Porch Lies by Patricia C. Mckissack

(Book Cover: McKissack, Patricia M. 2006. New York: Random House. Ill. Andre Carrilho. Photo Source: Barnes and Noble Online Catalog. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Porch-Lies/Pat-McKissack/e/9780375836190, accessed September 14, 2008.)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: McKissack, Patricia. 2006. Porch lies: tales of slicksters, tricksters, and other wily characters. Ill. André Carrilho. New York: Random House. ISBN-13: 978-0-375-83619-0 (trade). ISBN–13: 978-0-375-93619-7 (lib. bdg.).

2. PLOT SUMMARY: This book is a collection of tales that the author affectionately refers to as porch lies. These are exaggerated tales that might be heard told on any front porch in the deep South. These are African American tales that have been drawn from the stories told by the author’s grandfather. They are derived from the “myths, legends and historical figures” that appear in African American lore (McKissack 2006, xi). Each individual story has its own plot. Each story involves one primary character (the slickster, trickster or other wily character) who is using trickery to meet his or her desires. In the beginning of the book, Pete Bruce tricks “Mama” into serving him all of her cream pie without paying a dime for it (McKissack 2006, 1). The second story finds Mingo Cass never paying for anything because he only has a $100 bill and no one can break it to give him change (McKissack 2006, 8). Another story finds the protagonist fighting off the devil (McKissack 2006, 18) and another keeps the demons at bay using an “earth bone” which is nothing but a rock (McKissack 2006, 108).

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The stories in Porch lies have a moral to them and many have some religious aspect to them. They have “good guys” and “bad guys” and the good guys always win. Some show how sly people can be while others show how people thought to be “bad” might actually be "good".. The thing that brings all these stories together is the African American culture that is brought forth in every story told. The characters in these stories are all African American. They are all very dynamic characters who do much more than serve as symbols for the representation of good or evil. Each story has a protagonist that is truly a slickster, trickster or wily character.

These stories are narrated through the characters and language of African Americans living in places such as Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and Tennessee. These characters are very much the stereotypical African Americans living several generations ago. The stereotypical aspect of Porch lies is very strong. For example, Ms. McKissack includes a great deal of stereotypical slang, such as “Why you call yo’self such a name?” and “cause I whups little boys what skips school” (McKissack 2006, 101). This language is so strong throughout that some people from non-African American ethnic and cultural backgrounds might find reading these stories aloud to an audience uncomfortable. On the other hand, for African Americans, these stories may strike a very familiar chord and bring back memories of their own families, particularly grandparents or great-grand-parents who lived during the times these stories allegedly took place.

The style of the book takes a bit of getting used to. Each story is prefaced with words from the author about the background of the story, where it came from and who might have told it. Some of these prefaces were interesting and flow easily into the beginning of the tale while others seem disjointed and fail to lead the reader into the story. Ms. McKissack, however, did an overall good job of making the reader feel like they could be sitting next to her on a front porch of a house in Tennessee listening to these tales.

The illustrations done by André Carrilho are beautiful. Except for the book jacket art, all artwork in the book is black and white. Each story has only one illustration. The illustration is strategically placed within the context of the story so that the words and the illustration mirror each other. After reading a few stories, the reader anticipates seeing what the next story’s illustration will be. The single illustration per story is somewhat like only getting to eat one piece of candy per day. You can’t wait to eat that piece and to savor its taste. These illustrations are something to be savored!

