Module 7: Realistic Fiction -- No More Dead Dogs by Gordan Korman

Image retrieved from :http://www.amazon.com/More-Dead-Dogs-Gordon-Korman/dp/0786816015

Book Summary:

Wallace Wallace is an accidental football hero, winning last year’s championship game. He does not seem like your typical football player he did not really even plan to win the game, it just happened. One thing really important to Wallace is honesty. He cannot tell a lie, even if it means the truth will get him it trouble. So when asked to complete an assignment writing a review of Old Shep My Pal, he tells it like it is. He hated the book and has a very good reason why. It is your typical “dog” book. As Wallace puts it if there is a dog and a medal on the cover of a book the dog is a goner. The teacher who requested this review is not happy with his brutal honest. He gives Wallace dentition making him  attend the rehearsals of Old Shep the play. Taking him away from the all important football team. Wallace while attending the rehearsals starts to take an interest in the play and the president of the drama club, Rachel. Wallace will choose the play over the football team, he will choose the new friendships and relationships he has made over the false heroism he has found on the football field. In the end Wallace revamps the whole play, saves the dog, gets the girl, and changes the book he hated into a play enjoyed by the entire student body.

APA Citation:

Korman, G. (2000). No more dead dogs. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Impressions:

This book had me rolling with laughter. It has some great truths, I agree if a dog book has a medal nine times out of ten the dog is not going to make it. I agree with Wallace Wallace in that I avoid books with dogs on the cover I cannot deal with the even possibility that the dog could not make it.  The element of humor made this book really enjoyable there was a good laugh at every turn. I really enjoyed how Wallace went against the grain choosing to be a part of  the play rather than on the football team. This plot point shows the reader that sometimes being an outsider in high school  can be more fun and more rewarding. The book is also written from multiple points of view giving a more rounded view of the story from all sides. The end of the book is absolutely fitting,sabotaged play and all. The play ends on an explosive note the play and everything in shambles. In a deus ex machina moment the book ends with everything working out. The play "Old Shep" ends up being a hit and Wallace gets the girl. This makes the plot feel less real, considering the book  is in the genre of realistic fiction. However, fact that this text is not a straight realistic fiction does not make less of a good read, in my mind it makes it even more entertaining. Overall this is a hilarious realistic fiction for the middle school age group. I highly recommend this read especially for reluctant male readers, the humor will definitely draw them in.  

Professional Review:

Gr. 5-7. Here's one for every reader weary of being assigned novels in which the dog dies. For expressing his true views of Old Shep, My Pal, eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace earns a detention that takes him off the team and plunks him down in the auditorium, where his almost equally stubborn English teacher is directing a theatrical version of--you guessed it. To the delight of some cast members, but the loud outrage of Drama Club President, Rachel Turner, Wallace Wallace makes a few suggestions to punch up the production; by the end, it's a rock musical and the (stuffed) pooch actually pulls through. At least, that's the plan. Briskly stirring in complications and snappy dialog, Korman adds mystery to the fun with an unknown saboteur, caps the wildly popular play with an explosive (literally) climax, and finishes with Rachel and Wallace Wallace finally realizing that they were made for each other. Except for Old Shep, everyone, even the teacher, comes out a winner. ((Reviewed October 1, 2001)) Copyright 2001 Booklist Reviews

Citation:

Peters, J. (2001). No More Dead Dogs. Booklist, 98(3), 319. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA79548265&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=d0e066f168151b4c9e4fa80828a15a3d

Library Uses:

I would use this book in a live audio book program where the book is read aloud twice a week for an hour until finished. While at this program teens can color, finish, homework or enjoy snacks. The humor in this book and lack of vulgar comments make it a great read aloud for most middle schoolers.

Module 6: Picture Books-- Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Creepy-Carrots-Aaron-Reynolds/dp/1442402970

Book Summary:

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots and the ones in Crackenhoppers field are the absolute best. He picks them morning, day and night. Everything is fine until the carrot start following him. At least he think the carrots are following him. He starts seeing them everywhere. He finally decides that to save himself form the carrots he must build a fence around the field to keep the carrots in. At the end of the story the Carrots are seen celebrating as their plan worked. This fence made to keep them in, also keeps Jasper out. They are safe for another day

APA Citation:

Reynolds, A., & Brown, P. (2012). Creepy carrots! New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Impressions:

This book was clever and fun. The art work is innovative using one color, to further the plot of the story. The images in this book are in shades of grey with the carrots or carrot like objects being shown in the color orange.  This gives this picture book an element of old time horror films. Creepy Carrots is just the right level of scary for young children. With Jasper becoming more and more paranoid as the plot continues. Thinking he sees creepy carrots at every turn.  The problem is resolved simply as Jasper builds a fence to keep the carrots in, then the child is introduced to the other side of the story. Jasper may love the carrots, but they do not appreciate him. In the end the Carrot's creepy plan is a brilliant plot point. Their plan works,  making it  Jasper's  idea to give the carrots peace by building a fence to keep the carrots in  and keep himself out. I really enjoyed this story and it works really well as a read aloud one on one or in a large group.

