SO FAR FROM THE BAMBOO GROVE by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This is a tragic yet triumphant story. It is interesting to read it from the viewpoint of a young Japanese girl who lived in the heart of World War II. It’s mind boggling to see how people were treated; almost as if they were inhuman. I cannot imagine how painfully it must have been for them at the time. I can only envision the pain she experienced after everything was over and her parents were dead. I acknowledge the courage it must have took to write this book. The author wrote it with such truthfulness and from the heart instead of sugarcoating her thoughts and feelings, even if sometimes it didn’t put her in a good light. Sometimes I wondered why Ko was so harsh on Yoko. However, towards the end I see her learning to do things and appreciate things that much more. Even though towards the end, Yoko was still suffering one way or another she made the conscious choice to stop complaining and be more thankful for what she has.

It does make me upset after I read about Yoko’s journey to Japan and then all of her classmates make fun of her (even though they didn't know her story). It takes a lot of courage to put up with that . I must say I give a lot of credit to her mother and her sister who help her strengthen Yoko with some tough love. They really help her be the better person and not stoop to their level. I am surprised that Yoko never mentioned anything about her story in class. I am glad that she made two close friends: Naido and Corporal Matsumura. She is pretty smart at picking real friends. As she knows from firsthand experience, you can’t judge a book by its cover, which she never did with her friends.

I cannot even fathem the impact this journey had on her, especially as only an eleven year old child. I am surprised they didn’t spend much of the mother’s money after she died and were able to save it. Most importantly, I am glad Yoko had instilled in her to take rejection and use it to make her a stronger person. It really shows you when it comes down to it that material items and possessions do not matter so much in the scheme of life; it is family that matters. Family is what makes people whole and complete. Family is what keeps us going on the inside. After all of this happened, Hideyo, Ko, and Yoko must have shared and indescribable bond. All they had left for family was each other. It really makes me think about the hardships that I think I have and be tremendously thankful for the freedom and shelter I have.

GO TO BED, MONSTER! by Natasha Wing

This is about an adventure between a child and a pretend monster who comes alive after she draws him with the help of her crayons. This reminds me a lot of role reversal. The young child becomes the fun loving parent who attends to their child’s needs except can only take so much. It is interesting how children only see the fun side of things instead of all the work that comes along with it. This is similar to the picture book, “Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant” because the child wants to take on the role as a grown-up.

I find it fascinating that the child is extremely young but manages to read and read and read to the monster. I’m not sure if she is pretending to read based of the pictures she sees on the pages or is actually reading. I know in my practicum class I work with kindergarteners who cannot read but analyze what is going on with the illustrations and attempt to make up their own interpretations or story of what is happening. I also noticed how wise this child is for her age in other aspects of her life such as grooming and her nurturing nature. Stories like these are reminders for me to never underestimate a child’s intelligence. I hope someday I will truly appreciate my child’s imagination. Through this book, it helped me recognize what they really have to offer. It reminded me of the book “I’m the Boss” in the sense of reminiscing about past time and childhood fantasies. I thought the inside cover pages were a unique addition to the story. It contains more drawings from the little girl, in crayon again. The book gave the impression that everything was supposed to look like it had been drawn from crayons, especially the monster. However, surprisingly, it was done using oil paints and pastels.

Elbert's Bad Word by Audrey Wood

This was a picture book about a young boy who learns a bad word at an adult dinner party. He then carries it on into his own experiences. It basically manifests into a word Elbert thought was acceptable. It makes me realize how crucial one word can really impact a group. Of course, there a lot of factors that plays into the context of how it comes across. This is basically what deciphers the strength of the word. I know from my experience kids are not expected to say bad words and that’s where is becomes the more of a shock. This is where I think it is desperately essential for adults to model the correct behavior because children are like sponges and they will soak up everything you say and do. However I am strongly against the method they used to punish him to teach Elbert not to say bad words. Maybe metaphorically it seems to make sense to wash his mouth out with soap but that not only does not rid the child from saying a bad word, it also does not promote a positive attitude or good behavior. If I had to predict I would assume he will soon rebel in other ways.

Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant? by Jake Wolf

This is a cute little story about a little boy wanting something. He feels he needs a companion but honestly doesn’t have any concept of the process of taking care of it. It reminds me of the things I used to wonder about when I was a child. I think it’s great that they have just the boy and his father. It helps represent the ever-growing non-stereotypical family. They show immense love and happiness with one another which I believe resonates through to its readers showing them what a strong bond they have between each other.

On the contrary, I wonder if this young boy is actually trying to outsmart his dad. Instead of starting with asking for a dog or cat and risking his father’s rejection of the idea he starts with asking to own a wild animal or two. I’m not sure which way I want to go on this one. However, if my child presented me with the ideas of different wild animals to have as pets I would probably soon compromise and suggest settling with a cat or dog. The cartoonish style drawings of the animals really add a strong connection to the words on each page. The illustrations were very fun-loving and made me chuckle throughout the story. It is a marvelous family book.