Overall, this book would be wonderful for anyone learning African American culture. It is a good book for young people becaus the stories provide good moral lessons and demonstrate the goodness of character in people.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

THE HORN BOOK, 82, no. 5, (Sept./Oct. 2006): 592-93: “Grandly melodramatic black-and-white illustrations capture the mood of the stories and the flavor of the period.” (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS, 60, no. 2 (Oct. 2006) 84-5: “The collection would also make a great curricular tie-in with units on African-American history and folklore, or trickster tales generally." (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

BOOKLIST (05/15/2006): “History is always in the background (runaway slaves, segregation cruelty, white-robed Klansmen), and in surprising twists and turns that are true to trickster tradition, the weak and exploited beat powerful oppressors with the best lies ever told.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (09/01/2006): “Carrilho’s eerie black-and-white illustrations, dramatically off-balance, lit by moonlight, and elongated like nightmares, are well-matched with the stories.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
* During Black History Month (February), these stories could be read aloud to students and discussion could be had about the historical topics that are referenced in the stories such as the underground railroad, runaway slaves and the Ku Klux Klan.
* The librarian could invite storytellers, or perhaps grandparents of students, to come into the library to share their own porch stories.

Other Related Items:

McKissack, Patricia C. 1992. The dark thirty: southern tales of the supernatural. Ill. Brian Pinkney. New York: Knopf.

Miller, E. Ethelbert, ed. 1994. In search of color everywhere: a collection of African-American poetry. Ill. Terrance Cummings. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

Greenfield, Eloise. 1978. Honey, I love: and other love poems. Ill. Diane and Leo Dillon. New York: HarperCollins.

A Cinderella Story

(Book Cover: Lowell, Susan. 2000. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Photo Source: Harper Collins Publishers official website. http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060274467/Cindy_Ellen/index.aspx, accesssed September 14, 2008.)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. Ill. Jane Manning. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. ISBN 0-439-27006-5

2. PLOT SUMMARY: Cindy Ellen, a cowgirl if ever there was one, finds herself living with a new stepmother and three mean stepsisters somewhere “west of the Mississippi”. They treat her horribly. She is feeling as “down and dirty as a flop-eared hound dog” when her fairy godmother arrives to save the day. With the help of her fairy godmother’s unique spell casting, Cindy Ellen changes her appearance and goes off to meet a handsome, rich cowboy. At midnight, the spell rubs off and Cindy Ellen runs away. These events happen on two occasions. On the second evening, Cindy Ellen drops her diamond spur when she is racing away. The cowboy finds it and goes all over the territory looking for the woman whose cowboy boot fits the spur. He ultimately finds Cindy Ellen and with a quick “Whingo! Whango! Ka-zing!” the fairy godmother changes Cindy Ellen into a beautiful girl again and the couple rides off, “just hitched!” into the sunset.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Cindy Ellen is a fractured fairy tale derived from the more traditional, well-known Cinderella fairy tale. The characters in Cindy Ellen are the traditional Cinderella characters, father, daughter, stepmother, stepsisters, godmother and the handsome, wealthy prince. The characters in Cindy Ellen have taken on a western style which is evidenced throughout by the illustrations as well as the colorful and stereotypical language used by the author. The setting of Cindy Ellen is the Wild West, which is evident by the title of the book as well as the illustrations and wording used. The theme of Cindy Ellen, as with all Cinderella stories, is that it pays to be a nice girl. The mean people of the world don’t win the most coveted prizes.

Susan Lowell has masterfully altered, parodied and perhaps, in some locales, modernized the characters, setting and language of the traditional tale of Cinderella. Cindy Ellen is a modern day, freckle face girl who is not afraid to show some “gumption”. The godmother, too, has got some sass about her. She has the best lines in the book. When the godmother works her magic to send Cindy Ellen off to the rodeo she says: “hit the trail, honey! Remember, there ain’t no horse that can’t be rode and there ain’t no man that can’t be throwed!” When Cindy Ellen asks the godmother if she can help Cindy Ellen go to the rodeo, the godmother answers “maybe sí, maybe no”. This language, while showing the sassy nature of the godmother, also gives reference to the setting of the story being somewhere near the U.S.-Mexico border. Ms. Lowell uses stereotypical western language throughout the book with words like “orneriest”, “wrangled and roped”, “gumption” and “stove-up”. She also fills the book with stereotypical western culture such as rodeos, Stetson hats, big belt buckles and trick roping. While most in the United States would see these stereotypes as outlandish references to days gone by, there are areas in Texas and the southwestern United States where these stereotypes are not so farfetched.

