Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad

By Ellen Levine and Illustrated By Kadir Nelson

This Caldecott Honor book tells the story of how Henry "Box" Brown excaped slavery by "mailing" himself in a box to the North using the Underground Railroad. The back cover consists of brown wood, much like what was used to make wooden cratesin the 1800's. The end pages are also a brownish bronze color similar to the color of the box as well.  The end paper color also reflects the skin color of Henry on the front color. This layout technique ties into the theme of slavery and African American history. 

This book conveys a strong message with the intent to inform the reader while "sparking" emotions associated with sadness, anger, and hope.  The reader will experience sadness and anger after learning that Henry did not know his birthday, lived his childhood and most of his adulthood as a slave, was torn from his wife and children, and suffered greatly during the dangerous trip to Pennsylvania. Hope can be felt when Henry arrives safely and can celebrate his "birthday" of freedom. Even though the book encourages the celebration of his freedom, I was still left feeling very sad about the story.  The hardest part was contemplating the amount of loss he experienced in his life.  The illustrations contributed greatly to these feelings.  The sadness that is evident on the faces of Henry and his family truly impact the reader. The visual representation of Henry being  "squeezed" in the box made Henry's story come alive even more. 

Nelson's beautiful illustrations are crucial in the emphasis of the book's content. The use of ashy, warm colors reflects the time period, setting and tone of the book. Nelson's use of pencil, watercolor, and oil make illustrations appear more vivid and emphasized. The images alone tell Henry's story in a powerful voice. readers of all abilities will become mesmerized with the pictures and surprised, astonished, and touched by Henry's true story. 

George Washington's Birthday

                                     A Mostly True Tale

                  By Margaret McNamara and Illustrated by Barry Blitt

This book dissipates many of the famous "rumors" associated with the life of George Washington.  Many tales have emerged overtime embellishing facts linked with Washington's childhood.  For example, many people have heard the rumor that George Washington cut down a cherry tree then truthfully admitted "It Was I that cut down the cherry tree" to his father. The book informs the reader that this rumor emerged as a result of Washington's honest and noble personality. People trusted him so much that they liked to believe that Washington would have made such an honorable confession over a minute mistake. Another famous myth associated with George Washington is the story of how he was so strong that h threw a stone across the Rappahannock River. The river that ran beside Washington's family farm was over two hundred feet wide. Therefore, it would have been impossible for him to have done such a thing. 

The book's layout includes text telling the story of the "myths" or "facts" surrounding large, medium and small illustrations (varying page to page). At the end of each short myth, McNamara includes a framed text box, written in a smaller font and different style, labeled either "Myth" of "Fact" followed by an explanation.  These informational tidbits are strategically placed off to the side or at the bottom of the page so that they don't retract from the story.  Each short story supports the theme of Washington's family "forgetting" his birthday (they plan a surprise party for him at the end of the book). McNamara cleverly uses this base-plot to create a balance between each of the stories (which ultimately lead up to his evening party). 

The Illustrations are presented in the style associated with Barry Blitt.  Blitt is a famous political cartoon artist who has frequently been criticized for his controversial images. One of the most well known controversial image was his portrayal of the Obama's on a 2008 New York Times cover (left). Many readers felt Blitt's illustration was very "anti-American." Fortunately, Blitt's illustrations in George Washington's Birthday are anything but. In fact, one could consider him to be "patriotic" for their creation. Here is a link to a story about Blitt defending his drawing for the 2008 cover: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/13/barry-blitt-addresses-his_n_112432.html.  What do you think?

City Dog, Country Frog

              By Mo Willems and Illustrated by Jon J Muth

This is my favorite book to use when teaching a lesson on  friendship, the seasons, or dealing with loss. This is not your typical Mo Willems children's book. Willems is often associated with humor, silliness, and the use of simplicity to convey a message. City Dog, Country Frog does not contain these attributes. Hard themes such as lonliness, change and grief are inertwined with uplifting ones including friendship, loyalty, hope and "rebirth." The complexity of emotion reflected in the book and experienced by the reader is anything but "simple."

The book is sectioned into four parts labeled as the seasons Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Willems uses this layout to convey the setting and the movement through time. The first half of the book, Spring and Summer center around the friendship of the dog and frog. The mood in these sections is playful, positive, and energetic. The dog meets the frog and both characters accept the each other's friendship unconditionally. They teach each other games and activities appealing to their own abilities (the dog teaches the frog to play fetch while the frog teaches the dog to hop around on lilly pads). At the end of the summer section, Willems uses foreshadowing to hint at future events in the plot. The frog getting tired at the end of the summer mirrors his "life cycle" end which occurs during the second half of the book. Younger children may completely miss this hint at first, but if read to several times, they most likely will recognize it. 