The Parrot Tico Tango by Anna Witte

The Parrot Tico Tango seems to be a book intended to be about second chances. We all do something we wish we didn’t do. However, this parrot takes all the animals’ fruit and has no remorse. That is, until he is caught. Then he asks for forgiveness. Just like in real life, many criminals feel sorry for what they have done after they have been caught. I don’t very often hear about the people who feel bad about what they have done and take steps to undo what they have done until they have officially been caught in the act. Everything is situational though. I wonder what the parrot would have done if he wouldn’t have dropped all of the fruit?

It seems like a lot of these authors have sentimental values to the books they write. I find, in my opinion, there is a lot of insight or messages to young children and many times adults in numerous children’s books. There were lots of deep bright red, blue, yellow, and green colors. I, unfortunately, still wasn’t a big fan of the illustrations. I think some of the colors and drawings should have been a lot more subtle. Furthermore, I think the intention was to create a rhyming scheme with the words but, again, I think this failed too. I am on the fence as to whether I value this to be a good children’s book or not. I would like to present it to a child and see how engaged they get.

I'm the Boss by Elizabeth Winthrop

At first, my prediction is that it is a feisty young child who constantly demands things as if she is the boss of the family. What I come to learn, though, is for a day she dresses up as a grown-up and pretends she is the boss. This is such an adorable book that brings me back to a lot of past times. I remember when I used to play ‘house’ and sometimes I was the mom while other times I was the baby. I couldn’t wait to play and make believe. It’s funny how when you’re a kid you so badly want to be a grown up but when you’re a grown up you would just love to be a kid again. When I was a kid I remember thinking it could never be possible to be a grown up except for in my imagination. I mean, I knew I was getting older everyday but I really didn’t have a true concept of reality of how I would be as a grown-up even when I tried to picture it in my head. I think some of it had to do with the fact that I could only think in concrete terms rather than abstractly. I tried to fathom someday I would be a grown-up but I didn’t believe in my heart that I would actually be one before the age of eleven. I love the light-heartedness of this story. It had a wonderful ending with Julia training her dog and finally getting to be the boss of somebody. In the end, she realized she gained a companion. It made me smile.

jms10.glogster.com

Midterm Reflection

It has been such a great semester so far. Honestly, I feel such a great amount of freedom of expression. It was wonderful having no pressure and specific formula that I had to mold to. It left me with copious options to speak about my own interpretations and views of the books that I have read. Frankly, it has really opened my eyes more than ever before about what literature has to offer. I don’t feel the pressure to conform to a textbook expected response. I feel like I can openly communicate my thoughts and feeling without the fear of being ridiculed. There is no ‘correct’ response. Of course, I may attribute it some to my growth as a reader and a learner. I never expected to be a blogger and let alone, someone to enjoy blogging. I used to have a different opinion of blogging. It just proves that you really can’t judge something until you thoroughly and truly understand or experience it yourself. I have had the chance to analyze some wonderful children books and get a further understanding of richness many of these books have to offer. The most surprising thing to me so far this semester is my love for Graphic Novels. I must admit, I did not think I would, at all, become a fan but I actually ended up really appreciating them. Lastly, after reading and commenting on several controversial books I look in retrospect and realize how naïve I used to be. This is all new to me and I am grateful for this opportunity. It gives me a practice run before I have to face the real thing in a classroom. I hope to continue having positive memorable experiences throughout the rest of the semester that will help me continue to learn and grow as a teacher and more importantly a person.

The Misfits by James Howe

I absolutely adore this book. It really draws to your heart and reminds me of the tough times everyone goes through in high school. Every character is trying to fit in no matter if they are popular or not. One part that really stuck out to me is when Bobby and his dad are talking about Bobby’s Grandfather and sharing some of the things he used to say to Bobby’s dad that was forever instilled in him as a parent. The phrase was “You can’t embarrass me. Not ever. It’s just not part of the deal.” I found that to be a very powerful and heartfelt statement. This creates such a deepening feeling for me. Being a parent myself, I definitely understand how I could never feel embarrassed of my child. It think it is an important line for children to pay attention to while reading this book and try to relate it to their own lives in a positive way.

The book was actually, quite surprisingly, a quick read. There was a lot of the dialogue with Addie writing down word for word what people were saying during the forum meetings. Of course, maybe it flew by because, just like The Giver, I couldn’t put it down. It really made me analyze my own experiences from school and realize we don’t have to except what is not fair. We have a voice and it is extremely empowering to hear this story and learn about their experiences. Many kids in school struggle to deal with understanding their personal identities and insecurities with themselves. In my opinion, for some, they think that the only way to feel accepted, superior, or better about themselves, is to put others down and call them names. This really shed some light on real-life situations that happen in school and did an excellent job tackling these issues.

There are two characters in the book (Joe and Collin) that are gay which may spark some controversy for some. I love how everyone embraces and treats it like another norm which is how I think it should be treated in society today. Not everyone is going to have a cookie cutter life, in fact, most people don’t. However, too many people are not being accepting enough of other people’s differences. I appreciate and really respect that they cover it a lot in this book with many discussions about race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. I think this is a wonderful book for children to read at their leisure. Furthermore, I would strongly consider reading along with dissecting this book in my upper-elementary classroom.