What To Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley

Bibliography Kerley, Barbara. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-439-92231-9 Plot Summary The title page of the book explains the entire premise of the book: “How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her father Teddy crazy!” Kerley takes readers into the life of Alice Roosevelt and shows how grew from a precocious child into a thriving adult who helped her father in his presidency and shape the world she lived in. Teddy was not able to keep Alice contained as a child and even at the end of his time in office, he was not able to find out what to do about Alice. Critical Analysis The story itself was interesting and fun to read. I didn’t know any of the information about Alice before reading the story so I felt much more informed by the end of the book. The book itself is not long, but does have some bigger words to read. The structure of the story is chronological, introducing her and her father and then starting from Alice as a child after her mother died until she was grown up and married. There are random fun facts about Alice throughout the story like “She learned to love crusty French rolls and English tea served “piping hot”. She read voraciously and drank in Father’s tales of Davy Crockett, George Armstrong Custer, and Daniel Boone”. The font used in the book was fun and easy to read. On nearly every page, a word or phrase is in a different font in larger, bolder letters that make the story feel a little more zany like Alice. The text is built into the pictures on every page. Whether it’s written on the street next to the picture of the girls from the boarding school or in the moose head when Alice is in the library looking for books, the pictures and the text work very well together. There is a lot going on visually in the book, but I believe it is to accentuate the “outrageous” person Alice was. The drawings of Alice as she grows older are well done. She is portrayed as lively and very much her own person. One line says “Everyone loved Alice” which I think is apparent throughout the book. At one point, Alice takes her younger brothers and sister to slide down the steps inside the White House after her father becomes the president. The joy on all their faces makes it impossible to not also love Alice. To me, the only part I could not figure out is the picture on the last page of the book where Alice is walking past Mount Rushmore in what appears to be pajamas with a spoon on her shoulder that is bigger than her. All I can assume is that it is another antic that belongs to Alice – she’s running away with the spoon. Review Excerpts "Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art." -Booklist, December 15, 2007"Theodore Roosevelt’s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley’s precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms and largely succeeded." -Kirkus, February 1, 2008"Kerley’s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject s antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship s swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father s trusted advisers. Fotheringham’s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text." -School Library Journal, March 2008 Connections · Read other biographical books by Barbara Kerley: The Extraordinary Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins · Research Alice’s father, former president Teddy Roosevelt. The book touches on some of his time in the White House. Have students explore what Teddy did, his politics, his decisions, and how he got his head on Mount Rushmore.

