Tag Archives: Friendship

My Friend Rabbit

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Title: My Friend Rabbit

Author: Eric Rohmann

Illustrator: Eric Rohmann

Publishers and Year: First Scholastic Printing, 2003

Number of pages: 30

Genre: Fiction

My Friend Rabbit tells the story of a rabbit’s attempt to help her friend mouse. The rabbit means well and tries incredibly hard to help her friend mouse. She enlists the help of many other animals (mostly against their will). However, no matter what rabbit does, trouble never seems to be far behind.

I view this book as a door because it models for children some of the core values of friendship. The story models what it looks like to walk through a mess with someone and love them through it. This concept provides an opportunity for children to take hold of this value for themselves and incorporate that into their own relationships, even if in small ways at first.

Power is distributed in this book in a number of ways. On the first few pages, rabbit looks huge when compared to mouse. This shows the increased power rabbit has over mouse. However, mouse is always higher than rabbit on the page, which shows us how highly he is esteemed. As the story goes on, rabbit struggles more and more to help his friend. As this happens, rabbit’s character appears smaller and smaller. The other animals appear very large and powerful, sometimes taking up more than one page.

The author also used very little text in the book creating space for the pictures to tell a story of their own. The pictures agree with and add to the story. The pictures show the hard work and movement of rabbit. Throughout the text, rabbit is continually moving towards the left of the page. In every page he makes more and more progress left which signals gaining security. Throughout the process he goes from ground level to standing on top of all of the animals in power and security. Eventually, however, trouble follows and rabbit is left at the bottom once again. The visual process of progression and power is very obvious, however, and seems very intentional.

The visual progression of rabbit in power and stature speaks volumes of his goal of helping a friend. The text plays a less important role in the story, since the majority of the story is told through the illustrations. Overall, children can learn much about friendship from this book. The story of rabbit and mouse teaches us what it looks like to go out of our way to serve a friend and to see someone else’s need as greater than our own. This is an excellent lesson for children and adults alike.

Pool

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Illustrator: JiHyeon Lee

Publisher and Year: Chronicle Books 2015

Number of pages: 48

Genre: Picture Narrative

Analysis

Pool is a Picture Narrative book which shows the story of a young boy and his friend at the pool. The pool is crowded so him and his friend swim underneath everyone else and discover a fantastical world of sea creatures. They interact with many sea creatures, have a great adventure, and then leave when the pool is closing.

This text could be both a window and a mirror because of the depictions of the children. Although the two main children appear to be Asian, there is no culture directly addressed in this book because there are no words to tell exactly what their ethnicity is. Because this is a picture narrative, it initially seems difficult to draw meaning from the plot or anything that happens in this book however, the back of the book dedicates it to “Those who want to swim freely in the world.” With this quote in mind, the book becomes one that depicts the imaginative escape of a crowded world.

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The colors in the book speak to this idea particularly well. In the beginning, the boy arrives at the pool and before he can get in everyone else rushes in before him. Around 40 people fill up the pool and yet the only color in the entire scene is from the water. As the boy swims below the surface and underneath all the other patrons at the pool, his shorts go from grey to blue, his skin becomes colored as opposed to stark white and his white swim cap has tones of yellow in it. As the book progresses, the pictures get more colors in the sea creatures they encounter and the habitats they discover. The pages become filled with lively yet serene images of imaginative sea creatures that are depicted in a childlike manner, with smiley faces and humanoid mouths.

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This book truly captures the imagination and childlike wonder and in the end when the two friends leave they are in color while the rest of the pool goers are still in greyscale. This book speaks to the importance of imagination and creativity as a tool for innovation and personal gain. The two friends get to experience an adventure and after it is completed, they take it with them and learn from the experiences they shared.

Mousetronaut Goes to Mars

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Author: Astronaut Mark Kelly

Illustrator: C.F. Payne

Publisher and Year: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Number of pages: 30

Genre: Science Fiction

Analysis

Mousetronaut Goes to Mars is the story of the mouse Meteor who is training to be an astronaut. After preparation, the astronauts are ready to leave but Meteor’s name was not on the list. Instead of just staying behind, Meteor sneaks onto the ship and goes to Mars with the rest of the humans. Meteor stays hidden until there is something wrong and the other astronauts a not able to descend to the planet’s surface. Because Meteor is so small, he comes out of hiding and tells the other astronauts that he is small enough to get to the planet with just one rocket. After Meteor is the first Mousetronaut on Mars, the ship heads home and Meteor becomes a hero for saving the mission.

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The story itself is very engaging and has colorful pictures that take up the entire page. This text functions as a mirror into the fantastical world of space travel. Since this is a children’s book, I believe it is safe to assume that no children are actually astronauts and thus this book would be a starting off point for children to get interested in space and space travel. Because the main character of the story is a mouse, it seems the illustrator crammed all of the diversity for the book into one astronaut. There are four astronauts usually shown, 3 white males and one black female. While this does have some diversity and is slightly better than all white males, it still enforces the idea that females and non-white people are not welcome in sciences and space travel. However, the text discusses how Meteor trains with three different people, Claudia, Claire, and Charlotte, which are typically female names.

