Harriet's Recital by Nancy Carlson

Harriet's Recital by Nancy Carlson is a quick read intended for beginning readers. The plot is predictable and the book as a whole is a very quick read. Harriet is a girl who is very nervous about her upcoming dance recital. She does not think she will remember the dances and fears embarrassing herself. Would she fall? Will people laugh at her? All of these thoughts go through her mind. However, on the day of the recital Harriet's dance teacher pushes her onto the stage and Harriet must do her best. Luckily, she got over her nerves and was able to dance in the recital. She learned to be unafraid of dancing in public and her first recital was a success.
The language used in this book is fairly simple, and there is a fair amount of repetition. Each page has no more than two sentences, and most of them only have one or are split between two pages. I think that older or more advanced readers would not enjoy this book very much because the text is very simple. The plot needs a little more substance in order to interest most upper level readers. I found myself that this book was very predictable, which is a nice thing for beginning readers.
The illustrations in this book are cartoon like. Harriet is a dog, and so are the other characters. The illustrations are filled with bright colors, but they also lack that "something extra" I have seen in many other books.
I would recommend this book to others if they wanted to find an appropriate book for a beginning or struggling reader. Also, there is a lot of dialogue, so this could be used to help students with the understanding of the concept.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins was an assigned novel for class, and I can see why this was the case. Last week, I read a book that was similar to this one (but different characters). In this book, a young Japanese girl named Yoko faces a difficult journey with her mother and sister from Korea to Japan. When Japan lost control in Korea, things became very dangerous for she and her family. Throughout the book, they experience many traumatic events that eventually result in she and her sister living alone in Japan. Her mother dies once they arrive in Japan, she doesn't know if her father is dead or alive, and after being separated from her brother for months they are eventually reunited.This is an extremely brief summary, but I wanted to include it.
The main characters in this book are very well developed. I feel as though I was able to understand Yoko, her sister, and her mother very well. Although her brother was a main character, I was less familiar/interested in him. I was surprised that the author did not mention Yoko's father very much, and I would have liked to know more about him. For example, his whereabouts, occupation, etc. I feel as though there are many parts of this text that would be difficult to discuss with students (especially upper elementary and middle school students). Rape, death, sickness, violence, and many other difficult topics are spread throughout this book. I would feel slightly wary about approaching some parts of this book with a classroom of students. However, I feel that I enjoyed this book much more than the other text. It was fairly fast paced, and it did not seem to repeat itself. I truly felt as though a young girl was telling her story (the authors goal was accomplished, in my opinion). The emotions and actions of Yoko seemed to be how a typical child would respond in various situations.
I would suggest this book to individuals who enjoy books that are thought provoking and are based upon history. Although it was not my favorite book, I was able to enjoy reading it.

Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco

Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco was another book I was anxious to read. As I previously said in another blog, this author was recommended to me and I wanted to become more familiar with her work. The cover once again was what prompted me to select this book from the numerous on the shelf. A woman kissing a pig! I formed an opinion that this book would be one I would enjoy reading. Luckily, I was not disappointed.
Ginger is an elegant woman who has a pet pig named Petunia. Ginger is pianist who loves clothes, cars, fine wines, and is a gourmet chef. She babies Petunia, and she treats her like she is her best friend. Ginger is invited to travel to England to perform and she must leave Petunia at home. Petunia grows lonely, and the house-sitter never comes! Well, Petunia took matters into her own hands. She took care of herself! In fact, she becomes Ginger while Ginger is away. This leads to a lot of comical elements and truly made me smile. By impersonating Ginger, Petunia experiences some difficulty when she no longer has time for her mud bath. In the end, Ginger appreciates all of Petunia's efforts to help her while she is away. This book was so cute! I loved it! Although it is not very realistic, I enjoyed reading about Petunia the pig.
Like other Polacco books, this book has a lot of text. It may overwhelm young students and provide a challenge to older students or advanced individuals. I think a wide age range of students would be enjoy reading this book or listening to it.
The illustrations are well done and very detailed. The colors are extremely vibrant and the pictures often spread across two pages. I also noticed the use of white space. It was present in some illustrations, but it helped enhance the picture as a whole.
I would suggest this book to others because it made me laugh and was very unique. It had a lot of great elements that would appeal to readers of a variety of ages. I am very happy with the recommendation I received from an instructor to become more familiar with Polacco books.

The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco

The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco was a book I selected because I had heard great things from one of my instructors about this author. In fact, the next book I will blog about is also by Polacco as well. There were so many books to choose fun, but I selected this one because of the cover. It had a slightly haunted look to it. When I read the inside cover, I knew this would be a book I would like to read. My mind started jumping to "I could use this book around Halloween with my future students". Before even reading it, I had high expectations. This book was a lot longer than most picture books I have had the chance to blog about, but that was okay with me.
The Graves family moved into the neighborhood and immediately questions were asked. People questioned where they came from. They painted their house and unusual color (red), and the neighbors were very hesitant to get to know this new family. However, two children from across the street made friends with one of the Graves's children (Ronnie). When they arrived at his house to play one day, they were surprised by everything they saw. It was unlike anything they had ever see before! In fact, this family was unlike any family they had ever encountered. Throughout the book, many things do not go as well as the new family would like regarding their relationship with other community members. It is pretty comical at times. However, in the end, everything turns out for the best and everyone is happy.
This book has a lot of advanced language that may be difficult for younger readers, however, it may be a picture book that is totally appropriate for older students. It would also be the appropriate level for a read aloud to younger students. However, it would be a fairly time consuming book selection. I found myself thinking "older students" as I was reading it. Often, the text filled almost an entire page. It would be a great challenge for many readers.
The illustrations in this book were really good. They were dark and haunted at times, but they were also filled with bright colors at times. The background color of the pages varied (typically black or white), and the text changed accordingly. The book has a "haunted" theme and the illustrator brings these elements to life. Also, the characters in the book are done so well and look realistic.
I was happy to have read this book. Although my thought regarding who this book would be appropriate for and for what time of the year changed slightly, the book lived up for my high expectations.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill and illustrated y Laura Huliska-Beith

