The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Over 50 years have gone by since the first introduction of the Cat in the Hat. Has the Cat ever lost his appeal to young children? Not in my lifetime. I remember the Cat in the Hat being one of the first stories that I was ever able to read completely on my own. The repeating words and rhymes made the story easy for me to read, as a child, and gives it a rhythm that I still love to read today, as an adult. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until I read this story to my own kids that I even realized that the children in this story completely overlook the fact that they are letting a stranger into their home when their mother is out.

Does this book still appeal to children today? Absolutely! Preschool to early elementary children love the Cat. In fact, it's one of most circulated books in my library, along with many of Dr. Seuss' other stories. The fact that there is a major reading celebration, Read Across America, that highlights Dr. Seuss and his famous Cat, also demonstrates the enduring love that children have with this book.

Another of my favorite Dr. Seuss books is The Lorax. This book is the didactic tale of the Lorax, a creature who speaks for the trees, birds, fish, and other living things. He lives in a town where nature's balance is being upset by the Once-ler, a businessman who is chopping down trees to make Thneeds to sell to consumers. The overall theme of this story is conservation, but I never knew it as a child. Now, as an adult, I read this book every year prior to Earth Day to reiterate the need to care for our environment. In my opinion, there is not a modern day substitute for this book. Dr. Seuss was way ahead of his time when he wrote this powerful story.

References:

Seuss, Dr. (1957). The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House.

Amazon.com. (2008). The Cat in the Hat. Retrieved on April 27, 2008, from http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Hat-Dr-Seuss/dp/039480001x.

Suess, Dr. (1971). The Lorax. New York: Random House.

Amazon.com. (2008). The Lorax. Retrieved on April 27, 2008, from http://www.amazon.com/Lorax-Classic-Seuss-Dr/dp/0394823370/re=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209337222&sr=1-1

Goin' Someplace Special - Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Goin' Someplace Special is the story of 'Tricia Ann, a young black girl living in a segregated southern city, making her first trip alone to someplace special. Along the way, 'Tricia Ann encounters many reminders of racial discrimination, including a "colored section" on the bus, benches in the park for "whites only," and restaurants and hotels that do not allow colored folks to enter as patrons. However, with each adversity she encounters, she is reminded of her grandmother's words of wisdom: "You are somebody, a human being - no better, no worse than anybody else in this world." Finally, she makes it to the public library, where "ALL ARE WELCOME."

This historically accurate story is based on the author, Patricia McKissack's, own childhood experiences. This lovely story is beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, who won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his work on this book.

Jerry Pinkney also completed the illustrations on The Tales of Uncle Remus by Julius Lester; The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy; and Mirandy and Brother Wind, also by Patricia McKissack.

References:

McKissack, P. (2001). Goin Someplace Special. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

Amazon.com. (2008). Goin Someplace Special. Retrieved on April 24, 2008, from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014JUGKO.

The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida

The Bracelet, written by Yoshiko Uchida, is the story or Emi, who is a Japanese-American child living in the United States during World War II. Seven-year-old Emi and her family are being sent to live in a prison camp. Emi does not like being forced to leave her home, school, and friends behind, but she has no choice. When her friend, Laurie, gives her a bracelet to wear while she is away at the camp, Emi vows to never take it off. Later that day, when she realizes the bracelet is missing, Emi is heartbroken. To comfort Emi, her mother shares some special words of wisdom and Emi learns that her memories of the people and things that she loves can never be lost.

Yoshiko Uchida draws upon her own experiences, growing up as a Japanese American in San Franciso during a very difficult era, to write her historically accurate children's stories. Other books by Yoshido Uchida include The Picture Bride, A Jar of Dreams, and Journey to Topaz.

References:

Uchida, Y. (1976). The Bracelet. New York: Philomel Books.

Amazon.com. (2008). The Bracelet. Retrieved on April 23, 2008, from http://www.amazon.com/Bracelet-Yoshiko-Uchida/dp/069811390x.

Bridge to Terabithia - Children's Book & Feature Film

The Bridge to Terabithia, written by Katherine Paterson, was the Newbery Medal Winner in 1978. In this book, Jess Aarons is a poor farm boy who wants nothing more than to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. That is, until he meets Leslie Burke. Leslie completely changes everything for Jess. She's intelligent, brave, and imaginative . . . everything that Jess is not. Jess and Leslie quickly become the best of friends and together they create a secret, imaginary city, called Terabithia, that is entered by swinging over a creek on a rope swing. In Terabithia, Jess and Leslie reign as king and queen, and act out their wildest dreams. The times they spend together are the happiest moments of Jess' life. Then, one day the unthinkable happens. Leslie unexpectedly dies when the rope swing breaks as she is entering Terabithia on her own one day. Jess is devastated at the loss of his best friend, but learns to cope with her death using the strength and courage that he learned from her while she was still alive.

In 2007, Bridge to Terabithia was made into a full-length feature film, which renewed interest in this beautiful story of friendship. The movie version of this story was absolutely wonderful, yet there were some differences from the book. In the movie, the setting is modern and the characters dress in clothing typical of children today. Instead of the tom-boyish clothes and haircut discussed in the book, Leslie wears edgey, yet stylish clothes and has a feminine hairstyle. Also, in the movie, the viewer sees the characters from Jess and Leslie's imagination as if they are actually there, as opposed to just watching the two characters playing "make-believe." Even with these changes, the movie version of this story stays true to its original found in the book.

References:

Paterson, K. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Csupo, G. (Director). (2007). Bridge to Terabithia [motion picture]. United States: Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.

