The Tale of Despereaux By: Kate DiCamillo

I put off reading this book until the very last minute. I'm not really sure why but, this book has never appealed to me. I like to own Newberry and Caldecott Award books. However, when this one came out I made a conscious choice not to buy it which is saying something. Some women buy shoes. I buy children's books. Yes, I have always been a nerd. Now that I am older I am a little proud of my nerdom. Anyway, I digress.

It was, unfortunately, as I had feared. This is not "my kind" of book. The most unappealing aspect of the story was the voice in which it was written. I have always enjoyed reading as an escape from reality. As a child when I was bored or lonely or both I would read to alleviate these feelings. I would be someone else, somewhere else for awhile. The author of Despereaux did not allow for that escapism. She refered to us, the "reader" throughout the book, requesting that we look up words, warning us of an approaching flashback, and asking our opinion of characters and events. These constant reminders that I was reading made it impossible to become emersed in the plot.

I have a great desire, a need if you will, to be reminded of the good in people. We see the weaknesses and ugliness of our species around us all the time. When I am reading for pleasure I do not want to be forced to stare directly into the faults that lie within each of us. That is not to say that I have a problem with villians or obstacles in storylines, these things are what make up a good story. However, by the end of the story I want everything set right with the world. The "bad guys" should always get their "come uppance" and the "good guy" while he need not be perfect must at least make significant personal growth at the conclusion.

In The Tale of Despereaux, we were surrounded by characters who were barely tolerable and who made no significant self discoveries during the book. The list of dislikeable characters is long, starting with Despereaux's own family all the way down to the castle cook. Despereaux himself left a little something to be desired. There were sparks of goodness in each character. But there was not enough "light" to make a difference in the "dark". Overall, I could not recommend this book as a great read. It left me a little cold.

The Dreamer By: Cynthia Rylant Illustrated by: Barry Moser

This is a story about God and his creation of the Universe. Cynthia Rylant has described God as an artist who is creating. As he goes through the process he dreams each new step and rests in between, very much like the book of Genesis. At the end of the story Rylant refers to people as artists as well. They are his children. The words are well crafted. The art is beautiful. However, it reminds me of another book I liked more, Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle.

The Dreamer would not be an appropriate book for school for obvious reasons. I am also inclined to think that if you are going to go so far as using the word God the text should stay more true to the words of the Bible. Having said this I am not a person who takes the Bible as a literal text. I simply mean to say that in my opinion she ventured too far from the story of Genesis to end the story by calling her artist God.

Eric Carle on the other hand gave us a very similar story without crossing that Bible/picturebook line. Although we can infer that his artist is God Eric Carle never actually uses that language. In addition I must confess that I am a huge Eric Carle fan. Something about his art is very appealing to me and I enjoy the voice he uses in his writing. I also very much like authors who do their own illustrating.

Bottom line, when faced with two such similar stories I would much prefer to share Draw Me a Star with the children in my life than The Dreamer.

When I was Young in the Mountains By: Cynthia Rylant Illustrared by: Diane Goode

This book moved me in a very unexpected way. My family is from east Tennessee. I grew up in Hampton however, we spent every holiday and summer breaks in Tennessee with my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents. I had not thought about those experiences for quiet a while. Reading this book with my daughter Sarah gave me the opportunity to share some of my life experiences as well as the life experiences of her grandparents.

I was surprised by how many things in the book were familiar to my childhood. My grandmothers fried cornbread and "soup" beans, the country store down the road, the old wood burning stove and the evenings spent on the front porch "snapping" beans are all wonderful memories. I will never forget the summer that my grandfather killed a black snake by chopping off its' head with a shovel. My cousins and I watched in terror as the snake continued to wiggle around without a head. I was lucky enough that my grandparents had in door plumbing. However, my mother has shared many childhood memories of out houses and baths outside in the big wash tub. These are things that Sarah and Emily have not experienced.

