Bibliography
Stanley, Diane. 2000. Michelangelo. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9781404681101
Plot Summary
Diane Stanley’s nonfiction book about Michelangelo begins at his birth and goes all the way to his death at the age of 89. In between she packs valuable information that helps the reader feel they really know the man behind the art. From Michelangelo’s life as a child to his inability to make friends, Stanley helps develop a background that is essential to understanding Michelangelo’s work ethic and drive, as well as the many successes and failures he experienced along the way.
Critical Analysis
Stanley’s style is to intertwine the work Michelangelo did with the story of his life, a style that is effective and helps the reader understand how wholly Michelangelo lived for his art. Organized chronologically, the book documents Michelangelo’s work, travel, and personal relationships as his life progresses. This format is effective and allows Stanley to take massive amounts of information and break it into digestible, interesting sections that help build the life of the man from beginning to end. Full of quotes, such as Michelangelo saying he has “a wife who is too much for me….it is my art, and my works are my children,” there is true voice in this story that takes it beyond fact accumulation and makes it relatable to children of all ages. The design of the book is also appealing and draws the reader in immediately. Readers are offered the opportunity to see colorful illustrations depicting Michelangelo as he ages working on his craft. Pictures of the Sistine chapel and David, two of Michelangelo’s most famous works, are shown as they are talked about, and the intricate detail within the drawings offers the reader a better understanding of the painstaking work that went into every piece of art Michelangelo produced.
Review Excerpts
"The author "brings to bear an uncanny ability to clarify and compress dense and tricky historical matter, scrupulous attention to visual and verbal nuances, and a self-fulfilling faith in her readers' intelligence.” Publishers Weekly
"Her careful use of scale and color contribute to the success of the scenes." School Library Journal
"Stanley particularly excels in selecting and integrating just enough context and detail to assure a genuine, empathetic treatment." Kirkus Reviews
Connections
*Read Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley and have students create a Venn diagram showing the differences and similarities between da Vinci and Michelangelo. Lead a class discussion asking students to tell which artist they feel contributed the most to the world and use evidence from the books to back up their opinions.
*Have students act out da Vinci’s life in a readers theater to make nonfiction more real for them.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Book Review 11
Bibliography
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Youth. Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN 0439353793
Plot Summary
Bartoletti takes information from the stories of eleven youth all affected by Hitler and the Hitler Youth during the rule of Nazi Germany. The story begins with Hitler’s rise to power and follows these youth as they make decisions that will affect their future and the fate of many others. Through facts and primary sources, Bartoletti offers an informational book that reads like a suspenseful page turning mystery as she explains and allows her subjects to explain how and why Hitler was able to captivate so many young people with his propaganda and plan for Germany. Bartoletti offers an epilogue telling about the fate of the young adults in the book, as well as a timeline of the Hitler Youth that is very helpful in allowing readers to see the progression that led to so much death and destruction.
Critical Analysis
Bartoletti takes a difficult topic and handles it both accurately and without bias, showing the trail that led to children and adolescents joining Hitler’s Youth. The section in the beginning of the book with pictures and information about the young people presented in the book and their stories makes the book more personal giving the nonfiction topic an emotional touch. Readers’ hearts are broken when they hear about parents trying to warn their children away from the Hitler Youth and cautiously excited when people in the story choose to resist knowing it may cause their deaths. The feeling of both youth excited and ready to be involved in the world and the pandemonium surrounding this time period that caused many to join the Hitler Youth out of fear and force can be felt seeping from each page. Though Bartoletti does not make it her job to pass judgment, Hitler Youth reads as a cautionary tale of what can happen when unchecked power rules and a misguided group of young people follow, some without question. It reinforces the belief that the young can change the world and presents that fact as both a promise and a huge responsibility. Heinrich Heine, a German poet of Jewish descent warns that, “When one book burns, one will, in the end, burn people.”
