Tag Archives: Fiction

The 3 Little Dassies

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Title: The 3 Little Dassies

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Author: Jan Brett

Illustrator/Photographer: Jan Brett

Publisher and Year: Penguin Group, 2010

Number of pages: 30 pgs

Tags: Olivia Simkins, Picture Book, Fiction, Animals, 2-3

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

This story is a spin off from the three little pigs. Instead, the main characters are three dassies who live in Namibia. A dassie is a Southern African badger. The three dassies are named, Mimbi, Pimpi, and Timbi set out to find a new home and have to build their own houses to protect them from the eagles who prey on them. This story can serve as a door because it was written for readers to take away the message of “hard work pays off.” The reason the readers would take away this message is because the first two dassies took a short time to build their houses so they could nap. The last dassie worked all day in the hot sun to make her house. Children can relate to this and apply it to taking time in completing their work or drawing a picture. The author depicted the culture of Namibia in Africa through the borders of the story. She includes beautiful African prints in them. The use of her borders helps the audience to look into the story and get a glimpse of the characters world. The book is also set in Africa, where her and her husband camped out at and that is what inspired her to write this book. The book also shows the different animals that inhabit there. I think Jan Brett illustrates Namibia very well and uses colors, setting and boarders to support that. Jan always includes panels on the right and the left of the page to help foreshadow for the oncoming events. Finally, her use of bright colors is showing the dassies new found freedom as they set out to look for a new home.

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Jumanji

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Title: Jumanji

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Author: Chris Van Allsburg

Illustrator/Photographer: Chirs Van Allsburg

Publisher and Year: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981

Number of pages: 28 pgs

Tags: Olivia Simkins, Picture Book, Award Winner, Fiction

Genre: Ficiton

Analysis:

This book is about a little girl named Judy and a little boy named Peter, who find an abandoned board game at the park and decide to play it while their parents are out. As they play, the game comes to life. Whatever happened in the game happens in real life. This book has also won the Caldecott Award.

This book functions as a window for the readers to look into. Readers are able to look into a fantasy scenario of a game that comes to life when someone play it. This book is intended to serve as a warning to children to listen to their parents. At the end, one of the guests talks about how her sons never like to follow to directions. The reader can see that the boys stole the game board in the illustration on the next page. This serves as foreshadowing that the boys are going to end up playing the game because the do not listen or follow direction in real life and when it comes to playing with games and toys. I think that the Illustrator didn’t represent any culture or multicultural aspects in this book. Both the boy and the girl are white and so are the other characters in the book.

The illustrations in the book are all in black and white and are all framed. This allows for the readers to look in on the story, rather than to be a part of it. The underlying ideology in this book is to listen to directions or else something like this could happen to you. It serves as a pre-cautionary tale for younger kids.

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Yo! Yes?

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Title: Yo! Yes?

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Author: Chris Raschka

Illustrator/Photographer: Chris Raschka

Publisher and Year: Orchard Books, 1993

Number of pages: 29 pgs

Tags: Olivia Simkins, Culture, Fiction, K-1, Picture Book, Award Winner

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

This book is about two boys who meet each other as they are walking down a street one-day. One says, “Yo!” to the other and this sparks the friendship between the two. This book also is a Caldecott Honor Book.

This text could serve as a mirror because students could relate to this in some way by connecting their own life experiences to it. It may remind them of a time they went on a walk or may remind them of a time that they made a new friend. This book also shows two different cultures in this book. One boy is White and the other is African American. However, I do see a stereotypical aspect to the book when I looked deeper into the illustrations. When depicting the African American boy. His attire seems to be more comfortable and not as formal, including sneakers and more of a “hip-hop” style. For the White boy, he is dressed in a nice button up shirt with a suit coat over it and very nice pants. I think that the illustrator could have both of the boys in t-shirts and sneakers, rather than one dress up and the other in more laid back attire.

There are no frames in this book so as the reader, we can be involved in this on a more personal level and be a part of this story as well. It also starts out using a dark blue colored background to show the emotion of the boy who has no friends and is very sad and lonely. As the story goes on it goes to a light pink color, then to a yellow background. This shows the progression of the character’s emotions turning from sad to happy.

