Module 4: Newbery Winners

Module 4/SLIS5420

Roller Skates

By Ruth Sawyer

Summary:

Roller Skates is about the life of Lucinda Wyman back in the 1890’s who goes to live in New York with the Peters’ while her parents went on vacation.  She takes the city at large as her own neighborhood skating around on roller-skates making new friends.  Through all this you learn a bit about New York back in the 1890’s and some Lucinda’s personal hardships when two of her own friends die.

Citation:

Sawyer, R., & Angelo, V. (1936). Roller skates. New York: Viking Press.

Beyond and Between:

Roller skates was a delightful read and a breath of fresh air. You come away from reading this journal like recounting of Lucinda’s time in New York as if seeing the young life of the old days of New York.  Meeting the different people, sensing a safe New York setting, and laughing along with Lucinda as she delights in all the things she is seeing/doing.  In all this the additional plot twist of the death of her friend’s leaves the real with a real taste of the life of Lucinda in her happy times and sad. 

Reviews:

Sarah Flowers

Gr 4-7-This recording of the 1937 Newbery Award-winning book by Ruth Sawyer (Penguin Putnam, pap. 1986) is read by television and stage actress Kate Forbes. The story takes place in New York City in the 1890s, during the year of 10-year-old Lucinda's "orphanage." That's Lucinda's term for her situation when her parents go to Italy and leave her in the care of Miss Peters and Miss Nettie. Lucinda, enjoying her freedom, explores the city on roller skates and makes friends wherever she goes. She reads Shakespeare with her uncle, puts on her own production of The Tempest, creates a magical Christmas for a little girl from an impoverished family, helps a family protect their fruit stand from attacks by rowdy boys, and has picnics in a vacant lot , among other adventures. Forbes does a good job with the reading, conveying Lucinda's enthusiasm but not becoming overly dramatic. However, the story suffers from age. Certain expressions and references are likely to elude most children (and even many adults). The obligatory tragedies (the death of Trinket, the unexplained murder of a woman Lucinda befriends) seem a little maudlin. There is also some ethnic stereotyping, typical of the time that is unacceptable today. However, in libraries where Newbery books are always in demand, this audio- book will help make an older book a little more accessible to young readers.-Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, Morgan Hill, CA (c)

Levy Mandell, P., & Flowers, S. (2002). Roller Skates (Sound recording). School Library Journal, 48(4), 86.

Kristi Beavin

Read by Kate Forbes.

Recorded Books 2001 4 cass. ISBN 0-7887-5032-1 38.00In this 1937 Newbery Award winner, Lucinda's parents leave on a trip to Italy, and she is shipped off to the suitably kind and satisfactorily inattentive Misses Peters. Free of parental oversight, Lucinda begins her adventures. Narrator Kate Forbes overcomes the somewhat leisurely construction of the plot by maintaining a lively, enthusiastic pace. Because this is so entirely Lucinda's story, Forbes distinguishes the minor characters by only the slightest of variations, and settles instead for gently underlining the vividly graceful images that are the hallmark of Sawyer's narrative style.

Beavin, K. (2001). Roller Skates. Horn Book Magazine, 77(6), 779.

Suggested Uses:

This book would be a delightful book to use along with a theme of “Discover your City”.  It could be used as a part of a suggested book list, a display, but what I really like is the idea of using this theme and book as a part of a summer reading program theme.  Incorporating other books where the main character is exploring new place.  This would help the patrons relate to the book, relate to their town in a new fun way, and encourage reading.

Module 4/SLIS5420

A Tale of Despereaux

By Kate DiCamillo

Summary:

A Tale of Despereaux is a story about a little mouse named Despereaux who has big dreams and is in love with a princess.  Told through three points of view, ending all the view points coming together you follow the story of little Despereaux, a rat named Chiaroscuro (Roscuro for short) and a servant named Mig.  Through the story the princess ends up being kidnaped by Roscuro and Mig and it is up to Despereaux with the help a friend and the cook to go into the dungeon, confront Roscuro, and hopefully save his princess.

Citation:

DiCamillo, K., & Ering, T. B. (2003). The tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

Beyond and Between:

This book is a wonderful read, Katie DiCamillo easily weaves the story of three different characters in such a way that the reader is carried from the beginning to the end in an enchanting and engaging way.  Each chapter is short and has very eye catching illustrations that capture the essence of each character in the book. Due to this, this book can easily read by ages as young as third grade and it would be a great book to read to beginning readers to catch their interest in reading.  The language is pretty simple, however the descriptions and French vocabulary, in the book wouldn’t make this an easy read, but a delightful slightly challenging book. 