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Although the text has these characters, the images are just of Meteor doing the exercise himself. The ideology of the story also leaves something to be desired. While the protagonist is a spunky mouse, he wrongfully goes onto the spaceship and does not get reprimanded. Instead of facing consequences for this, Meteor ends up saving the mission and being praised as a hero. This enforces the idea that children can question authority, which in itself is not necessarily a bad trait, and go against the rules if it is something they feel driven to do. If all children prescribed to this ideology, it could create chaos in a more structured school setting. Overall, I think this book does a good job of getting children interested in science and space travel, but lacks in diversity and a fully positive ideology.

I Am The Dog

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Title: I am the Dog

Author: Daniel Pinkwater

Illustrator: Jack E. Davis

Publishers and Year: Harper Collins Publisher, 2010

Number of pages: 30

Genre: Fiction

This book tells the story of a boy who switches places with his dog for the day.  It goes through the day’s events with the roles reversed, and the readers enter the mind of the dog through the boy.  The story culminates with the conclusion that being a dog is better than being a boy.

I believe that this book is being used as a window. Many children have pets in their homes or know someone who does. By Jacob pretending to be a dog for a day, the readers get an up close and personal look into the mind of a dog. While reading the book I found myself thinking like (the readers assume) a dog would think and focusing on things a dog would focus on. Since children do not always put themselves in someone else’s shoes easily, this book provides an excellent window into the mind of their pet. They are able to realize the things that are important and possibly build more compassion towards them. Not only does this give them a window into the mind of a dog, but it opens them up to being able to step into the perspectives of the people around them as well.

In this book, power is distributed evenly. I noticed from the first time reading it that the illustrator drew the boy and his dog to be equal in size. Throughout the entire book they stay this same size. This shows me the equality between the two. They are switching places but the power never shifts. They remain equally important throughout the book. This speaks of the importance of having as much value for someone else’s’ perspective as your own.

As far as cultures go, there is only one culture represented: white middle class. There is no diversity in the characters throughout the book. Even during the scene at the boy’s elementary school, every single child is white.

The visuals in this text help bridge the gap between the new mindset the readers are being introduced to and the common actions of dogs that the readers see on a daily basis. For example, the readers see the dog excited for food. The readers have all seen that at one point of another. However, seeing that while hearing the intense emotion of excitement from the dog’s perspective gives opportunity for children to connect the new information-to-information they already have. There is not much to be gained through the structure of the text, however. The text is not formatted in any particular way that brings special meaning to the story. However, the text itself does a fantastic job of incorporating sounds and stream of consciousness that a dog might have which helps the message come across in a very clear way. Overall, this book reminds us that it is important for people to view others with as much value as they would view themselves and to be able to view situations through the lens of another.

Let’s Play As A Team

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Author(s): K. Hallinan

Illustrator/Photographer: K. Hallinan

Publisher and Year: Ideals Children’s Books in 1996

Number of Pages: 22

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

This book was about a group of friends who all have different talents and enjoy playing different sports, and they are trying to decide what game they should all play together. In the end, they decide to play a sport that nobody is particularly good at, but by creating teams fairly, all their talents will shine through.

I believe that this story could function as a door for some children to realize that everybody has different talents and interests, and this is a good thing, especially when working together as a team. This could also function as a mirror for children to recognize situations where they have been in a team and how much fun it was when everyone had the chance to be included. Also, the illustrations for this book include children of many different races, genders, and abilities, to enforce the idea that everyone is different and has different talents. All the illustrations are unframed and take up the entire page, which allows the reader to really feel like they are a part of the action and decision making as well, thus emphasizing the theme of teamwork and togetherness.

Although this story’s main intent may be to teach children the importance of teamwork, I think that there are a few issues with the way it was presented. This book seems to give white people the power, or explain why the American culture is the best. For example, all the children seem to have very white names such as Sue, Henry, Ben, Jay, Jeannie, and P.K. (the author’s name), but these children are portrayed as coming from different races or ethnicities. Also, the American flag is continuously shown throughout the text, from the title page of book where all the children are shown paying their respects to it, to the ending of the end of the book where the little white boy is holding it. There are also references to the way that the American people vote for their government, the children all vote and they state that it is “democratic and just” (Hallinan 22). However, I believe that this story is not an accurate representation of the American culture, because it does not reveal the injustice and corruption that is within our country and specifically the government. This book may reinforce the idea that the American way of life is better than other countries because there are no flaws and everyone is included, without discrimination.