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill and illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith is a book that I previously had never heard of. I decided to pick a book at random that stood out to me on the shelf. The cover was bright, colorful, and the title sparked my interest.
Mean Jean was the recess queen until the day that Katie Sue joined the school. Everyone had previously been afraid of Mean Jean, but Katie Sue was not fazed by her. Although Katie Sue was teeny-tiny, she was not scared of Mean Jean. This could originally be assume that was because she did not know about her. Well, even after Mean Jean made herself perfectly clear (she was queen), Katie Sue told her off! In fact, after she asked why she was so bossy, she asked her to play with her! They became good friends and the other kids no longer had problems with Mean Jean at recess. All she needed was someone to play with and be her friend in order for the problems are recess to be resolved. I think this sends a great message. Sometimes the people who bully and boss others do so because they don't know how else to receive attention from their peers.
This book would be great for readers who wanted a book with some of the same words found on each page. I liked the repetition. Also, the text seemed to have a nice flow as I was reading. The language was very playful as well (zingity-zing, ringity-ring). On most of the pages there was a slight rhyme that helped contribute to the flow of the book (awesome!). The rhymes were fun and it would be a great read aloud book in the classroom.
The illustrations caught my attention from the start because of the cover. Well, the bright colors and fantastic cartoon-like pictures continued to impress me as I continued reading. Some of the text would be enlarged to emphasize a point or staggered to influence how it was read, and those were great elements that the illustrator used to her advantage.
I am so glad I picked this book from the shelf. It was a great book, and it sent a subtle message that was incorporated with a fun plot that many children relate to while at school. The illustrations really made the story come alive and contributed to the fun flow and impacted how I felt about the book.

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Stephen Gammell

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Stephen Gammell is a classic book that has received a lot of positive recognition. I believe it deserves all the praise it has been given. I can see this book (and I have used it) in a classroom setting. There are many themes that can be drawn from reading this book. For example, vacations, family, relationships, etc.
The Relatives Came follows the life of a family who experiences their extended family coming to visit their home. Coming all the way from Virginia, everyone is relieved once they arrive at their destination. The family spends quality time together. They hug, play, cry, and laugh together. The author explores the family practices such as meals, adjusted sleep situation, and how they spent some quality time together. The visit was longer than most (all summer), and everyone enjoyed it. When it is time for everyone to go, everyone feels a little sad that their time together is over and would miss each other.
This book is so positive. I feel as though many readers could relate to the experiences had by the characters. Even if their family may not be as large or as close, it is a nice topic to read about. I believe the author used descriptive language very well, and I could clearly make a mental picture to go along with what I was reading.
Although I was making my own mental pictures, I enjoyed looking at the pictures done by the illustrator. They were simple but detailed. The expressions of the family members were always done well. The emotions on their faces were always clear. All of the illustrations covered most of the entire page and continued on to the next page, and I thought those were great. The pictures reminded me of colored pencil, but I don't think that was the tool that was used.
I have nothing but praise for this book. If you are unfamiliar with this book, I strongly suggest you read it. The language used makes readers feel as though they are a part of the family and experiencing what is happening in the book.

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger was a book that sparked my interest when I saw it on the shelf. I vaguely remembered reading this book when I was younger, but the story itself was fuzzy. Well, curiosity got the best of me. When I began reading, I realized I had completely forgotten everything about this book except that there was a penguin named "Tacky". Therefore, it was pretty much like reading it for the first time.
Tacky the Penguin is a classic tale of someone who doesn't necessarily fit in with their peers, but in the end, the differences end up being very positive. Tacky, the main penguin, is not like other penguins. He is not quiet and polite, graceful, or a beautiful singer like the others. The others think he is an "odd bird". Well, one day the penguins safety becomes jeopardized. Hunters have come to trap the penguins! Well, while the other penguins hide behind an iceberg, Tacky decides he will do something very brave. He tricks the hunters into believing that there they are not in the land of pretty penguins by showing off his differences that contrast with the hunters schema of what a penguin IS. Once they leave, the others realize that Tacky's differences are good. Even though he may be an "odd bird", he is a very nice bird to be around.
Although this is a classic message presented in children's literature, I find it pretty cliche. I think it is a great message, but this book probably is not one I would select to share with students to talk about accepting differences. It was an average book. The story was cute, but it was predictable. Also, it could confuse some readers. After all, couldn't the hunters still see that Tacky was still a penguin?
The pictures in this book are also average. They are very cartoonish, but they have a fair amount of detail. My favorite illustrations involve Tacky and his "wacky" outfit. He definitely stands out, so the illustrator really made that clear to readers.
I remember enjoying this book, but it was forgotten over the years. I feel as though others would have a similar view regarding this book. It would be a book I would offer to children to read, and I know they would enjoy doing so. However, I think there are books better suited to discuss the message this book sends to readers.