Reviews:

Horn Book Guide

 DiCamillo, Kate The Tale of Despereaux 272 pp. Candlewick ISBN 0-7636-1722-9 17.99

(2) Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. Despereaux Tilling is not like the other mice in the castle. He's smaller than average, likes to read books, and is in love with a human being: Princess Pea. When a rat and a young servant kidnap the princess, Despereaux, armed with a needle and a spool of thread, makes a daring rescue. Framing the book with the conventions of a Victorian novel, DiCamillo tells an engaging tale. Review 9/03. PDS

Gershowitz, E., Sieruta, P. D., Shute, C., Meister, B. L., & al, e. (2004, Spring). INTERMEDIATE FICTION. The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books, 15, 87-105.

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up-- A charming story of unlikely heroes whose destinies entwine to bring about a joyful resolution. Foremost is Despereaux, a diminutive mouse who, as depicted in Ering's pencil drawings, is one of the most endearing of his ilk ever to appear in children's books. His mother, who is French, declares him to be "such the disappointment" at his birth and the rest of his family seems to agree that he is very odd: his ears are too big and his eyes open far too soon and they all expect him to die quickly. Of course, he doesn't. Then there is the human Princess Pea, with whom Despereaux falls deeply (one might say desperately) in love. She appreciates him despite her father's prejudice against rodents. Next is Roscuro, a rat with an uncharacteristic love of light and soup. Both these predilections get him into trouble. And finally, there is Miggery Sow, a peasant girl so dim that she believes she can become a princess. With a masterful hand, DiCamillo weaves four story lines together in a witty, suspenseful narrative that begs to be read aloud. In her authorial asides, she hearkens back to literary traditions as old as those used by Henry Fielding. In her observations of the political machinations and follies of rodent and human societies, she reminds adult readers of George Orwell. But the unpredictable twists of plot, the fanciful characterizations, and the sweetness of tone are DiCamillo's own. This expanded fairy tale is entertaining, heartening, and, above all, great fun.

Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., Larkins, J., & Budin, M. (2003). The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (Book). School Library Journal, 49(8), 126.

Suggested Uses:

A Tale of Despereaux would be a fun book to use for a drama club, suggest to parents to read aloud for bed time stories, or incorporate a medieval themed program ending with a showing of this movie as fun family night occasion.

Module 3: Caldecott Winners

Module 3/SLIS5420

Joseph had a little overcoat

By Simms Taback

Summary:

Mr. Popper is a painter and all out handyman with a love for other countries and places.  Yet above all he loves to learn about the north pole, south pole, and the artics.  Through a strange bit of luck he finds himself a owner of a penguin, and then two penguins, and then a whole dozen penguins!  This books follows the antics of Mr. Popper and his family as they try to deal with the financial needs a a regular family and now all these additional needy little penguins.  The places they go and the people they see are what you'll have to find out when you read this story

Citation:

Taback, S. (1999). Joseph had a little overcoat. New York: Viking.

Beyond and Between:

Mr. Popper's Penguins is a classic, easy, entertaining and enjoyable read.  The format of the book flows with bigger font, interspersed with one page pictures and other smaller drawings which add a visual appeal to this read.   The reading flows from description to conversations with wonderful little phrases that add to the charm of the read.  It easily reminds me of the 1950's "Leave it to Beaver" television show and the style of conversation from that time period.  Fun little phrases the author brings into the book include "Well, I never!", "Gracious goodness!", and of course the penguins little language of conversations including: "Ork?" and "Gork?"  One thing besides the engaging story, is the small chapters, which give younger readers the satisfaction of finishing a whole chapter and feeling like the book plot is still moving forward.  Over all I found this a very enjoyable read and perfect for it's reading level 3-5 grade and 8-12 years old.

Reviews:

Richard Foster

Richard and Florence Atwater's book is a comical story about a family and their adventures with a penguin named Captain Cook. Mr. Popper, who is a house painter, writes a letter to Admiral Drake. Admiral Drake sends Mr. Popper a penguin. After living with the Popper family for a while, Captain Cook becomes sick and lonely. Luckily, the zoo has a penguin that is sick and lonely too. Captain Cook and his new female companion, Greta, fall in love and are no longer lonely. After a brief period of time, the penguins have babies and the Popper's have a house full of penguins. When it becomes difficult for Mr. Popper to feed all of the penguins, he decides to put the penguins on stage to perform. After the penguins have been performing for a few weeks, Mr. Popper leads them onto the wrong stage, which lands them all in jail. Admiral Drake returns and makes an offer to the Poppers concerning the penguins. Mr. Popper hates to see the penguins leave but realizes he cannot handle them anymore. The penguins return with Admiral Drake to the North Pole. Atwater takes readers on a wild adventure with Mr. Popper and his penguins, but included in the text are educational facts about penguins--such as how they mate, what they eat and the habitats they are used to living in. Each chapter contains a few black and white illustrations that give the reader just enough images to visualize the story. The Atwaters and Lawson leave the rest up to the reader's imagination. This is a great story to read to third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders. 1988, Little Brown, $16.95. Ages 8 to 12.