Truce by Jim Murphy

Bibliography Murphy, Jim. TRUCE. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. ISBN-13: 978-0-545-13049-3 Plot Summary This book tells the story of the events leading up to and that took place during World War I. Starting with growing tensions, the trouble reached a boil when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. This led to Germany, Austria-Hungary, Serbia and Russia to start the war that had been years in the making. Soon, World War I began and countries began fighting one another. Critical Analysis I fully admit I knew very little about World War I before reading this book. I learned a great deal of information and it is obvious Murphy put a great deal of effort into researching and learning about these events. Much historical data is used, including quotes and specific people who were in the battle fields. My favorite chapter is Chapter Five: It Was a Sight No One Will Ever See Again. This chapter is the one that the book is named for and the actual only event I knew about this war. It was Christmas morning and English sergeant Alfred Self said, “It was so quiet, it was uncanny. There were no planes overhead, no observation balloons, no bombs, no rifle fire, therefore no snipers, just an occasional lark…” The chapter goes on to tell that this particular Christmas day, the British soldiers said they would not fight that day if the Germans did not fight. They were calling a truce for Christmas. While some German leaders were not happy with this decision, it did seem to work. The men spend the day drinking and eating with their fellow soldiers, captains from opposing sides trading beer for pudding. The men locate and bury their dead. But no fighting was done. The chapter ends with a quote from British captain R.J. Armes: “I left our friends [the Germans] on Xmas Day in a quiet mood. I stood upon the parapet and had a final look around and not a shot was fired.” In what is very dark subject matter, this chapter gives a bit of humanity to the history. At least for one day, the men could put down their arms and call a truce. The timeline, notes, an index and more resources about World War I are included in the back of the book. These pieces of information would be very helpful if someone wants to get more information on the topic. The epilogue by Murphy is well written, but maybe steeped a little too heavily on his thoughts about the rhetoric of the state of our country right now. The very last line of the epilogue sum up the WWI Christmas Day truce in a beautiful way: “It may have been a small step toward peace on earth, a tiny bit of light in a vast and threatening darkness, but it offered reassurance and hope that a kinder, humane spirit could prevail amid the horrible brutality of war.” The illustrations are helpful in many ways. First, there are a several maps that really put into perspective the battles that were happening at this time. Most of the other illustrations are photos that were taken at this time or illustrations done by people who studied or were a part of the war. These give an authenticity to the book, making it feel even more real. The photo, for example, of the German long-range artillery that is about to shoot down a supply train show the real action of the war. Other photos like that of dead soldiers in a trench give a more horrifying look at the action described in the text. The font color used is a brownish grey which is about the same color as all of the illustrations. This color makes the story seem even more chilling as there was no real color during this dark time in the world’s history. Awards and Review Excerpts A 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society An Editor’s Choice, Kirkus Reviews An ALA Notable Book for Children An ALA’s BBYA Best Book for Young Adults A NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Title Junior Literary Guild Selection Booklist Best Books of 2009 SLJ Best Books of 2009 A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book “World War I was notable for the incredible carnage, the complete senselessness of which was noted by both foot soldiers and...saavy statesmen.... Anyone who has ever felt confused by the connection between the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the conflagration that followed will be vastly enlightened by Murphy’s explanation, extended in a comparison drawn in the epilogue [between] Europe in 1914 and the United States just prior to attacking Iraq. Murphy's research is impeccable, and his use of primary sources is both seamless and effective. An excellent addition to ...libraries, this affecting book has a place in history curriculum as well.” – School Library Journal "Murphy's excellent telling of this unusual war story begins with an account of the events that led to WWI and follows the shift in the soldiers' mind-sets from the feverish rush to join before the war ended to the painful realization that no end was in sight. Printed in tones of sepia, the illustrations in this handsome… vividly portrays the context and events of the Christmas Truce." – Booklist Review "The historical background Murphy provides gives the truce emotional resonance; his subsequent, concise summary of the next four years of carnage is all the more sobering in contrast. Plentiful photographs and period illustrations convey the paradoxes well.” – Hornbook “Opening with a cogent recap of the state of Europe….that focuses on those moments when war might have been averted,… the author gracefully moves to the horrific conditions of battle…. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Murphy takes readers through to the exhausting endgame that spawned the next war, but also he leaves kids with the provocative thought that war need not be inevitable, that the truce "offered reassurance that a kinder, humane spirit could prevail…." Spectacular." – Kirkus Review Connections · Murphy refers to a few other books about the Christmas Day truce. Look at these stories to see if they differ than Murphy’s. Silent Night: The Story Of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub and Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon. · In the epilogue, Murphy says he first began his research on WWI with looking at the 400,000 African-American soldiers in the war. Read the books he mentions about these men: The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage by Walter Dean Myers and Hell Fighters: African American Soldiers in World War I by Michael Cooper.

