Ellison the Elephant

Posted on June 2, 2017 by srudi

Title: “Ellison the Elephant”

 

Author: Eric Drachman

 

Illustrator: James Muscarello

 

Publisher and Year: Kidwick Books LLC 2004

 

Number of Pages: 30

 

Tags: Friendship, Identity, Bullying, 2-3, 4-5, Fiction, Stephanie Rudi

 

Genres: Fiction

 

Analysis: Ellison is an elephant who is different from the other elephants because he can’t make the same sounds with his trunk that they do. He gets bullied by the others and is often isolated. One day he accidentally bumps into a weasel who somehow pushes Ellison to make the sounds that the other elephants do. In the end, he fits in with the other elephants and is the envy of all because of his sounds.

 

This book is possibly a mirror for some readers that may feel different from their peers in one way or another. Perceptually, we see Ellison struggle to fit in with the rest of society, but with the help of a friend, he eventually gains the ability to fit in and stand out. In a structural sense, Ellison is a social outcast which is shown by his being bullied, and in the end he is highly respected because of his abilities.

 

Ideologically, this story is probably not the best message for children because it’s saying that if you are oppressed because of a physical difference, you should try and conform to fit in with the society that oppressed you. This is not the best message because it doesn’t highlight the importance of self acceptance whatsoever. His mother barely touches on it, but in the end she just tells him to have thick skin and get over it, which is what he could have done but the plot didn’t move in that direction, which was a little bit of a let down.

 

The picture book codes show Ellison as being very small compared to the other elephants, but not proportionally. He is usually facing the right which means he is less secure. The book was a cute read about friends encouraging other friends, but the ideologies that may have been unintentionally displayed do not promote being happy with yourself which is somewhat problematic.

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Each Kindness

Posted on June 2, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: Each Kindness
  2. Author(s): Jaqueline Woodson
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: E.B. Lewis
  4. Publisher and Year: The Penguin Group, 2012
  5. Number of pages: 30
  6. Tags: Award Book, Diversity, Emotion, Picture Book, Fiction, K-5, Morgan Houk
  7. Genre: Realistic Fiction
  8. Analysis:

This book is told from the perspective of a young girl named Chloe. Chloe gets a new girl, Maya, in her class but she looks different from the rest of the class. Her clothes are worn out, her hair is dirty, and she eats weird food at lunch. Chloe and the rest of her classmates do not talk to Maya or include her in any games at recess. One day, Maya is gone from school and Chloe’s teacher decides to give a lesson on kindness. She has her students drop stones into a big bucket and say one kind thing that they have done in the past week. The students watch the ripple of their stone in the water and see what an impact their little act of kindness can make. Chloe is unable to think of a kind thing she has done so she passes her stone to someone else. She becomes very guilty, thinking about Maya, and really hopes she comes back to school tomorrow so she can start including her. But, Maya went to a different school now and Chloe is left thinking of the many ways she could have been kind to her.

This book touches on many of the theoretical frameworks that we have discussed in class. The story told can act as a mirror for many students. Students will either be able to relate to Maya because they have, at some point in their lives, felt excluded and left out by others, or students will be able to relate to Chloe and think about a time that they could have stood up for someone and included them in an activity. The story can also act as a window into the life of a child that is living in poverty. Maya wears a lot of the same ratted clothes every day and her lunches look far different from her classmates. This could also be a mirror for some students as well. I also really like the way that poverty is represented in this book. For students, this is exactly how they are going to experience poverty, either first-hand (Maya) or second (Chloe), and the book teaches children the appropriate way to treat another person under these circumstances and beyond. In terms of a door for students, I would hope students would read this book and start treating one another with kindness so they never regret not being nice to someone like Chloe did.

The ideological framework of this book discusses the issue of power in relation to money. It is clear, in the story, that Maya comes from a family that does not have a lot of money and she is ridiculed for it by her classmates. Maya’s classmates come from families that are better off than she is, thus, resulting in a powerless Maya alone in a class full of powerful peers.