The text of the book reads like a poem with each stanza beginning: "When I was young in the mountains.". As I have stated in earlier blogs, I love to read these books aloud. The illustrations blend well with the theme and style of the book. The artist paints in a folk art style and uses muted, earthy tones. Each illustration has irregular boarders and looks like a memory.

I love the sentiment, style and artistry of this book. It is not a part of my personal library now but it will be very soon. I will consider it part of my family heritage and will share it with my kids, my grandkids and my great grandkids.

Searching for David's Heart By: Cherie Bennett

Searching for David's Heart is a realistic fiction novel by Cherie Bennett. It's audience is middle school students. The reader experiences the story from the perspective of the main character, Dee Dee, a twelve year old girl from a middle class family. After the tragic death of Dee Dee's brother David she embarks on a search to find his heart. This is a book that I have heard about for awhile but, have never made the time to read. One of the reasons I have put off reading it is that I knew it was sad. The premise of the story is that the main character's brother dies and his heart gets donated. She then goes searching for David's heart. Unlike Bridge to Terabithia, you know right from the start that someone is going to die. However, even though you are prepared for a death, the way in which David dies is almost as shocking as if you had not known he was going to die at all. There are many similarities between this book, Bridge to Terabithia and Tuck Everlasting. Once again we have two friends, a boy and a girl, who are lonely, dealing with bullies at school, and struggling with family issues at home. The friendship between Sam and Dee Dee in this book parellels the friendships in the other books. The friendship is the thing that gets them through all of their adolescent troubles. They stand together against all foes. Another common theme running through all three books is the loss of an important person. Granted the person who is lost in Tuck Everlasting doesn't die, can't die. But, the loss is just as complete as it would be if the person had died. There is a transformation of character in all three protagonists due to the effects of the signifigant person and the loss of that person. Finally, there is a struggle for independence from the family unit in all three storylines. The characters are searching to find who they are and what they are capable of as individuals. For the first time in their lives they are dealing with major issues on their own. They are discovering how terrifying it can be to grow up. And at the end of each story they find a new appreciation for their family. These themes link the three stories which are on the surface quite different. Afterall, Bridge is set in rural America in the 60's or 70's, Tuck is a fantasy set in the late 1800's and David's Heart is set in modern day suburbia. It is the timeless and universal struggles from childhood to adolescence and adulthood that link these stories and make them important to readers. This book is definitely worth the time and the tears.

Bridge to Terabithia - Disney Style

I was so worried about this movie. The previews made it look as if they had taken the imaginary world created by Jess and Leslie too far.I experienced a similar disappointment recently. Charlotte's Web is on my list of all time favorites. I also loved the old Hanna-Barbara animated film. The music in that movie was wonderful. When I went to see the new version I was disappointed. There was no music and the spider looked a little too real for my liking. Happily, my fears were not justified. The Bridge to Terabithia, Disney Style, was beautiful. I don't think they went too far with the imaginary world. It was always clear to the viewer that it was simply the combined fantasy of two lonely kids. I also loved the actors they chose for the parts of Jess and Leslie. The boy who played Jess also played the lead role in Zathura, also based on a children's book. I hope he continues with his career. The girl who played Leslie looked very familiar but I can't think of anything I have seen her in. I think this movie did the book justice. However, I think the movie would have been just as good with out the fantasy and special effects thrown in. What ever happened to "old fashioned" kids movies like The Bad News Bears and The Sand Lot. Not every movie needs to be high tech.

The Giver By: Lois Lowry

I can not believe I never read this book before now. It is now and forever on my list of favorite books of all time. I love fantasy and I love books that have deep meaning and messages for humanity. There have been many, many utopia books, movies and shows. All of them stress the fact that you should be careful what you wish for and even perfection has a price. But, this is the first one that I have ever encountered from a child's perspective.

The author leads us carefully into the world where Jonas and his family live. In the beginning of the book it seems as though it would be a nice place to live. Maybe, strange compared to our world but not bad. There are family routines that seem rather sweet. Everyone shares their feelings at dinner and their dreams at breakfast. When someone in the community does something wrong they apologize and everyone accepts the apology. What could be wrong with that.

