A Librarian's Love of Books is Universal

The Librarian of Basra

Written by Jeanette Winter

Illustrated by Jeanette Winter

Hardcourt, 2003

32 pages

NonFiction/Multicultural

            I choose this book because I wanted to see life in another country at a time when most people don’t want to hear about that country.  We were in/at war with Iraq when this book was written.  This book gives the true story of a librarian who wanted nothing more than to save the books at her library.  She does not care there is a war or why she only wants to save the books.  She also gets help from friends.  To see if she is successful in saving the books, sit down with an open heart and mind and read this wonderful book written about a terrible time.

            The illustrations are done in a folk art acrylic and pen on Archis water color paper.  The illustrations seem to be looking at the reader.  I loved the use of rich color and text that is on the page with the illustrations but not to overpower the reader.  Although the colors are rich blues, purple and greens, they have a peace to them I can’t explain.

            This book would be good for kindergarten through sixth grade.  A social studies and geography lesson about Iraq and their culture would be a great fit for this book.  A character education lesson would also work well because not every person wants or cares for war, and not all people from Iraq are bad.  At this time this book as won no awards.

What's Your Sign?

The Year of the Dog

Written by Oliver Chin

Illustrated by Miah Alcorn

Immedium, 2006

32 pages

Fiction/Multicultural

            My son is obsessed with the Chinese zodiac, so I choose this book for us to read together.  This book, however, was not what I expected when I checked it out.  I was expecting the same type of book about the Chinese zodiac that I had read in the past, but this book was about a little dog born to protect a young girl.  Through the story all the characters are from the Chinese zodiac, so it made for a fun read and gave a new twist on an old calendar.  So if you have a Chinese zodiac loving kid or you just like to learn something new, this is a great book.

            The illustrations are done in a folk art collage.  The illustrator used cut out paper to form a collage.  The illustrations have the same sharp edge that most Chinese and Japanese cartoons do.  They are in an anime type art work.  The use of bright colors and smiling faces is a change from anime though.  The text is on the pages, so the reader does not have to search for the text and can be easily seen during a read aloud.

            This book would be good for kindergarten through sixth grade.  A social studies and geography lesson about China and their culture would be a great fit for this book.  A character education lesson would also work well because the little dog protects the little girl and watches out for her.  At this time this book as won no awards.

 

Parla Inglese?

In English, of Course

Written by Josephine Nobisso

Illustrated by Dasha Ziborova

Gingerbread House, 2002

31 pages

Fiction/Multicultural

            Looking for multicultural books is harder than one may think when you are staring at all the books at the JSU library, but this one caught my eye, and I grabbed it.  This book is a story about a young girl from Italy who came to America in the 1950’s after the WWII.  She does not speak English, and she is sent to school. On her first day, she learned how the simple act of telling a story started a life of adventure for this young lady.  Her teacher helps her tell where she is from in Italy and if you want to learn how it all turns out grab a map and some children sit on the floor and go on an adventure.

            The illustrations are done in cartoon collage.  The illustrator used cut our paper and mixed media to give a whimsical view and how it may have been to a young girl from Italy to be trying to tell your story in an US classroom.  The use of color plays up the time setting of the book, they are very 50’s to me, the green, blue and brownish-reds all remind me of my grandmother’s house.

            This book would be good for kindergarten through sixth grade.  This book gives a wonderful account of how the world may sound through the ears of a non-English speaking student.  This book would be good for a social studies lesson to learn about different cultures.  A geography lesson could work about the country the main character is from, and a language arts class could use the book to compare English to Italian.  This book as won the, “ Best Books for children” by the Association of Booksellers for Children, “Teacher’s Choice” Award, “Chapman Award”, ABA “Pick of the List”, A PBS TV Teacher's Source "Recommended Book" and The Independent Publisher Award.

NOTE: "Parla Inglese?" is Italian for "Do you speak English?"  This post on Children's Conversational Italian on About.com is particularly fun since the links play audio recordings of children speaking the phrases.

Muy Loco Lucasito

Lucas and His Loco Beans

Written by Ramona Moreno Winner

Illustrated by Nicole Velasquez

Brainstorm 3000, 2002, 2003 & 2005

30 pages

Fiction/Multicultural

            While at the Jacksonville Public Library, I asked for the multicultural books and they pointed me in the direction of a wonderful collection.  That’s where I found this book.  The book is about a little boy named Lucas who goes to spend the summer with his Abuelo who lives in New Mexico.  His Abuelo is from Mexico and has a ton to teach Lucas.  On this adventure Lucas’s Abuelo shows him the Mexican Jumping Bean.  They are not actually beans but a moth in the seed of a plant that grows in Mexico and out west.  Lucas learns a lot from his Abuelo that summer.  This book is written in both Spanish and English, so grab this book and a child and read away, you will both learn a lot.

            The realistic illustrations are done chalk and are very prominent on the page.  The artist went into detail to draw the life cycle of the bean and the diagrams in the book.  I enjoyed the illustrations of this book as much as the story.  The use of blue, red and brown makes this book feel warm and inviting.  I was out west three years ago and this book reminded me very much of my time in New Mexico.  

            This book would be good for kindergarten through sixth grade.  This book gives a wonderful account of a moth that lives off a plant and what happens if they do not have that plant.  This book will be good for a science lesson about plants and moths.  It works well for a social studies lesson on culture and language, too.  It would also tie in well with a geography lesson on Mexico and the US as well as a history lesson.  At this time this book has won no awards.

The Key(s) to Jazz

Piano Starts Here, The Young Art Tatum

Written by Robert Andrew Parker

Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

Random House, 2008

31 pages

Nonfiction

            The Jacksonville State University library stocks tons of children’s books, so I just started pulling books off the self and reading them.  I found this one and really liked it because it told me a story about a part of history that I know little about... The Jazz Age.  During this time Jazz was heard in bars, speakeasies and juke joints.  Art Tatum was a very important part of the Jazz Age and made a name for himself in those places.  This story gives a look inside his life before he made movies, records and toured the world.  He was born with an eye disorder that made him virtually blind.  He taught himself to play the piano, and the rest, as they say, is history.  So grab an Art Tatum music download and learn a little about the man playing the piano on your iPod.

            The illustrations are done in a surreal water color with wonderful color use.  I enjoyed the illustrations of this book as much as the story.  The artist wanted the reader to see the world a bit like Art Tatum did…blurry at first, so some of the illustrations are blurry.  They are soft and kind to the eye and the text is on the illustrations for easier reading.

            This book would be good for kindergarten through sixth grade.  This book gives a wonderful account of a time in history that most of the children in school now never hear about.  This book will be good for a music lesson the unit could be about Jazz and the men and women who made it famous.  A health lesson could address blindness and hearing, and how our other senses take over and excel when we lose or do not have all of our primary senses.   A social studies lesson about different eras of time would work well comparing life then and now.   To my knowledge this book has not won any awards.