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Doña Flor

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Author: Pat Mora

Illustrator: Raul Colón

Publishing Information: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

Doña Flor is a warm-hearted giant lady living in a village in the American Southwest. She can talk to all kinds of animals and make friends with them. One day, a terrifying noise scares all villagers. Doña Flor goes on an adventure. With the help of her animal friends, she finds out that the origin of the noise is a puma, which is relatively smaller than her. In the end, she makes friend with the little puma as well.

Besides the Golden Kite Award, this book also won a Pura Belpré Award for illustrations and a Pura Belpré Honor for narrative. The story demonstrates multiculturalism by depicting Doña Flor as a Latino lady. The text functions as a window for children to look at an imaginary world and at the same time shows children the beauty of human nature. She would “tuck her animal friends in and read them a good-night story” (p. 12). When the whole village is frightened by the noise, Flor is worried and thinks “what can I do to cheer my friends up” (p. 18).

I found the book problematic for the following reasons. First of all, in the story there are always some children laughing at Flor because she is giant. However, when they need Flor’s help, they would still say, “Por favor, Flor, could you give us a ride” (p. 3). And then Flor says nothing and “took just one of her giant steps and was at the school door” (p. 3). Children might interpret this plot in a wrong way and think that it is okay to be rude to other people because they are still going to help them in the future. Secondly, although it is nice to depict the main character different from normal people for teaching children to accept the differences among people, the giant figure of Flor suggests that human beings are more powerful than nature. Some texts also reveal this point. For example, “Flor knew that her village needed un rio, a river, so to make her neighbors happy, Doña Flor scratched a new riverbed with her thumb” (P. 18). Children should learn to respect nature instead of always trying to conquer nature.

Perceptually, the author uses a lot of descriptive sentences which makes the story more engaging. For instance, the first sentence of the book is “Every winter morning when the sun opened one eye, Doña Flor grabbed a handful of snow from the top of a nearby mountain” (P. 2). The pictures are not framed which give readers a view from within. The illustrator uses warm colors generally to depict the gentle atmosphere. Structurally, most of the text and images do not overlap. Ideologically, the book teaches children to be brave and not afraid of nature. Also, the nobility of Doña Flor tells children that it is nice to help others. Overall, it is an amazing and beautiful story.

Town Mouse Country Mouse

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Author/ Illustrator: Jan Brett

Publishing Information: Scholastic Inc., 1994.

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

The town mice want to experience the quiet and peaceful countryside while the country mice want to live in a town where food is ready all the time. Therefore, they trade houses. They all have a difficult time living in environments which are completely different from what they are used to. In the end, they realize that their own homes are the most comfortable. So they trade back.

It is a classic story with wonderful illustrations. The text functions as both a mirror for children to reflect themselves during everyday life and a window for them to look at the differences between living in town and in country. The mice trade houses and experience another kind of lifestyle, and finally realize that what suits it best is the best choice, a rule which can be applied in many different aspects such as view of life and view of love.

One problem I found in the book is the class stereotypes presented in the text. Town mice stand for people who live in cities while country mice stand for people who live in the countryside. Town mice always have food prepared for them while country mice have nothing but the beautiful view and natural habitats. Nowadays, people concern more about environment and humanity construction in the city while focus on technology development in rural area.

Perceptually, the book uses a lot of dark colors to depict the confined situation where both the country mice and the town mice are not used to their new living conditions. The pictures are framed for readers to look into the story. The frames are in different artistic styles which attract younger readers. Structurally, text and images overlap. Ideologically, first of all, the book teaches children that the ones that suit them best are the best choices. Secondly, the story stresses family bond. What individuals have outside is not the most important, as long as they have their family company. Thirdly, the author tries to eliminate the class differentiation by pointing out both the advantages and disadvantages of living in the town and living in the countryside.

A Crow of His Own

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Author: Megan Dowd Lambert

Illustrator: David Hyde Costello

Publishing Information: Charlesbridge, 2015.

Number of Pages: 30

Genre: Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

Clyde is new to Sunrise Farm after the former legendary rooster Larry leaves. He tries everything to gain popularity in the farm but never succeeds even once. With the help of the motherly goose Roberta, Clyde finally decides to be himself and calls out a crow of his own.

