Tag: Discussion

The Stories Julian Tells

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StoriesJulianTells

Image Credit: Bullseye Books (Alfred A. Knopf), Ann Cameron/Ann Strugnell

The Stories Julian Tells is fantastic. It’s a story full of poetic lines, vibrant imagery and is simply magical. It opens with Julian and Huey’s father making a lemon pudding for their mother; you’ve never seen such enthusiastic cooking! He says “Leave the pudding alone!” and then almost instantly falls asleep on a chair. His boys disobey of course, one taste leads to another and before they know it, the whole pudding is gone! The Stories Julian Tells features several interconnected stories that showcase Julian’s fantastic stories, his brother Huey’s imagination, their parents’ love for them and friendship. I love the Catalog Cats! Who knew invisible cats help your garden grow?

StoryJulianTells2

New Cover…cute but I’m partial to the original

This short novel is an excellent example of a story that features a family of color but doesn’t focus on the fact that they are a family of color and is not “historical.” They’re just a super cool Black family in the 80s! Perhaps many readers grew up with this book and love it. Ann Strugnell’s illustrations are magical and suit the story perfectly. Newer editions have an “updated” cover but I really love the original. The Stories Julian Tells is a great read aloud book and is also good for the classroom; so many discussions to be had about Julian and Huey and their fabulous stories.

 

Recommended for: 1st Grade and up
Great for: Diversity, Fantasy, Friendship, Morals, Discussion, Family, Read-Aloud, African-American
Book Info: The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron/Illustrated by Ann Strugnell, 1989 Random House Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 9780394828923

Math Curse

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Mathcurse

Image Credit: Viking (Penguin Group), Jon Scieszka/Lane Smith

To celebrate 40 POSTS on Read It Real Good, I invited my good friend Nida to write about one of her favorite books. I met Nida while teaching English in Korea and she is particularly great with languages and linguistics.  I didn’t know about Math Curse until she started raving about it BUT I do love Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, or as I like to call them, the 90s Picture Book Dream Team. You might be familiar with their classics The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man. Welcome Nida and please enjoy her review:

Have you ever sat in a class (or meeting) and stared at the clock, counting the minutes, pondering and planning the rest of your day? If the answer is yes, then welcome to the Math Curse.

Math Curse opens with Mrs. Fibonacci telling her students, “You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem.” One girl discovers just how true those words are as she wakes up the next day to find that everything around her makes her think in mathematical terms. The reader follows her thoughts throughout the day where she can’t help but regard everything in her daily routine as a problem to solve, including her other subject classes. Despairing that she’ll never escape the math curse put upon her by her math teacher, she finally solves the ultimate math problem (with the help of a clever little pun) that frees her. She learns that although math may be everywhere, it’s no longer something to dread.

Math Curse is one of my favorite books ever. I love books that are designed to make you think, and this book definitely does that! But it’s not all about the math. The book is also filled with clever wordplay that will appeal to any little linguists out there. The best part is that this book can grow with a child. I first read it when I was 8, before I knew what the Fibonacci sequence, binary numbers, or the quadratic formula were. When I finally learned about those things in middle school, I remembered the Math Curse, went back to read it again, and appreciated it on a whole new level. Even as an adult, I am often plagued by a math curse as I try to figure out how to do everything I need to do within the hours of the day. Talk about a book for all ages!

This book will obviously be a hit with anyone already interested in math or language, but I also highly recommend it for parents who wish to engage their children with an interactive, relatable story. It’s important to understand: It’s not about getting the right answers (which can be found on the back cover, by the way), but rather exercising your brain and challenging yourself to see things in different ways.

 

Recommended for: 1st/2nd grade and up
Great for: Mathematics, Problem Solving, Language, Discussion, School Life, Frustration
Book Info: Math Curse by Jon Scieszka/Illustrated by Lane Smith, 1995 Viking (Penguin Group), ISBN: 9780670861944

 

The Fox and the Star

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Image Credit: Penguin Books, Coralie Bickford-Smith

Image Credit: Penguin Books, Coralie Bickford-Smith

This beautifully illustrated and written fable has the potential to be a new classic. It is gorgeous and the story flows with steady confidence and a quiet voice.

Little fox lives alone and gains strength from the star he sees every night. The star is his friend, guides him through life and is his world. But one night his star disappears and everything changes; the poor fox is lost without his dear star. He burrows deep in his den and is almost overtaken by the creeping darkness but…overcomes it. He ventures out to explore the world again. At one point he rests and wakes to find his world changed again, but will he ever find his star?

Image Credit: Penguin Books, Coralie Bickford-Smith

Image Credit: Penguin Books, Coralie Bickford-Smith

The Fox and the Star’s illustrations are exquisite. As soon as you pick up the book, feel the cloth-bound cover and look at the intricate design, you know that you’re in for a treat. The story and the art are well suited. Coralie Bickford-Smith tells Fox’s story through careful words and detailed screen-printed illustrations. There are only a handful of colors used in the book but they make the images very striking. If you appreciate great storytelling and beautiful illustrations, add this book to your collection.