Jane Manning brings all of these words and western stereotypes onto the pages in her colorful watercolor illustrations. The terra cotta landscapes with saguaro cactus and rock canyon walls create a setting for the book in the southwestern part of the United States. The illustrations pop out from this background thanks to the colors used for the clothing and the bright eyes and faces of the people. One wonderful aspect of the illustrations in Cindy Ellen is the inclusions of the small animals that watch the story unfold. These creatures are very expressive, showing fear of the stepmother, curiosity at the magic of the godmother, wonder at the transformation of Cindy Ellen into a beautiful cowgirl and happiness when Cindy Ellen and the cowboy ride off into the sunset.

Magic is a motif that runs throughout Cindy Ellen. It is cleverly expressed in the illustration with the indication of sparkles and swirls of light. It is also expressed in the typesetting of the book when the magic words of the godmother are printed in capital letters and turned at angles of an estimated 30 degrees. You can see the magic words on the page without ever having to read a word on the page.

A page about western lore is included at the back of the book. This page is a wonderful addition to the book and could be used by teachers for further teaching of western culture. Overall, I believe that Susan Lowell’s writing style and the beautiful artwork of Jane Manning make Cindy Ellen a book that should last through the ages.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 45, no. 6, (June 2000): 134: “The text is lengthy for a picture book, but is told in language as lively, colorful, and detailed as the watercolor illustrations, and is a delight to read aloud.” (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, (June 19, 2000): “Lowell's savory slang adds punch to this tale, which stresses the fairy godmother's message that ‘magic is plumb worthless without gumption’.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

KIRKUS REVIEWS, (May 1, 2000): “From the author of The Bootmaker and the Elves (1997), another ripsnortin' Western take on a traditional fairy tale”. (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)


5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
• 4TH grade students in Texas must learn about Texas history. Cowboys, their clothing, their language and rodeos are all part of Texas history. Ideas for use with 4th graders include:
O Spelling and vocabulary unit using the western language in the book
O Research on the western lore that is described at the end of the book
O Art projects using watercolors
O Teach the traditional dance of square dancing
O Make a classroom alphabet/dictionary type book using the words of the book. For example, for “g”, children could use the word gumption and be required to define the word and use it in a completely new sentence. They could then decorate the page. Pages could either be displayed or put together for a class book.
• For grades 4-8, this book could be read as an introduction to readers theatre. Then, students could then read, learn and perform The Really, Really, Really True Story of Cinderella from Anthony D. Fredericks’ Frantic Frogs and Other Frankly Fractured Folktales for Readers Theatre. (Fredericks 1993, 69)


Other related books:

There are many other related books, however, one of my favorite is Cinderhazel: The cinderella of Halloween by Deborah N. Lattimore. (Lattimore 2002)

Tomie dePaola - Storyteller and Illustrator

(Book Cover: dePaola, Tomie. 1978. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Photo Source: Tomie dePaola Online Bookstore. http://www.everythingtomie.com/, accessed September 14, 2008.)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: dePaola, Tomie. The clown of God. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978. ISBN 0-15-219175-5

