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Otto: The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear

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Author/ Illustrator: Tomi Ungerer

Publishing Information: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010

Number of Pages: 29

Genre: Biography, Historical Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

Otto is a teddy bear. He, David and Oskar are best friends. The war keeps them separated but they never forget each other. The war ends and the three friends finally get their reunion when they are very old.

The story is based on historical facts. During World War II, people lived in danger all the time and often got separated from their families. Jews were treated unfairly and got expelled. It is a first-person narrative from a teddy bear’s perspective. The book functions as both a window and a mirror to show children what really happened on another land decades ago and what war would bring to us.

I found one of the plots in the book problematic. When Oskar’s mother explained to him “what is a Jew” (P. 7), her words sound extremely insensitive. According to the text, she said, “Jews are different to us, they have another religion. The government is against them and makes life very difficult for them. It is unfair and very sad, but they must now wear this yellow star to be singled out” (P. 7). Although she said “it is unfair and sad” (P. 7), she did not want to do anything to fight against the unfairness. Such indifference reminds me the provocative poem written by Pastor Martin Niemöller. “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.” Children should learn to stand for what is right and what is wrong. It is important for them to learn social justice from the story. The other thing I notice is that one of the illustration in the book seems a little bit strange. When Jasmin, the soldier Charlie’s daughter, plays with the teddy bear, three boys hit the bear with baseball bat. In the image, there are two adults sitting in the back sneering. It might give children the wrong impression that it is okay, even amusing, to bully. Besides, one of the boy’s shirt said “NYU”, which stands for New York University. It is not fair to put the school name on a negative character.

Perceptually, the illustrator uses various colors to illustrate the story. He uses brighter colors to depict happy moments and darker colors to depict the war. Structurally, text and images do not overlap. Ideologically, this book introduces religious diversity to children and shows them people with different religions can be best friends. Also, the book conveys that friendship can last forever. Finally, the story tells children that wars can hurt people we love. We should cherish the peace and freedom we have today.

Brothers in Hope

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Author: Mary Williams

Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie

Publishing Information: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2005

Number of Pages: 36

Genre: Historical Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

Garang and his family live a happy life before the war comes. He goes on a journey first to Ethiopia and then to Kenya with other boys who are lost. Finally, they are rescued and provided a home in the United States.

The book shows a historical fact by demonstrating a tough journey Garang and his friend have. The text functions as both a window and a mirror for children to look back at history and reflect many kinds of harm done by wars. During the journey, friendship, brotherhood and tenacity are presented.

I found some of the illustrations problematic. I do agree that the rescuer Tom and the teacher in the school are positive characters. However, the illustrator keeps depicting white people much taller and bigger that the Sudan boys. Besides, white characters are put in a higher space of the images. That may give children an impression that white people are supreme and stronger than black people.

Perceptually, the text in this book is relatively dense. The lost boys are moving to the right which demonstrates that they are moving forward but not secure. The book uses dark color to depict a depressing atmosphere. When people thought there were soldiers, the horizon on the image suddenly disappeared which signifies that people are nervous. Structurally, text and images overlap. The images are not framed which helps reader to actually participate in the story. Ideologically, the author and the illustrator hit on the following four aspects. Firstly, the book stresses on family bond. Garang’s father used to encourage him to be brave and not afraid of cattle. Garang always remembers his father’s words, “Garang, be brave. Your heart and mind are strong. There is nothing you cannot do” (P. 2). Secondly, the book promotes individuality. We can see distinguished characteristics of leadership on Garang through the journey. He makes decision for the group, allocates the work and encourages them to go to school. Thirdly, while talking about individuality, the book also helps children realize the importance of teamwork. The value of a group is presented when the boys help each other to go across the river. They never leave anyone behind. Fourthly, the book teaches children to cherish the peace we have today.

Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream

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Author: Cindy Neuschwander/ Marilyn Burns

Illustrator: Liza Woodruff

Publishing Information: Marilyn Burns Education Associates, 1998

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Picture book

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Analysis:

Amanda Bean is a little girl who loves counting. Her teacher tries to convince her to learn multiplication but Amanda refuses until she has an amazing dream about counting a huge number of things. She realizes that multiplication is very helpful.

This book serves a purpose of giving children basic mathematical common sense about numbers and operations. It functions as a door for children to be interested in math by introducing Amanda Bean who “counts anything and everything” (P. 10).