The photographs within the book are disturbing, representing the control and fear that dominated this time in Germany. At the beginning of the book, a child no older than 8 wears a Nazi uniform, complete with a Swastiska and salutes Hitler, one hand raised in the now familiar salute. The image is both chilling and real reinforcing all the information that will follow in the coming pages.
Review Excerpts
"Her book is filled with chilling quotes, anecdotal stories derived from research and interviews, and stories about how Hitler's young were manipulated and used as a primary source of his power and vision for the future." Children’s Literature
"This book offers through simple and powerful primary sources an important though tearful lesson in history, citizenship, and responsibility." VOYA
"Case studies of actual participants root the work in specifics, and clear prose, thorough documentation and an attractive format with well-chosen archival photographs make this nonfiction writing at its best." Kirkus Reviews
Connections
*Read Hitler Youth after or while reading Number the Stars. Have a class discussion on what roles youth played in both books. Specifically discuss the characters as resistance fighters and people within Hitler Youth as members of the youth helping Hitler. How did they end up on different sides? What were their motivations?
*Read Hitler Youth after or while reading Night. Discuss the decisions teenagers were forced to make during this time in history. Some might be about Elie Wiesel’s decision about whether to leave the hospital for the death march or stay behind and the people in Hitler Youth deciding to defy their orders and resist against Hitler.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Youth. Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN 0439353793
Plot Summary
Bartoletti takes information from the stories of eleven youth all affected by Hitler and the Hitler Youth during the rule of Nazi Germany. The story begins with Hitler’s rise to power and follows these youth as they make decisions that will affect their future and the fate of many others. Through facts and primary sources, Bartoletti offers an informational book that reads like a suspenseful page turning mystery as she explains and allows her subjects to explain how and why Hitler was able to captivate so many young people with his propaganda and plan for Germany. Bartoletti offers an epilogue telling about the fate of the young adults in the book, as well as a timeline of the Hitler Youth that is very helpful in allowing readers to see the progression that led to so much death and destruction.
Critical Analysis
Bartoletti takes a difficult topic and handles it both accurately and without bias, showing the trail that led to children and adolescents joining Hitler’s Youth. The section in the beginning of the book with pictures and information about the young people presented in the book and their stories makes the book more personal giving the nonfiction topic an emotional touch. Readers’ hearts are broken when they hear about parents trying to warn their children away from the Hitler Youth and cautiously excited when people in the story choose to resist knowing it may cause their deaths. The feeling of both youth excited and ready to be involved in the world and the pandemonium surrounding this time period that caused many to join the Hitler Youth out of fear and force can be felt seeping from each page. Though Bartoletti does not make it her job to pass judgment, Hitler Youth reads as a cautionary tale of what can happen when unchecked power rules and a misguided group of young people follow, some without question. It reinforces the belief that the young can change the world and presents that fact as both a promise and a huge responsibility. Heinrich Heine, a German poet of Jewish descent warns that, “When one book burns, one will, in the end, burn people.”
The photographs within the book are disturbing, representing the control and fear that dominated this time in Germany. At the beginning of the book, a child no older than 8 wears a Nazi uniform, complete with a Swastiska and salutes Hitler, one hand raised in the now familiar salute. The image is both chilling and real reinforcing all the information that will follow in the coming pages.
Review Excerpts
"Her book is filled with chilling quotes, anecdotal stories derived from research and interviews, and stories about how Hitler's young were manipulated and used as a primary source of his power and vision for the future." Children’s Literature
"This book offers through simple and powerful primary sources an important though tearful lesson in history, citizenship, and responsibility." VOYA
"Case studies of actual participants root the work in specifics, and clear prose, thorough documentation and an attractive format with well-chosen archival photographs make this nonfiction writing at its best." Kirkus Reviews
Connections
*Read Hitler Youth after or while reading Number the Stars. Have a class discussion on what roles youth played in both books. Specifically discuss the characters as resistance fighters and people within Hitler Youth as members of the youth helping Hitler. How did they end up on different sides? What were their motivations?
