Author Archives: nfletche

Blueberries for Sal

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Title: Blueberries for Sal

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Author: Robert McCloskey

Illustrator: Robert McCloskey

Publisher and Year: The Viking Press, 1948

Number of Pages: 55

Genre: Fiction

Analysis: Blueberries for Sal is about a young girl, Sal, her mother, and a little bear and her mother bear who all go to the Blueberry Hill to get blueberries in order to save for the winter. While Sal and little bear are separated from their mothers, they encounter the other mother, but in the end and reunite with their own mothers and gather enough blueberries to save for winter. This book received a Caldecott Honor.

This book can function as a mirror for children who wander away or are selective listeners to their mothers, but could also function as a mirror for mothers whom children do not listen to instructions. The initial fear that both mother and child feel when getting lost is an emotion thoroughly expressed within this book. Not only does this book function as a mirror but can also function as a window for children nowadays to learn about a different time period, specifically about the role of mother and daughter.

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Perceptually, the book appears to be a happy book with the yellow and blue front cover.  The text throughout the book is easy to read and written in blue print and a white background. The words are also big enough to read from a distance and in a clean cut print. The length of the sentences and paragraphs is not too long, just enough to tell the story before turning the page. Although the images are detailed, they simply  mirror the text, not adding much detail to the story at all.

Structurally, the images are all in blue and white and appear to be pencil drawings, detailed and intricate. Both the human mother and bear mother are larger than their child, demonstrating that the mothers are stronger and the children are weaker. Often times throughout this book, the children are looking toward the right, showing that they are less secure, and the mothers are looking towards the left, which shows that they are more stable and secure. A child’s security can be less than the mother’s because the children get lost throughout the book, feeling insecure without their mothers.

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Ideologically, this book portrays stereotypical gender roles. Specifically speaking, the mother wears a skirt and does more feminine jobs, like pick and can blueberries. This book is from an older time period, so for the time period, the idea of collecting blueberries to save for the winter while wearing a skirt is appropriate for the time period. However nowadays the roles portrayed throughout the book are stereotypical. Society should want to move further away from stereotypical roles being reinforced. This book encouraged the audience that stereotypical roles are okay and that the women should be the ones collecting and canning blueberries, not the men or even the entire family. Throughout the book Sal and Little Bear are always wandering and not collecting blueberries. A lesson that children should not learn from this book is that it is not okay to wander away from adults.   Also, Sal and the cub were told by their mothers to save blueberries for the winter and both Sal and the cub did not listen to their mothers’ instructions, which again demonstrate a poor message to the readers.

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Trouble with Trolls

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Title: Trouble with Trolls

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Author: Jan Brett

Illustrator: Jan Brett

Publisher and Year: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1992

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Fantasy

Analysis: In Trouble with Trolls, a young girl Treva and her dog, Tuffi, like to go on hikes up the mountain and then to ski down the mountain. Whenever they go up the mountain they encounter trolls that try and take her dog. Each time Treva runs into a different troll, she uses manipulation in order to save her dog from the trolls.

This book can function as a window for an audience who does not know about mountains, hiking or dogs. This book gives an insight into what life is like in the mountains. However, another function could be a mirror because people who live near or in mountains and are used to hiking or other problems that may arise while hiking may see themselves throughout the book.

Perceptually, the words are easy to read and the length is just right per page. The images seem to stop or create their own framing around the words. Since this pattern within the text repeats itself, at first the images mirror the meaning of the text but as the pattern continues some of the images begin to add meaning to the text.

Structurally, each image is detailed and framed. The frame around each image is detailed as well. However, on some of the pages the images seem to be coming out of the frame. For example, the underground cave for the trolls comes out of the frame and allows the audience to feel part of the sneaky action with the trolls, while the framed pictures only allow the audience to see a glimpse into Treva’s world. The partially framed and unframed structure creates two different experiences, depending on what is first seen while looking at each page. The images that crawl out of the frame blend in which can go unnoticed while first reading the book. After re-reading the book, the reader picks up on the detail of the underground cave outside of the frame creating a more involved feeling with the book a second or third time reading it.

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Ideologically, this book teaches a negative message and a positive lesson. First off, Treva is intelligent and creative. She uses problem solving skills and techniques that can be applicable and interesting for young children to read about. Students could learn how to use their creativity and problem solving skills to fix a situation. However, Treva’s intelligence and creativity is sneaky and she is manipulative of the trolls. Although teachers strive to teach problem solving skills to students, problem-solving skills should not be sneaky.

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay

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Title: My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay

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Author: Cari Best

Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Publisher and Year: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015

Number of Pages: 31

Genre: Fiction

Analysis: My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay is about a blind African American girl, Zulay, her friends Maya, Nancy, and Chyng and how these four girls navigate their school day. Zulay experiences some challenges and differences in school, but she learns how to overcome those challenges with the help of her friends and teachers.

This book can act as a mirror for children who have a friend whom are blind. Another function this book could have is as a mirror for multicultural people because throughout the book different cultures are represented. This book can also function as a window for people who are not blind because children can read about the challenges that Zulay faces and learn about her daily life. A door can resemble this book as well because it can encourage people who know a blind person to help in any way possible.

Perceptually, the text is friendly and easy to read. For the most part, the text is well written and the length of the text per page is reasonable. However, there was one line in particular that is awful! The book states, “Then Ms. Turner will work with Zulay while the rest of us go to the gym” (p. 10). Zulay the child who is blind experiences social isolation during the school day.