I found the book problematic in the following two ways. Firstly, Amanda Bean seems to lose control of counting and I do not think it is a healthful habit. For example, “I am Amanda Bean and I count anything and everything” (P. 10) and “Now I must count the yarn, too!” (P. 21), such verses show a couple of times. It might mislead children to think that to love math is to count all the time. Psychologically, it is not proper to encourage children to “count anything and everything” (P. 10). Secondly, one of the ideologies the author conveys is that everything is quantifiable since Amanda Bean is able to “count anything and everything” (P. 10). However, in the real world, a lot of important things are not quantifiable such as love and friendship. It is also important for children to know that life is not all about counting.

Perceptually, the book use bright colors a lot which demonstrate Amanda Bean’s enthusiasm towards math. The images are not framed. Therefore, children can easily participate in the counting process. In her dream that she needs to count many things, the illustrations become chaotic and repetitive which means that the character is gradually losing control. Structurally, there is not any obvious separation between the text and images. Ideologically, this book promotes academic interest and conveys the idea that math is everywhere. Absorbing knowledge and being innovative can help people do better in academia. Besides, this book stresses individuality by mentioning the word “I” all the time. However, the book also points out that “I” is not necessarily correct all the time. “I” need help and accepting help could help “I” do things quicker and better.

Freedom Summer

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Author: Deborah Wiles

Illustrator: Jerome Lagarrigue

Publishing Information: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001

Number of Pages: 27

Genre: Historical Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

A white boy Joe makes friends with John Henry, the son of the maid of his family. They play together all the time. But there were a lot of laws and rules against black people back then. John Henry cannot get into the store from the front door or swim in the town pool even if he is the finest swimmer. Finally, John Henry decides to use the front door and Joe is right there with him.

The story is based on historical facts. The author grew up in Mobile, Alabama and usually spent her summer with her relatives in Mississippi as she mentioned in the book before she told the story (P. 1). The town pool there was not open to black people. However, when the Civil Rights Act was passed, she witnessed that the town pool was closed. The book serves as a window for children to look back at history and also as a mirror for readers to reflect what is right and what is wrong.

Both of the two characters of this book have strong personalities. John Henry is a nice boy and he would help his mother with her work. In the first half of the book, John Henry does not seem to care whether he could use the front door to the store or whether he could swim in the town pool. He grew up happily playing with Joe and having fun swimming in the creek. But once he realized the difference between rights of white people and rights of himself, he was sad and angry. “John Henry’s eyes fill up with angry tears” (P. 23). The purpose of this book is to expose children to racism. The author tries to convey her point of view that racism is wrong and it can truly hurt feelings of somebody who is so nice. In the book, the author depicts Joe as a sensitive and warmhearted little boy. He would give up going swimming in the town pool just to keep company with John Henry. At the end of the book, Joe and John Henry walked through the front door together. Joe did not ignore the importance of civil rights although he was not directly harmed. He would fight for his friend. He would fight for what is right.

Perceptually, the book uses narrative sentences to tell an engaging story. The whole book uses dark color a lot which conveys a depressing atmosphere. I can find a few bright colors in some of the happy scenes. I found it smart that the illustrator tried to narrow down the difference of Joe and John Henry’s skin colors. Structurally, the text and images are completely separated which helps children to get the story as a whole. Ideologically, this book stresses friendship based on diversity backgrounds. Also, it encourages minorities to stand up for their rights and reminds readers that Civil Rights are universal. It is crucial for everybody to be concerned with it and get involved.

Off to First Grade

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Author: Louise Borden

Illustrator: Joan Rankin

Publishing Information: Margaret K. McElderry, 2008

Number of Pages: 36

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

The book illustrates twenty-three students’ morning of getting ready for their first day of school. They are nervous but excited. Each student has his or her own anticipation of school.

Off to First Grade serves the purpose of preparing children to get ready for their first day of school. From knowledge to habit cultivating, from having lunch to making friends, this book functions as a window for children to form an idea of what a school is actually like. The author and the illustrator have done an excellent job expressing diversity. It is possible for children with different backgrounds to find one or two characters who have similar family structure, hobby, or even favorite food with themselves. Once the connections are built, children may start to like school.

However, I found the illustration problematic for the following reasons. We can conclude from the book that students have different backgrounds and there are different races in this class. At the first glance, it seems clever for the illustrator to illustrate all students as animals. It is a smart analogy to make different kinds of animals stand for different people. However, it seems to me that the illustrator is trying to avoid diversity issues such as race and gender. Children might still get confused when they arrive at school and notice that people are different, not the way animals are. Therefore, I think it is proper to illustrate people of different races directly and show children what the real world is like.

