the roof tops of buildings across from his house covered all with snow. It literally covered everything that he could see, so after he ate breakfast he decided to go out for some fun. The snow was piled up so high that he could hardly walk outside. He decided to walk further so he could make tracks pointing his feet up and down and see it melt in the ice. When he came across something sticking out he saw that it was a stick so he pulled it out, and started hitting the snow covered trees. He came across some big boys playing snowball fight and thought it would be fun to join them, but quickly found out that he wasn't old enough when he started getting hit left and right. So he left and went to play alone building snowman and angels. Just before heading home he pretended to be a mountain climber and slid all the way down on the snow. When he got home he told his mother all about his adventure while she undress him from the soaked clothes he was wearing. Before he went to bed that night, he checked his pocket for the snowball that he had put inside earlier but found nothing, he was so sad. So while he slept he dreamed of the snow and how the sun had melt it away, when he woke up the snow was still there and so he called out to his friend and they both went outside to play in the deep cold snow.

Biography:
Keats, E. J. (1998). The Snowy Day. New York, NY: Scholastic Incorporated.

My Impression:
This is an ideal book for someone that isn't afraid to experience the snow alone. Peter did not stop to think about anything or anyone else but wanted to see for himself how the snow felt and enjoy being  in it. I like how there is no adult around to tell Peter what to do and what not to do, because usually having an adult or parents around would have limited him from going outside. Peter would have probably been told to wait until someone else is there to go outside with. I admire that Peter took the chance of exploring alone and not nagging for someone to take him out. As an example, here at home I get all wired up if I find my grand children playing outside without my knowing, yet the swing is right in the front of our house. I'm afraid that they might get hurt and I'm not there, or someone might just take them without me knowing. I wouldn't want my grand babies to go out alone, yet this little Peter went on his own and still went home in time for dinner. I don't think his mother knew he was gone. The author's story just gave this child the courage to go out there and have fun.

Professional Review:

Publishers Weekly ( January 01, 1996; 9780670867332 ) Now in a sturdy board-book format just right for youngest readers, Ezra Jack Keats's classic The Snowy Day, winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, pays homage to the wonder and pure pleasure a child experiences when the world is blanketed in snow. (Viking, $6.99 15p 6 mos.-up ISBN 0-670-86733-0 Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Review:

By Celia Wren Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 You might as well store an icicle on a lighted gas burner as try to find a musical-theater equivalent for the beloved picture book "The Snowy Day." The 1962 children's tale by Ezra Jack Keats tells of hushed awe and solitude: Celebrating a recent snowfall, the book's young protagonist, Peter, wanders alone through a nearly deserted winter landscape, making snow angels, sliding down a slope and engaging in other simple pleasures. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/performing-arts/the-snowy-day,1212957/critic-review.html Library Use: I would have the children work in groups. Have the kids cut out shapes of mountains from card boards and decorate them with materials and glue them on a big poster board. They can also use cotton balls for snow and glue them also on the poster board. Each group will explain their projects and librarian can put them on the wall to show their work. Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31mg_1eJ9HGh5GRxGKz5NfkbAezr_ZpFJzeGfJ5rullTsYeNcDqmXh7M-iM3Yl5FPAAFpbIHGicDTXql_qIEoRI_y8u3VS2CefOTGX365BGsFGPkx9A3oBa1tXWuYQ1anrais5BJ1bkM/s400/snowy+day+Peter.gif&imgrefurl=http://printnest.blogspot.com/2009/07/snowy-day-by-ezra-jack-keats.html&h=300&w=260&sz=9&tbnid=vHIw0Y-Ct9q1-M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=78&zoom=1&usg=__tg6VvT2GpFR5dFZPhpncqBhiV8s=&docid=WbsTRzBlPfZGbM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QdBWUIGkLaiXiQLTjYHoBA&ved=0CCIQ9QEwAQ&dur=559