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Structurally, the images are spot on to the way the text is read! The image of the classroom is inclusive, because every child’s nametag is also written in Braille. Zulay’s classroom even has a Brailler that Zulay can use to help her academically. On pages 10 and 11, Zulay’s independence and academic success can be seen through Zulay and Maya working together. Maya helps Zulay with drawing a 3D drawing, but then Zulay is able to help Maya with columns of tens and ones. The images on these two pages do not reflect Zulay’s disability at all. If a reader opened to these pages, they would see two girls in the classroom helping each other, not Zulay’s disability. Not visibly showing Zulay’s disability on each page, helped the audience to see Zulay as a academically succeeding student, not as a student with a disability.

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Ideologically, there is a  positive lesson and a negative lesson that could be taken from this picture book. First, instances of social isolation occur when Zulay must go work with Ms. Turner while all the other kids participate in a different activity. This negative lesson can teach children that it is okay to treat their peers with disabilities differently. Even though Zulay initially felt isolated and excluded, Ms. Turner and Zulay end up conquering a life skill. A positive lesson that the audience can take away is that children with disabilities are successful academically, socially and physically. Zulay was able to succeed academically by using Braille to help her read and write, she succeeded socially because by having three best friends and she succeeded physically by being able to walk with a cane and run with Ms. Turner.

The Name Jar

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Title: The Name Jar

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Author: Yangsook Choi

Illustrator: Yangsook Choi

Publisher and Year: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Analysis: The Name Jar is about a young girl, Unhei, and her family’s adjustment after their move from Korea to America. Once in America, Unhei realizes that her name is different and she decides that she is going to come up with a new name using her classmates’ suggestions in the name jar. At the end of the book, Unhei realizes that she doesn’t feel like herself with any of the American names and decides to keep her Korean name because it makes her unique.

This book can function as a window for people not from Korea. The culture portrayed throughout the book teaches the audience lessons about differences between the American and Korean culture. Another function of this book is a mirror for people who move from Korea to the United States. This book allows Korean children who move to the United States to understand and relate to Unhei and her family.

Perceptually, the front cover leaves the reader with a mysterious feeling and numerous thoughts and questions about the entirety of the book.  The ambiguity of the front cover draws the audience in to read more of the book. Once starting to read the book, there is a lot of text per page, which means the author has a lot of information to share. Along with the length of the text, the color of the text was typically black on a white or light background. Occasionally the text was white on a dark background, but either way the text was simple and easy to read.

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Structurally, Unhei faces to the right, representing that she is less secure, but after she decides to keep her Korean name she faces towards the left. Unhei’s security within herself could be based off of lack of security after moving to a new country, making new friends, and having a new school. However, once she adjusts and learns that her name is special after all, Unhei has gained security within herself. Throughout most of the book, the images mirror the text further emphasizing what the text is saying in a different way.  However a couple times the text adds to the images. Typically the text is added to the images when something is written in Korean. Unhei’s stamp or letter from her grandmother were written in Korean and the reader could not have known what the stamp or letter said without having the text to support the images.

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Ideologically, this book portrays important life lessons for school age children. One lesson that is taught to the reader is that individuality helps make one unique and special! This book also demonstrates the meaning and importance of true friendship through Joey and Unhei’s friendship. From the beginning of the book, Joey was friendly to Unhei and wanted to get to know more about her. Joey was such an incredible friend that it was actually he who indirectly showed Unhei how special and important her name truly was.

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Have You Filled A Bucket Today?

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Title: Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids Bucket1

Author: Carol McCloud

Illustrator: David Messing

Publisher and Year: Ferne Press, 2006

Number of Pages: 31

Genre: Fiction 

Analysis: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? is a children’s picture book which received a Mom’s Choice Award, and teaches children the benefits of kindness to everyone, even complete strangers. Throughout the book a bucket is used as a symbol of a person’s happiness. If the bucket is full, then a person is happy, but if the bucket is empty a person is sad. 

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? includes five different cultures on the first page and continues to show people of different races and ages throughout the book. Not only are different races and ages exhibited throughout the book but also a child in a wheelchair is represented. This book can serve as a mirror for a reader who is acting in a caring and loving manner towards others, but this book could also be considered a door since it encourages others to act and fill other people’s buckets. Society often thinks that adults have the influence, but this book shows that through simple actions, children can impact their peers, adults, teachers, and even strangers.

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Perceptually, this book appears to be a happy and joyful book. The text is big,clear and easy for students to read. The  amount of text represented on each page is just enough to grasp the understanding and then move on to the next page. Each page adds onto the previous page, while still reflecting the same message.

Structurally, the diverse characters vary, but the image of the bucket remains the same. The bucket reflects a character’s outward appearance. For example, characters that wear glasses have a bucket that wears glasses. This artistic style shows the audience that the bucket is not an item separate from the person. A bucket is symbolic of the person’s feelings and emotions on the inside. Since this book suggests that children have the power to impact a person’s happiness, the images of children and adults are on the same level. This image is a powerful point because it shows that children can impact adults just as much if not more than adults can impact children. Throughout the book, the images mirror the text, showing exactly what is written, but in some instances the images add to the text further explaining the story through pictures.

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Finally, ideologically this book’s positive message will have a lasting effect on children more than the negative lesson. One aspect that was negative was when the author points out that a bully is a “bucket dipper” (p. 15). The illustrator adds onto these words by creating images that show bullying actions. These words and images give children examples of ways that they should not behave towards their peers. The first positive message shows children the affect that happiness can have on other people as well as their own happiness. Not only does this book portray a positive message overall, but also there are relatable examples that students can take away from this book.