The second half of the book, Fall and Winter brings upon the slow demise of the character the frog. The frog is too tired to play active games but is still able to play "memory games" with the dog.  The dog humbly comforts the frog and again, accepts his friendship just the way it is, and spends this season reminiscing with the frog about the good times they have had all year. The Winter is the bleakest season of all in the story. The dog tries to find the frog but the pond is iced over and he is nowhere to be found.  The dog spends most of the season looking for his friend while experiencing loneliness and sadness. The last season of the book, the following Spring, reflects hope and new beginnings. The dog finds a new friend, a squirrel and both accept each other's friendship.  The dog misses the frog at first, but eventually accepts change and new opportunities. 

The illustrations represent the themes and mood within each season section.  The summer, fall, and spring sections are displayed with a light, colorful palette and tone. The fall and winter months contain darker and richer tones to represent the setting, events, and feelings of the characters. Nature is prevalent in every section. Muth's use of watercolor ties into the book's aspects of nature and light-hearted friendship message. 

Of Mice and Men

                                      By John Steinbeck 

 This book centers around the tragic story of the complex bond between two migrant laborers in Central California. They are George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is a very large, simple-minded man, calming him and helping to reign in his immense physical strength. Both men possess a dream of a better life specifically, one in which they own a farm with abundant land, a house and rabbits.  Their actions in the novel reflect this dream and their attempts to achieve happiness.

 This book is one that every well-rounded person should read. It is considered an American classic.  The plot is thought-provoking, engaging, and affects the reader on an emotional level. Through inference, the reader discovers Steinbeck’s writing style which promotes the book’s themes through symbolism, and recurring metaphors. 
The characters are well-defines and they possess realistic attributes and represent society during the time of the book’s setting (the 1930's in the Salinas Valley of California). Of mice and men, like many of Steinbeck’s novels, reflects western American history.  In 1929, the Great Depression occurred causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs and savings. There was also the Dust Bowl, where sand literally wiped out land and farms causing farmers and workers, such as George and Lennie, to move west towards California to find work on ranches doing laboring work. Steinbeck himself migrated to Salinas, California as a teenager where he settled with his family, spent his adulthood and was buried after he died.

Of Mice and Men was supposed to be a play, but Steinbeck decided to write it first as a novel. However the manuscript was destroyed (by Steinbeck’s dog) and with only three months until publication, Steinbeck had to re-write it all from memory which therefore made it into a shorter novel. Although he was hesitant about the book’s reception, it became a worldwide success encouraging him to write many more books about the itinerant workers of America such as The Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row.

Steinbeck has always been my favorite author. Although this isn’t my favorite book from him, I believe it contains important themes reflecting American history. The book is a quick read but the “hidden” themes and symbolism in its content may be too complex for younger students. I would recommend using this book as a mentor text in the middle and high school grade levels. 

Diary of Anne Frank

                                           A Biography 

I remember reading Diary of Anne Frank multiple times throughout my education.  I was first exposed to it in the fourth grade while learning about World War II and the Nazis. I read it again in high school for a project on World Ware II and again during my undergrad for a literature course.  I think this book is used often in schools and colleges because it exposes the atrocities of The Holocaust through the eyes of a child.  Children are often more perceptive and sensitive to their environment than adults.  I think Anne Frank's age (thirteen years old) during the time she wrote her diary influenced the feel, tone, and accuracy of the book. 

Anne's feelings and attitudes are typical of most girls her age during the time and even now.  Anne expresses her longing for approval and acceptance by her peers and her feelings towards the opposite sex (she has a "crush" on her teacher). Middle and high school readers can highly relate to Anne, which makes her Diary so much more powerful than if it were written by an adult. Student's will begin to understand the magnitude of tragedy and realism contained in the book. Many might think, "Anne is so much like me or someone I would be friends with. I can't believe something this tragic happened to her." The relationship the reader develops with Anne causes the impact of The Holocaust to "hit closer to home." 

Anne's Diary was found and published years after her death. The most eerie segment of the book is the ending when Anne and her family are found during "hiding." The reader is left with the knowledge that Anne was found but her experience after is not discussed, which causes the reader to feel deep sadness as well as wonder. A note at the end in the book reveals that Anne died in a concentration camp. Readers will most likely wonder about the pain and suffering she endured after studying the Nazis and concentration camps during World War II. It is important for teachers to discuss this book with their students to help them better understand hate, discrimination, genocide, and the power of brainwashing all associated with the Nazi party during The Holocaust. 