Recommended for: All ages
Great for: Discussion, Emotions, Inner Strength, Fable, Colors
Book Info: The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith, 2015 Penguin Books, ISBN: 9780143108672

Dim Sum for Everyone!

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Image Credit: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), Grace Lin

Image Credit: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), Grace Lin

Dim Sum for Everyone is delightful. I previously reviewed the book Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park…can you guess that I love Asian food? 🙂 Grace Lin writes a beautifully simple story about a family enjoying dim sum. It is based on her family’s experiences going to dim sum restaurants while growing up. If you don’t know what dim sum is, don’t worry, this book explains how it works; “Little dishes on carts” and “Little dishes on tables.” Lin also weaves in Chinese words. We learn that Ma-ma (mother) likes sweet pork buns and Ba-ba (father) likes the shrimp dishes. In this way, children are introduced to new words and are learning without realizing it. At the end of the book, she includes more information about dim sum and yum cha (tea drinking) culture.

I recommend the hardcover version of this book because it showcases the illustrations best but the board book is also good for little hands. Bold, contrasting colors make the illustrations stand out. My favorite page shows the dim sum cart ladies lined up in a row against the bright red carpet of the restaurant. Most pages are illustrated as if the reader is sitting at the table with the family and therefore, the book has a very inviting feeling. Are you ready for dim sum? I know I am. Let’s go eat!

P.S. Be sure to check out the endpapers. They celebrate the various ingredients that make up Chinese cuisine and popular dim sum dishes.

Recommended for: Toddlers and up
Great for: Cultural Diversity, Food Culture, Discussion, Colors, Chinese Language
Book Info: Dim Sum for Everyone! by Grace Lin, 2001 Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), ISBN: 9780375810824

Float

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Image Credit: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Daniel Miyares

Image Credit: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Daniel Miyares

In Float, a boy sets out for the day, ready to explore with his freshly crafted paper boat. Though it begins to rain, he’s not worried at all and sends his boat sailing through the puddles. He splashes joyfully but before he knows it, rushing water whisks his boat away! Though he’s sad when he finds it limp and unfolded, he realizes that a fresh sheet of paper and a new day bring the possibility of new adventures!

Miyares uses a mostly gray palette that evokes cool, rainy day feelings. I love the page with lines of heavy gray-white rain. The boy is vibrantly dressed in yellow rain gear as he moves joyfully across the page. Miyares’ watercolor illustrations are manipulated digitally and I like how the sharp angles of the paper boat match the angles of the boy’s hat, coat and boots. The wordless aspect of this book is great for storytelling; it’s easy to begin a quiet discussion about how the boy feels during every stage of the story. Float is one of this year’s best wordless picture books with it’s attention to detail and simple yet endearing story of imagination.

P.S. The endpapers of the book add something special; take time to look at them and grab a piece of paper.

 

Recommended for: All Ages
Great for: Storytelling, Storyboarding, Discussion, Imagination
Book Info: Float by Daniel Miyares, 2015 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 9781481415248

At the Same Moment, Around the World

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Image Credit: Chronicle Books LLC, Clotilde Perrin

Image Credit: Chronicle Books LLC, Clotilde Perrin

Oh this is quite a special little book. Clotilde Perrin’s At the Same Moment, Around the World gracefully tackles the concepts of cultural diversity and global time zones. It’s quite a difficult concept to grasp, at any age, the idea that even though it may be five o’clock in the evening and you’re eating dinner, in another part of the world, someone is eating their breakfast and starting a new day.

Each page introduces a new person going about their day in their respective country. The first page shows Keita in Senegal helping his father count fish at six am. His day starts very early but at the same moment an hour later in Paris, Benedict is eating breakfast and getting ready for school. I love how this book shows global families, relationships and everyday culture. The story ends where it begins; and so does the trip around the globe.

The illustrations are very unique and beautiful; Perrin’s pencil drawings are scratchy and very detailed with warm colors and the human figures have large heads with almond eyes. It’s obvious she put a lot of research into this book because there are little details like Arabic, French and Japanese words woven into the scenery. She also hides clocks, watches and globes within the illustrations. At the back of the book, there’s a large fold out map that reintroduces every character in the book and points to their respective time zone. This is a pretty smart addition to the book, as it further visually teaches the concept of time zones. This is a GREAT book to add to your classroom and use to teach your kids about not only other cultures, but global time as well.

Recommended for: K-1st Grade and up
Great for: Cultural Diversity, Time Zones, Geography, Discussion, Storytelling
Book Info: At the Same Moment, Around the World by Clotilde Perrin, 2014 Chronicle Books LLC, ISBN: 9781452122083

Billy and Goat at the State Fair

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Image Credit: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), Dan Yaccarino

Image Credit: Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), Dan Yaccarino

An outgoing goat and a timid young boy go on an adventure at a State Fair. Ah, this is a good one. Honestly, I’m a little biased because I really enjoy Dan Yaccarino’s stories and art style. So when I saw this book on the shelves, I made “grabby hands” and made it my staff pick, naturally.

