Module 3: Caldecott Winners-- The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

Image retrieved from http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dan-santat/the-adventures-of-beekle-the-unimaginary-friend/9780316199988/

Book Summary:

This is the imaginative tale of an imaginary friend. Beekle is longing for a real human friend. He is looked over time and time again so he does the only thing he can. He goes into the real world and starts to look for his real friend himself. He looks high and low. On the other side of the story is a little girl searching for her imaginary friend. She sees many imaginary friends, but they are not her imaginary friend. The little girl and Beekle find each other at just the right time.  It is a story of finding friendship not giving up on the idea of having a friend.

APA Citation:

Santat, D. (2014). The adventures of Beekle: The unimaginary friend. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Impressions:

The art work in this book one the Caldecott award this past year and Dan Santat does deserve the award for this work. The artwork in this book is primarily digitally produced, but it has the feel of being drawn by hand. The use of a different color pallet for each world the imaginary and the real let the reader know where the story is taking place just by a quick glance. The story about an imaginary friend seeking out their real friend is an original story. I found the story sweet and imaginative and I loved the artwork. Overall I found it very deserving of the Caldecott award, great story supported by wonderfully fitting artwork.

Professional Review: Horn Book

It’s Boxing Day, friends. Time to talk about a sweet gift of a book. Because I know many of you are sneaking a peek at your phones and computers in between holiday cleanup, entertaining relatives, and furtive trips to the mall, I will make it a quick review.

Beekle is an extremely adorable imaginary friend who resembles a marshmallow, only with a dear little crown and a chubby three-fingered hand (plus thumb). The problem with Beekle is that no one imagines him, so he goes off on a journey to find a friend.

I am going to say right off that the first time I metBeekle, I thought, “Kids will like this, and adults who evaluate books will find it a bit too sweet.” But as I read it over and over, I found the first part to be true: kids love Beekle; and the second part to be true and false. Yes, it’s very sweet, but it has enough of the “real world” to take away the cloying quality that often accompanies a book about making friends. And there are some clever bits, too.

1.     The endpapers show kids with their imaginary friends. Only Beekle is alone on the opening end pages. On the closing pages, Beekle and bespectacled Alice are together.

2.     When Alice meets Beekle for the first time, it’s clear that she has imagined him because she has a picture of him in the tree with the star-shaped leaves.

3.     I love the spread that says, “Until he reached the real world.” Santat’s use of grays is spectacular. The only speck of color is Beekle in his sailboat. I can’t wait to get my second graders to talk about this page!

4.     Santat holds firmly to Beekle’s view of the world for the whole book, but the page where Beekle is observing the adult world (where only adults are eating cake, walking grimly through a subway station, and sleeping on the subway) will make a lot of adults stop and pause.

5.     The bright and colorful world of the playground, where the children from the endpapers are playing with their imaginary friends, is perfectly placed in the book. I was feeling a little downhearted after all that gray and gloom.

6.     Santat is not afraid to make the child feel Beekle’s emotions, and I like that, though I am pretty sure some folks are going to find some of these images manipulative. I dare anyone to see Beekle in his tree, all alone with the falling leaves, and not feelsomething, especially when you read the words, “But no one came.” When Alice passes the picture to Beekle, is there anyone who will not feel the drama of the first moments of friendship?

7.     The choice of colors — grays for the friend-free world, browns and oranges for the first moments of friendship, and bright yellow circles bathing the comic-strip scenes where Alice names Beekle — all add to the emotional punch.

Will this book get any attention from the Caldecott committee? I don’t know. I imagine it will be talked about and nominated for sure. And no matter what happens to it with the committee, young readers will love it. It has that “read it to me over and over” quality that parents and kids love.

Citation:

Smith, R. (2014). The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. The Horn Book. Retrieved September 16, 2015, from http://www.hbook.com/2014/12/featured/beekle-unimaginary-friend/#_

Library Uses:
I would use this book in a display of Caldecott winners showing the change in artistry from the first winners until today. 

Module 2: Classic Children's and Young Adult Literature -- Bunnicula

Image retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Bunnicula-Rabbit-Tale-Mystery-GREAT-SOURCE/dp/1416928170 

Book Summary: 

A new visitor has arrived at the Monroe household and it is unusual. This bunny has strange markings and fang like teeth. It does not eat its vegetables, but sucks the juice out of them turning them a stark white. Do vampire bunnies exist and is this one of them? The Dog Harold and Cat Chester must determine if the Bunny is actually a vegetable  vampire. Then they must alert their family that the new pet isn’t quite what they expect. From Chester starving the poor Bunnicula and Harold trying to make sure the bunny gets food, to then Chester's attempt at steaking the bunny with the actual food hilarity ensues as  the family pets try to understand their newest and oddest addition. Bunnicula eventually blends into the family, once it is discovered that vegetable juice is the best diet for him.  Everything is back to normal well, as normal as life can be with a vampire bunny as a pet. 

APA Citation: 

Howe, D., Howe, J., & Daniel, A. (1979). Bunnicula: A rabbit tale of mystery. New York: Antheum 

Impressions: 

I did not know what to expect when I first picked up this book.  A co-worker told me that this book was excellent and I had to read it. I was not expecting to laugh out loud or to finish it in one setting. I do not agree with the review from Kirkus that is listed below. This book has a plot and action and overall it was fun. I fell for Harold and Chester and their plight trying to alert their humans and understand poor Bunnicula. This is a great book to hand to a reluctant reader or really early reader. With the right level of action, humor and language level, this book could be the one book that causes that unengaged reader to engage.  