Perceptually, the text uses short lines to depict every situation. It is like a poem to some degree which makes it easier for children to read. The whole book uses bright colors which give children an impression of school that is full of hope and energy. The pictures are not framed which help children to put themselves in the story. Structurally, text and images do not overlap. Ideologically, the book helps children to have a good attitude towards school. It also encourages children to communicate with teachers. For example, Polly wants to show Mrs. Miller her penny and Quinn wants to ask Mrs. Miller if she likes jazz (P. 18). Besides, family bond is stressed a lot in the book.

The Herd Boy

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Author/ Illustrator: Niki Daly

Publishing Information: Frances Lincoln Limited, 2012

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Non-fiction, Picture book

 

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Analysis:

Malusi is a South African herd boy. The job is very hard but he does it very well. He and his friend both have their own dreams. While his friend Lungisa wants to be a soccer player, Malusi wants to be president when he grows up.

This book demonstrates multiculturalism through a typical day of a South African herb boy Malusi. The text functions as a window for children to notice and explore the differences in the world. On the other side of the earth, there are different types of food, different clothes, and people with different skin color speaking different language. The kids there do not live in fancy houses. They get up early to work instead of rushing to catch the school bus in order not to be late. They take care of animals not for fun but for a living. This book was published just a few years ago. However, I can hardly find any modern elements from both texts and illustrations. It shows children that people elsewhere are living a very different life. People can be different in various ways but dreams are universal.

I found one of the plots in this story problematic. Children might be confused when they saw Nelson Mandela in “a shiny new car” with a man in suit driving for him (p. 21). On one hand, the strong contrast between the car and “the dirt road” reveal the gap between different classes. On the other hand, it is a symbol for a hope of development country, both in wealth and in technology. I think a better way to express this plot is to talk more about how Nelson Mandela gets to his place and further specify the necessary characteristics of leadership.

Perceptually, the book uses narrative sentences to tell a relatively complete story. Almost all of the colors in the book are dark which reflects the relatively poor living condition. The pictures in the book are not framed but the text and images are completely separated which construct the feeling of looking into another world and another culture. The horizon exists all the time except for the last picture which depicted Malusi’s dream. Structurally, the text and images do not overlap. Ideologically, the story encourages children to be brave. When facing difficulties, keep calm and find the best solution. At the same time, it is okay to have dreams and fight for them — even if they seem to be unreachable right now.

Will Princess Isabel Ever Say Please?

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Author: Steve Metzger

Illustrator: Amanda Haley

Publishing Information: Holiday House, 2012

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Fantasy

 

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            Isabel is a beautiful princess who is seemingly perfect, except for her bad manners and refusal to ever say “please.” Although she has many suitors that initially wish to marry her, each one changes his mind as soon as he realizes how rude she is and marries a kinder princess. It is not until the end of the story that she learns the importance of saying “please” and having good manners, which helps her find a prince who will love her.             I think this story sends a good message to children that contrasts the typical theme of princess stories. In most stories of a princess, she is praised for her beauty and marries a prince because she is a beautiful princess. However, in the case of Princess Isabel, her beauty is not enough for the princes to marry her, as they are turned off by her rudeness. It is not until the very end of the story, when Isabel finally says “please” that she is able to woo one of the princes. The author notes, “When the prince heard Isabel say ‘please,’ he was so impressed by her humility and fine manners that he fell in love with her on the spot” (pg. 28). Although the “love at first sight” critique is apparent, this sends a much better message to children as it explicitly states that it was the humility and fine manners that led the prince to fall in love with Princess Isabel. As a result, children are able to see that inner beauty and being a good person is more important than outer beauty. Furthermore, it teaches them the value of manners, and that a lack of manners will yield consequences even for a beautiful princess who seems to have it all.

The illustrations are done in bright watercolors, and remain unframed to allow readers to really experience this story from within. However, more detail and brighter colors are given to the illustrations of Isabel, symbolizing her central importance to the story. Despite the nicely done illustrations, the text could exist alone and still convey all of the messages to readers that it is intended to.

As a whole, I believe the ideologies of manners and the importance of inner beauty make this a refreshing change of pace from the typical princess fairytales children see more often.

How to Get Married

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Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones

Illustrator: Sue Heap

Publishing Information: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2009

Number of Pages: 32

Tags: Fiction, Family, Picture Book, K-1

Genre: Realistic Fiction

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Analysis:

This story serves as a step-by-step guide for how to find someone you’d like to marry, and how to, then, plan out a wedding. The story is told from the perspective of the “bride” and the strategies she uses for planning out her marriage.