*Read Hitler Youth after or while reading Night. Discuss the decisions teenagers were forced to make during this time in history. Some might be about Elie Wiesel’s decision about whether to leave the hospital for the death march or stay behind and the people in Hitler Youth deciding to defy their orders and resist against Hitler.
Book Review 10
Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 2000. Gorillas. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9781404666566
Plot Summary
Seymour Simon’s Gorillas presents thorough information about gorillas and their similarities to humans. From dispelling the belief that gorillas are aggressively violent to discussing their family life and eating habits, Simon offers an easy to understand informational book for children and readers of all ages. The books informative tone turns persuasive at the end as he recommends allowing the gorillas to survive and giving them a chance to increase to avoid the extinction of this animal.
Critical Analysis
Simon offers an easy to read, interesting book that is simple to understand without being condescending. The information covered is detailed and covers all areas of the gorillas’ life. The similarities Simon presents such as “gorillas and humans share ninety-eight percent of their DNA” helps the reader relate and sincerely care about the information being shared. The information is accurate and presented in a straight forward manner. The organization of the book is perfect. From where the gorillas live to their types, looks, and family and individual habits, Simon offers smooth transitions throughout making the book feel as much like a story as an informational nonfiction piece. Simon’s style is personal, and he writes about the gorillas as if they are old friends rather than an animal that humans already have so many preconceptions about. The plea at the end for gorillas to be able to live and survive in peace does not feel forced, and readers would be hard pressed to not feel an emotional connection to the gorillas after hearing Simon plead their case and present their life for observation.
Adding to the personal feel of the book are the large, glossy photographs of the gorillas. Up close and personal, these snapshots show the gorillas individually and with their young. They are shown getting older and with their hair graying, “much like the hair on an older persons head”, and the pictures add an authenticity to the facts. As the reader is receiving information about the animals, it is easy to view the pictures and see some of the startling similarities between gorillas and humans, a point Simon proves through his writing as well.
Review Excerpts
"Simon's concise and child-friendly writing means that a fairly full picture of gorilla behavior. . .is amply conveyed..." Horn Book
"His approach is wonderfully accessible, giving his young readers connections they can recognize." Kirkus Reviews
"The extremely handsome, oversized color photos enhance the readable text and complement it perfectly." School Library Journal
Connections
*Have students group up and choose another book by Seymour Simon about animals. After reading their choice, students will share informational facts with the class about what they learned.
*Have students create a Venn diagram comparing gorillas and humans after reading Gorillas.
Simon, Seymour. 2000. Gorillas. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9781404666566
Plot Summary
Seymour Simon’s Gorillas presents thorough information about gorillas and their similarities to humans. From dispelling the belief that gorillas are aggressively violent to discussing their family life and eating habits, Simon offers an easy to understand informational book for children and readers of all ages. The books informative tone turns persuasive at the end as he recommends allowing the gorillas to survive and giving them a chance to increase to avoid the extinction of this animal.
Critical Analysis
Simon offers an easy to read, interesting book that is simple to understand without being condescending. The information covered is detailed and covers all areas of the gorillas’ life. The similarities Simon presents such as “gorillas and humans share ninety-eight percent of their DNA” helps the reader relate and sincerely care about the information being shared. The information is accurate and presented in a straight forward manner. The organization of the book is perfect. From where the gorillas live to their types, looks, and family and individual habits, Simon offers smooth transitions throughout making the book feel as much like a story as an informational nonfiction piece. Simon’s style is personal, and he writes about the gorillas as if they are old friends rather than an animal that humans already have so many preconceptions about. The plea at the end for gorillas to be able to live and survive in peace does not feel forced, and readers would be hard pressed to not feel an emotional connection to the gorillas after hearing Simon plead their case and present their life for observation.
Adding to the personal feel of the book are the large, glossy photographs of the gorillas. Up close and personal, these snapshots show the gorillas individually and with their young. They are shown getting older and with their hair graying, “much like the hair on an older persons head”, and the pictures add an authenticity to the facts. As the reader is receiving information about the animals, it is easy to view the pictures and see some of the startling similarities between gorillas and humans, a point Simon proves through his writing as well.
