Monthly Archives: December 2018

I Know the World’s Worst Secret

Posted on December 3, 2018 by | Comments Off on I Know the World’s Worst Secret

Title: I Know the World’s Worst Secret

Author: Doris Sanford

Illustrator: Graci Evans

Publisher and Year: Multnomah Press, 1987

Number of pages: 28

Tags/Themes: Alcoholism, Picture Book, Emotion, K-5, Family, Olivia Ruff

Genre: Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: The book follows the story of a young girl from her perspective. The child’s mother is an alcoholic, and her family makes excuses for the mother. The little girl assumes many of the roles an adult would have such as cleaning, cooking, and taking care of siblings. The child talks to her “friend” which is a clown doll. The drawings are soft and look as though they were drawn with colored pencils. The advice from the doll is italicized, and there is a list of helpful tips at the back of the book to help children with alcoholic adults in their lives.

Classroom Application: This book would go well in a classroom to talk about difficulties that other children deal with. Children would be able to reflect on new situations that may be very different than their own. This would help students become more understanding of situations that their peers might be involved in.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: The language may be more advanced for early readers, but it is a good book to be read to students who are younger if they cannot read it themselves. Students may be inclined to ask questions regarding alcoholism, and it would be a great way to get students thinking about warning signs and be more aware about issues that alcohol can cause. It is helpful that the story is told from the perspective of a child, as it makes it easier for children to relate to. Quotations: “My mommy drinks Scotch. She gulps Scotch. She drinks a lot of it before she gets drunk” (4) and “Last night Daddy hit Mommy and called her a ‘drunk.’ Mommy kicked Daddy. Laura and I ran next door” (18).

Comments Off on I Know the World’s Worst Secret

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

We Belong Together

Posted on December 3, 2018 by | Comments Off on We Belong Together

Title: We Belong Together

Author: Todd Parr

Illustrator: Todd Parr

Publisher and Year: Hachette Book Group USA, 2007

Number of pages: 29

Tags/Themes: Picture Book, K-1, Family, Olivia Ruff

Genre: Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This book is about adoption. The book is very basic, and there are no consistent characters. The book gives the different reasons for why a child would be adopted, and it is read as though a parent would be explaining why they adopted the child. The book follows the form of “We belong together because…X.” It is consistent throughout making it an easy read for a child. The colors are bright and cheery, and the characters are bubbly drawings. The last page is a short note from the author.

Classroom Application: This story would be good to use in an elementary classroom when talking about the different ways that families are formed. Children are rarely asked to think about the different ways families come together, and this would be a good book to use to introduce children to the idea of adoption.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book could provide the foundation for conversations about adoption. This would provide the opportunity for students to ask questions and gain a better understanding for the different ways other children live or what their families look like. This book is helpful for students who have been adopted for them to be understood by their peers to some extent. Quotes: “We belong together because… you needed someone to read to you and we had stories to share” (21-22) and “We belong together because… you needed a home and I had one to share” (1-2).

Comments Off on We Belong Together

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

The Right Touch

Posted on December 3, 2018 by | Comments Off on The Right Touch

Title: The Right Touch

Author: Sandy Kleven

Illustrator: Jody Bergsma

Publisher and Year: Illumination Arts Publishing Company, 1998

Number of pages: 32

Tags/Themes: Emotion, Family, Picture Book, Award Book, K-5, Olivia Ruff

Genre: Educational

Descriptive Annotation: This book follows a little boy and his mother talking before bed. The mother decides to tell her son about inappropriate touching. She gives an example of a little girl who went over into her neighbor’s house and was assaulted. There is a note for parents and teachers in the front of the book with steps to what to do if a child comes to the adult saying that they had been inappropriately touched. This note also explains the importance of the book for various reasons including the fact that children are not always aware of the dangers of familiar people taking advantage of them.

Classroom Application: This story would be a good story to read to children whether it is read in the homes of children or during a lesson on bullying or abuse. We often teach children to beware of strangers, but children are rarely told about the biggest child-predators: people that they might already know of. This book is a good, appropriate way to tell children about the different ways to be aware of situations where sexual abuse could happen.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book helps foster a safe space for children to talk about abuse and become aware of some of the dangers. This would open up a door for already abused children to speak up. The illustrations are welcoming and warm, and there is one page with drawings of a boy and a girl so that the adult can explain the differences in whichever way they want to. Quotes: “Lots of kids say they get warning feelings when things are not safe” (21) and “Kisses and cuddles I like a lot, but when I say no, please touch me not” (30).

 

Comments Off on The Right Touch

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

My Name is Celia

Posted on December 3, 2018 by | Comments Off on My Name is Celia

Title: My Name is Celia

Author: Monica Brown

Illustrator: Rafael López

Publisher and Year: Northland Publishing, 2004

Number of pages: 26

Tags/Themes: Culture, Diversity, Award Book, Non-fiction, Picture Book, K-1, Olivia Ruff

Genre: Non-fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This book is about the life of Celia Cruz, a salsa musician from Cuba. She left Cuba and pursued music in America. Her music reminds her of home, and the entire story is in both English and Spanish. The illustrations are bright and cheery with Spanish influence.

Classroom Application: This story would be great for an ELL or ESL class for young kids because it has both English and Spanish in it. The story covers the real life story of Celia Cruz, and this could be a positive book for students who are immigrants. This also could be good for students in a Spanish class in high school since it has both languages.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This story is about an immigrant from Cuba, and this would be useful for students who are immigrants themselves as well as students who are not immigrants. The book shows the power of music through nostalgia, so it could foster some conversations about immigrants as well as music. Children could discuss an aspect of their lives that they would see as their “sugar,” something that represents their culture or their family. Quotes: “In the evenings, I would help my mother put the younger children to sleep by singing them soothing, sweet lullabies” (6) and “From that point on, when I walked out on stage I would simply say, ‘SUGAR!’ And they would know exactly what I meant-home and love and lots of kisses” (18).

 

 

 

 

Comments Off on My Name is Celia

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , ,

Henry’s Freedom Box

Posted on December 3, 2018 by | Comments Off on Henry’s Freedom Box

Title: Henry’s Freedom Box

Author: Ellen Levine

Illustrator: Kadir Nelson

Publisher and Year: Scholastic Press, 2007

Number of pages: 38

Tags/Themes: Culture, Diversity, Award Book, Non-fiction, Picture Book, 2-3 , Olivia Ruff

Genre: Historical Non-fiction

Descriptive Annotation: This book is about Henry, a child born into slavery, who escaped slavery as an adult by being shipped in a crate to Pennsylvania. There is an author’s note in the back with a description of the Underground Railroad. The illustrations are exquisite; the images capture the attention of the reader and draw on the sad aspects (slavery) of the plot.

Classroom Application: This book would be a great addition to a civil rights unit. It sheds light on the Underground Railroad and the different ways people were mistreated. It is a true story, so the students would be learning from a real life example. I would use this as an example for the ways in which slaves escaped slavery.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: The story covers a unique example of an escaped slave through the Underground Railroad. The illustrations are heart-wrenching and shows how desperate people were to escape slavery. The fact that Henry was torn away from his family also gives the story a very sad tone. Quotes: “If you made a mistake, the boss would beat you” (9) and “Henry Brown wasn’t sure how old he was. Henry was a slave. And slaves weren’t allowed to know their birthdays” (1).

Comments Off on Henry’s Freedom Box

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , ,