International Literature for Children

Garmann's Summer, written by Stian Hole, was the 2009 Honor Book for the Batchelder Award.  This particular book was odd from the time I picked it off the shelf.  The pictures were very oddly created, using very realistic facial features, and sometimes even scary!  In this book, Garmann's three great aunts are visiting and he describes how he sees each of them and also begins questioning them about what they are scared of.  He asked all three great aunts what they are scared of and why.  The author does a great job of illustrating the pictures of each page, even though some were very weird looking!  Throughout the entire book Garmann is anxiously awaiting his first day of school and wonders if others are scared and nervous just the way he is.  I also found that this book jumped around from story to story and may be hard for early readers to follow along.

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom, written by Margarita Engle, was the 2009 Pura Belpre Award for narrative books.  In this book, the author introduces many different poems describing the endeavors and scenarios that Cuba faced while trying to gain freedom.  Cuba fought three wars for their independence, and many of the people ended up in reconcentration camps.  This book follows Rosa la Bayamesa, a nurse who tends to the wounded soldiers on her side and against, and her husband Jose.  Rosa created many of her medicines from the plants around her, which I found very interesting.  These poems are very hauntingly accurate and very descriptive.  The chapters of this book are divided into five parts: The Names of the Flowers, The Ten Years' War, The Little War, The War of Independence, and The Surrender Tree. 

Esperanza Rising, written by Pam Munoz Ryan, was the 2002 Pura Belpre Award for narrative books. In this book, Esperanza, her Mama, Abuelita, and her Papa live on a ranch, El Rancho de la Rosas in Mexico.  Her family is wealthy and own servants that work for them.  One day her father does not return from working  out in the fields and after family friends go looking for him, they return with terrible news.  Papa had been murdered by bandits when he was mending a fence.  Esperanza's uncles, Tio Luis and Tio Marco, come to "comfort" Mama after the death of their brother, but really only want Luis and Mama to marry.  When Mama refuses, Tio Luis tells her to think about what she is saying and leaves.  That night, Esperanza awakes to her house burning down.  Mama confides in her friends and old servants, Miguel, Josephina, and Alfonso, and they come up with a plan to escape to America.  After long days of riding in wagons and trains, they finally reach Los Angeles and go to the Mexican camp.  Esperanza must learn how to work out in the fields because her Mama soon becomes sick from breathing in the dusts from the fields while also trying to find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances as some of the works go on strike. As time passes, Esperanza finds herself maturing and growing up because she has to look after her mother, who has been in the hospital for months.  
When I began reading this book, I was sure if I was going to like it because it started out slow and I didn't get in to the plot.  But after the first few chapters, which are named after Spanish fruits and vegetables, I couldn't put it down.  The heritage is so different from ours today and the customs and beliefs that Esperanza and her family have are very different from my own.  For example, on the morning of her birthday, the men in her family would sing to her from outside her window.  I would definitely recommend this book to higher level readers, grades 4-6.  



 Two awards that are given for children's books published in other countries are the Mildred L. Batchelder Award and the Pura Belpre  Award.  The Batchelder Award is a citation awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

The Pura Belpre Award was established in 1996, and is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Indian in the Cupboard Book VS Movie

The Indian in the Cupboard, written by Lynne Reid Banks, was one of my favorite books, and series as I was growing up.  When the movie came out, I was even more excited!  In this book, Omri is having a birthday and recieves an old cupboard from his brother and a plastic toy indian from his friend Patrick.  Omri decides to play with the cupboard and asks his mother for a key to lock the cupboard.  Omri puts the plastic indian in the cupboard before bed and locks it.  During the night something magical happens.  Omri awakes to strange noises coming from the cupboard. When he peers in the cupboard he finds a real life indian!  Omri as brought to life his plastic toy indian, an Iroquois brave, Little Bear.  Little Bear and Omri find themselves in several sticky situations, such as bringing to life other plastic figures and animals.  Things get even more interesting when Omri tells his best friend Patrick about his secret.  When Patrick finds out about it, he decides he wants a little person all for himself, and brings to life a cowboy, Boone.  I love to read and I usually enjoy the movies, but often find that the movies lack the detail that books have.  The movie, however, brought the characters to life for me, becdause I was able to have something visual to see.  The movie was just as good as the book even though many of the scenes and dialogue were very different from the book. I also found that Little Bear was different in the movie from the way he was described in the book.  My fifth grade students read this book and we watched the movie together.  We charted the differences and similarities. 