Early on however, we start to get glimpses that something is not quite right. The term "release" comes up more and more frequently as we move through the story. It seems to be a positive thing, a system that helps keep their community thriving. Although as a reader there is a growing suspicion that "release" is a euphemism for death, the characters in the story believe it to be such a positive thing that you can almost let yourself get sucked in to their mind set.

The deeper in we go the more we begin to realize how horrible this place actually is. When Jonas begins his training things begin to unravel. The knowledge he gains makes it impossible for him to ever belong to the community again. The worst part for Jonas is that because of who he is he can not just exist. He feels the strong need to change things. This is the most dangerous thing anyone can do.

The language used by Lois Lowry creates such an amazing mood and atmosphere that you feel as if you are experiencing each event with Jonas. It is the kind of book I most love. The kind of book that makes me dream about it at night and think about it all day. It is the kind of story that made me sad when it was over.

I could go on and on about this book but, I don't want to give everything away to those who haven't yet read it. I read it early because of the conversations we had in class about it. It sounded like my kind of book and I was right. I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did.

There is one caution I would make however. As you are all too aware I like making connections to my own children and students in regards to the books we are reading. When I began this book I started to read it with my daughter (10). My husband stopped me and asked if I had read the book before. When I said no he said you need to read it yourself first. Now, my husband and I are pretty liberal minded and have never had any trouble letting our children read or reading them books like the Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter or numerous other books with "bad" guys and "scary" parts so when he said this it stopped me in my tracks. I am so glad I listened to him (no it isn't the first time). I do not feel that this is an appropriate book for elementary aged children. There are many events and themes within the book that are more appropriate at the middle school level. Of course this is just my opinion.

Tuck Everlasting By: Natalie Babbitt

I just finished listening to this book on tape and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I have never listened to books before, especially not for a class. I always thought of it as "cheating" somehow. In fact when my husband discovered I had listened to it on tape he was upset with me. He said, "That doesn't count. You ruined the whole book." At first I thought he might be right. On second thought I disagree. Why shouldn't I indulge in the pleasure of being read to from time to time. Lord knows I do it for my students and my own children for hours a day. If I haven't made it clear before now you should know that I LOVE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. I have always loved reading to children, starting with my own little brother and younger cousins and continuing now with all the children that fill my life with joy. I was also an avid reader growing up. It was always my escape. My own private world inside my head. The characters in the stories I read were like friends to me. The one thing I have never been able to do is share my thoughts about what I was reading. None of my teachers did reading journals or literature circles. We read and we took the test or did a book report and that was it. The thinking that I am putting in to these blogs and these books we are reading is opening a whole new dimension for me and I am very excited about it. I find myself comparing characters in different stories, wondering how a character from another story would have solved the current characters dilemma, and wishing that some of them could meet because I am sure they would be friends. WOW, is just about all I can say, WOW. O.K. enough about me and my dorky addiction to kids books. I am here to talk about Tuck Everlasting. I am glad that I experienced Tuck and Bridge back to back like this. I had read both novels before but, not close together like this time. The similarities between the two are striking. Both books deal with the problems of adolescence, feeling isolated and alone, trying to separate from the family unit, and developing a sense of self. Leslie (Bridge) and Jess (Tuck) are the catalysts for Jess (Bridge) and Winnie (Tuck). They help them discover the meaning of true friendship, help them find their inner strength, and accept them for who they are. Although Jess and Leslie are very lonely themselves they have self assurance that neither Jess nor Winnie possess. The similarities between the novels continue with the family structure. Both of the "stronger" characters have supportive, open and loving homes. Winnie and Jess feel more accepted and "free" to be themselves around their friend's parents than their own. Although Winnie and Jess (Bridge) have very different families on the surface the problems that plague both families are quite similar. There is a coldness and distance between both characters and their parents. Also, Winnie and Jess's parents are very closed off to the rest of the world. They let their own insecurities limit how they deal with life and with their children. Finally, the works of Natalie Babbit and Katherine Patterson are similar in the way that the characters ultimately find their own strength. The loss of the friendship. Both Winnie and Jess suffer through the loss of their friend and some how find a way to come out stronger because of it in the end. I enjoyed both books. However, Tuck Everlasting was less heartbreaking and I love a good fantasy. On a scale of 1 to 10 Bridge to Terabithia would rank a 7 while Tuck Everlasting is a 9.