2. PLOT SUMMARY: Giovanni is an orphaned, homeless child whose skill of juggling helped him survive well into adulthood. Throughout the story, Giovanni juggles for townspeople across Italy to earn his living. He juggles an array of items concluding with colorful balls, including a gold ball which Giovanni calls the “Sun in the Heavens”. Eventually the townspeople tire of him to such an extent that they throw vegetables and stones at him. He is old, sad, tired and hungry so he decides to take off his clown face and go home to Sorrento. He returns and goes into a church to sleep and be out of the cold. He wakes up to townspeople singing and bringing gifts to place in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary holding an unsmiling Holy Child in her lap. It is Christmas morning. Giovanni, remembering how his juggling always made people smile, decides that juggling is the only gift he has to give. He puts his clown face on and juggles beautifully in front of the statue. As he completes his performance, he collapses and dies at the foot of the statue. Miraculously, as Giovanni lay dead at the foot of the statute, the Holy Child has a smile on his face and is holding the "Sun of the Heavens" gold ball.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: For those not familiar with this legend, the first and last pages of the book provide valuable background information about the story. The first page identifies the story as originally a French legend which Tomie dePaola has retold in the setting of Sorrento, Italy at the beginning of the Renaissance period. This is the period the legend is thought to have originated. The back page tells the reader that Mr. dePaola researched the clothing, scenery and customs of the Renaissance period in order to illustrate the book. Further information is given about the drawing of the statue of the Madonna and Child. The picture is one of a statue that would have existed prior to the Renaissance. Mr. dePaola thought that in the Renaissance time period, the statue in the church would have been an older, more revered carving and would not have been a new statue. This is a good example of the kind or research and detailed thinking Mr. dePaola puts into his work.

The character of Giovanni is representative of a simple, talented person who goes about his life working hard to make his own living while affecting others in positive ways. Giovanni’s hard work and talent (i.e. juggling) is seen by Giovanni as something he enjoys, as entertainment and something that can earn him a living. The story, however, teaches that hard work and talent can be much more than what they appear. They can be something that gives glory to God and ultimately, are gifts to God. This is the not-so-subtle theme of this legend.

The plot moves along swiftly from Giovanni’s life as a poor young boy, to a famous traveling juggler, to an old man who has lived out his usefulness as a performer. While the plot seems very predictable for the majority of the story, the ending comes as a bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful ending teaching the lesson that Giovanni’s hard work and talent as a juggler was as pleasing to God as it had been to the masses he had entertained throughout his life.

The story of Giovanni’s life also teaches something about the culture in Italy in the 1400s. Reference is made to food, particularly fruit, being sold in the streets. The book describes the traveling troupe of performers that went from village to village as entertainment for the masses. It makes references to dukes and princes living during that time who were also entertained by men like Giovanni. Finally, it describes the masses of people that would come to church on Christmas day to lay gifts at the feet of the statue of the Virgin Mary and Child. These cultural elements are understated in the story but clearly are representative of the Italian culture during the time and could easily be expounded on through further lessons.

Mr. dePaola is said to have researched around the world for the details of the paintings included in the book (dePaola 1978, book jacket). The drawings of the monks are likely influenced from Mr. dePaola’s own experience as part of an order of brothers (Ibid.). The illustrations are well placed and the pictures beautifully enhance the printed words on the page. The detail Mr. dePaola puts in his illustrations is shown when the juggler is juggling seven colored balls. The balls are always perfect in shape and color. In each of the numerous pictures showing the balls, there are seven balls. When Giovanni dies, he is lying on the floor with seven balls. When the monk notices that the Holy Child is smiling with the gold ball in his hands, the picture of Giovanni only has six balls lying next to it. Thus, one could infer, God picked up the ball and placed it in the Holy Child’s hand. This is the type of detail that Mr. dePaola puts into each page of this book.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
KIRKUS REVIEWS, (09/01/1978): “…it's easy to be enticed by de Paola's early, pastel street scenes, and when the miracles come along his unprepossessing figures and warm familiarity help cut the piety.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

THE HORN BOOK (date unknown): “The full-color pictures with subtle tonal modulations are an integral part of the design of the luminous pages full of movement and vitality.” (Source: Amazon Editorial Reviews/Product Description, http://www.amazon.com/Clown-God-Tomie-dePaola/dp/0156181924/, accessed September 29, 2008)

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
• Read along cassette (dePaola, 1980). dePaola, Tomie. 1980. The clown of God. Weston Woods Studios, Inc.)
• Video Recording (dePaola, 1980 – dePaola, Tomie. 1980. The clown of God. Weston Woods Studios, Inc.)
• Weston Woods Studios has a great lesson plan online for the use of the video recording and the book. It can be found at http://www.dcmp.org/guides/10091.pdf/, (accessed September 29, 2008). It states the academic standards that can be covered, instructional goals, vocabulary list, activities and much more. A wonderful resource for teachers or librarians.