Module 2: Title-Madeline
Author: Ludwig Bemelmans

Summary:
This story is about twelve little girls, Madeline is the youngest the the most bravest one who is not afraid of anything, but one night Ms. Clavel heard a little girl cry and she turned on the light. She saw Madeline sitting on her bed crying her eyes out as they were red. She called the doctor and he came over to check on Madeline and found out that it  was her appendix. Everyone cried cause they were afraid for her but Madeline was in the doctors arms all safe and snuggle. Soon they were at the hospital and two hours later Madeline woke up in her room and saw beautiful flowers everywhere, as she ate and drank she also saw the beautiful sky with birds flying outside her window. The next day Ms. Clavel and the other girls came to visit her at the hospital and saw all the things she got like toys, candies, and even a doll house from her Papa. After the visit the girls all went home, they brushed their teeth and went to bed. That night Ms. Clavel heard crying voices, she turned on the light and saw all the girls crying. She asked them what was wrong and they told her that they wanted their appendix to be taken out too, she quickly told them good-night that they were all doing fine and now its time to sleep, and that was it.

Biography:
Bemelmans, L. (2007). Madeline. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

My Impression:
 I like this story because although they live in an old house with vines growing everywhere the  little girls are dressed the same, neat, pretty, and well organized when ever they leave their house. I love how little Madeline being the youngest is not afraid of anything, always curious with what is going on around her surroundings when they are out or in the house. I love how they use the literature in the rhythmic text. As an example I can only think of the military, being that when they go out of the house, everyone is marching in straight lines weather it's one or two or four lines. Everyone is wearing the same thing, listening to one voice. Everyone looks neat and well organized, and if one is hurt every one hurts. They all feel for each other and they all look out for the other individual. The rhythmic text helps children to enjoy and make reading more fun when it rhymes at the end.

 Professional Review:

School Library Journal ( January 01, 1988; 9780670816675 )

PreS-K Horror of horrors! A pop-up book based on an all time favoriteLudwig Bemelman's classic Madeline. Yet admittedly, it is rather fun to pull a tab and see Madeline pooh-pooh the tiger in the zoo, or Miss Clavel turn on her light, or the doctor carry Madeline in his arm in a blanket safe and warm. Madeline herself would be delighted. All of the favorite scenes are here. The only scenes missing are the beginning illustrations of the 12 little girls in 2 straight lines breaking their bread, brushing their teeth, going to bed, and smiling at the good and frowning at the bad. While pop-up books may not withstand extended circulation, librarians who work with the very young in story hours will find this book a wonderful way to introduce children to Madeline and her world. Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Pub . Schools, Va. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review: Madeline is one of the best-loved characters in children's literature. Set in picturesque Paris, this tale of a brave little girl's trip to the hospital was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1940 and has as much appeal today as it did then. Published 1989 by London: Hippo (first published 1939) Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475339.Madeline Library Uses: Utilizing this book in the library would be exciting for the children as we could dress up the girls like what the story has, and have the boys read. The upper levels would be given the task of making up their own storyline but still keep the rhythmic text. Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://content.scholastic.com/yawyr/afa7026cf9943b042001e92ff89b414f4fa26653.jpg&imgrefurl=http://youarewhatyouread.scholastic.com/adults/books/show/madeline-ludwig-bemelmans/&h=486&w=350&sz=65&tbnid=Gc2-dTNZdQPg4M:&tbnh=87&tbnw=63&zoom=1&usg=__8P3kXPZCpNmE7KoX0Rm6xMbWCGg=&docid=iKmVIuMpdh2JvM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8dFWUIToHqeEjAL11oGwAw&sqi=2&ved=0CC4Q9QEwBQ&dur=1233

Module 1- Title:Guess How Much I Love You

Title: Module 1: Guess How Much I Love You
Author: Sam McBratney
Illustrated by: Anita Jeram