Foster, Richard (2013). Mr. Popper's Penguins Review.  Children Literature Comprehensive Database, Retrieved from the University of North Texas  from http://www.clcd.com/

Jennifer

When Mr. Popper receives his first penguin as a gift from the infamous Admiral Drake, his life is changed dramatically. Soon his penguin family grows and Mr. Popper goes to great lengths to make them comfortable, from making an ice rink of his floors, to digging a swimming hole in his basement. However, when these home improvement projects become costly, Mr. Popper takes his penguins on the road to perform. This leads to many humorous adventures on trains, in taxis, and in fancy hotels--all places unaccustomed to serving penguins. The delightful illustrations make the story even more entertaining. Category: Award Books; Humor; Read Aloud. Grade Level: Intermediate (4th-6th grade). 1938, Little Brown & Co.. Ages 9 to 12.

Davidson Library, Jennifer. (2014). Mr. Popper's Penguins. Retrieved from http://www.cmlibrary.org/bookhive/books/details.asp?id=385

Suggested Uses:

This book would be fun to use during the winter to promote reading when stuck in doors.  Maybe as a library we could put this book together with a ideas for parents to use for activities while their kids are stuck in doors.  Ex.  Put on your own Penguin Play-  Use every day items to make a Penguin with your Child, and etc..   This type of idea could easily be put online for such snow days, so the parents could use this at home right away.  If the book was available online, then it would be the perfect book/activity action for parents and their kids.

Module 3/SLIS5420

Baboushka and the Three Kings

By Ruth Robbins

Summary:

This is a short and sweet picture book following the an elderly lady called Baboushka, meaning grandmother in Russian.  Baboushka is doing her daily work and three kings come by and they end up offering her the opportunity to give gifts to the king.  However, Baboushka is busy and cannot leave right away.  In the end she tries to follow and cannot find the three kings, so instead Baboushka is known for dropping gifts off to boys and girls during the holiday season while she is still looking for the three kings and the child to give her gift to.

Citation:

Robbins, R., Sidjakov, N., Sanks, M. C., Thomas, E. M., Parnassus Press,, & Hogan-Kaus Lithograph Company,. (1960). Baboushka and the three kings. Berkeley, Calif: Parnassus Press

Beyond and Between:

The beauty of this book is not found in what the story says, but in how the pictures reveal the story one page at a time.  The bold blue, red, and yellow and simple sketched figures/setting focuses the reader’s attention what is happening in an inviting way.  The cool blue for the snow is captured and brings to life the weather, the warm read and yellow brings life to the story and paints a picture of a warm inviting Baboushka who talks with the three kings.  The pictures easily flow with the written storyline without contradicting the plot. Overall, I would recommend this book to younger readers and maybe even a good night story for parents during the holiday season.

Reviews:

Kirkus Review

Everyone in the village is talking about the bright star in the night sky, but Baboushka is too busy cleaning her home to be bothered with the speculations--at least until a trio of strangers arrive at her doorstep with news of a miracle. The three kings ask Baboushka for a place to stay and she offers them a warm bed and a sumptuous feast. In return they tell her of the newborn king whom they hope to find by following the star. They invite her to come along, but she makes excuses saying that there is too much work to be done. After they depart, she reconsiders and begins to clean the toys left by the death of her son so that she might offer them as a gift to the new baby. She sets out to follow them, only to discover that she's too late. And so it is that Baboushka travels the world looking for that child and leaving a gift wherever she finds one. Wonderful patterns in a myriad of colors evoke the feeling of Russian folk art in rich watercolor-and-collage illustrations that add a softly textured beauty to this uncommon retelling of the Christmas story and the practice of giving gifts. (Picture book 4-7)

BABOUSHKA: A Christmas Folktale from Russia. (2001, October 1). Kirkus Reviews, 69(19), 1433.

Sherry Tinerella

The author’s description reveals that Baboushka is the Russian word for grandmother. In this account, the author, a native of South Wales, combines  the Russian character with the Italian foltale about an anonymous Christmas gift giver. The result is the charming story of a busy lady who takes the time and great effort to bring gifts for the new king. “The king of love, for whom a new star shines,” Baboushka learns from the three stately travelers carrying gifts, who stop for a rest in her humble home. The bright star inspires Baboushka to bring gifts to the new king as well. When she cannot find her way, she stops and gives gifts to appreciating children along the way. The illustrator, who grew up in Italy with the folktale known as La Befana that inspired this rendering of Baboushka, captures the essence of joy in her lively watercolor paintings. This book is a refreshing story about the true spirit of Christmas, giving and celebrating the “prince of peace.” Ages 4-8.

Tinerella, S. (2012). The Tale of Baboushka: A Traditional Christmas Story. Catholic Library World, 82(3), 246.

Suggested Uses:

This book would be good for a cross cultural display of holiday’s during the Christmas Season.  It would be good to include the stories country of origin and the celebration on each different book on display through out December/January.