I find the perceptual framework of the book to be very intriguing. The illustrations are created using water colors and the colors used are very light and soft across the page with no dark outlines. Even though the plot of the story is upsetting, the illustrations appear to make it not as heavy of a story line. Maya is often facing the reader while her classmates have her back to the reader and are all on the opposite side of the page as Maya. This really highlights the isolation that Maya feels while at school. Chloe is typically the focal point of the page being drawn larger than her classmates and in the center of the page, indicating the power she holds over her classmates.

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Spoon

Posted on June 2, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: Spoon
  2. Author(s): Amy Krouse Rosenthal
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: Scott Magoon
  4. Publisher and Year: Hyperion Books, 2009
  5. Number of pages: 28
  6. Tags: Diversity, Family, K-2, Picture Book, Morgan Houk
  7. Genre: Fiction
  8. Analysis:

This story is about a little spoon who is sad because he can’t do the same things that a fork, knife, or chopsticks can do. His mother tells him that he is special in different ways and plays a very important role at the table. There are some foods that would be nearly impossible to eat without him. The little spoon realizes all the things he can do and feels lucky to be a spoon.

This book could act as a mirror for all students. Everyone has their different strengths and weaknesses which is what makes us unique. This book is about self-acceptance and being proud of our differences. I think this is a great book for lower elementary because this is a time where students are gaining a sense of self and who they are and it is important to teach them to appreciate what makes them unique. The illustrations appear to be drawn with colored pencils as well as painted with acrylics. Everything drawn appears to have a thicker black outline which really makes the food and the utensils pop off the page. The images are structured in a way that makes the little spoon appear much smaller than the other utensils pictured throughout the majority of the story. It is not until he accepts himself that he is pictured close up and appears to be one of the biggest things on the page possibly signifying a shift in power. The little spoon is also mostly pictured on the right side of the page which signifies that he is a less secure character and he is moving forward in the story. This is accurate in the sense that he is very unsure of himself and he is moving from utensil to utensil to show his mom all of the things they can do that he is unable to do. The ideational framework of the characters portrays the mother as a very soft and warm character. She is the only character that has pink blushed cheeks and she is always right next to the little spoon.

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The Prince Who Was Just Himself

Posted on June 2, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: The Prince Who Was Just Himself
  2. Author(s): Silke Schnee
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: Heike Sistig
  4. Publisher and Year: Plough Publishing House, 2015
  5. Number of pages: 25
  6. Tags: Diversity, Family, K-2, Picture Book, Morgan Houk
  7. Genre: Fiction
  8. Analysis:

This story is about a Prince with Down syndrome that is born into the Royal Family. When he is first born, the family is confused because he looks different than they do but they love him just the same. The book talks about different things that the Prince cannot do in comparison to his brothers but it also talks about all of the things he can do that really make him unique. The village is skeptical of him because he is different but he ends up saving the day when he shows love and compassion towards the Evil Knight turning him kind and warm-hearted.

This book can act as a window for children who may not have much experience being around someone with Down syndrome. It can show them that even though they may look different and be able to do different things, they are still thoughtful and in depth people. This book can also act as a mirror for someone who is disabled or is related to someone who is disabled. I also think that this book can act as a door because it shows how negatively people were treating the Prince for being different and now, having this understanding of Down syndrome, they can be kind and stick up for the people around them.

The illustrations look as though they were painted with some water color and possibly colored pencils as well. The Prince is always drawn as the focal point on each page signifying his importance in the story. At the beginning of the story, he was drawn much smaller than the other people on the page but after he saved his village his drawn closer up in the frame and appeared bigger than the people around him. The illustrations were also created with very bright colors, the only dark colors being used on the page with the Evil Knight.

The ideological framework in the story suggests that, though the Prince is royalty and royalty means power, he is somewhat powerless because he is disabled. His townspeople laughed at him making it feel as though they had more power over him.

A great feature of this book is author’s note and the last page of the book. The author’s note reveals that this story is really a mirror of the author’s family given that she is married with three boys, the youngest having Down syndrome. She talks about the joy and love that her son brings to her family and how her family would not be the same without him exactly as he is. She writes, “children are a wonder, and we must see them with the eyes of our heart – each child just the way he or she is.” This was a really great way to learn more about the author and her intentions with this book. The last page of the story also has a whole page of statistics and other information about Down syndrome as well as a list of websites to learn more. This page definitely ties the story together because the author never once says that the Prince has Down syndrome so it would be important to discuss what exactly Down syndrome is as well as other background information for a better understanding.