Book Summary:
This book is about love of animals between a father (Big Nutbrown Hare) and his baby son (Little Nutbrown Hare). By testing out how much and if his father loves him. Little Nutbrown Hare wants to make sure that his father is listening when he tells and shows how much love he has for him by stretching his hands as far as he can. But in return Big Nutbrown Hare tells him how much he loves him by outstretching his arms as wide as he can also. Every time Little Nutbrown Hare tries to show his father and tells him that his love reaches the sky, Big Nutbrown Hare would always show more love by stretching his arms wider and higher which is much bigger than Little Nutbrown Hare can ever reach. He knows that he can never reach as high and spreads his arms as wide than his father so he just says that I love you all the way to the moon and closes his eyes as I'm sure he was tired of trying to reach high into the sky. Big Nutbrown Hare is happy and satisfy with his son and puts him down on his bed of leaves placing a warm kiss on his forehead and bidding him good rest. 

Biography: 
McBratney, S. (1995). Guess how much I love you. New York, NY: Candlewick Press.

My Impression:
I love this story because it really illustrates deep feelings of love in animals as it would be for human beings reflecting on a mother and son or father and daughter relationship. I like how Little Nutbrown Hare after seeing his father Big Nutbrown Hare reach far into the sky, he would still try to stand on his toes so he could reach higher and further, he never gave up trying to reach higher because he wanted to show his father that he loved him more. Unconditional love that can only be earned by caring and loving back. Example: This is the love that I have for my own mother, as much love as I have for her, she would love me more. Why? I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for the love that she has for me, and because of her love and care I wouldn't be able to love my own children when I first had them till now, and I know they love me back because although they are married and have children of their own, they still come to visit, call and ask if there is anything that I need. This is the love that these animals have for each other, weather it was real of fiction they expressed themselves naturally to one another, just like human beings when they show their love for one another.

Professional Reviews:
Publishers Weekly
( March 13, 1995; 9781564024732 )
Fresh as a fiddlehead fern in spring, this beguiling bedtime tale features a pip of a young rabbit and his indulgent parent. Searching for words to tell his dad how much he loves him (and to put off bedtime just an eentsy bit longer), Little Nutbrown Hare comes up with one example after another ("I love you as high as I can hop!"), only to have Big Nutbrown Hare continually up the ante. Finally, on the edge of sleep, he comes up with a showstopper: "I love you right up to the moon." (Dad does top this declaration too, but only after his little bunny falls asleep.) Effused with tenderness, McBratney's wise, endearing and droll story is enriched by the near-monochromatic backdrop of Jeram's pen-and-wash artwork, rendered earthy tones of moss, soft brown and gray for a visually quieting effect just right for that last soothing tale before sleep. Ages 3-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist
( March 15, 1995; 9781564024732 )
Ages 3-5. An endearing nursery game is beautifully revitalized in this comforting, sleepy-time picture book. A little hare tests his father's love by declaring his own: "Guess how much I love you . . . This much." Jeram's double-page-spread watercolors are just right for the gentle competition that ensues as parent and child each avow affection in ever more expansive terms. Neither sugary nor too cartoonlike, the watercolors, in soft shades of brown and greens with delicate ink-line details, warmly capture the loving relationship between parent and child as well as the comedy that stems from little hare's awe of his wonderful dad. The story ends with a declaration of love so great it reaches "right up to the moon," and little hare finally falls fast asleep. There's not a wrong note in this tender tale, which should become an enduring bedtime favorite--right up there with Goodnight Moon.

Review. (1995, March). Guess how much I love you. [Review of the book Guess how much I love you]. Publishers Weekly. Available from: Bowker Books in Print- http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:4874/default.ashx

Review. (1999, April). Guess how much I love you. [Review of the book Guess how much I love you]. Available from: Horn Book Guide- http://www.bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-6805279.xml

Library Use:
This book can be used in the library by doing a short skit about love as there are many kinds of love. In the lower levels students will have a better understanding when they observe individuals acting out a small skit. In the higher levels this book can be used in the form of a poem reading with feelings by one individual. 

Image from online:http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=568&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=0EvY_VZ3Pv1hPM:&imgrefurl=http://dandelionchick.com/blog/happy-love-to-everyone.
 Edutaining Kids .COM