Other Related Items:

Tomie dePaola’s Official Website, http://www.tomie.com/, (accessed September 29, 2008). (Very user friendly. Children will find it fascinating.)

FLOTSAM by David Wiesner

(Book Cover: Wiesner, David. 2006. New York: Clarion Books. Picture Source: Official Website of Houghton Mifflin Books. 2008. http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/wiesner/books/books_flotsam.shtml , accessed September 8, 2008).

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Wiesner, David. 2006. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 13: 978-0-618-19457-5. ISBN: 10: 0-618-19457-6.

2. PLOT SUMMARY: This is a story about a boy who is out for a day at the beach with his parents. His plan for the day is to closely examine, with the help of magnifying glass and microscope, the items that wash upon the beach (a.k.a. Flotsam). An old underwater camera washes ashore and through extremely careful examination and analysis of its contents, the boy discovers the history of the camera: Where it’s been, what it’s seen and who has been holding the same camera throughout the years. He realizes, at the end of the day, that he is part of the camera’s history and that he must follow the steps taken by others to record his own part in the history and to pass it along to the next child.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Through pictures alone, this award winning author and illustrator cleverly weaves a complex tale of discovery and understanding. The characters in this book are not all humans and animals. The camera and the photos it contains on film are really the main characters of this book. A magnifying glass and microscope are also primary characters in this book for without them, the story cannot be told. The story can only be fully developed by the boy’s examination of the photos. In addition to photos of undersea life, the boy discovers a photo of a girl holding a photo of boy, holding a photo of a boy, holding a photo of a boy, and so on. To see these photos of all the children within each photo, the boy uses the microscope and increases the power on the microscope to see more and more detail. The illustrations show the magnitude of the microscope by the use of powers: 10x, 25x, 40x, 55x, 70x. This is one detail that children might miss and would likely need to be explained.

The composition of this book is well thought out. This thought to composition starts with the cover of the book, which is a drawing of a red fish with a close up on its eye. The cover also has an alternative interpretation. One can easily see the cover as being the lens of a camera. This attention to detail continues inside the book. On some pages, the illustrations are enclosed by comic strip-like boxes placed around each illustration. These boxes help to move the reader’s eye along the page to view the drawings in an orderly fashion. Without these boxes, the story could not be told without additional pages being needed. These boxed drawings contain the background information needed to understand the full meaning of the story. The boxed drawings also cause the reader to realize that drawings of one or two pages are significant. The reader then spends a bit more time examining the link between the smaller illustrations and the larger illustrations. If such detail had not been paid to the composition of the book, the impact of the story would be lost.

The book contains diversity among characters but only to the extent that the minor characters have various ethnic backgrounds. The main human character is a blond, blue eyed Caucasian boy who is at a beach most probably situated along the eastern shores of the United States. All of the characters at the beach are also Caucasians. The diversity comes from the characters shown in the pictures developed from the camera. The children shown in these pictures are so diverse that it is hard to know where they are from. They could be from Japan, Norway, Africa, Jamaica, England, France, Brazil and the list could go on. These illustrations are intended to show the travels of the camera around the world but they also show the diversity of people around the world.

The illustrations of people are used to show the passage of time by the way the children are dressed. In the final illustration of children found in the pictures developed from the camera, a boy, standing on the beach with waves lapping at his feet, is dressed in knickers, socks and shoes, a vest and a jacket. The women surrounding him on the beach are dressed in long flowing dresses with long sleeved blouses. It appears this photo might have been taken sometime in the early 1900s. The passage of time is also depicted by the use of color. The book is entirely in color except for four black and white pictures of children found within the camera. The illustrator indicates that these pictures are some of the oldest in the camera by the black and white color but also by the indication that these pictures are seen through higher and higher magnification.