The book tells a story about an outsider trying to fit in. The text serves as both a window and a mirror for readers. It allows children to look at an interesting story on the farm and at the same time have some takeaways. The character Clyde is a typical figure who wants attention and popularity but keeps improperly belittling himself.

There is one plot which I found unnecessary. Roberta the motherly goose explains to Clyde why everyone else doesn’t talk to him. Not only does Clyde misspell her name, but he also does not show any appreciation to Roberta. Younger readers might think it is okay to take other people’s help for granted. The other thing I found problematic about this book is that Clyde always tries to impress everyone else. Although in the end he decides to call out his own crow, the reason he makes that decision is still to gain other people’s attention. Children should know that it is important to be themselves. Besides, I think the author should elaborate more about why the other animals despise Clyde. They look down on him not because his lack of talent, but because of his shortcomings which he could totally overcome by himself. For example, Clyde is shy and always tries so hard that he make a scene himself every time. He has his chances but he oversleeps and forgets to crow.

Perceptually, the book uses a lot of bright colors to depict the peaceful atmosphere on the farm. There are some dialog boxes in the illustrations which show readers the conversations directly. The images are not framed. Therefore, readers can actually participate in the story. Structurally, text and images overlaps. Ideologically, the book teaches children to be themselves. Everyone has his or her own advantages. Be brave and keep trying, then you will succeed.

Papa is a Pirate

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Author/ Illustrator: Katharina Grossmann-Hensel

Publishing Information: North-South Books Inc., 2009.

Number of Pages: 24

Genre: Fiction, Picture book

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Analysis:

The little boy’s father makes up a story about himself being a pirate. He depicts his life on the ship to his son. He tells the little boy what pirates eat on board and how they send messages by floating them off in bottles. At first the little boy is skeptical about the story his father tells him. But after his father’s vivid description, the boy finally believes that his father really is a pirate.

The text functions as a window for children to look at what pirates’ life is like on board. It is an interesting book which gives children enough space for imagination. The book includes a lot of details which makes the whole tale more reliable. For example, when they are talking about the language usage on board, Papa says, “While Daffy Dan was scrubbing the deck, Petey squawked,’Avast there, ye landlubber! Yo ho ho!’” (P. 6). Another example is that Papa says to the little boy, “I sleep out under the stars. They are the best compass and guide my way” (P. 15). When Papa is telling the story, not only does he describes the plot, he also explains each of his actions. The other advantage of this book is that, in the story, the little boy’s mother is portrayed as a pirate as well. Papa tells the little boy that Mom could be both a princess and a pirate (P. 18). Gender discriminations are eliminated.

One thing I found the book problematic is that all of the characters in the book are white. Children should learn about diversity of different races in literature. Although the boy’s mother is also a pirate, males still exist as rescuers through the story. In the images on page 17 and 18, Papa is illustrated as tall and strong while Mom is small and weak.

Perceptually, the book uses various kinds of colors to depict the compact plot development. The pictures are not framed so that readers can better put themselves in the story. When they are trapped in the desert, all the characters are facing right which conveys a sense of less security. But after they are rescued and heading back home, the ship is moving towards left which demonstrates an increasing sense of security. Structurally, text and images do not overlap. Ideologically, the book teaches children to be brave when facing difficulties.

The Scar

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Author(s): Charlotte MoundlicIMG_4357

Illustrator/Photographer: Olivier Tallec

Publisher and Year: Candlewick Press in 2011

Number of Pages: 31

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

This story began with a little boy explaining that his mother had just died and left him with just his father. The boy goes through a series of emotions and feelings like being angry that his mother left him, sad that she won’t be there as he grows up, tired from trying to take care of his father, and fearful that he might forget his mother. In the end, his grandmother, his mom’s mom, reminds him that his mother is always with him in his heart.

The illustrations in the story were an important part of this text because they helped add to the overall tone of the story and they helped to depict the feelings of the characters. For example, the color red is the primary color on every page, which can represent a variety of intense emotions such as, anger, fear, love, and passion, which are all emotions felt by the main characters. In fact, the little boy is always a different shade of red depending on his current mood, the more upset or angry he is feeling, the darker the shade of red. I also noticed that the characters sometimes have a mouth on their face and at other times there is no mouth on their faces at all. I think the illustrator did this to show that sometimes the characters may seem fine on the outside, but the text explains that they are still struggling with the loss of the mother.