Professional Review: KIRKUS REVIEW 

A talking-dog's story of a vampire rabbit. Uhuh, and this is not one of those madcap affairs that has no natural bounds. Dog Harold and his buddy, cat Chester, pride themselves on being ""rather special pets""; after all, Mr. Monroe is a college English professor and Mrs. M. is a lawyer and so everybody is treated with respect for their intelligence. Which isn't, truth to say, always in evidence. Mrs. M., for instance, wants to call every new animal Fluffy--including the bunny found in a shoebox in the movie theater when the family goes to see Dracula. But, voted down, she comes up with ""Bunny-cula. Bunnicula!"" And he not only bears a note in ""an obscure dialect of the Carpathian mountain region"" (intelligible only to Harold), he turns tomatoes, lettuce, even zucchini--white!!! Well, he must be sucking their juices out, Chester decides, ergo a vampire. Chester's efforts to starve poor Bunnicula--after his other attempts to alert the Monroes fail--give these goings-on some semblance of a plot. But it's a pretty feeble bit of foolishness (except, briefly, for the zucchini bit) which winds up with Bunnicula on a liquid diet that leaves no tell-tale signs. Was he or wasn't he? Your guess is as good as ours. 

BUNNICULA: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah & James Howe Howe | Kirkus. (1979). Kirkus. Retrieved September 4, 2015. from  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/deborah-james-howe-howe/bunnicula-a-rabbit-tale-of-mystery/ 

Library Uses:  

This is a suggestion I am actually going to attempt this fall for my school age storytime. I tend to lean heavily on picture books, but I want to introduce some longer books to my story time this fall. I am going to read a portion of this book at the beginning of my school age storytime. To create a continuation from the last program.  I will ask  questions about comprehension of the book to see how much they remember from the previous week. I also want to use this activity to promote active listening .  I think that the group I currently have (majority of them boys) will be laughing out loud too. 

Module 1: Introduction to Children's Literature -- Miss Brooks' Story Nook

Book Cover Image: 

Image retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Brooks-Story-where-tales-welcome/dp/0449813282

Summary:

Missy, the main character in Miss Brooks' Story Nook, likes going to the story nook every morning. The only problem is having to pass Billy's house to get there. She usually takes the long way to school avoiding Billy, but on mornings when she is running late she has to take the route past Billy's house, and he takes her hats. One particular morning at Miss Brooks' Story Nook, the electricity goes out. Miss Brooks takes this event and  turns it into a teaching opportunity, letting the kids take over story time. She asks them to create their own story and they learn what makes a good story including important things like plot and action. Through the process of creating their own story they solve Missy's "Billy" problem creatively. They create a story that scares the bully Billy and convinces him to give all her hats back. 

APA Refrerence: 

Bottner, B.(2014).  Miss Brooks' story nook. New York. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Impressions:

I loved Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don't) so I knew I had to read the sequel, and it did not disappoint. This book covered a different aspect of stories. It introduces the basic principles of a good story, unlike the first book when Missy's problem was just finding a book. Missy has a problem with a boy named Billy stealing her hats and it is "vexing." I like how the author has the child tell the story and it is apparent that the author understands how kids think. Missy's use of the word vexing to a little girls obsession with ghosts demonstrate a clear use of a child's voice. After learning the elements that make up a great story, Missy finds a creative solution to her problem. A good story with a creative method for dealing with a bully using the mind and not the fist solves her problem with the hat stealing Billy.

Professional Review:

Energetic, book-loving Miss Brooks is back, as is Missy, the grumpy, stumpy, hat-wearing reluctant reader–turned-bookworm who is her biggest fan (Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I don’t), 2010).

This time around, though, there’s a new wrinkle: a boy named Billy who likes to torment Missy and steal her precious hats. Missy mostly manages to avoid him, but sometimes she can’t help but pass by his house, and that’s where the trouble always occurs. When a storm knocks out the lights at school one morning, Miss Brooks decides to take advantage of the atmosphere and have the kids tell stories instead of listening to her read aloud. Although her classmates suggest focusing on aliens, kittens or ghosts, Missy finds herself unexpectedly brainstorming a solution to her problem while concocting a semi-scary story about a neighborhood ogre named Graciela and her very large boa constrictor. Over-the-top silliness in Emberley’s appealing illustrations contrasts with Bottner’s deadpan delivery to amplify the humor, while clever details in the pictures reward close examination. Characters come alive with distinct voices and appearances, and the twin plots flow smoothly, if purposively, to the requisite “happy ending.”

While sequels can sometimes be disappointing, readers and listeners who enjoyed Miss Brooks’ first appearance will likely be very happy to find out what happens next—and they just might be inspired to create some tall tales of their own. (Picture book. 4-8)

MISS BROOKS' STORY NOOK by Barbara Bottner , Michael Emberley | Kirkus. (2014). Kirkus. Retrieved September 2, 2015, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/barbara-bottner-2/miss-brooks-story-nook/

Library Uses:

I would use this as an  introduction to a program teaching kids about storytelling. This book does a good job of teaching children what goes into a story while not being overly didactic . It gives kids the idea of what makes a good story while still being entertaining. After reading the story I would ask the children to work together like in the book to create their own story.