Shiloh Book VS Movie

Shiloh, written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, was the 1992 Newbery Medal winner, and it deserved it!  This is the story of Marty Preston and his family who live in the hills of West Virginia.  One afternoon while Marty is walking by his favorite place, where the road curves by the old Shiloh schoolhouse and follows the river, Marty spots a small dog following his movements across the road.  The turns out to be a small beagle, maybe two years old.  Reluctantly, the dog finally follows Marty home where Marty sneaks him some food. Marty keeps the dog, who he names Shiloh, behind his house.  The dog is very timid and shy, but warms up to Marty very quickly.  Marty finds out that Shiloh belongs to Judd Travers, who keeps several dogs for hunting purposes.  Marty decides that he is not going to return Shiloh to Judd because of how Judd treats his other dogs and fears that he will hurt Shiloh.  Judd demands that Marty give Shiloh back to him and while Marty is walking over to Judd's he watches him shoot a deer out of season, which would result in a large fine that Judd cannot pay.  Marty and Judd work out a deal where Marty will work for Judd and still be able to see Shiloh.  Throughout this story, Marty deals with several emotional events that elven year boys should not go through.  

The movie Shiloh, was created in 1996 by Warner Brother Productions.  In this adaptation of Shiloh, the same situations arise, sometimes out of order or in a different manner, but the book and the movie are very similar.  I loved seeing the characters on the big screen and being able to put a face to a name. 

The Secret Life of Bees Book VS Movie

The Secret Life of Bees, written by Sue Monk Kidd, was not only a New York Times Bestseller, but one of my favorite books! I read this book while on vacation and I couldn't put it down!  In this book, Lily Owens lives with her father, T. Ray, and their African American nanny, Rosaleen on a small country farm.  Lily's mother passed away when Lily was very small and the memory haunts Lily and her father.  Deborah, Lily's mother was accidentally shot by Lily when she was only four years old.   Lily and her father do not have a good relationship and he often uses very harsh types of punishments, such as sitting on grits.  Rosaleen is Lily's friend and she often confides her feelings and secrets to her nanny.  One day Lily and Rosaleen are heading into town when there is a scuffle between two dominant white men and Rosaleen.  When Rosaleen is beaten and taken to jail, Lily decides to break her out and head to Tiburon, South Carolina.  Lily and Rosaleen head to Tiburon, because one of her mother's few items that Lily still has, is a picture of a black Mary with Tiburon, SC on the back.  Lily and Rosaleen meet up with the the Boatwright sisters, who are also the honey makers.  The Boatwright sisters are August, May and June.  Here, Lily is adopted in to the family and learns about her mother and why she had come home that dreadful day. Lily learns so much from the Boatwright sisters and eventually becomes a member of the family, who lives in a hot-pink house.  
This movie was wonderfully directed!  I thought that Dakota Fanning portrayed an excellent Lily and Queen Latifah was a wonderful August Boatwright.  The book and the movie were very similar and I thought it went into even more detail and gave insight into the characters.  This was an excellent book and even better movie!

Coretta Scott King Award Book

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, was the Coretta Scott King honor book in 2010.  This books was illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.
This is the story of Bass Reeves, the peace officer in Indian Territory.  Bass spent most of his early years as a slave in Texas.  Bass was sharp-witted and good natured, and was an excellent shot, so his owner took him along when he went to fight in the Civil War.  After  disgreement with his owner, Bass escaped to Indian Territory where he lived within the tribe. 
Bass Reeves, known as the man who helped bring peace to a big country, became U.S. Deputy Marshal who arrested over 3,000 outlaws and only killing 14.  Reeves, a former slave, earned a reputation for being fearless, having a great shot, hard working, and honest.
This book addresses diversity because it describes the life of Bass Reeves, a former slave, who grew up in Texas.  During this time, Bass had to work for his master and couldn't do things that white men could.  Bass became a member of an Indian Tribe before becoming free after the Civil War.  This would be a terrific book to read to students about the Civil War and slavery and also the time after the Civil War when African Americans were given their freedom.  I also enjoyed the illustrations of this book with the realistic images of Bass Reeves.  In the back of the book there were Western words and also a timeline that showed Bass Reeves life.  Another thing that I really liked about this book were the websites and further reading opportunities that were given at the end of the book. 