I believe that this story could work well as a window for children to be introduced to and help to teach the different stages of grief. This could be especially helpful for children who have not been exposed to death to help them to understand the feelings that their friends or family members may have experienced or are experiencing. This book could also function as a mirror for children who have lost a family member, because it can help them understand that having different emotions is completely normal. None of the characters in the story have names, which symbolizes that this little boy and his father can represent all people who feel these emotions, not just this one fictional family. I also believe that it is important to note that the mother is the one who dies in this story, which leaves the little boy with his father to show a different family dynamic where there is a widowed father and his son. Overall, I believe that this is a great story to read to children to help them understand that it is okay to grieve when someone important to you has died, and that there are many stages and emotions associated with grief.

Whoever You Are

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Author(s): Mem FoxIMG_4398

Illustrator/Photographer: Leslie Staub

Publisher and Year: Harcourt in 1997

Number of Pages: 26

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

This book begins with the main character telling the reader, who they assume is a “little one,” that people all over the world may have different homes, skin color, schools, and lands, but they all have a heart that is capable of all the same emotions. Then the story continues to tell the “little one” that people may be different as they get older, but again reinforces the idea that everyone is similar because everyone has the same emotions.

The illustrations in the story are very important in adding dimension to the text on the pages. The author talks about how there are many different people throughout the world, but the illustrator captures the different cultures in the images by including characters of many different ethnicities, genders, and ages. The images are all brightly colored which is inviting for children to look at, as well as creating the idea that differences make the world a more colorful place. Because of the multitude of ethnicities on each page, I would conclude that no specific race has been given power. However, I believe that some of the images portrayed women as the stereotypical gentle caregiver. For example, in the last few pages, a group of women are all holding children in dresses waving goodbye to the main character, even though there were males throughout the story. Another issue I had with some of the images was the fact that I was not sure that all the different cultures were accurately represented, because I was unsure how the illustrator went about deciding how to represent each culture.

I believe that this story is a great way to teach young children about diversity and also about how everyone is similar when it comes to emotional capabilities. I believe that this story works as a window for children to see that there are many different people and cultures throughout the world, which may be different from what they have experienced in their life. This story also works as a mirror for some children because it represents a multitude of cultures, some of which are not often shown in books. I also believe this book can work as a door for children to learn to see differences in other people but to realize that these differences make individuals special, yet all people are the same on the inside. Overall, this story would work well for teaching young children that all humans are similar in that they all have feelings, especially living in a world that tries to put other people or groups down in order to feel powerful.

The Wall

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Author(s): Eve BuntingIMG_4401

Illustrator/Photographer: Ronald Himler

Publisher and Year: Clarion Books in 1990

Number of Pages: 29

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

This story is about a little boy and his father who go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in order to find the name of the little boy’s grandfather, who is the father of the boy’s father. While the father is searching the wall for his father’s name, the little boy is looking around at the other visitors and describing the gifts left at the wall. In the end, the boy’s father traces over his father’s name that is on the wall and takes the paper home, and the little boy is proud that his grandfather’s name is on the wall but he wishes he were there.

            The images in this book do a great job of reinforcing the somber tone; for example, the color gray is used in every image, the details of the images look a bit blurry or smudged, and most of the images are not framed all the way which makes it seem like they are fading away. All the background characters drawn in this book are white but the main characters seem to be of Hispanic descent, however, they don’t look that different from the other white characters except for their dark brown hair. This instills the idea that many of the Vietnam veterans were white, which can give the impression that the white man is the hero in war and that other ethnicities were not as valuable in war. I also noticed that the two main characters were males and many of the other characters discussed in the book were males, and this also gives the wrong impression that men are to be associated with war which can also show that men are valued more than women in war and in society.

I originally thought that this book was intended as a way to teach young children about how to cope with the loss of a family member. But I realized that this book could also function as a window for children to learn about the effects of war on the more personal level, as well as, teaching them about the Vietnam War and how it impacted America as a whole. For children who have lost a family member, specifically to war, this story can be used to mirror their feelings to show that it is okay to grieve for a loved one. Overall, this story does a great job of explaining a deep message to young readers.