OUT OF THE DUST By: Karen Hesse

Bibliography
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590360809.

Plot Summary
Billie Jo is a teenage girl growing up in Oklahoma during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Her family is having to endure the hardships of dust storms, grasshoppers, no rain, no crops, and no money. When an accident fatally injures Billie Jo's pregnant mother and her piano playing hands, she is left to be raised by her father. Feeling alone and wanting to escape the dust, she decides to run away, but quickly realizes that she wants to go home. By the end of the book Billie Jo has forgiven her father and begins to enjoy life again.

Critical Analysis
OUT OF THE DUST uses a collection of free-verse poems to journal two years of a teenage girl's life in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Hesse has date stamped each poem to show Billie Jo's progression and feelings over time. Her careful choice of language provides colorful imagery. For example, on page 163, Hesse writes,
We watched as the storm swallowed the light.
The sky turned from blue
to black,
night descended in an instant
and the dust was on us.
This brief description is so vivid that the reader is able to imagine how this wall of dust made daylight seem like night in an instant.

Hesse also brings emotion into her work through her vivid descriptions of Billie Jo's feelings toward her father, the dust, and her piano playing. Many readers will be able to identify with her feelings throughout the book and would be of particular interest to pre-teen and teen girls.

Finally, the author added a large amount of historical information to her work. She gives facts about crops, dust storms, masks, wet cloths, dusty food, no rain, President Roosevelt, the movement of migrant workers to California, and much more. This historical information is integrated in a way that is not overpowering but does provide a basic understanding about this period of time.

Overall, Karen Hesse has written a powerful novel about a young girl and her struggles during a trying time in American History. Hesse's language provides vivid imagery and understandable emotion that can be enjoyed by teens and adults alike.

Review Excerpts
starred review in BOOKLIST: "A powerfully compelling tale of a girl with enormous strength, courage, and love."
starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Readers may find their own feelings swaying in beat with the heroine's shifting moods."
starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "A triumphant story, eloquently told through prose-poetry."

Connections
*This book can be used in conjunction with teaching free-verse style in poetry. Have students write in a journal and use their daily writings to create free-verse style poems.
*Compare/contrast Billie Jo with other characters from literature set during the Great Depression

• Taylor, Mildred D. ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY. ISBN 0140348934.
• Tripp, Valerie. MEET KIT, AN AMERICAN GIRL, 1934. ISBN 1584850167.
• Durbin, William. THE JOURNAL OF C.J. JACKSON, A DUST BOWL MIGRANT, OKLAHOMA TO CALIFORNIA, 1935. ISBN 0439153069.

*Compile books about the history of the Great Depression to read in conjunction with this book.
*Integrate this book into the curriculum of other subjects (ie Music-listen and study to depression era music, Social Studies/Science- shows the effects of not using crop rotation and how that changes the geography and affects the weather, English-free-verse poetry, etc.).

OLD ELM SPEAKS: TREE POEMS By: Kristine O'Connell George

Bibliography
George, Kristine O'Connell. 1998. OLD ELM SPEAKS: TREE POEMS. Ill by Kate Kiesler. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395876117.

Plot Summary
OLD ELM SPEAKS is a collection of tree poems. The poems in this book are not about a particular type of tree, but about the various ways that trees affect our world.

Critical Analysis
Kristine O'Connell George uses various types of poems to get readers to see trees from various viewpoints (highway, cradle, and horse), varying points of view (children, animals, and even the tree itself), a life cycle (old elm to new elm), and a year cycle (Spring-Winter). George also uses language that creates allusions that can be analyzed with older students but that also allows younger students to appreciate the poems as well.

The illustrations in this book were created using oil paints. This type of paint gives texture through thickness and brush strokes. The colors and full page illustrations create a realistic setting for each of the poems and could stand alone as their own works of art.

Overall, the realistic paintings and wonderful mix of poetry allow young and old to view trees in different way.

Review Excerpts
starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "An invitation to experience joy and wonder."
starred review in BOOKLIST: "Both the picture book formatand the poetry in this collection are wonderfully enticing."
starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "this offering has lots of uses."