Review Excerpts
"Simon's concise and child-friendly writing means that a fairly full picture of gorilla behavior. . .is amply conveyed..." Horn Book
"His approach is wonderfully accessible, giving his young readers connections they can recognize." Kirkus Reviews
"The extremely handsome, oversized color photos enhance the readable text and complement it perfectly." School Library Journal
Connections
*Have students group up and choose another book by Seymour Simon about animals. After reading their choice, students will share informational facts with the class about what they learned.
*Have students create a Venn diagram comparing gorillas and humans after reading Gorillas.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Book Review 9
Bibliography
Frost, Helen. 2006. The Braid. New York, New York: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 30054000291600.
Plot Summary
Frost tells the story of Sarah and Jeannie, two sisters living in Scotland in 1850 during a time when thousands were forced to evacuate because it was more profitable to have crops on the land than tenants. Through poems braided together from each sisters’ point of view, Frost explains how their family decides to seek refuge in Canada, but Sarah decides to hide when the family leaves and stays with her grandmother who is going back to her home in Mingulay. Sarah braids her hair and Jeannie’s together the night before she leaves and cuts the braids while Jeannie sleeps, leaving each sister with the others braid to hold on to since they will be separated. The girls’ lives continue on different continents with heartbreak and hope experienced by each. Both sisters find their own path and life, and Frost tells this engaging story through narrative and praise poems woven together in a easy to read yet complex format.
Critical Analysis
Frost’s writing is easy to read and understand, with the long narrative poems offering the necessary facts and the praise poems digging beneath the obvious to the true emotion experienced by each sister. The title of the book is two fold: it represents the braid each sister carries to remember the other, but it also represents the format used by Frost to put this verse novel together. Though the format may not look obviously difficult, the notes on form in the back of the book offer a look at the painstaking complexity involved in braiding these poems together. Frost’s system of braiding the praise and narrative poems is both difficult and accomplished, but well worth the effort which results in the reader being completely taken in by the story, eager to turn the next page.
The imagery created by Frost’s words helps the reader hold onto each experience even after the last page. In “Shadows” which is written after Sarah finds out she will be having her child without Murdo, her lover, the shadows are offered to “leave our thoughts concealed, hold shimmering hands across a face when some slight change in color or expression would reveal too much”. Simple and poignant, it is hard not to relate to that gray area in life when everyone needs a shadow to protect them from the “solid sharp-edged” experience possibly waiting around the corner.
The Braid is a roller coaster of emotions as each girl loses their family, Jeannie through death and Sarah through her choice to stay behind. Each then attempts to find love and ways to survive with beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking results. Choosing to take different paths, Sarah and Jeannie read like two parts of a whole. Frost offers the reader a glance behind door number one and two to show how different decisions in life can lead to opposite results. However, what is truly amazing about Frost is how similar she shows the sisters’ lives to be despite their different personalities and choices. For unique reasons and motivations, each sister finds her way, learns to be stronger than once believed possible, and never forget each other in the process.
Review Excerpts
“Appropriate, original imagery and understated, natural voices make these poems sensitive and insightful.” Kirkus Reviews
“…she makes it look like so much fun that readers may want to try out some of the forms themselves.” Publishers Weekly
Connections
*Read Keesha’s House. Compare the motivations of Sarah and Jeannie with the motivations of the characters in Keesha’s House. Discuss and have students chart what and how each character survives and what their driving force is.
*Read Witness by Karen Hesse. Discuss the experiences faced by the characters in Witness and The Braid and how each author handles writing about the emotions related to the challenges of the time. How does each author effectively convey emotion and voice through the poems written?
Frost, Helen. 2006. The Braid. New York, New York: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 30054000291600.