Professional Review:

 Creepy Carrots!

Aaron Reynolds, Author, Peter Brown, Illustrator

In a spot-on parody of a paranoid thriller, a hungry bunny senses “creepy carrots” watching his every move. Jasper Rabbit doesn’t think twice about plundering the carrots of Crackenhopper Field “until they started following him.” Jasper glimpses three jack-o-lantern–jawed carrots behind him in the bathroom mirror (when he turns around it’s just a washcloth, shampoo bottle, and rubber duck—or is it?), and he yells for his parents when a carrot shadow looms on his bedroom wall. Reynolds (Snowbots) makes liberal use of ellipses for suspense, conjuring the “soft... sinister... tunktunktunk of carrots creeping.” Brown (Children Make Terrible Pets) illustrates in noirish grayscale with squash-orange highlights and dramatic lighting, framing each panel in shiny black for a claustrophobic film-still effect that cements the story’s horror movie feel. Jasper’s grin grows maniacal as he constructs a fortress and moat to contain the offending carrot patch, giving the carrots a happy ending in this Hitchcock spoof (Brown even sneaks in a sly Vertigo reference). Watch out, vegetarians—these carrots have bite! Ages 4–8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Aug.)

Citation:

Rodeen, P. (2012). Children's Book Review: Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Peter Brown. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 13, 2015, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4424-0297-3

Library Uses:

I would use it as an introduction to an art program where the participants would be given only black and an accent color. This book shows how only one color can be critical to illustration. 

Module 5 Other Award Winners: Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Image retrieved from:

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Bovine-Libba-Bray/dp/0385733984

Book Summary:

Is this real life or just a dream. That is what the audience wonders. Cameron is diagnosed with Mad Cow disease and it is fatal. At 16 his life has been cut short. While he was looking forward to the end of High School, now he can look forward to losing his mind. A former outsider, now the entire school starts to pull for him. As they hold pep rallies in his honor. As the disease progresses the story takes more manic turns. At Cameron's lowest point in the hospital awaiting his end, when he is challenged by Dulcie ,an angel with pink hair,  who sends him a mission. To go on a road trip to find the elusive Dr. X. save the world and  receive his miraculous cure. He and his friend Gonzo head out on what can be best described a  crazy and unreal trip around the United States. Adventures include visiting a long dead jazz musician in New Orleans, a religious cult bent on making everyone happy by taking away choice , finding a crazy talking garden gnome inhabited by the spirit of Balder, and other crazy shenanigans along the way. In the end the reader finds that this is all in Cameron's mind, but that does not make it any less real? Sorry to spoil the book, but Cameron dies in the end. The reader know from the point of  his diagnoses that this will happen. This story is not about the end, as in the end we will all perish. This story is about the journey, about life and holding on to it until the very end. 

APA Citation:

Bray, L. (2009). Going bovine. New York: Delacorte Press.

Impressions:

This novel is very much a young adult novel, but the concept is so outside the norm I was worried about even getting through the novel. This book is funny at times and then incredibly sad a times. The reader wants Cameron to fulfill his quest, but in the end we know even while reading that it is a lost cause. The writing style was long and drawn out a times, but I was worth the ride. This book was a roller coaster ride with its crazy twists and turns, it holds the reader making them want to continue on to see where the next turn takes Cameron. This book is very different, unlike anything I had ever read. At times the plot was disruptive, but that was very intentional. As this jerky motion of the plot makes the reader feel just as disjointed as Cameron is as his grasp on reality wains. It is not my new favorite book, but it was one of the most interesting books I have ever read. This maybe why it won the Printz award. It's a novel about a teenager dying, but it is not typical. Cameron is depressed about the prospect of dying young, but he isn't going down without a fight. The best way to describe this book is different.  This book is about life, a little about death and the journey between. It speaks to the point that the meaning of life is the journey. It is what that happens on the journey that counts not the end. Overall a challenging but worthwhile read.

Professional Review:

Morbidity and Hilarity

By LISA VON DRASEK

Published: February 12, 2010

You could say that this year’s winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature, announced last month by the American Library Association, begins with an off-putting premise. The narrator, Cameron, a self-­proclaimed slacker (“I’m a drifter — right downstream and over the falls with the rest of the driftwood”), learns that he has contracted a fatal condition: Creutzfeldt-­Jakob, or mad cow, disease (as it’s known in animals). Who wants to read a 480-page novel about a 16-year-old who has four to six months to live and suffers from progressive muscle weakness, dementia and delusions?