Connections
*This book can be used as an introduction into poetry and varying points of view.
*Have students write a poem about an object from a different point of view.
*Many of these poems are derived from observation. Have students create an observation log and then create a poem or poems based on their observations.

MONSTER MUSEUM By: Marilyn Singer

Bibliography
Singer, Marilyn. 2001. MONSTER MUSEUM. Ill. by Gris Grimly. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078680520X.

Plot Summary
MONSTER MUSEUM is a collection of poems about different types of monsters. The collection begins with an introduction to the museum which gives a glimpse of the monsters that you will be introduced to and then goes into poems about each type of monster. The collection ends with a short definition of each type of monster.

Critical Analysis
Marilyn Singer has created a collection of poems about different types of monsters. She is able to no only introduce many types of monsters but also poems with a variety of length and style. The poems also take a subject that can be somewhat scary for young children and creates a fun and humorous way of learning about the different types of monsters and their characteristics that have been passed down for generations. The language is simple and straightforward and aimed for an audience of children between the ages of 5-9. Finally, the different types of poems can be used to teach about rhyming, verse, and style or can be used as participatory poems to introduce children to poetry.

The fun and humorous illustrations really add to the positive language of the poetry. Gris Grimly has added full-page illustrations that are colorful and full of hidden fun including the two-headed rat, bat page numbers, and creepy chariacatures of the author and illustrator. He has also created monsters that are not as scary (for example the mummy with big red lips and long lashes and a werewolf that looks like an overgrown dog).

Overall, Singer and Grimly have created a book of monsters that not only introduces children to poetry but is also fun to read!

Review Excerpts
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Among the season's best creature features."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Another howling success for this versatile author."

Connections
*This is a great set of poems that can be used as a fun read and introduction to poetry around Halloween.
*Students could take something that scares them and create a humorous poem and illustration to make it seem less scary.
*Related books
Singer, Marilyn. CREATURE CARNIVAL. ISBN 0786810778
Singer, Marilyn. THE CIRCUS LUNICUS. ISBN 0805062688

AND THE GREEN GRASS GREW ALL AROUND: FOLK POETRY FROM EVERYONE By: Alvin Schwartz

Bibliography
Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. AND THE GREEN GRASS GREW ALL AROUND: FOLK POETRY FROM EVERYONE. Ill. Sue Truesdell. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 0060227575.

Plot Summary
Alvin Schwartz had a love for the rhymes he learned as a child. He then took these rhymes and compiled them with others he found in his research to create a book of folk poetry. Schwartz has broken these poems into many sections (people, food, school, teases and taunts, wishes and warnings, love and marriage, work, stories, nonsense, riddles, fun and games, rain and shine, a tree, animals and insects, and other things. The author then includes a section of notes and sources that provide the reader with the background to many of the well-known and loved folk poems.

Critical Analysis
Schwartz has created a book full of poems and rhymes that many people grew up with. It is interesting to see a poem that you remember from childhood that actually has more verses than you thought it did (for example, I had never heard all the verses to "On top of spaghetti") and then you can go and find information on how he found that particular rhyme and notes that he felt were important. By placing the rhymes in sections with headings and a short explanation, Schwartz has made it easier for the reader to find poems with a particular theme. Also, the addition of notes and sources creates a great history of folk poets and poem origins and backgrounds. These fun poems would be a great addition to a storytime or fun, short things to share with kids at anytime.

Sue Truesdale uses black and white cartoon style drawings to lend humor and fun to Schwartz's collection of folk poems. She also has a way of depicting literal meanings for some of the poems that also add to the humor of the words.

Overall, this book has a great mix of folk poems and humorous illustrations to create a fun reading experiment.

Review Excerpts
starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "A marvelous book that is sure to become a classic"
starred review in BOOKLIST: "The late Alvin Schwartz has left a joyful legacy in this collection of folk poetry for everyone to share."
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "It's hard to imagine a child who wouldn't greet this treasure trove with enthusiasm."