Plot Summary
Frost tells the story of Sarah and Jeannie, two sisters living in Scotland in 1850 during a time when thousands were forced to evacuate because it was more profitable to have crops on the land than tenants. Through poems braided together from each sisters’ point of view, Frost explains how their family decides to seek refuge in Canada, but Sarah decides to hide when the family leaves and stays with her grandmother who is going back to her home in Mingulay. Sarah braids her hair and Jeannie’s together the night before she leaves and cuts the braids while Jeannie sleeps, leaving each sister with the others braid to hold on to since they will be separated. The girls’ lives continue on different continents with heartbreak and hope experienced by each. Both sisters find their own path and life, and Frost tells this engaging story through narrative and praise poems woven together in a easy to read yet complex format.
Critical Analysis
Frost’s writing is easy to read and understand, with the long narrative poems offering the necessary facts and the praise poems digging beneath the obvious to the true emotion experienced by each sister. The title of the book is two fold: it represents the braid each sister carries to remember the other, but it also represents the format used by Frost to put this verse novel together. Though the format may not look obviously difficult, the notes on form in the back of the book offer a look at the painstaking complexity involved in braiding these poems together. Frost’s system of braiding the praise and narrative poems is both difficult and accomplished, but well worth the effort which results in the reader being completely taken in by the story, eager to turn the next page.
The imagery created by Frost’s words helps the reader hold onto each experience even after the last page. In “Shadows” which is written after Sarah finds out she will be having her child without Murdo, her lover, the shadows are offered to “leave our thoughts concealed, hold shimmering hands across a face when some slight change in color or expression would reveal too much”. Simple and poignant, it is hard not to relate to that gray area in life when everyone needs a shadow to protect them from the “solid sharp-edged” experience possibly waiting around the corner.
The Braid is a roller coaster of emotions as each girl loses their family, Jeannie through death and Sarah through her choice to stay behind. Each then attempts to find love and ways to survive with beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking results. Choosing to take different paths, Sarah and Jeannie read like two parts of a whole. Frost offers the reader a glance behind door number one and two to show how different decisions in life can lead to opposite results. However, what is truly amazing about Frost is how similar she shows the sisters’ lives to be despite their different personalities and choices. For unique reasons and motivations, each sister finds her way, learns to be stronger than once believed possible, and never forget each other in the process.
Review Excerpts
“Appropriate, original imagery and understated, natural voices make these poems sensitive and insightful.” Kirkus Reviews
“…she makes it look like so much fun that readers may want to try out some of the forms themselves.” Publishers Weekly
Connections
*Read Keesha’s House. Compare the motivations of Sarah and Jeannie with the motivations of the characters in Keesha’s House. Discuss and have students chart what and how each character survives and what their driving force is.
*Read Witness by Karen Hesse. Discuss the experiences faced by the characters in Witness and The Braid and how each author handles writing about the emotions related to the challenges of the time. How does each author effectively convey emotion and voice through the poems written?
Book Review 8
Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 2004. What is Goodbye? Ill. by Raul Colon. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 30054000277195
Plot Summary
In this emotional verse novel of the journey after losing a loved one, Jerilyn and Jesse share their emotions about the death of their older brother, Jaron. Told in alternating style, poems from each sibling with titles such as “Getting the News” and “Painless”, take the reader from the beginning stages of shock through the emotional quicksand that traps this family and almost takes them under. While Jerilyn tries to bury her pain, Jesse acts out in response to his. Both acknowledge the temporary loss of their parents as they try to navigate their way through the pain, and each sibling shares memories of Jaron that both haunt and comfort them. As time passes, both siblings find ways to cope with their sorrow, and at the end of this book, which is emotionally wrenching, hope ascends as life becomes the acceptance of a new normal. When the family creates a new family picture, “one piece missing” but still whole, the reader knows that Jerilyn and Jesse will find a way to move on while never letting go of Jaron.