Diversity

My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers, Growing up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was written by Christine King Farris and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet.

This book addresses diversity because it describes segregation and how blacks and whites lived two completely different lives. I really enjoyed this book because of its beautiful illustrations and first hand experiences that Christine King Farris had with her family and her brother Martin. I fully believe that this book should be in every library for children to read. This book would be so interesting to children because they know of Martin Luther King Jr. but they don't really know how her grew up or anything about his family. This books gives readers and insight into his life and how he vowed to "turn the world upside down." I would definitely recommend this book to my colleagues, especially as a teaching tool for segregation in Social Studies.

Dear Juno, written by Soyung Pak and illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung, is a touching story about Juno, a young Korean boy and his creative ways to "write" letters to his grandmother in Seoul, South Korea.

This book addresses diversity because it is about a Korean family and the author gives some insight into his culture and also describes where Juno's grandmother lives.

What I really enjoyed about this book were the illustrations and detail that the author gives the readers. My favorite page in this book his of Juno opening his first letter from his grandmother and the letter is shown with actual Korean writing.

I believe this book should be in library's for children to read because it shows the importance of communication and the love of a family that are miles apart. I really liked how the author made the letter so important. Nowadays, we don't think of writing someone a letter, rather, we just shoot them a text or an email. I like how it brought back the importance and meaning of a handwritten letter, or in Juno's case, drawings. 

Stuck in Neutral, written by Terry Trueman, was 2000 Michael L. Printz Honor Book. This is the story of Shawn, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound and how is illness has impacted his family.  Shawn cannot verbally communicate or move any of his limbs so society automatically assumes that Shawn is mentally retarded and will never get any better.  The book is written from Shawn's perspective, and how he wishes that he was able to communicate with others about how he is not dumb and is actually very smart.  Shawn also suffers from seizures daily, and unlike most who have seizures, Shawn loves them.  It is his time to "fly" out of his body and communicate with his family.  Shawn's father, Sydney, left his family when Shawn was four because he could not bare to see Shawn suffer.  He wrote a poem about Shawn and his illness which won a Pulitzer Prize.  From the beginning of the book, Shawn informs his readers that he believes his father is trying to kill him.  He cannot voice his concern or tell his father that he is able to understand what everyone around him is saying.  Throughout this entire book, Shawn shares experiences that were both positive and negative and how they have impacted his life.  
Stuck in Neutral addresses diversity and placing stereotypes on specific groups of people. In this book Shawn addresses his audience from his perspective and point of view even though he is not able to communicate with others.  I would definitely recommend this book to older readers, grades 4 and above, because it will open their eyes to different types of illnesses and how actions can be very hurtful.    

Difference between Caldecott and Newbery Awards

Caldecott and Newbery Awards are both high prestige honors for different types of books that are given by the Association for Library Service for Children, which is a division of the American Library Association. Both must be written by citizens or residents of the US, must be original work, and must take into account children’s tastes and preferences. Caldecott Award winning books, is named after Randoloph Caldecott and is awarded each year to the "artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year. Typically for a book to be considered a Caldecott Medal or Honor book focuses on books for younger children, such as picture books.
The Newbery Medal, which is named after English bookseller, John Newbery. The Newbery Award is given each year to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The Newbery Award is the award for books geared toward pre-teens.
One award is not better than the other because they were created for different types of children's books. Caldecott Award books are typically picture books that are focused toward young children and Newbery Award books are geared toward pre-teens and are usually chapter novels.