 

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Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education

Posted on June 2, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education
  2. Author(s): Raphaele Frier
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: Aurelia Fronty
  4. Publisher and Year: Charlesbridge, 2017
  5. Number of pages: 35
  6. Tags: Diversity, Family, Culture, Emotion, 6-8, Picture Book, Morgan Houk
  7. Genre: Non-Fiction
  8. Analysis:

The plot of this book tells the true story of a young girl growing up in Pakistan named Malala Yousafzai. A group called the Taliban took over the village in which Malala and her family lived and put a ban on all girls attending school which they enforced through violence and, in many cases, death. Malala’s father owned a school for girls so they knew the importance of an education and began speaking out against the Taliban as activists. Malala and her father were soon targeted by the Taliban and Malala was shot in the head on her school bus. She somehow survived the attack and went on to speak on bigger platforms advocated for girls’ education throughout the world. Malala ended up winning the Nobel Peace Prize and the Taliban no longer has complete rule over her village.

This story could definitely act as a mirror for children who identify as Muslim. I have not seen very many books that incorporate Islam in some way and I think this story does a great job of capturing the many different interpretations of the religion. For many children in the United States, this book will act as a window into Pakistani culture and into the lives of a family that lives on the other end of the world. Most of all, this book will act as a door to activism and speaking up for what you believe in. This book shows how the voice of one, young girl has the power to change the world and that is a very important concept that the children of today need to be aware of.

The ideological framework in the story shows a shift in power. In the beginning of the story, the Pakistani people are illustrated in dark colors and very small while the Taliban are above them, flying overhead in planes. The Taliban held the power during this time in the story but as soon as Malala begins speaking out on public platforms and gaining followers, the power shifted. This is shown by the villagers clothes becoming more colorful and vibrant and they are pictured closer to the frame making them look much larger.

The illustrations look as though they were painted with acrylics. The colors used are very bright and objects, such as the mountains and the buildings, were painted abstractly using basic shapes like triangles and squares.

There are a lot of special features to this book that make it that much more interesting. At the back of the book, there is a real photograph of Malala as she was accepting her Nobel Peace Prize and the page has several inspirational quotes regarding activism and education. The next page is titled Malala, Her People, and Her Country. This page gives a basic timeline of the events of Malala’s story as well as a map of Pakistan and information about the country. The following page is titled Girls and School and it goes a little more in depth about the alarming situation for girls in Pakistan. It also talks about the disparities in girl’s education all over the world. This page is accompanied by real photographs of Pakistani girls in school. The next page is very crucial because it talks about Malala’s interpretation of her Islamic faith and how the majority of Muslims share similar views. Lastly, the book has a page dedicated to all of the former activists that inspire Malala.

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Freedom Over Me

Posted on June 2, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: Freedom Over Me
  2. Author(s): Ashley Bryan
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: Ashley Bryan
  4. Publisher and Year: Simon & Schuster, 2016
  5. Number of pages: 46
  6. Tags: Culture, Family, Emotion, 4-5, 6-8, Picture Book, Morgan Houk, Award Book
  7. Genre: Historical Fiction
  8. Analysis:

                This book is about eleven slaves who were real people working on a real plantation. These slaves were sold at an auction when the plantation’s properties were being sold. The author of this book found the document that had short descriptions of each of the slaves as well as how much they were being sold for. The book is compiled of poems written by Ashley Bryan from the perspective of the slaves. The poems shed light on the thoughts and experiences of the slaves and bring out the multi-faceted human during an inhumane time in history.

The text certainly acts as a window into the perceived lives and despicable reality of these eleven slaves. The reader is able to see that these people were just like us with hopes and dreams of becoming artists, musicians and doctors. The reader is also able to see how these dreams were stripped from them and how they were viewed more as property than as human beings. The buyers and sellers of these slaves are never pictured in the story but the fear and hopelessness that many of the poems encompass portray the powerlessness of the people enslaved and the ultimate power of the slave owners.