But Libba Bray, author of the best-selling gothic-fantasy-romance Gemma Doyle trilogy, manages to turn a hopeless situation into a hilarious and hallucinatory quest, featuring an asthmatic teenage dwarf, Gonzo; a pink-haired angel in combat boots, Dulcie; and Balder, a Norse god who is cursed with the form of a garden gnome. If Dulcie is to be believed, Cameron must find the mysterious Dr. X who is responsible for releasing dark energy that could cause the end of the world. If he succeeds, he may just save his own life. (Or, it’s all just a hallucination.)

Despite the novel’s length, Bray doesn’t waste a sentence. With just one chapter heading (regarding “High School Hallway Etiquette and the Fact That Staci Johnson Is Evil; Also, Unfairly Hot”) she can neatly suggest an entire subplot.

For readers who enjoy intertextual connections, there are “Don Quixote” references dropped in throughout, including windmills, Dulcie (Dulcinea) and trusty sidekicks. Everyone else will just want to see where this amusement park ride is taking us.

Cameron does or doesn’t travel to New Orleans to see a trumpeter who comes off as a kind of oracle, get duped by a religious cult, explore parallel universes and realize that along the way, “It’s not all sand castles and ninjas.”

Why keep reading, when we know our hero is still going to die? As Balder chides Gonzo during a scene involving a wizard and a burning pancake restaurant: “Cameron is our brother, our friend, and we do not abandon our friends. . . . This is a quest. I pledged my loyalty to Cameron back on the cul-de-sac. I shall see it through to the end.”

Libba Bray not only breaks the mold of the ubiquitous dying-teenager genre — she smashes it and grinds the tiny pieces into the sidewalk. For the record, I’d go anywhere she wanted to take me.

Lisa Von Drasek is the children’s librarian of the Bank Street College of Education.

Citation:

Drasek, L. (2010, February 13). Morbidity and Hilarity. New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/books/review/VonDrasek-t.html?_r=0

Library Uses:

I would hold a debate in the library about the reality of this book. I would have two groups work together to show their arguments that the story is actually happening or that the story is only taking place in Cameron's mind. I will have another librarian judge the debate and choose the winning group.

Module 4: Newbery Award Winners-- A Wrinkle In Time

Image retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_n_Time

Book Summary:

The Murry children’s father has been missing for months, the family believes he is gone forever. That is until Mrs. Whatsit shows up to tell the children the truth. Their father is not missing and the tesseract  a space and time travel program their father was working on. The children then learn that their father was lost using the tesseract to travel through space. The guides that will take them on the journey are Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who Then Meg and Charles Wallace Murry along with their friend Calvin O’Keefe set off through time and space to find the Murry’s father. Traveling across the universe they fight the evil force that threatens to take happiness from the world. This is a story of adventure and growing up. Meg Murry goes on this journey which has its difficulties, but in the end she overcomes the forces of evil saving her brother and bringing her father back home.

APA Citation:

L'Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York: Ariel Books.

Impressions:

This book was one of the first books I read that dealt with a science fiction/ fantasy theme as a child. Revisiting this book allowed me to see more than I did as a child.  I felt for Meg Murry and her awkward plight. Meg made me feel normal. Like most adolescents Meg is struggling with growing up, its awkward and messy. This makes Meg relatable to the juveniles reading this book. They can see themselves in Meg it makes the story more relatable. The story is imaginative and beautiful. The worlds are so different and interesting. The author create more than a world it is a whole universe with intricate worlds that tell us in turn more about the human condition. In the end it is a story of good versus evil and finding the courage in oneself to rise above the obstacles put in one’s path

Professional Review:

KIRKUS REVIEW

An allegorical fantasy in which a group of young people are guided through the universe by Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. What -- women who possess supernatural powers. They traverse fictitious regions, meet and face evil and demonstrate courage at the right moment. Religious allusions are secondary to the philosophical struggle designed to yield the meaning of life and one's place on earth. Young Meg's willingness to face IT in the form of a black beast in order to save a dear friend is one sign of her growing awareness. Readers who relish symbolic reference may find this trip through time and space an exhilarating experience; the rest will be forced to ponder the double entendres.

Citation:

A Wrinkle In time. (1962). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved on September 29, 2015 from 

             www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/madeline-lengle/wrinkle-time-lengle/

Library Uses:

I would use this book in a book club that compares books to their movie counterparts. In this program we would watch the movie and compare this version to the actual book and debate whether the book was better or not. 

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.