Walden Fans Gallery. (n.d.). Bridge to Terabithia. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www.waldenfans.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=3

Because of Winn Dixie - Children's Book & Feature Film

Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo, may possibly be one of my new, most favorite books. This book was a Newbery Honor Book in 2001. It's the story of Opal, a preacher's daughter, who is new to the town of Naomi and doesn't have any friends. One day, while running an errand for her father, Opal meets a stray dog in the local grocery store. She decides to keep the dog and names it Winn Dixie, after the store in which she found him. Her father, the preacher, is withdrawn and quiet, but Winn Dixie quickly earns his love and affection. Throughout the summer, Winn Dixie gives Opal the courage to meet new people in town and to talk to her father about her runaway mother. In the end, it's becuase of Winn Dixie that Opal finally feels happy and her heart no longer feels empty.

Because of Winn Dixie was made into a full-length feature film in 2005. The movie is equally as charming as the book, but there were some differences between the two stories. One major difference in the movie is that the preacher does not immediately fall in love with Winn Dixie like he does in the book. In the movie version, the preacher makes Opal hang "Found" signs around town so that the dog's real owner can be found. At one point in the story he even calls the dog pound to come get the dog. In fact, it's not until almost the end of the movie that you hear the preacher say that he actually loves the Winn Dixie.

Another major difference between the two versions of this story is that, in the movie, there are two additional characters, who play small supporting roles. One is Mr. Alfred, the trailer park owner. He does not want dogs in his trailer park, so of course, he does not care much for Winn Dixie when Opal first brings him home. The other character is a rather unintelligent police officer, who brings some silly humor to the big screen version of this story. Overall, I found both versions of this sweet story of friendship to be very enjoyable. I would most definitely recommend this book and movie to classroom teachers and students, alike.

References:

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

The Reading Nook.com. (2007). Grade Level Reading Lists: Fourth Grade. Retrieved on April 9, 2008, from http://thereadingnook.com/fourth_grade/

Wang, W. (Director). (2005). Because of Winn Dixie [motion picture]. United States: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Hoot - Children's Book & Feature Film

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen, was published 2002. In this story, Roy Eberhard is the new kid in town. His family has just made their sixth move in eight years, this time to sunny Coconut Cove in Florida. Within days of starting school, Roy attracts the attention of the school bully, Dana Matherson, who especially delights in torturing Roy on the bus ride to school. One particular morning, as Roy's face is being pressed into the school bus window, he spots a mysterious running boy. Roy cannot help himself from wondering about the boy, also known as Mullet Fingers, and eventually decides to track him down. The only person standing in Roy's way is Beatrice Leep, a tough soccer jock with a major attitude, who also happens to be the mysterious running boy's step-sister. Eventually, Roy finds himself befriended by both Beatrice and her step-brother. And, before long, the three of them are smack dab in the middle of a political scandal involving a protected species of burrowing owls and a major pancake corporation.

In 2006, this book was turned into a feature film. Whenever a popular book is turned into a movie I am curious to see how it turns out. In this case, I truly enjoyed it because there were only a few differences; the overall story did not change. For example, the actors who portrayed the characters Curly and Beatrice, were different in the film than the book. In the book, Curly is fat, bald and dimwitted. In the movie, he was skinny and loud. The character Beatrice, as she is written in the book, is brutish-looking and bully-like. However, in the movie she is tough but attractive.

There are other differences between the book and movie. In the book, Roy is hit on the head with a golf ball while trying to track down the running boy. In the movie, he is hit by a golf ball on two different occassions. In the book, Beatrice bites through Roy's bike tire to give him a flat, but in the movie she give him a nail to flatten the tire. In the book, Mullet Fingers sleeps in an abandoned ice cream truck, but in the movie he stays in an abandoned boat.

Perhaps the ending includes the most obvious differences. In the book, Mullet Fingers buries himself up to his neck in one of the burrows inhabited by the owls to stop the pancake company from breaking ground, but in the movie the three main characters just stand in front of the plow. Also, in the movie, Mullet Fingers actually captures and ties up an executive from the pancake company. However, this scene was not included in the book at all.

Overall, the storyline of the movie stayed relatively close to the one in the book. The differences, while they were evident, were still subtle.

References:

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. New York: Random House Children's Books.

Amazon. (2008). Hoot. Retrieved on April 7, 2008, from http://www.amazon.com/Hoot-Newbery-Honor-Book-Hiaasen/dp/0375821813

Shriner, W. (Director). (2006). Hoot. [motion picture]. United States: New Line Cinema.

Let's Talk About Race by Julius Lester

Let's Talk About Race is a powerful book with a very important message . . . we are all different, but beneath our skin we are all the same. In this book, the author, Julius Lester, shares facts about himself. He calls it his "story." Using easy-to-understand words, Lester explains that everyone has a story and that race is just one small part of that story. Then he goes on to explain that we are all made the same underneath our skin. In kid language, Lester is teaching the reader that people should not judge others by their race. I think that the most thought-provoking lines of the entire book are the last lines, when Lester states, "I'll take off my skin. Will you take off yours?" This book and especially these lines would be a great way to start a conversation about equality in an older-elementary classroom.

Julius Lester has written many other children's books, including From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, To Be a Slave, and Why Heaven is Far Away.

References:

Lester, J. (2005). Let's Talk About Race. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

HarperCollins. (2008). Let's Talk About Race. Retrieved on April 7, 2008, from http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060285968/Lets_Talk_About_Race/index.aspx