Interspersed among the main story of the humans is the story of the underwater life. These ocean scenes show familiar sea creatures doing very unfamiliar, human-like things. These illustrations are cleverly created to keep the child’s attention and to cause an examination of each page to see what human-like activities are involved. There is an illustration of an octopus family sitting in a living room with the father octopus reading to the younger generation while their pet fish swim in the fish bowl. Another depicts a puffer fish floating above the sea like a hot air balloon with fish, in a basket attached to it, taking a ride. This is only a sampling of the dozen or so pictures representing the underwater world and the camera’s existence when out of human hands.

In the end, the boy realizes the long history of the camera and devises a way in which he can become a part of it by taking a picture of himself holding the photo of the photo of the last child who found the camera. He tosses the camera back into the ocean, it goes on a journey through the oceans thanks to the ocean creatures and eventually washes ashore to be found by another child.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
(Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

THE HORN BOOK, 82, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2006): “The meticulous and rich detail of Wiesner's watercolors makes the fantasy involving and convincing; children who enjoyed scoping out Banyai's Zoom books and Lehman's The Red Book will keep a keen eye on this book about a picture of a picture of a picture of a....”

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, 111, no. 46 (November 12, 2006): "Wiesner's detailed watercolors make the absurd wonderfully believable, his graphic storytelling sense is sure and swift; …”

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS, 60, no. 1 (Sept. 2006) 44-5: “There are a multitude of appeals in the story--the fanciful undersea world, the kids-only secret, the web of connections across time and distance--and Wiesner's cinematic visual narrative fills the story out cunningly…”

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
-- Use for critical analysis of photos. Good for “what do you see” discussions
-- Use in middle school for a science class studying tide currents. Ask children to try to determine where each child in each photo might be from based on where tide currents would take the camera.
-- Use for writing exercise. Let children write captions for each page.
-- Use as example for children to make there own story using only pictures.

Other related books:

Burns, Loree Griffin. 2007. Tracking trash: flotsam, jetsam, and the science of ocean motion. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin.

Moss, Jeff. 1989. A lot of kids. In The butterfly jar, 95. New York: Bantam Books.

A Book Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

(Book Cover: Willems, Mo. 2006. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. Source of picture: Barnes and Noble online catalog. 2008. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Edwina-the-Dinosaur-Who-Didnt-Know-She-Was-Extinct/Mo-Willems/e/9780786837489/?itm=19, accessed September 5, 2008).

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Willems, Mo. 2006. Edwina, the dinosaur who didn't know she was extinct. 2006. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0-7868-3748-9.

2. PLOT SUMMARY: A small town's friendly neighborhood dinosaur, Edwina, is happy going about her life, enriching the lives of towns people, until the protagonist, the town know-it-all, Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie, takes it upon himself to teach the town, and Edwina, that dinosaurs are extinct. He gets very upset because no one in town will listen to him or take him seriously. Edwina, being the nice dinosaur that she is, agrees to listen fully to Reginald's persuasive speech explaining why dinosaurs are extent. Reginald was very convincing and very satisfied to have someone actually listen to him. The facts, although convincing, changed nothing for Edwina. She just didn't care. Reginald realized that he didn't care either. He gives up his crusade to educate the town and he happily sits in Edwina's kitchen while she bakes cookies for him.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This book is one that elementary aged children will enjoy because of the simple, illustrations of a lovable dinosaur and one with which children can identify. Most children can identify with the townspeople who ignore Reginald because they have had experiences with the "know-it-all" kind of person at one time or another. It is likely that children have had the experience of ignoring kids such as Reginald. On the other side of the coin, most children have experienced the strong feeling of needing to tell what they know or convince someone of a fact that they know to be true. They can relate to Reginald and the frustration he feels when no one will listen.

There are, however, two themes running through the book that children may not be familiar with. The first, and most important theme of this story, is that no one person has the power to upset another person's life. If someone says things that are hurtful, the best course of action is to not react. Saying " I just don't care" takes all the power away from that person so that life can continue unencumbered. Eventually, the person who is being hurtful will give up and decide he or she doesn't care either. The second theme is that sometimes a person desperately needs to have someone else listen to what he or she has to say. It is important to realize that stopping and listening to someone can make an important difference to that person.