Weslandia Written by: Paul Fleischman Illustrated by: Kevin Hawkes

I read this book before reading Bridge to Terabithia and again after I finished Katherine Paterson's work. I must say that I think Wesley and Leslie would be great friends. Both characters are misfits. Leslie has no TV. Wesley doesn't like pizza. Beyond that they are both some how at ease with their lack of belonging. They both simply choose to create their own worlds. Of course in their worlds they are the rulers. Both children also end up with friends because of their eccentricity not in spite of it. With a daughter poised on the edge of adolescence, these are both essential stories to share with her. I hope to have many discussions about the virtues of individuality versus conformity. Picturebooks have long been a favorite of mine. Their versatility, variety, beauty, and convenience make them appealing both as a teacher and a parent. This one ranks among books I will share often with the children in my life. Starting with the cover, end papers and title page the author and illustrator do an amazing job of pulling you into the story. Questions about the plot of the story were immediate when she saw the cover. "What kind of flower is that? Is he wearing a dress?" The end papers increased the curiosity. "That looks like hieroglyphics." Then the title page. "Hey, we learned about totem poles in school." Before we even started reading she was hooked. The style of the book is inviting as well. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The complex nature of each page leaves you staring at the picture for a moment after you have read the words. There is something interesting to see in every illustration that might be missed if you rush through to the end. The font looks almost like a child's handwriting. This too invites young readers and connects them somehow to the story. All this said I think that the thing I like most about this story is that, with the exception of the "magical" plant it is essentially realist fiction. Children have wonderful imaginations and summers can be long and boring with nothing to keep you occupied. Who knows, maybe this summer we may establish The United Kingdom of S.E.A.D. right in our own backyard. All are welcome to visit.

Bridge to Terabithia By: Katherine Paterson

I am so glad I reread this book. The only real memories I had from the first time I experienced this story (over a decade ago) were of the pain and dismay over the loss of a friend at a young age. When I saw from the syllabus that we were expected to read it for class a sense of dread came over me. I thought "oh no, I don't want to read this story again, it's too sad". It was sad too. I bawled through the last few chapters just as I had the first time I read it. But I brought a lot more away with me at the end of the story this time. Maybe, it helped because this time the ending was not a surprise.

The most important thing about this novel is not the death of Leslie. It is the relationship between Jess and Leslie and the profound ways Jess is changed forever because of their friendship. I have spent 10 years teaching 4th and 5th graders and my oldest daughter is currently in the 4th grade. So it is with great certainty that I tell you that the time between the spring of the 4th grade year and the end of the 5th grade brings a huge change in a child's life. These changes are beautifully illustrated in this book.

By the time kids are in Middle school their peers hold more sway over thoughts, feelings and actions than parents and family. The struggle to find out who he is separate from his family is apparent in all of Jess's actions as well as his uncertainties. As the story begins we meet Jesse as he wakes early to run. He wants to be the fastest kid in the fifth grade and he is determined. We also discover early on that Jess likes to draw, would even like to be an artist one day. However, he gets no support from his parents and teachers with the exception of his music teacher, who he has a crush on. He wants to fit in, to be the best at something, to do something that will show the world who he is.

Then there is Leslie. She is the new kid in school. She doesn't fit in. She doesn't wear the "right" clothes. She doesn't play the "right" games on the playground. She sits in the "wrong" place on the bus. She doesn't even have a television. As Jess said, "Lord, the girl had no notion of what you did and didn't do." Leslie illustrates the exact opposite of everything Jess (and 98% of all other kids that age) hopes to accomplish. She doesn't care if she is the best or the most popular. It doesn't bother her if the other kids make fun of her. Worst of all, she actually likes her parents and enjoys spending time with them. Leslie likes herself and is not intimidated by how others may react to her individuality.