We Are The Ship by Kadir Nelson

Bibliography Nelson, Kadir. WE ARE THE SHIP: THE STORY OF NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL. New York: Hyperion Books, 2008. ISBN-12:978-0-7868-0832-8 Plot Summary Nelson’s book follows the rise and fall of Negro League Baseball, ending with the acceptance of African Americans into the sport. Bringing in stories of African American baseball players that are well known like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson as well as introducing men that are not as well know, Nelson gracefully shows the sport as it finally gained some of the best players, regardless of their race. Critical Analysis This book was simply beautiful. Told in first person, it has the feeling that you’re living the story that’s being told. Each chapter is packed full of information about the men as well as the sport. It uses a lot of quotes that draw the reader in even more. The chapters are numbered like innings as if you were actually at a baseball game. I think my favorite part about the text was the use of quotes at the beginning of each chapter. For example, the 1st Inning has a quote by Satchel Paige: “I ain’t ever had a job, I just always played baseball.” The quotes give a reverence to the story and really tie in the love the men had for the game. Hank Aaron’s Foreword to the book is well written and agrees that Nelson’s book really pays tribute to the men on these teams. He remembers the moments Nelson touches on and feels nostalgic for the memories Nelson presents in this book. The end of the book has a list of Negro Leaguers who made it to the Major Leagues as well as Negro Leaguers who are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Author’s Note at the end gives a more in depth look into Nelson’s feelings about the book and the subject matter. In it, he says, “I have attempted in earnest to present these men (and one woman) in all their dignity, pride, and spiritual strength. They are my heroes.” I believe this is true and that he gives them the upmost dignity in his book. Possibly more moving than the text itself are the illustrations. Nelson goes into painstaking detail to show the men who writes about. The pictures give even more of the sense that Nelson really loves the topic of the book. From the old looking photos of players to the pictures of individual men standing on the field as if they’re looking right into the camera, to the beautiful illustration of a night game, circa 1932, the pictures bring in even more detail. It’s interesting to note it is hard to find a smile on any of the faces of the players. I think it lends to the seriousness the men had towards their sport. I felt Nelson gave illustrations that give his story all the praise and justice it deserves.

Awards and Review Excerpts

• Winner of the Sibert Medal


• Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2009


• Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, 2009

“Beyond celebrating the players' athletic skills and their dignity in the face of discrimination, Nelson doesn't shy away from the ugly complexities of segregation. When teams barnstormed through the South, he writes, "We would have to travel several hundred miles without stopping because we couldn't find a place where we could eat along the way. It's a hurtful thing when you're starving and have a pocket full of money but can't find a place to eat because they 'don't serve Negroes.' " – L.A. Times Book Review “Imagine listening to baseball legends Willie Mays and Ernie Banks swapping stories about their Negro League days as they sit in the stands, munching on peanuts and watching Ken Griffey Jr. launch a curve ball into the stratosphere. That kind of easygoing, conversational storytelling is exactly what Kadir Nelson achieves in this pitch-perfect history of Negro League baseball. “Seems like we’ve been playing baseball for a mighty long time. At least as long as we’ve been free,” the narrator says.” – Horn Book Review "Nelson continues to top himself with each new book. Here, working solo for the first time, he pays tribute to the hardy African-American players of baseball's first century with a reminiscence written in a collective voice—"But you know something? We had many Josh Gibsons in the Negro Leagues. We had many Satchel Paiges. But you never heard about them"—matched to a generous set of full-page painted portraits and stadium views. Generally viewed from low angles, the players seem to tower monumentally, all dark-skinned game faces glowering up from the page and big, gracefully expressive hands dangling from powerful arms. Arranging his narrative into historical "Innings," the author closes with lists of Negro Leaguers who played in the Majors, and who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, plus a detailed working note. Along with being absolutely riveted by the art, readers will come away with a good picture of the Negro Leaguers' distinctive style of play, as well as an idea of how their excellence challenged the racial attitudes of both their sport and their times.” – Kirkus Review Connections

• Look at other books illustrated by Kadir Nelson: Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, and Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee.


• What else can you learn about Negro League Baseball? Look at Heroes of the Negro Leagues by Jack Morelli and The Biographical Encyclopedia of Negro Baseball Leagues by James A. Riley. • Have students pick a Negro League Baseball player and do a presentation over his life. What did he do before baseball? How long was he in baseball? How far did he get? What teams did he play for?

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

Bibliography

Sones, Sonya. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2001. ISBN 0-689-84114-0

Plot Summary

Sones’s book of poems follows fourteen year old Sophie as she falls in love many times and finds out who she can talk to about the various problems in her life. She tries to navigate the waters between love and lust while keeping her two best friends by her side. The poems vary in style with mostly free verse and a few sonnets (like on page 81). Some have complete sentences and others do not. This form gives the idea that the reader is right there in Sophie’s mind – sometimes the thoughts she has are random and flighty while other times they are serious and thought out. The topics covered are all things relevant to a fourteen year old girl: periods, sex, fighting parents, love, being picked on, internet dating, cheating on a boyfriend, and breaking up.