Critical Analysis
Grimes has taken a difficult topic and created a book for young adults that deals with raw emotion head on. She helps the reader get to know her characters not only through her clear images of their emotions but by the type of poems that represent each sibling. Jesse’s poems are rhymed, blunt yet not lacking in imagery or emotion that can sometimes take the readers breath away. The rhymes are natural, and it is obvious by reading his poetry that he is the younger sibling. His personality seeps from the page as he makes the logical decision to be bad since he is told in “Why” that “God scoops up the good.” Defiant, he declares, “from now on, I won’t be. Hear that, God? Don’t come for me.” Jerilyn’s poetry has a more lyrical, free verse rhythm that shows a child with enough maturity to try to take on the role of an adult when she feels she needs to. Her guilt is natural for a child yet fitting for an adult as she expresses in “Regrets” that the reason for the fight she had with Jaron the last day she saw him was “small enough to dance on the head of a pin.”
Every word in this book is placed with a purpose, some to make the readers stomach drop with the grief saturating the pages, others to give hope and honor to a life that should not only be mourned but celebrated. Grimes takes the reader on a roller coaster ride that is only possible by putting in the painstaking work of selecting the perfect words and rhythm to represent the desired emotion. The images created by Grimes words are memorable and will not soon be forgotten when the reader finishes this book.
Colon’s illustrations, though they do not appear on every page, add a powerful punch to this emotional ride when they are present. A haze of blue is cast over the characters throughout the first three fourths of the book as they find ways to tip toe through the landmines of pain, guilt, and anger awaiting them. Characters with wide, grief filled eyes stare out from the pages giving a face to the feelings Grimes writes about. Colon’s picture show the separation created between individuals when a death occurs, with Jerilyn’s grief stricken face at the bottom of a picture and her dad’s heartbreaking expression at the top, an impassible road drawn between them put their by the news of Jaron’s death. Jesse’s blue face dripping down from within an hourglass is the perfect expression for the poem “Rush” when Jesse realizes that grief has an expiration date to those who are not experiencing it. As the book nears its close, the blue fades and the new family picture shows a group of a family smiling cautiously, ready to believe that life can move on, ready to emerge from the haze that has encompassed them since Jaron’s death.
Review Excerpts
“Through the alternating voices of a brother and sister, Nikki Grimes eloquently portrays the grieving process in this gem of a book that is honest, powerful, and ultimately hopeful.” The Publisher
“Grimes handles these two voices fluently and lucidly, shaping her characters through her form.” School Library Journal
Connections
*Read Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes. Have students compare the emotions presented in Meet Danitra Brown with the ones in What is Goodbye? Ask questions such as how does Grimes handle conveying different kinds of emotions in poetry? Is the rhythm, language, or type of poem different depending on the topic? How are the books similar?
*Read Jazmin's Notebook. Compare Jazmin’s writing and Jesse’s drawings. How do they use these skills? Are they effective coping skills? Have students write about what they do to cope with difficult situations.
Grimes, Nikki. 2004. What is Goodbye? Ill. by Raul Colon. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 30054000277195
Plot Summary
In this emotional verse novel of the journey after losing a loved one, Jerilyn and Jesse share their emotions about the death of their older brother, Jaron. Told in alternating style, poems from each sibling with titles such as “Getting the News” and “Painless”, take the reader from the beginning stages of shock through the emotional quicksand that traps this family and almost takes them under. While Jerilyn tries to bury her pain, Jesse acts out in response to his. Both acknowledge the temporary loss of their parents as they try to navigate their way through the pain, and each sibling shares memories of Jaron that both haunt and comfort them. As time passes, both siblings find ways to cope with their sorrow, and at the end of this book, which is emotionally wrenching, hope ascends as life becomes the acceptance of a new normal. When the family creates a new family picture, “one piece missing” but still whole, the reader knows that Jerilyn and Jesse will find a way to move on while never letting go of Jaron.