Connections:
*Combine teaching poems with actual lessons to create a fun and exciting way to learn. (Example: "Berries red, have no dread" poem from page 115)
*Use this book as an introduction to poetry for children because it uses short, humorous rhymes.
*The jump rope style poems could be joined with Jump Rope for Heart or other jump roping activity in Physical Education class to give the kids rhyming verses to sing and keep them motivated.
*Related books
Eccleshare, Julia and Selina Young. FIRST POEMS. ISBN 0872263738
Hall, Donald. THE OXFORD ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF AMERICAN CHILDREN'S POEMS. ISBN 1417607259.

SIX FOOLISH FISHERMEN By: Robert San Souci

Bibliography
San Souci, Robert D. 2000. SIX FOOLISH FISHERMEN. Ill. Doug Kennedy. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0786823356.

Plot Summary
The story of SIX FOOLISH FISHERMEN takes place in Louisiana and tells the story of six friends (Jules, Jacques, Jean, Ti-Paul, Philippe, and Pierre). The friends have a series of problems including not enough fishing poles, bait, food, and drink and they "lose" one of their friends during one of their trips. With the help of Pierre's wife, the friends all manage to make it home safely.

Critical Analysis
The author places this traditional tale, from Scandinavia to the Philipines, in the bayous of Louisiana. He adds a Cajun flair by giving the characters French names, interspersing English and French language, and adding traditional song to create a traditional tale with Creole appeal.

Doug Kennedy creates a transparent look in his illustrations by using acrylic on vellum. With the combination of facial features and gestures, color, and addition of funny frogs, he adds humor to this silly tale. He also creates wonderful characters by giving each their own distinctive look.

Overall, this story is definitely silly and has added Cajun elements to create a new culture for this traditional tale.

Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Definitely worth consideration for most collections."
BOOKLIST: "San Souci uses enough Cajun seasoning to enliven the retelling"
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "will put readers and listeners in stitches"

Connections
*Combine this story with other traditional tales set in the bayous of Louisiana and a book of Louisiana history to create a mini culture lesson.
*Read another version of SIX FOOLISH FISHERMEN and compare and contrast them.
*Discuss misunderstandings, while the ones in the story are outrageous, there are real misunderstandings that do happen. (for older students)
*Related books
Dunham, Terri Hoover. THE LEGEND OF PAPA NOEL: A CAJUN CHRISTMAS STORY. ISBN: 1585362565.
Elkin, Benjamin. SIX FOOLISH FISHERMEN. ISBN: 0590413775.

BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE By: Helen Ketteman

Bibliography
Ketteman, Helen. 1997. BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE: A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE. Ill. James Warhola. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590255061.

Plot Summary
BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE is a parody based on the traditional tale of Cinderella. Bubba is a hard working cowboy that works for his "wicked stepdaddy" and "hateful and lazy stepbrothers". Miz Lurleen is a beautiful and rich cowgirl that decides she wants to marry a cowboy that's "cute as a cow's ear". The story then progresses to the ball, entrance of the fairy godcow, and memorable midnight change where Bubba runs off leaving behind his boot. Miz Lurleen later finds Bubba and marries him to give the story its "happily ever after" ending.

Critical Analysis
This fractured fairy tale parodies the traditional view of Cinderella that most of us know by setting the tale in Texas. The author has minimal change from the overall story line and theme of "good conquering evil", but does change it by creating new characters (ie cowboy Cinderella, cowgirl prince, and fairy godcow), using Texan dialect, and integrating the wild west culture. By keeping the traditional storyline while changing the culture, the author has created a new twist on this traditional tale that has many different adaptations.

The illustrations in this novel really add to the setting change of the story. Warhola uses oil on canvas to create the colors and texture of the wild west (an example of this can be seen in his brush strokes and color used to create the desert type appearance of the ranch). The illustrator also uses his illustrations to help the reader understand character. This can be seen in his color choices of dark colors with striking red and hard chiseled features of the "wicked stepdaddy" and the bright, young, childlike appearance of Bubba. Finally, Warhola adds humor to his creations by adding armadillos, curly hair on the godcow, and wonderful facial features and gestures to humans and animals alike.