This story is so very sweet. Billy is a very introverted boy but his goat friend is quite the opposite; he’s a little dude who loves adventures! Goat is excited to go to the big State Fair but Billy is afraid…yet he goes to support his friend in the Best Goat Competition. Goat gets a little distracted though, and explores the fair while Billy scrambles to find him. Goat gets Billy out of his comfort zone and before he knows it, they’re both enjoying all the State Fair has to offer. When friends support each other (and give a little nudge of encouragement), great things happen.

Oh let’s talk about the art! Something about Yaccarino’s style sings to me. I’m also a big fan of the Doug Unplugged books and Every Friday (so sweet). I love his use of color, shape and line and the retro feel of his art. I often place him in my mind with Bob Staake and Stephen Savage. I love the little details in his art for the State Fair; a simple white outline for a glass bottle with a black ring, yellow teacup rides with black shadowed figures. It’s about the little things and Yaccarino excels at them. I can’t recommend this story of friendship enough. 🙂

Recommended for: All ages
Great for: Friendship, Colors, Discussion, Animals
Book Info: Billy and Goat at the State Fair by Dan Yaccarino, 2015 Alfred A. Knopf (Random House) ISBN: 9780385753258

Shark Detective!

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Image Credit: Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins), Jessica Olien

Image Credit: Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins), Jessica Olien

Shark Detective is one of my favorite picture books for 2015. It’s a relatively simple story but sometimes simple is the most difficult to pull off. Olien’s shark tale makes me smile every time I read it; there’s something very endearing about Shark and his desire to become a detective. He’s a gentleman and has everyone’s best interests in mind, even when they are less than understanding about his sharky appearance.

Shark lives a lonely life in a hotel room where he dreams of being a big time detective. He gets his break when he notices a “Missing Kitty” poster on the street and decides to put his skills to the test. Shark doesn’t take this mission lightly; he does plenty of thoughtful research to solve the mystery and even makes a friend along the way.

Olien’s bold digital illustrations are great. I love the extra attention to detail with her characters’ expressions. Shark Detective is not only smart; it’s also a cute story about determination and friendship. I’m really hoping there will be a sequel because I’m anxious to see what case Shark Detective will sniff out next!

Recommended for: All ages
Great for: Friendship, Humor, Discussion, Sharks, Animals, Mystery, Community
Book Info: Shark Detective by Jessica Olien, 2015 Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins), ISBN: 9780062357144

Flotsam

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Image Credit: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin), David Wiesner

Image Credit: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin), David Wiesner

I’ve mentioned earlier how much I love a bold line and simple images that “pop.” Well, I also love DETAILED illustrations. David Wiesner is a master at storytelling through skilled detail. I love his book Flotsam and it’s very easy to see why this book won the 2007 Caldecott Medal.

Image Credit: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin), David Wiesner

Image Credit: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin), David Wiesner

This book is wordless. The lack of words encourage imagination and the illustrations have so much packed into them that you can come up with various interpretations of what’s happening. Keep staring at the gorgeous watercolor illustrations and you will find something new each time.

In Flotsam, a curious boy enjoys a day at the beach when suddenly, a huge wave knocks him over and washes up an old underwater camera. Inside he finds a roll of film, gets it developed and what he discovers is pretty amazing; a mechanical fish, a hot-air-ballon-puffin fish and more! Has he discovered the secrets of the ocean?? Each photo is even more fantastic than the first. Perhaps the coolest discovery is a portrait of every child that’s found the camera taking a photo with the portrait photo found before. I love this aspect of the book because we see children from all over the world and throughout time, who, like the young man in the story, discovered the wonders inside the camera. If you have a child with a vivid imagination, they will enjoy this book because it encourages fantasy and creativity.

Recommended for: All ages
Great for: Creative Thinking, Storytelling, Discussion, Diversity, Cultural Diversity
Book Info: Flotsam by David Wiesner, 2006 Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin), ISBN: 9780618194575

Specs for Rex

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Image Credit: Bloomsbury, Yasmeen Ismail

Image Credit: Bloomsbury, Yasmeen Ismail

I remember when I started wearing glasses in the 8th grade. I wasn’t too thrilled about having a pair of weird things on my face all the time. Most of us have gone through a stage in our life when we didn’t like something about our appearance. In the cute picture book, Specs for Rex, Rex is SUPER DETERMINED to get rid of his bright red glasses.

Rex tries every way possible to hide his new glasses. He even puts them in his jelly sandwich at lunchtime! During Art time, he makes a mess painting his glasses in order to turn them into sunglasses. Thanks to his teacher, he gets a boost of confidence when he realizes just how helpful brand new glasses can be. Ismail’s vivid watercolor illustrations are great; they’re perfect for portraying Rex’s messiness while he romps through his classroom. This is a great book for children who are feeling a little self conscious. It reminds them that it’ll all work out in the end!

Recommended for: Kindergarten and up
Great for: Colors, Friendship, Confidence, Classroom, Community, Discussion, New Glasses
Book Info: Specs for Rex by Yasmeen Ismail, 2014 Bloomsbury, ISBN: 9781619637108