Jess is quickly drawn in by Leslie's sense of the world. He is amazed at her courage and her intellect. Their friendship grows as they share their talents, dreams and worries. Leslie's parents are both writers and she has a fierce imagination. The realm of Terabithia which she creates becomes the place that is theirs alone. She encourages Jess in his art and assures him that, even though he can't "capture the poetry of the trees" now, he will be able to someday. She even gives him an art set for Christmas.

There are fears that Jess never shares with Leslie. He is sure that if she knew of his cowardice she would have second thoughts about their friendship. He is uncomfortable in the dark center of the forest and he is more and more uncertain as the water in the creek bed rises due to heavy rains. He cannot swim and is terrified of falling off the rope that leads into Terabithia and drowning. He makes plans to have Leslie teach him to swim over the summer. Tragically, that will never happen.

For me the last chapter was extremely moving. After the sadness and anger that Jess has endured over the death of his friend he is able to find his own way. He finds a way to enter Terabithia and he finds a way to honor the memory of his friend. He overcomes the self doubt that held him back at the beginning of the book and begins to trust himself. The final scene where he saves his little sister who is stuck on the log assures the reader that Jess will be fine.

As I am writing this response I am thinking back to my undergraduate English classes and analyzing poetry. I feel that Katherine Paterson has created a story that is almost on the level of poetry. The first time I read the book I focused on one element, the death of Leslie. The second time I read it my attention was drawn to the developing individual of Jess and his adolescent angst. I believe that if I read this again sometime in the future I could find other themes to focus on that were just as potent and moving. I am anxious to read what others found moving about this extraordinary novel.

The Spider and the Fly

The book I chose for my first response is The Spider and the Fly by Tony Diterlizzi. The book is based on a poem written by Mary Howitt in 1829. It received a Caldecott Award in 2002. I should actually be more truthful and tell you that it was my four year old daughter that chose this book. I have had the book for years and read it with my ten year old when she was about six. I thought that it was still a little too scary for my youngest and I had all but forgotten it was on my shelf; that is until after class on Monday. When I got home I was greeted by Sarah. She was holding the book and proudly pronounced that she had read this book while I was gone and that it was not too scary. I asked her what it was about and she said "It is about a spider who tricks a fly and eats her". Good enough. We read the book at bedtime. As I began reading, I remembered that recently Sarah had mentioned that her class was learning about strangers. I have also had conversations with both my children about strangers and how they may attempt to trick you into going with them. I was happy that Sarah chose this book. The illustrations in this book are amazing. The author has even included the text as part of the illustration (framing them, adorning them with scroll work or placing them in the middle of a web). The entire book is done in black and white. There is a Gothic feel to the drawings. They remind me of some of the black and white horror movies I watched as a child. In addition to setting the mood of this story; the illustrations tell the story (as evidenced by my daughter's retelling of what she had "read"). Pictures of this quality make text all but unnecessary. The poem on which this book is based is wonderful in its own right. As evidenced by the fact that it has been published and read for nearly 180 years. Many of my favorite picture books are essentially illustrated poetry. I am sure it began with my adoration of Dr. Seuss from childhood. The rhyming and meter make it fun and easy to read aloud. Finally, as a parent and teacher, I am constantly looking for literature that will help me teach valuable life lessons. Something that has a little more umphhh than "because I said so". This book fits that bill as well. It gives parents an opportunity to discuss the important issue of stranger safety in a way that is a little less intimidating for parent and child while still getting the point across. We are learning to determine what constitutes quality children's literature during this semester. As a parent and a teacher I already have many thoughts and opinions on this subject. This book definitely fits squarely into the category of worthwhile and meaningful stories for children.

Check Me Out!!!

I can't believe I have a blog! I am excited to share my absolute love of children's literature in this new way. Let's see where this new adventure takes us.