Overall, this is a wonderful parody of the original tale that can give humor as well as a change of gender views to young and old.

Review Excerpts
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship."
THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "upended fairy tales are pretty popular now, but this one has sass and pizzazz!"
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Just the ticket for buckaroos lookin' fer a good read."

Connections
*Collect several versions of the Cinderella tale and have students read one they have not ever seen before and research the culture. Then compare/contrast the new version to the one they remember from childhood.
*Find a Cinderella tale based on the culture from the area where you live. Read the story and discuss any cultural misrepresentations you find and discuss how that makes them feel.
*Compare and contrast other well known traditional tales by viewing different versions.
*I read this to a young girl (3-4yrs old) that was waiting on her sister to finish swimming lessons. She had a hard time with some of the dialect used by the author (ie "hoe-down", "duds", etc), but she LOVED the illustrations and made many comments about how funny they were.
*Related books
Cole, Babette. PRINCE CINDERS. ISBN: 0698115546.
Jackson, Ellen. CINDER EDNA. ISBN: 0688162959.
Ketteman, Helen. WAYNETTA AND THE CORNSTALK: A TEXAS FAIRY TALE. ISBN: 0807586870.

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by: Brian Selznick

Bibliography
Selznick, Brian. 2007. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Ill. by Brian Selznick. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439813786

Plot Summary
This book is a story about life's purpose and the path to finding where you belong. Hugo Cabret is a preteen boy that had to go live with his drunken uncle after his clock maker father died. Hugo is forced to work as his uncle's apprentice (even though he actually does all of the work) at the Train Station and to steal in order to survive. When his uncle goes missing Hugo runs away, ending up at the museum where his father died, only to realize that he has no where else to go. He finds the automaton his father was working on when he died and takes it back to the station with him where he is determined to fix it in hopes that it will give him a message from his father.

The boy steals mechanical toys from the toy store, in order to fix his machine, and is caught by the bitter, old owner. He works for the toy maker to pay back what he has stolen and to get back his notebook with the drawings to complete the automaton. He later finds out that the man was a famous magician and filmmaker. The boy later gets in trouble for stealing and the old man rescues him and makes him a part of his family. So, Hugo found his place in the world and his love of magic and machines.

Critical Analysis
Brian Selznick uses a combination of black/white pencil illustrations and text to create a unique book. This book seems daunting with its 523 pages, however, it is mostly illustrations. The author/illustrator has used brief text followed by several illustrations to tell his story. The text is informational and gives the reader some of the detail that they may miss if only give the illustrations.

Selznick's illustrations are very detailed and range from pages with minimal objects to very busy. However, the detail within each illustration is vivid and apparent. The reader could almost get the whole story line from the illustrations themselves. Selznick's ability to create light, dark, and shadow based on the cross hatch drawing technique gives depth to each of his drawings. The author/illustrator also used some of Georges Melies (the old toymaker) original artwork in order to tell his story.

Overall, I feel that this is a beautifully made book that creates visually stimulating illustrations with brief text to create a book genre between picture book and graphic novel.

Review Excerpts
Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "This is a masterful narrative that readers can literally manipulate."
BOOKLIST: "Bookmaking this ambitious demands and deserves attention"
Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Here is a true masterpiece"

Connections
*You can use this book to discuss how illustrations can tell a story.
*Have students create a story using illustrations to tell most of the action.
*Have students look at illustrations in THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. Then have them write what they think the story is about. Finally, read the story and the text and see how well they were able to interpret Selznick's illustrations.
*Related Books:
Selznick, Brian. THE BOY OF A THOUSAND FACES. ISBN 0060262656
Selznick, Brian. THE HOUDINI BOX. ISBN 1416968784

THE PIGEON WANTS A PUPPY! By: Mo Willems

Bibliography
Willems, Mo. 2008. THE PIGEON WANTS A PUPPY! Ill. by Mo Willems. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 1423109600

Plot Summary
Mo Willems tells a story about a pigeon that really wants a puppy. He goes from telling how he wants a puppy to describing how he will take care of it. Finally, when the pigeon is confronted with a real puppy he gets scared and changes his mind.