The illustrations are simple line drawings that may be familiar to children from reading other Mo Willems books. In fact, the characters Knuffle Bunny and Pigeon can be spotted among the pages of this book by those familiar with Willems' work. Knuffle Bunny is tucked inside a woman's purse and Pigeon's picture is posted on a bulletin board and also on a child's t-shirt. Like these characters, Edwina is easily lovable. She is a large green dinosaur that has human characteristics (pearl necklace, hat and purse). The characters representing the town's people are diverse in shape, size, gender, culture, age and occupation. Mr. Willems seems to have covered all bases when it comes to diversity except for the representation of someone with disabilities. This would be an easy and welcome addition to this book.

The illustrations are printed in color with the interspersing of black and white pictures. There is a purposeful use of this color and black and white structure. When reading the book, these drawings seem akin to fast forwarding through a recorded television program. The reader easily sees what the character is doing but the nature of the pictures, and their placement on the page, represent movement. Specifically, they represent movement throughout a day or night. All black and white drawings occur before the plot climax (when Reginald finally convinces Edwina that dinosaurs are extinct). All illustrations after this climax are in color.

Mr. Willems cleverly uses line to create movement among the characters. These lines can best be described as two brackets [ex: (( or ))] that are placed next to anything that is moving. For example, when Reginald brushes his teeth, when children dance, when Reginald hits a gong and so forth. This is just another example of why Mo Willems is a master at picture books.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
(Source: Book Index with Reviews, EBSCO Host Database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

KIRKUS REVIEWS, 08/01/2006: "The just-right resolution is a tribute to the child's rock-solid faith in how the world should be, not how it really is."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 09/01/2006: "Aesthetically, this is neither as elegantly designed as Willems’ “Pigeon” books (Hyperion) nor as bold a departure as his Knuffle Bunny (Hyperion, 2004), but it will nonetheless please the author’s many fans. The added pleasure of finding Knuffle Bunny and Pigeon in the illustrations is an unexpected bonus.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, 07/17/2006: "... the book comments on polite debate and helps raise useful questions. Is there such a thing as too much knowledge? Can popular notions be challenged? Should we listen to others, even when we don't agree?"

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:

-- This book could be used as an introduction to a science unit about dinosaurs. Research skills, presentation and communication skills could also be taught. The children could examine other books that discuss how dinosaurs became extinct and then as a presentation tool, each child (or groups of children) could play the part of Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie and try to convince Edwina that she doesn't exist. In each presentation, the other children could be given the role of Edwina and the townspeople. If allowed, cookies could be provided on the day of presentations.

-- Great book to read to a class if someone in class is being a know-it-all or if someone is being bullied. Discussion can be had on how to just walk away and say "I don't care".

Other related books and music:

-- Silverstein, Shel. 1996. The voice. In Falling up, 38. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

-- Kelly, Paul A. and Doug Macleod. 2003. Ode to an extinct dinosaur. In Howlin' at the moon. Internet: Walking Oliver Productions. http://www.walkingoliver.com/story-106,Ode+to+an+Extinct+Dinosaur.htm, accessed September 14, 2008.

Creating Children's Picture Books

(Book Cover: Cummings, Pat. 1992. New York: Bradbury Press. Photo Source: Pat Cummings' Official Website. 2008. http://patcummings.com/book-set.html, accessed September 5, 2008.)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Cummings, Pat, comp. and ed. 1992. Talking with artists: Conversations with Victoria Chess, Pat Cummings, Leo and Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Lois Ehlert, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Tom Feelings, Steven Kellogg, Jerry Pinkney, Amy Schwartz, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner. New York: Bradbury Press. ISBN 0-02-724245-5.