Critical Analysis
Grimes has taken a difficult topic and created a book for young adults that deals with raw emotion head on. She helps the reader get to know her characters not only through her clear images of their emotions but by the type of poems that represent each sibling. Jesse’s poems are rhymed, blunt yet not lacking in imagery or emotion that can sometimes take the readers breath away. The rhymes are natural, and it is obvious by reading his poetry that he is the younger sibling. His personality seeps from the page as he makes the logical decision to be bad since he is told in “Why” that “God scoops up the good.” Defiant, he declares, “from now on, I won’t be. Hear that, God? Don’t come for me.” Jerilyn’s poetry has a more lyrical, free verse rhythm that shows a child with enough maturity to try to take on the role of an adult when she feels she needs to. Her guilt is natural for a child yet fitting for an adult as she expresses in “Regrets” that the reason for the fight she had with Jaron the last day she saw him was “small enough to dance on the head of a pin.”
Every word in this book is placed with a purpose, some to make the readers stomach drop with the grief saturating the pages, others to give hope and honor to a life that should not only be mourned but celebrated. Grimes takes the reader on a roller coaster ride that is only possible by putting in the painstaking work of selecting the perfect words and rhythm to represent the desired emotion. The images created by Grimes words are memorable and will not soon be forgotten when the reader finishes this book.
Colon’s illustrations, though they do not appear on every page, add a powerful punch to this emotional ride when they are present. A haze of blue is cast over the characters throughout the first three fourths of the book as they find ways to tip toe through the landmines of pain, guilt, and anger awaiting them. Characters with wide, grief filled eyes stare out from the pages giving a face to the feelings Grimes writes about. Colon’s picture show the separation created between individuals when a death occurs, with Jerilyn’s grief stricken face at the bottom of a picture and her dad’s heartbreaking expression at the top, an impassible road drawn between them put their by the news of Jaron’s death. Jesse’s blue face dripping down from within an hourglass is the perfect expression for the poem “Rush” when Jesse realizes that grief has an expiration date to those who are not experiencing it. As the book nears its close, the blue fades and the new family picture shows a group of a family smiling cautiously, ready to believe that life can move on, ready to emerge from the haze that has encompassed them since Jaron’s death.
Review Excerpts
“Through the alternating voices of a brother and sister, Nikki Grimes eloquently portrays the grieving process in this gem of a book that is honest, powerful, and ultimately hopeful.” The Publisher
“Grimes handles these two voices fluently and lucidly, shaping her characters through her form.” School Library Journal
Connections
*Read Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes. Have students compare the emotions presented in Meet Danitra Brown with the ones in What is Goodbye? Ask questions such as how does Grimes handle conveying different kinds of emotions in poetry? Is the rhythm, language, or type of poem different depending on the topic? How are the books similar?
*Read Jazmin's Notebook. Compare Jazmin’s writing and Jesse’s drawings. How do they use these skills? Are they effective coping skills? Have students write about what they do to cope with difficult situations.
Book Review 7
Bibliography
Prelutsky, Jack. 1996. Monday’s Troll. Ill. by Peter Sis. New York, New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0688096441.
Plot Summary
For a book full of fun and original humor, look no further than Monday’s Troll. Jack Prelutsky engages the reader from the first page as an overconfident narrator taunts a wizard only to end up with a hamster’s head by the end of the poem. Prelutsky and Sis take their audience through the world of invisible wizards, cranky ogres, unqualified witches, and trolls with ease and humor that will be entertain children and adults alike.
Critical Analysis
Jack Prelutsksy’s poems in Monday’s Troll are all rhyming, and each word feels naturally placed as opposed to forced for the sake of the rhyme. The rhythm is perfect for reading aloud, and children inexperienced with poetry would benefit from hearing or trying to read Prelutsky’s poems aloud because they are so well organized and create a perfect sound.
The humor in these poems is undeniable and one of the most appealing parts of the book. In “We’re Seven Grubby Goblins”, the goblins warn that they “smell like rotten garlic, we burp around the clock” before informing the reader they will be “moving to your block.” The poor apprentice witch complains about “the elder witches” lecturing her since she is only seven centuries old, and the wizard in “If I Were Not a Wizard” reminds the reader that they would not have to worry about sprouting “antlers and a fifty-foot-long beard” if he was not a wizard.
