Module 2:Classic Children's Books

 

Module 2/SLIS5420

Mr. Popper's Penguins

By Richard and Florence Atwater

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:

Atwater, R., Atwater, F., & Lawson, R. (1988). Mr. Popper's penguins. Boston: Little, Brown and Co..

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 2/SLIS5420

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

By Paula Danziger

Summary:

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit is about Marcy Lewis and her 9th grade year at Dwight D Eisenhower Junior High.  Like many students she is bored with school, frustrated with her life, and has a difficult family which adds to her frustrations and feelings of hating life in general.  However, one thing changes and that is her new English teacher, Ms. Finney, who for the first time is a teacher that acknowledges the kids and helps give life a meaning. However, things quickly go haywire as Ms. Finney is suspended and Marcy and her friends have to decide what they are going to do about.

Citation:

Danziger, P. (1974). The cat ate my Gymsuit: A novel. New York: Delacorte Press.

Beyond and Between:

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit was an unexpected read.  The only real connection to the title in the book is Marcy’s dislike for gym.  Otherwise the book reads like a journal with first person writing style instead of a narrative type book.   However, that is what engaged me as a reader, getting an inside glimpse into the character’s life in a way that seemed real for an actual 9th grade student.  The author throws in a couple of one page drawings that are pictures of what Marcy has been writing in English.  By the end of the book, you really get to understand the desires, motivations, and frustrations of Marcy and are cheering her and her friends on to hopefully get Ms. Finney back in the school.  Overall I would say this book proved appropriate for its audience through its writing style and description of the characters daily life (such as being in a training bra and wondering about a boyfriend).  At the same time because of the journal feel to the book, the reading level isn’t as daunting as to include younger grades, such as 7-8th readers.

Reviews:

Cathy S Coyle

Gr. 7-9 – March, who is 13 years old and in the ninth grade, hates her father, school and being fat.  Ms. Finney, the new young English teacher, helps Marcy to gain more self-confidence and to stand up for her convictions, although this antagonizes her domineering father. When Finney’s unconventional teaching methods and her refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance results in her dismissal, Marcy and the rest of her class fight for her reinstatement. The issues of teacher independence and the student protest are topical, and Marcy, an intelligent and enjoyable adolescent, is an appealing heroine; however, the ending is anticlimactic and unsatisfying (Finney resigns her regained position) and some of the characters like Marcy’s bullying father are stereotypes-

Coyle, C. S., Gerhardt, L. N., Pollack, P. D., Abramson, J., & Stenson, L. (1974). The Cat Ate My Gymsuit (Book review). School Library Journal, 21(3), 62

Marilyn Courtot

Marcy Lewis suffers from low self-esteem and it really isn't surprising. She lives in a truly dysfunctional family. Her father is unhappy at work and seems to find relief by belittling everyone in the family. Her brother is tied to his teddy bear, Marcy overeats, and her mother takes tranquilizers. When a new teacher, Ms Finney, arrives at school, things start to change. However, her freethinking and unorthodox teaching methods result in suspension. Marcy and the other kids work to get her reinstated. It is a time when Marcy starts to come into her own and even has a date. Her mother suddenly decides to stand up to her husband and while the conclusion is satisfying, the quick change in Marcy's mother's behavior seems a bit unrealistic. In some ways the book is a painful read, because it seems so autobiographic, but the humor helps and kids will gain insights into family dynamics and come to admire Marcy. 1998 (orig. 1974), Putnam, $3.99. Ages 8 to 12.

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

Suggested Uses:

This book would be great for a “I Hear What You’re Saying” program for middle school high school age youth.  The idea of the program is to have a monthly “I just want to be heard” type open conversation with teens about any important issues happening in their school, life, etc.  Each month I would bring a book like “The Cat Ate My Gymsuit” to talk about what this student wanted to say and how she got heard.  Of course as the months go on and depending on the conversation this could lead to finding books that the students might relate to depending on their hardship.  This would be a very relational type program, but it would be a neat bridge between the book- the reader- and life.