The titles of the poems give insight into what each poem is about like the poem titled “Why I Don’t Mind Being An Only Child” where Sophie explains the relationship she has with her two best friends. There are only pictures on a few pages where Sophie explains her she and her boyfriend made a flip book and if you flip the pages, you can actually see the flip book. The cover fights well with the book itself. Sophie is an artist and enjoys going to the museum. The book cover is a collage of pictures, drawings and paintings that could be seen in the room of a fourteen year old.

Critical Analysis

This is the book I wish I would have had at fourteen. Sones understands what it’s like to get your first period and what you can and can’t tell even your best friends. Sophie is stuck in that awkward age where you aren’t quite a grown up, but you’re not quite a child. When Sophie’s parents fight, she ends up feeling even more like she has no control of her life and her emotions. Sones perfectly captures the idea of lust and how it is so easily disguised as love to a fourteen year old. She describes Sophie sitting on her boyfriend Dylan’s lap and sneaking outside to kiss each other. Painful and raw, Sophie does not hold back in her thoughts about life and everything happening to her. I felt connected to Sophie even more in the poem “I Hate Her” where Sophie is so angry with her mom, but ends the poem by saying “But I hate hating her” (150). This book took me back to the feelings I had at Sophie’s age, especially fighting with my mom, but desperately needing her to understand what I was going through.

There are no topics that Sones leaves out because they are too serious or too tough. Sophie talks about panties she bought and brags to her friends about how excited she is to show them to the girls. She falls for a guy she meets online who turns out to be a scumbag and she is afraid he might meet her in person. Nothing scares Sones away in this book which I think is important because all the topics are truly relevant to girls today. While this book brings up mature topics, I think they all need to be discussed with teenagers and Sones does so in a graceful yet powerful way.

Awards and Review Excerpts

A Junior Library Guild Selection
ALA named one of Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2004 and 2005
International Reading Association Young Adults’ Choice (2003)
Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003-2004)
Scholastic Teenage Book Club Selection
Booklist Editors Choice (2001)

“Sonya Sones writes with clarity and truth, and knows how to keep us reading.” –David Almond, author of Kit’s Wilderness, an ALA Printz Award Book

“Tender and sexy and honest. With the poetry of an innocent kiss and the passion of a teenager’s heart, Sones has created a book that feels like real love.” –Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak, an ALA Printz Honor Book

“Sonya Sones’s is a voice that the literature of the young has been waiting for, even when it’s as silent as the whispering of fingers.” –Richard Peck, author of the Newberry Award-winning A Year Down Yonder

“Each poem – funny, heartbreaking, and honest – perfectly describes a moment in time; together they tell a powerful story.” – Ellen Wittlinger, author of Hard Love, an ALA Printz Honor Book

Connections

• Read other books by Sones: What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know and One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
• Have students write their own poems about issues on their mind. Are they dealing with love or loss or fighting with a friend? What does their mind and their heart feel that they may not be able to say out loud?
• Read other books like those of Sones: The Earth, My Butt and Other Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr, or Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle

Bibliography

Schertle, Alice. BUTTON UP!: WRINKLED RHYMES. New York: Harcourt Children’s Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-15-205050-4

Plot Summary

This series of poem by Alice Schertle gives a voice to the clothes of animals. When does Harvey wear his galoshes? How does Bob’s helmet protect him and get used while he rides his bike? The poems are funny and easy to read. The illustrations done by Petra Mathers are very nice in that they give good human qualities to these animals. Wanda is shown doing cannonballs into the water in her swimsuit and Jack is wearing his soccer jersey while making goals and kicking the ball. Schertle opens a world of creatures to a human-like existence through the simple act of putting on their clothes.

Critical Analysis

This book is funny and charming. Designed for kindergarten to second grade, the drawings make the animals lifelike, not cartoonish. Schertle shows great care for these animals, carefully picking their articles of clothing and writing a sharp and sweet poem around each. While the poems are not thought provoking, they do provide younger readers a group of characters they could easily relate to. Just like them, they have a favorite tshirt, a hat, a bicycle helmet. The careful words and lovely illustrations make this book of poetry enjoyable to all readers.