2. PLOT SUMMARY: Quite often children wonder how someone came to have a particular job and what life is like when you have a certain job. This book answers those questions as they relate to fourteen well known children’s book illustrators. Each illustrator presents a short story of his/her life and then answers eight questions relating to the job of illustrator or their life as an illustrator.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The format of this book is very repetitious, which makes it an easy read for children. It is also divided so that a teacher or librarian could focus on only one of the illustrators without reading the entire book to a group of children. For each illustrator, there is a short biographical introduction, written in the illustrators own words. These introductions focus on the life of the illustrator as a child and throughout the years leading up to the start of the illustrator’s career. Following each introduction is a question and answer section where the illustrators are each asked the same eight questions. These questions are the type of questions children would ask, such as: “What is a normal day like for you?” and “How did you get your first book?” The answers to these questions are as varied as the artwork these illustrators produce and move the reader from page to page to find out how the next illustrator will answer these questions.

A fascinating part of this book for a reader of any age is the inclusion of a variety of artwork from each illustrator. For each illustrator, there is at least one item from the illustrator’s childhood and one item from a children’s book he or she illustrated. These illustrations can make a positive impact on a child who has artistic ability and is wondering how they can ever use that ability.

A nice addition to the book is a glossary of art terms and a list of each artist’s five most favorite books they have illustrated. However, the location of these at the end of the book is unfortunate as they can easily be overlooked. The list of illustrators’ favorite books is especially misplaced. It is much better suited to be the ninth item in the Q&A section of the book. Such addition in the main part of the book may have caused a problem with the placement of text on each page and may have led to the decision to include this fascinating bit of information in a manner that seems sadly like an afterthought.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

(Source: Book Index with Reviews, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 03/16/1992: “Unfortunately, the often poignant reminiscences and outstanding talent on display cannot overcome the book's unimaginative layout and distractingly pragmatic text.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 05/01/1992: “Young artists will learn a lot; teachers and other children will also love it.”
BOOKLIST, 05/01/1992: “But what kids will love best is the picture of each artist as a child and the sampling of childhood artwork.”

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL SETTING:

-- This book and others by Pat Cummings could be used as a way to introduce a particular illustrator. Each illustrator’s “conversation” could be read to children and then a book illustrated by the artist could then be read to the children.

-- Alternatively, instead of reading a book illustrated by the artist, a display of all books in the library which are illustrated by the artist could be put on display so that children could check the books out. This book would work very well in a school library setting where there are only a handful of books illustrated by each author because for each class that came into the library a different illustrator could be featured.

-- This book can be used by art teachers as inspiration for older children who exhibit artistic ability. It can be used to encourage the student to continue to pursue their artistic abilities and to show the student one way in which artists make a living.

Books by illustrators featured in this book:

- Aardema, Verna. 1975. Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears. Ill. Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Dial Press.

- Boyd, Herb and Robert L. Allen, eds. 1996. Brotherman: the odyssey of black men in America. Ill. Tom Feelings. New York: One World.

- Caines, Jeanette. 1999. Just us women. Ill. Pat Cummings. New York: Harper & Row.

- Daniel, Claire. 1999. The chick that wouldn't hatch. Ill. Lisa Campbell Ernst. California: Harcourt Brace.

- Ehlert, Lois. 1992. Circus. New York: HarperCollins.

- Flournoy, Valerie. 1985. The patchwork quilt. Ill. Jerry Pikney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

- Kellogg, Stephen. 1988. Johnny Appleseed. New York: Morrow Junior Books.

- Prelutsky, Jack. 1980. Rolling Harvey down the hill. Ill. Victoria Chess. New York: Greenwillow Books.

- Scieszka, Jon. 1992. The stinky cheese man. Ill. Lane Smith. New York: Viking.

- Schwartz, Amy. 2006. Oscar: The big adventure of a little sock monkey. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.

- VanAllsburg, Chris. 1981. Jumanji. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

- Wiesner, David. 2001. The three pigs. New York: Clarion Books.

- Yorinks, Arthur.1986. Hey Al. Ill. Richard Egielski. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.