Critical Analysis
Willems uses a conversation type narrative by having the pigeon speak directly to the readers. He uses short sentences, exclamation points, and sentences in all capital letters to show emotion in his writing. He also uses questions and cues (ie his discussion of how to care for the puppy) to allow readers to respond and/or guess what is going to happen next. By using these methods the author is able to convey meaning and emotion and gain reader interaction through text.

Willems's simple drawings are fun and imaginative. He uses text bubbles, facial expressions, gestures, and color to convey emotions throughout the book. This method correlates with the text and help sthe reader truely understand the emotions that he wants to convey. It is also interesting that the author/illustrator made good use of the endpages by having the beginning show shipping boxes that show the pigeon getting a dog and the end showing shipping boxes that show a walrus (the pigeon's new choice for a pet).

Overall, this is a well-written book that engages the reader in pigeon's pursuit of a puppy where the marriage of text and illustration form a complete vision.

Review Excerpts
BOOKLIST: "Once again, kids will reach the story's end wondering what Pigeon will want next."
100 SCOPE NOTES: "An outstanding example of humor, story, and illustration all working together."
Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Willems hilariously expressive illustrations and engaging text are cinematic in their interplay."

Connections
*You can discuss Mo Willems and compare him to other illustrators that convey emotion through color
*Compare/contrast simple illustrations and ones that are very detailed (ie Mo Willems and Chris Van Allsburg) and discuss which method is better or when you would use detailed illustrations versus simple illustrations.
*Gather several of the Pigeon books. Have students look through Pigeon's different adventures. Then have them create a character and have them write/illustrate an adventure for their character.
*Related Books
Willems, Mo. DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS. ISBN 078681988X
Willems, Mo. DON'T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE. ISBN 0786837462

A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL by: Leonard S. Marcus

Bibliography
Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SIX ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. New York, NY: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802786588.

Plot Summary
Leonard Marcus begins this book by giving a brief history of the Caldecott Medal, and then delves into a brief story about six winners of the prestigious medal (one per decade). The six winners included are Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allburg, and David Wiesner. Marcus takes the reader through each winners background and the journey of the creation of their award winning books. Each selection highlights a different perspective of illustration and style.

Critical Analysis
Marcus uses a simple story type narrative to reveal biographical information regarding the winners and their path to the medal. In his descriptions, he tells how each author created their award winning book. He includes interesting sidelines (i.e. Marcia Brown's reasons for choosing the Perault version of Cinderella over the Brothers Grimm version and how Robert McCloskey purchased ducks as pets, letting them roam around his aprtment so he could sketch them) and thumbnails and storyboards of early sketches.

It was interesting to note the different styles of illustration that each winner used including Maurice Sendak's dummy books and how he colored all the same color throughout the book at one time to keep from having different colors on different pages and how Chris Van Alssburg used differing vantage points to lend detail to his stories. Overall, Marcus createde a book "illustrating" illustrators creations in a way that is interesting for young and old alike.

Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "So many good stories for children and adults to enjoy."
Starred review in BOOKLIST: "A beautifully made book"
THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "Eminently Satisfying."

Connections
*This book could be a way of introducing the Caldecott Medal to students and the work that went into creating award winning books.
*Art teachers could use this book to show the different styles of illustration.
*Teachers could use this book to talk about author/illustrators and help students create their own books.
*Other books for children about illustrators:
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. ARTIST TO ARTIST: 23 MAJOR ILLUSTRATORS TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR ART. ISBN 0399246002.
Evans, Dilys. SHOW AND TELL: EXPLORING THE FINE ART OF CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATION. ISBN 0811849716.
Marcus, Leonard. A CALDECOTT CELEBRATION: SEVEN ARTISTS AND THEIR PATHS TO THE CALDECOTT MEDAL. ISBN 0802797032.