Teachers can also use this website to plan lessons and support class discussion: http://www.annefrank.org/

Tangerine

By Edward Bloor

I read this book the first time for a children's literature course during undergraduate school.  I remember it arriving from Amazon the week before class and thinking, "This going to be a boy's book." I was not enthisiastic about reading it. However, to this day I have to say it is one of my top favorite young adult books of all time. Just mentioning the name of this book or the author Edward Bloor brings the image of the characters staying up all night though the cold spraying tangerine trees with warm water to save the fruit and the business. I also immediately remember learning about "sink holes" and "koi fish" for the very first time (yes in college!). This book transfered far more than a story to my mind. 

After reading this book a second time, I drew even more meaning and significance from the details, themes, and characters. I remember thinking the main character Paul Fisher was just a down-to-earth, intelligent,wise and nice kid. I feel even more strongly the second time around.  His character is definitely much more developed for someone of his age. The way he approaches and deals with hardship and the arrogance and crueltythat surrounds him truly defines him as the character with the biggest heart and mind of any other I have come across in literature. His character is an ideal rolemodel for upper elementary and high school students. 

The storyline itself contains themes and issues appealing to a wide audience, not just a masculine one that I had originally surmised. Bloor exposes many difficult themes such as racism, disability, violence, bullying, and stigma. His use of literary technique absolutely shines throughout the book. For example, the wealthy nighborhood, home to all of the well-to-do families (who mostly possess arrogance, racism, and are judgemental of everyone outside of their status) was built on ground containing sink-holes. These sink-holes attract numerous bugs and diseases. All of the houses in this neighborhood have netting surrounding them as a means to keep out the bugs. The atmosphere surrounding the homes is humid, smokey (from forest fires) and foul-smelling.  However, the "poor" neighborhood doesn't posses any of these problems and actually displays beauty (trees, plants, nature). Bloor purposefully created these different neighborhoods with opposing qualities to reflect the attitudes and actions of the residents. This is just one of many ways Bloor uses literary technique to signify a point or support a theme. 

I had an excellent professor while reading and discussing this book for the first time. The class discussions heightened my understanding and broadened my ideas pertaining to the book's attributes. I would use this book in the same manner if I was teaching a middle or high school English class.  I would even use it as a read-aloud for forth or fifth graders. All older students can appreciate and learn from this quality piece of literature. 

Ramona the Pest

By Beverly Cleary

This is the second book in the Ramona Quimby series. There are eight books total, telling Ramona's story from nursery school through the age of ten. Ramona is a spunky, outgoing yet sensitive character experiencing the many lessons children learn throughout childhood. Ramona displays the typical behaviors and mental processes most kindergarten children possess. Ramona is ready to go to school and begin her journey towards independence, but she also yearns for the comfort and protection of "being the baby" of the family. 

Ramona struggles with self-restrain (pulling Susan's "boing-boing" curls), the need for acceptance and approval (especially from her teacher Mrs. Binney, her family, and friend Howie) and adjusting to new routines and procedures. Ramona puts on a "strong and brave" front for the reader the majority of the time, but does eventually reveal her acute sensitivity and need for protection and comfort when things don't always go her way. Ramona's character is highly relatable to a younger audience. Younger readers will "look up" to Ramona's bravery, laugh at her spunky behavior and understand her feelings and emotions.  Older readers will remember experiencing the same feelings and situations as Ramona and will also appreciate the humor and light-heartedness. 

Ramona the Pest was first published in 1968. The cover of the book has changed over the years to acclimate to the current time period. The art technique also varies from cover to cover. The first cover (on the right) uses "realism" and sharpened detail to portray the characters. The second cover released (on left) uses a more "cartoon-like" style to convey a playful and juvenile feel. The current cover (above) contains a more flat, and simplified technique. The colors are solid and Ramona appears mischeivous yet lovable. All of the portrayals of Ramona reflect her personality: fun-loving, brave, and curious.  Eventhough time passes around the reader, Ramona never grows old. She stays young and fun for the next generation of young readers. 

The Ramona Quimbly series has gained such popularity over the years that the book Ramonia and Beezus became a movie appealing to children and families. The movie website is http://www.beverlycleary.com/movie.aspx.  Readers can find more information about the movie and other books by Beaverly Clearly.