Those Shoes

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Author: Maribeth Boelts

Illustrator: Noah Z. Jones

Publisher/Year: Candlewick Press, 2007

Pages: 32

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Analysis:

In Those Shoes, Jeremy, a young African American boy living with his grandmother, wants and dreams of only one thing: getting the high-tops everyone is wearing at school. After his old shoes fall apart, Jeremy is forced to wear a pair of childish and embarrassing shoes from his guidance counselor that other kids laugh at, causing Jeremy to impulsively buy a pair of high-tops that are cheap but too small for him. After much thought, Jeremy befriends his classmate and gives him the high-tops.

 Any child who has ever felt that fitting in with the cool crowd meant wearing certain things can relate to Jeremy’s over-idealized view of “those shoes” and his desperation in trying to snag a pair for himself. Those Shoes can also function as a mirror for children who have made sacrifices because of a tight money situation. Jeremy’s grandma tried to remind him that expensive high-tops are a want, whereas new snow boots are a need. Those Shoes can function as a window in the same way. The story introduces children of a more stable financial situation to how it feels to not have all of ones’ wants satisfied. The story also introduces readers to the experiences of children who live a needs-only based life, such as having to wear free, outdated shoes or shopping at thrift stores for better deals. Finally, Those Shoes provides an admirable model of behavior. Jeremy knew that keeping the cool shoes that did not fit was wasteful so he gave them to Antonio, a classmate who could fit them and who did not laugh in class when Jeremy wore the counselor’s shoes (he too, wore broken shoes). Jeremy’s kind gesture represents a simple way young readers can pay it forward and not hoard things with no practical purpose.

 Those Shoes broadens materialism and conformity to boys, and exposes how girls are not the only ones concerned with fashion and having the “cool” clothes. Boelts gives a nondiscriminatory, yet accurate, portrayal of African American culture. In contrast to the white norm of a nuclear family, Jeremy lives with his grandmother in an urban high-rise apartment. Jeremy and his grandmother are humbly depicted as members of the lower middle class, money-conscious but still happy. Jones modernly portrays cultural diversity (in urban settings) with African American, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, and White characters.

 The repetition of “those shoes” conveys the intensity of Jeremy’s want and how to the impressionable child, there are cool shoes and there are other shoes. The text in Those Shoes mostly mirrors the images, although the images elaborate on the strong emotions Jeremy experiences: hope, happiness, frustration, (stubborn) determination, and intense desire/preoccupation. The large size of the painted advertisement for the shoes (compared to the size of Jeremy) and its placement high on the building help to over-idealize the shoes and represent the power propaganda has over the weak and easily persuaded buyer. Jeremy is often depicted as shorter and smaller than his male classmates, suggestive of his suffering self-image around peers who have the high-tops. Jeremy and Antonio are the same size, signifying both their friendship and similar experiences of having worn-down shoes and being the last to get their hands on the high-tops. On the last page, Antonio and Jeremy are racing each other into the distance and to the right. As new friends, they are moving forward and no longer held back by the shoe dilemma. They can now focus on more important things, such as relationships. Overall, Those Shoes highlights the power of propaganda, and challenges materialism and conformity as the keys to happiness.

 

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.

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.

Toot & Puddle: A New Friend

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Title: Toot & Puddle: The New Friend

Author: Holly Hobbie

Illustrator: Holly Hobbie

Publishing Information: Little, Brown and Company, 2004

Number of Pages: 29

Genre: Fable

Analysis:

Toot and Puddle are two pigs that are spending some time playing with their friend Opal, who introduces them to her new friend Daphne. Daphne seems to be very good at everything she does, and she certainly knows it as she shows off her talents and skills to the three other pigs, making her come across as a snob. Eventually, a conflict occurs in which Opal demonstrates a skill that Daphne does not have, and the friends realize that everyone has different skills and talents that they are good at.

This story serves as a window for children to understand that, although someone may be very talented at one thing, they should not view this as a shortcoming on their part; no one is good at everything, and different people have different talents. In the beginning of the story, Daphne has most of the power, because everyone is impressed that she has so many talents. However, this shifts when she begins to be a bit snobbish, and the friends are less enthralled with her because they dislike her attitude. This is evident, as the facial expressions and negative body language are reflected nicely in the illustrations.

In the beginning of the story, the colors are very bright and warm, signaling a freedom and happiness among Toot, Puddle, and Opal. However, there is a noticeable absence of illustrations and the colors begin to dull as the story proceeds, as a result of the frustration that emerges when Daphne is introduced. At the end of the story, Opal is seen looking out the window, which symbolizes her growth from the beginning of the story, as she finds a skill she is best at and learns the moral of the story.

As I touched upon, this story teaches children that everyone has different skills, and no one is better or worse than another person because of their individual skills. I perceived this book as one that had a conflict with showing off and how that impacted friendships when I read it for the first time, which is still a theme that is worth acknowledging. The illustrations are primarily framed, so they are experiencing the story as an outsider who can glean the message from our own point of view. I think that this book provides a creative way to teach children about the impacts of bragging, and how everyone has different abilities that make them special.