Laurence Yep

Laurence Yep, the author of Cockroach Cooties, has also written several other novels. Laurence Yep is Chinese-American and was born in San Francisco, California. Some of Yep's books include:
Tiger Woman
The City of Dragons
The Rainbow People
Tree of Dreams: Ten Tales from the Garden of Night
Tongues of Jade
In this book, Teddy and his younger brother, Bobby, are students at a Chinese school where all is well, that is, except with Arnie-Zilla on the prowl. Arnie is the school bully who has it sights on Teddy and Bobby. Teddy is about to get pounded by Arnie until Arnie notices that there is a cockroach on Teddy's shoulder! Who would have known that Arnie would be afraid of a cockroach? Throughout this story Teddy and Bobby maneuver out of sticky situations with the help of the "crazy bug lady," Charlie, who lives in their building.
This was a very easy read for me. The author kept things simple, while giving his reader enough detail to envision the different situations Teddy and Bobby get themselves in to. What I would have liked to see more of from this book was the incorporation of the Chinese culture. This book also doesn't give much insight into Teddy, Bobby, or any of the main characters. I would have liked to know a little bit more about Teddy and his family. Overall, I would recommend this book to students who are interested in insects and learning more about them.

Newbery Award Winning & Honor Books

Everything on a Waffle, written by Polly Horvath is a 2002 Newbery Medal Winner. This is a story about Primrose Squarp, an eleven year old girl, whose parents died at sea when a huge storm rolled through her town. Primrose knows that her parents are not dead, they are simply waiting to be rescued on an island, or making their way back to her. Primrose begins living with her Uncle Jack, after the town decided that Miss Perfidy cannot afford to keep being paid. A local resturant, The Girl on the Red Swing, is the santuary that Primrose feels safe and seeks the advice from Miss Bowzer, who serves everything on a waffle!
The thing that I really enjoyed about this book is how the author choices her words to relate to Primrose while adding humor and also looking through the perspective of eleven year old Primrose. Another plus of Everything on a Waffle are the recipes that are found at the end of each chapter! I would definitely use this book for my reading class and incorporate the unique recipes as well!

Penny from Heaven, written by Jennifer L. Holm was a 2007 Newbery Honor book. To be perfectly honest, when I started reading this book, I wasn't very interested in it, nor did I want to continue reading it. I felt that it started off a little slow in the beginning and made it hard for me to want to continue reading. About 70 pages in, I got hooked.
This is the story of Barbara Ann Falucci, known as Penny. Penny is half Italian and lives with her mother, Me-me, and Pop- Pop. Her father died when she was very young and she doesn't know much about him. Her mother is so paranoid that Penny will contract polio, that she is not allowed to go to the swimming pool or the movie theater! She does however spend time with his side of the family, which includes Nonny, Uncle Dominic, Frankie, Aunt Gina, and the rest of the gang. Her Nonny always wears black to show her mourning and burst in to tears at every mention of Penny's father. Frankie, Penny's crazy cousin, is her best friend and also mischief maker! Penny encounters several adventures along the way and also winds up in the hospital.
What I really liked about this book is how "real" Penny is and how she reacts to certain events throughout the book. I would recommend using this book as an in class reading book because of the different time period and era his book takes place in. Penny in Heaven definitely started out a little slow, but it was worth it!

Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney

Julius Lester has written several different books. Some of his books are:
John Henry
Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
To Be a Slave
Sam and the Tigers: A Retelling of "Little Black Sambo"
The Hungry Ghosts

Black Cowboy Wild Horses: A True Story uses beautiful illustrations and words to describe the story of Bob Lemmons, a black cowboy, and his black stallion, Warrior. This story tells the story of Bob Lemmons and his unique gift to live among the wild mustangs. Bob was a former slave and could not read the books that others read to understand the wild mustang, but he used his intuition and instinct. Bob was able to look at a set of footprints and tell how tall, the weight, and when the mustangs would be coming back his way. Bob Lemmons has an extraordinary gift, and is accepted in to the herd before using Warrior to take command of this herd. He leads the mustangs back in to the corral, which no single person was able to do.