I must admire the fact that the book is very inclusive, as the bride states a very diverse range of people you can marry, and brushes on the topic of polygamy as well when she says, “Usually, you’re not allowed to marry lots of people at once. Except sometimes you are” (Lloyd Jones, 8). As a result, I found that this would serve as a window to teach children to be very open-minded in terms of who another person chooses to marry, and the different types of families that result from those marriages. Also, it becomes both a mirror and a door, as they assess their own preferences in marriage and can practice both their own preferences and a tolerance for the preferences of others. As a result, I think that this simple how-to book can be a fun and more lighthearted way to teach children about an event that happens all the time.

Although the book is meant to be a silly and fun way to approach the topic, I did find bits of the story to be a bit problematic. The bride provides different lists of things you should not do in front of the person you like, or they won’t want to marry you. This could send a negative message to children that tells them that they must act a particular way to impress someone, rather than being themselves. Also, she creates a list of people you should not marry, which backpedals on the inclusiveness of the story, and teaches children that some people are less deserving of marriage/love than others. As a result, I think it sends the wrong message in some aspects, and I’m not sure I would want to read this to children in my classroom.

As a whole, I found this book to be a fun way for children to learn about the topic of marriage in terms they could understand. While I did have some critiques in some areas of the storyline, I was not completely turned off by the book and still found parts that I believe children can really benefit from.

Tom’s Tree

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Author: Gillian Shields

Illustrator: Gemma Raynor

Publishing Information: Good Books, 2009

Number of Pages: 24

Genre: Fantasy

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Analysis:

Tom’s Tree tells the story of a young boy named Tom who plants a tree and tells the reader all of the fantastical things he will be able to do in his tree when it grows. However, he becomes discouraged when the tree takes longer to grow than he had hoped, and his dreams are dashed. In the end, he finds that the tree will grow just as big and strong as he had hoped, and he is able to share this moment with his son when he is grown.

This is a very imaginative story, with illustrations that work well with the text to assist in the storytelling. Frankly, I found that the illustrations were additive, as the text alone would not have been able to tell the story as well. There are bright illustrations that cover both pages, and personify all the hopefulness Tom has for the future of his tree. Furthermore, we are able to see Tom’s changing facial expressions as time goes on and the process of the tree growing is taking longer than he had hoped. All of the illustrations are done without frames, letting us really dive into Tom’s fantasies with him. I found it interesting that readers were able to see the parallels between the size of Tom and the size of his tree as they changed over time; as Tom got older, the tree grew larger, showing the connection between the two rather than merely the passing of time.

The story can certainly serve to teach children to allow their imaginations to flourish, and that patience is a virtue. Although Tom’s tree did not grow as quickly as he had hoped it would, it still grew to just the size and splendor that he was hoping for as a boy. Furthermore, in my opinion, it was even more special because he got to share the tree and his ideas for it with his son when it had finally grown large enough. Therefore, I found that this was an imaginative story with valuable undertones that would be a fun read for young readers.

“Slowly, Slowly, Slowly” said the Sloth

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Author: Eric Carle

Illustrator: Eric Carle

Publishing Information: Philomel Books, 2002

Number of Pages: 24

Tags: Animals, Fiction, K-1, Picture Book

Genre: Fable

Analysis:

This book tells the story of a sloth living in the jungle, and going about his daily activities. The other animals wonder why he does things so differently than the other animals and start to ask him questions about it. Finally, the sloth explains that he enjoys his lifestyle and does things at his own pace.

This story is illustrated with bright watercolors, as the plot is fairly lighthearted. It also provides both a picture of each animal that is featured in the story, along with their name on the back pages. An interesting thing to note, however, is that the sloth is always featured on the left page of the book, until the other animals start to question his lifestyle. This shows readers that the sloth is secure with himself until this point. Once the other animals begin questioning him, he is featured on the right page, indicating that he is less secure and faces more of a conflict than he did prior.

My initial perception of this book was that it was merely a simple children’s picture narrative, for beginning readers. I felt this way because the text was fairly simple, and there was not an elaborate storyline to go along with the pictures. Furthermore, the illustrations were very eye-catching, leading me to believe that they were the intended focus. However, when analyzing the text on a deeper level, I was able to see a more important message reflected by the sloth and his story. The story provides children with a window to see that different people have different ways they like to do things, and that is perfectly acceptable; different people like different things. It is also a mirror to show them that they are unique and have a unique way of going about things that they like best. This book teaches children the importance of accepting your differences, and being happy in what you choose to do. As a result, I’ve found that while the illustrations are certainly to be admired, there is a deeper context to be found in this simple story of a sloth in the jungle.