The images are structured in a way that show a close up portrait of each slave accompanied by their poem. The images are painted fairly abstractly with a lot of quick lines drawn through the skin of the people. I think that the illustrator may have painted the slaves in this way to show the crippling exhaustion and stress that they endured. The portraits are also outlined with thick, black lines which make the slaves almost pop out of the page. I think the illustrator may have done this to show that even though these people were greatly oppressed and mistreated, they still fought for their freedom (many of them escaping the plantation) and slavery was ultimately abolished. This idea also goes back to the title of the book, Freedom Over Me, which provides a glimmering sense of hope in this dark time of our nation’s history.

 

 

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Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey

Posted on June 1, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey
  2. Author(s): Margriet Ruurs
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: Nizar Ali Badr
  4. Publisher and Year: Orca Book Publishers, 2016
  5. Number of pages: 18
  6. Tags: Diversity, Family, Culture, Emotion, K-8, Picture Book, Morgan Houk
  7. Genre: Realistic Fiction

This story is about a young girl and her family who are forced to leave their war-torn country of Syria and travel overseas to a safer, new home in Europe. The story is about the power of family as well as the uncertainty, fear, and danger that refugees face on their journey to a safer place.

The text is bilingual showing English text followed by an Arabic translation. This is a really awesome feature of this book because the people in the story are from a country whose predominant language is Arabic. This can act as a mirror for an audience who either speaks Arabic or has had to flee their home for some reason as well. For many, this book can act as a window into the lives of refugees. Many people will never have to experience this heart-breaking tragedy so it is important that we expose ourselves and try to get a better understanding of what these people go through. We can also see the culture of this Syrian family that we can trust is accurately represented due to the Syrian artist behind the illustrations. Another important aspect to this book is that, at the end, there is a list of organizations around the world that help refugees get acclimated in a new place in which they may only have the things they could carry on their backs. Because of this section in the book, it opens a door for the read to action about this social justice issue. Readers feel a lot of emotions while reading the story and it was definitely crucial for the author to include a full page solely dedicated to ways the reader can help the issue.

The pictures in the story are absolutely phenomenal. The artist created them using little stones that he collected off of the beaches in his home country of Syria. The illustrations go along nicely with the text in that they show the family’s harsh travel in a way that doesn’t hold back but is also not too gruesome for a younger audience. It is truly incredible that the artist was able to beautifully depict this rather difficult story using only stones he found a washed up on a beach.

The illustrations also follow certain picture book codes. When the author talks about the bombs that have fallen too close to Rama’s home, the background is black as night and the characters appear rather small and powerless in comparison the dark background surrounding them. This can signify the true powerlessness of refugees and the power that war has over human life.

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Where the Shadbush Blooms

Posted on June 1, 2017 by mhouk
  1. Title: Where the Shadbush Blooms
  2. Author(s): Carla Messinger
  3. Illustrator/Photographer: David Kanietakeron Fadden
  4. Publisher and Year: Tricycle Press, 2007
  5. Number of pages: 27
  6. Tags: Culture, Diversity, Family, K-5, Morgan Houk
  7. Genre: Realistic Fiction
  8. Analysis:

This story is about a little girl living in the present day who is a descendant from the Lenni Lenape tribe. She works on a farm with her family and extended family and they tell her many stories of what life was like for her ancestors. The story shows a mirror of the young girl’s present day activities accompanied by past flashbacks of what her ancestors would be doing at that particular time of year.

This book can act as a window into the life of a present day Native American living in the United States as well as into the lives of those that came before her many years ago. The reader is able to see the spirituality that the tribe has including how highly they hold the natural world around them. The reader is also able to see all of the physical labor and hard work that the Lenni Lenape tribe endured in order to ensure they would have crops to harvest come fall. This story can also act as a mirror for children that are Native American and living in today’s American society. In some ways, this book could potentially act as a door for children to combat any racism towards Native Americans now that they have this better understanding of the culture and it really does not seem that different from the life of any other people.

I do not really see an issue of power in this book given that the only characters are present day Native Americans and those that lived in the past. Both groups appear to be on the same level in terms of power.