I had never read this book before, and before I began reading I flipped through the book and admired the illustrations. What I loved about the pages were the "hidden" images that were on each page. Each page had pictures of different wildlife inhabiting the area. I also loved the use of colors for the sky and open plains. I enjoyed reading Black Cowboy Wild Horses: A True Story and I think students would enjoy hearing this true story that is also wonderfully illustrated.

Caldecott Medal Winners & Honor Books

To begin my reading journal, I chose to select Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad. This book received the 2008 Caldecott Honor Book Award for its compelling story and beautiful illustrations.
This story is about Henry Brown, a young slave who doesn't know how old he is, or even when his birthday is. When Henry's master becomes ill, he is sold to another man and is separated from his family. From here Henry meets Nancy, who later becomes his wife. Henry and Nancy have children and fear that they may be sold and their family will be torn apart. There fears become reality and Nancy and their children are sold. Henry seeks the help of James and Dr. Smith and forms a plan. His plan is to be mailed to safety in a wooden box! Henry's adventure as "mail" leads up to his first birthday- the first day of his freedom! Henry "Box" Brown celebrated his birthday March 30, 1849.

I absolutely love this book. I have read this to my classes each year and I love watching their expressions change as their emotions take over. This book has wonderful illustrations and the insight of one man's courage and determination for freedom.



So You Want to be President? written by Judith St. George was the 2001 Caldecott Medal Winner. This book was illustrated by David Small. What I really enjoyed about this book was how it incorporated Social Studies content and also ways to relate the topics to real life connections. The book introduces each president and gives students some background knowledge for each president. For example, it describes Theodore Roosevelt's children and how they ran a zoo! The wonderful illustrations kept my eyes busy while I was reading this book! I loved how the illustrator uses his own personality on each page.
This book is an awesome teaching tool that can be used when discussing the presidents and also government!




Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, written and illustrated by Mo Willems was a 2005 Caldecott Honor book. I had never read this book before, but my nieces and nephew have read this book nightly! I must say, I absolutely loved the illustrations and how the author incorporated real pictures into this book.
This is the story of Trixie and her loyal stuffed rabbit Knuffle Bunny. Trixie and her father are out busily running errands and wind up at the Laundromat. While Trixie is helping her father load the washer and inserting the coins, Knuffle Bunny has vanished! Poor Trixie, and her father, do not realize that Knuffle Bunny has been left until they are a block away. Trixie, who has yet to say her first words, is frantically trying to communicate with her father, who just doesn't get it! When they return home, her mother asks where Knuffle Bunny is, and that is when her father finally realizes why Trixie was so upset! They race back to the Laundromat and unload the washer until Knuffle Bunny is returned, safe and sound, and clean!


The Three Pigs, written and illustrated by David Wiesner received the 2002 Caldecott Medal winner. In this tale of the three little pigs, the author uses his personality to modify the original tale into one of humor and imagination. In this version, the three little pigs run off the page before the big, bad wolf can gobble them down. They head off for adventures in different fairy tales and meet friends along the way.
I love how the author uses his illustrations to continue the story even without the use of words. This book would be a great addition to any library or used for literacy activities. This story is very open-ended so students could use their imagination to rewrite the endings or add parts into the story. I would definitely recommend this book!



The Red Book, created and illustrated by Barbara Lehman was a 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner. This book is very different from your everyday books you might find in your local library or even school library. The Red Book has no words! I never thought about a book without words, or trying to "read" a book without words, but I my eyes were opened in this page turner!
This book, although has no words, has a magical tale to tell. I love how Barbara Lehman uses her illustrations to have the reader tell a story. There is not right or wrong version of this story of a magical red book, or why it works the way it does. The illustrations allow the reader to envision the words on the page and to tell the story as they see it.
I would love to use this book in my classroom as a literacy/writing activity. After viewing the book, I would have my students write the story in their own words, or how they see fit. I would definitely recommend this book to colleagues!

Good Evening!!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Dawn Sexton and I currently live and teach 3rd grade here in Louisville, Kentucky. This is my first blog, so bare with me! I am working towards my Master's in Elementary Education and this is my fifth course. I love to read and I can't wait to share books with all of you!