Review Excerpts
". . . these creatures have personality, exuberance and high style that perfectly match the verses. Loads of fun."--Kirkus, starred review

"From delicately comical to downright funny, the art perfectly reflects the contagiously rhythmic, playful verse. Made for sharing, and worth learning by heart, too."--Horn Book, starred review

". . . these poems will give readers a new perspective on getting dressed . . . Playful spreads and spot art suit the small, snappy verses beautifully. This whimsical little volume will make a delightful addition to poetry collections."--School Library Journal, starred review

"The whimsical illustrations pair perfectly with the wittiness of the text, and the whole is a clever and original poetic treat."--Booklist, starred review

“. . . enjoyable sound effects . . . Tone varies from sturdy support of ‘Bob’s Bicycle Helmet’ . . . to the playfulness of ‘Wanda’s Swimsuit . . . the extraordinary precision of Mather’s [sic] delicate brush strokes result in collagelike textures and crisp solidity . . . sure to tickle youngsters.”--The Bulletin

"Here's a match made in children's-book Heaven: esteemed poet Schertle (All You Need for a Snowman) and Mathers, the artist behind the Lottie's World (the charming chicken) books . . . Full of surprises, perhaps a sniffle, and plenty of cheer ("Everybody clap your hands,/ everybody shout,/ Bill's got his jacket on,/ LET'S GO OUT!"), this one will be in constant demand."--PW Shelf Awareness

Connections

• Read the story aloud to the group, but change the names of the various animals to children listening to the story. Have a bag of clothing items that are listed in the book. Give it to the child whose name you pick for that story and have them wear it.
• Have children write a poem about what they think their pet’s favorite clothing item would be if they wore clothes. Would their poodle carry a parasol? Would their cat wear a cap? Then draw pictures of the animals wearing these items.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars by Betsy Franco

Bibliography

Franco, Betsy. MESSING AROUND ON THE MONKEY BARS. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7636-3174-1

Plot Summary

Franco presents a colorful book full of poems about and at school. The poems include subject matter like a teacher not listening to her students, giving reports on animals, recess, lunch and homework. The book is set up to be read by two voices as well as the group. Each poem has regular, bold and bigger bold font to easily distinguish the separate voices.

Critical Analysis

This book is a very fun read. The poems are all topics that school aged children would be interested in reading about. Franco easily puts herself into the mind of a child who deals with the everyday problems of school. The use of techniques like the sound of the pencil tapping provides another level to the poems that make them fun and interactive. The illustrations done by Jessie Hartland really fit in with the theme of school. They look like drawings that may have actually been done by a child. These pictures tie the stories to the intended readers by allowing children to see pictures that may have been drawn by their peers with stories that explain their own day to day worries and activities. I think the best part of the book is the section at the end of the book titled “Adventurous Way to Read the Poems”. In this section, different poems are highlighted with an activity that highlights the poem. For example, the poem called “Jenny’s Pencil” involves someone saying “Tap, tap, tap” while the other voice reads about what is happening in the classroom. The “adventure” for this poem has someone tap a pencil to make the noise while the poem is being read. I think these suggestions really add another dimension to reading these poems. It shows the author/publisher put a great deal of thought into providing a story that was also very interactive.

Review Excerpts

Susan Treadway, M.Ed: “There are poems that have rhyme and rhythm while others are free verse. It is significant to note that much of the vocabulary is in the form of onomatopoeia which creates vivid mental images. This powerful technique is useful for educators and students who use it to address other subjects within language arts and across the curriculum, i.e. speaking, listening, reading and writing. It is unfortunate, however, that illustrations are not as bold or large enough for listeners toenjoy as portrayed by the excellent poetry. As a picture book for older elementary and middle schoolers, it could be somewhat of a disappointment for visual learners. Even so, wrapping up the collection is a very fine section called "Adventurous Ways to Read the Poems" that helps readers incorporate variety, unique forms, and unlimited presentations with friends and colleagues. Integrating poetry into classes becomes readily available with works such as this one. Dive in!”

Connections

• Look at other books illustrated by Jessie Hartland: Clementine Visits the City, Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, and Night Shift.
• Read other books about school poetry: No More Homework! No More Tests!: Kids Favorite Funny School Poems by Bruce Lansky, Lunch Money and Other Poems About School by Carol Shields and If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems About School by Kalli Dakos.
• Have students write their own poems about their favorite (or least favorite) part of school.