The illustrations look as though they are painted with acrylics. Most of the paintings are depicted outdoors, so the illustrator used a lot of bright colors for the sky, river, and forest that surrounds the characters. The characters are drawn with rather neutral colors such as brown and beige to show the deer skin clothing on the ancestors. The remaining characters are depicted in modern day, colorful clothing.

A wonderful feature about this book is that the back of the book includes more background on the Lenni Lenape tribe and goes more in depth into who these people really were. The author’s note reveals that the author is actually a descendent from the Lennie Lenape and her family has told her many stories about what life was like many years ago. Having this knowledge of the author as well as the more in-depth background of the Lenni Lenape, the reader can assume that the facts provided are accurate and that the story shows an accurate representation of their culture.

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Stella: Star of the Sea

Posted on June 1, 2017 by srudi

Title: “Stella: Star of the Sea”

 

Author & Illustrator: Marie-Louise Gay

 

Publisher and Year: Publishers Group West 1999

 

Number of Pages: 29

 

Tags: Family, 2-3, 4-5, Fiction, Stephanie Rudi

 

Genres: Fiction

 

Analysis: The story is about a girl named Stella and her little brother, Sam, and the two go to the ocean to play. Sam asks so many questions about the ocean because he is afraid of the unknown, and he doesn’t want to jump into the sea to join Stella until the very end because she answers all of his questions. It is a good book about trying new things and not focusing so much about all of your worries.

 

“Stella: Star of the Sea” is a window into the world of these two children experiencing the ocean with them.  The characters are inviting the reader into their day and their experiences because the text is written as if we are there listening to them talk, and the illustrations are close up scenes. Perceptually, the audience sees the ocean and how two children interact with it. One is swimming and the other is on dry land, asking questions about the water. From a structural standpoint, the two main characters are a little girl and her younger brother who are left alone, and one is fearless while the other is more cautious.

 

The ideological view of this book is not necessarily social justice related, but it does tell the reader that it’s okay to ask questions, but you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. The little brother Sam spends the whole book wondering about the ocean, but he doesn’t really get to enjoy it until he just jumps in and joins his sister. The picture book codes show Sam more to the left because he’s insecure, and Stella is more to the right of the page since she feels more secure in her situation. The page is framed, so we are looking at the situation from an outside perspective which makes the story more of a scene from a story and not as real. The book is overall very light and fun, which is why it’s a good read for young children.

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Thank You, Mr. Falker

Posted on June 1, 2017 by srudi

 

Title: “Thank You, Mr. Falker”

 

Author & Illustrator: Patricia Polacco

 

Publisher and Year:  Philomel Books 1998

 

Number of Pages: 40

 

Tags: Disabilities, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, Non-Fiction, Stephanie Rudi

 

Genres: Non-Fiction

 

Analysis: “Thank You, Mr. Falker” is the story of how a young girl named Trisha is struggling with dyslexia without even realizing it, and her teacher helps her work through it. Trisha loves to paint and draw, but words just didn’t make sense to her, and her old teacher didn’t pick up on her disability. As a result, she thought she was stupid. Trisha and her family move across the country, and Trisha still felt dumb and was bullied at school, but then she meets Mr. Falker who helps her to read by having her stay behind every day with him and a reading teacher to help her learn how to read.

 

This book is a door because the illustrations go off the page and are often presented to us as if we are sitting there with the characters. Even when Trisha is hiding from the other children after being bullied, we are there with her in the darkness. Perceptually, the reader sees these images of a little girl being made fun of, and then meeting with her teacher and learning how to read. From the images alone it is easy to emphasize with the girl because we see children making fun of her and then we see her crying alone. Structurally speaking, Mr. Falker and Trisha are displayed as friends because they are drawn close to each other. This is also the case for Trisha and her grandmother, so to me this makes Mr. Falker seem like a very important person in the illustrator’s mind.

 

The ideological perspective of this book is basically telling us that we should really look out for our students as educators, and that it just takes one person to notice something to make a huge difference. The picture book codes show that Trisha is usually facing left when she’s more confident in a situation and she faces to the right when she’s more upset or frustrated. The author’s note is interesting because we find out that Mr. Falker is a real person to Patricia Polacco, and that she is really Trisha. This is inspiring to see, because she has come so far from not being able to read to being one of the best children’s book authors/illustrators around.

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