Peter Sis’ illustrations are vital to the enjoyment of this book. Reading Ogrebrag without seeing the one eyed mother/child ogres watering the plants they have put in the armor of an eaten knight would still be enjoyable, but not the same. Sis’ visuals take Prelutsky’s imaginative thoughts and give them a physical form, making it seem possible to view big foot in the streets of a city or watch an ogre spit out dragons and humans. Prelutsky uses a kaleidoscope of colors and his illustrations are the backdrop for the poems. The poem may be 8 lines, such as "Monday’s Troll", but Sis’s vivid images cover two pages so each troll can be illustrated. With Prelutsky’s words being larger than life, illustrations must be able to hold their own and add to the overall enjoyment of the poems. Sis accomplishes this and then some.
Review Excerpts
“The inspired pair has scored again.” New York Times Book Review
“Prelutsky's gross humor will evoke giggles in child readers, while adults will find the impressive vocabulary and imaginative ideas refreshing.” Children’s Literature
Connections
*Read It’s Halloween by Jack Prelutsky. Have students pair read these poems and discuss and compare the characters with the ones in Monday’s Troll.
*Read a book by Shel Silverstein. Have students attempt to imitate the style of Prelutsky or Silverstein after studying both by writing a short poem of their own about a personal experience, object, or anything that interests them.
Prelutsky, Jack. 1996. Monday’s Troll. Ill. by Peter Sis. New York, New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0688096441.
Plot Summary
For a book full of fun and original humor, look no further than Monday’s Troll. Jack Prelutsky engages the reader from the first page as an overconfident narrator taunts a wizard only to end up with a hamster’s head by the end of the poem. Prelutsky and Sis take their audience through the world of invisible wizards, cranky ogres, unqualified witches, and trolls with ease and humor that will be entertain children and adults alike.
Critical Analysis
Jack Prelutsksy’s poems in Monday’s Troll are all rhyming, and each word feels naturally placed as opposed to forced for the sake of the rhyme. The rhythm is perfect for reading aloud, and children inexperienced with poetry would benefit from hearing or trying to read Prelutsky’s poems aloud because they are so well organized and create a perfect sound.
The humor in these poems is undeniable and one of the most appealing parts of the book. In “We’re Seven Grubby Goblins”, the goblins warn that they “smell like rotten garlic, we burp around the clock” before informing the reader they will be “moving to your block.” The poor apprentice witch complains about “the elder witches” lecturing her since she is only seven centuries old, and the wizard in “If I Were Not a Wizard” reminds the reader that they would not have to worry about sprouting “antlers and a fifty-foot-long beard” if he was not a wizard.
Peter Sis’ illustrations are vital to the enjoyment of this book. Reading Ogrebrag without seeing the one eyed mother/child ogres watering the plants they have put in the armor of an eaten knight would still be enjoyable, but not the same. Sis’ visuals take Prelutsky’s imaginative thoughts and give them a physical form, making it seem possible to view big foot in the streets of a city or watch an ogre spit out dragons and humans. Prelutsky uses a kaleidoscope of colors and his illustrations are the backdrop for the poems. The poem may be 8 lines, such as "Monday’s Troll", but Sis’s vivid images cover two pages so each troll can be illustrated. With Prelutsky’s words being larger than life, illustrations must be able to hold their own and add to the overall enjoyment of the poems. Sis accomplishes this and then some.
Review Excerpts
“The inspired pair has scored again.” New York Times Book Review
“Prelutsky's gross humor will evoke giggles in child readers, while adults will find the impressive vocabulary and imaginative ideas refreshing.” Children’s Literature
Connections
*Read It’s Halloween by Jack Prelutsky. Have students pair read these poems and discuss and compare the characters with the ones in Monday’s Troll.
*Read a book by Shel Silverstein. Have students attempt to imitate the style of Prelutsky or Silverstein after studying both by writing a short poem of their own about a personal experience, object, or anything that interests them.
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