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Bibliographic Information: Rose Blanche; Written by Ian McEwan; Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti

Summary: Taking place during the Holocaust, Rose watches out of the window of her house and sees a young boy almost escape captors, only to be captured once again. She follows the truck he is contained in leading her to see many children who are in concentration camps. Ultimately, Rose is unable to save the children and ends up as a victim, herself.

Critical Response and Analysis: This book really captures such a childlike innocence in Rose's perception of the war going on around her: the way she describes the soldiers ("They wink at us...") and the war vessels ("They drive tanks that make sparks on the cobblestones...") are almost nonchalant. Before she sees the little boy attempt to escape from the truck, she described these very trucks as "fun to watch." This book captures a child's voice, point of view, and perception of the Holocaust which, in turn, can help children readers grasp the events and consequences of Holocaust. This book does not have a "happy ending" as Rose realizes the children she was once helping were taken away by Nazis. Furthermore, it does not come out and say what happened to Rose, but when the text states, "Rose Blanche's mother waited a long time for her little girl" and the book ultimately ends with the passing of seasons, the natural question to ask is, "What happened to Rose?" While this is undoubtedly a tough conversation to have with a child, it is certainly a way to talk about the horrors man has imposed upon others through history in hopes that it will not happen again.

Connections: Rose Blanche is a historical fiction book that can be used as a tool to teach children about the Holocaust. "Reading Literature in Elementary Classrooms" by Kathy G. Short asserts, "Living inside the world of a story may enable [children] to engage in inquiry that transforms their thinking about their lives and the the world (Short, 2010). The big question of inquiry at the end of this text is "What happened to Rose?" which opens the door to discussion about what children were subject to in the time of the Holocaust. Needless to say, this is a major concept for children to wrap their heads around and can certainly lead to a transformation in the way in which they see the world. This is further defined as critical inquiry: "a realization that can emerge when a word, concept, or event in a story surprises, shocks, or frightens readers to such a degree that they seek to inquire further" (Short, 2010)

Awards:

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Free Choice: Historical Fiction Picturebook

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Free Choice: Historical Fiction Picturebook

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Bibliographic Information: Ron's Big Mission; Written by Rose Blue and Corinne Naden; Illustrated by Don Tate; Dutton Books for Young Readers; 2009

Summary: Ron lives in South Carolina in the 1950s where segregation is still part of society. Interested in science, particularly space, Ron hopes to learn more by obtaining a library card, but this seemingly simple task is challenged by segregation.

Critical Response and Analysis: An enticing part of historical fiction picture books is that they are a means of putting past events into more accessible scenarios for children. By doing this, children have a better chance of comprehending the past. It may be difficult for children in today's world to grasp the concept of full-fledged racial segregation (thankfully so!). Seeing Ron's determination to go to the library in order to check out a book to teach him about planes shows just how important his mission is . His hesitance upon reaching the library and choosing the books shows another layer of his mission's importance: to assert that he should be allowed to check out the books himself, despite being a black boy, an otherwise unprecedented event at this South Carolina library. Many children have been to libraries and when reading about Ron not being able to freely check out books, they may more able to more easily grasp the very real concept of racial segregation and inequity that was present in the 1950s.

Connections: The fact that this book is not only a representation of life in the 1950s in South Carolina, but based on the life of Ron McNair, an African American astronaut adds additional depth to the book's message. It shows that Ron stood for change in his town and overcame racial barriers to reach his goal of traversing the skies. This book is an example of how historical fiction is rooted in non-fiction. Here, the worlds of fiction and non-fiction merge to create a story -- and this merging can be confusing to define. However, Russell Freedman's purpose of children's nonfiction seems to encompass the purpose: "Certainly the basic purpose of nonfiction is to inform, instruct, hopefully to enlighten. But, that's not enough. An effective nonfiction book must animate its subject, infuse it with life. It must create a vivid and believable world that the reader will enter willingly and leave only with reluctance. A good nonfiction book should be a pleasure to read" (Kiefer & Wilson). Through blending real people and events with creative writing elements (illustration, dialogue, character development), Ron's Big Mission is able to create this "vivid and believable world."

Awards: n/a

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Bibliographic Information: Saturdays and Teacakes; Written by Lester L. Laminack; Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet: Peachtree Publishing Company; 2004

Summary: A young boy recounts his love for Saturdays when he would ride his bike through his town to his grandmothers house. These Saturdays were spent helping Mammaw with chores, eating, cooking, and enjoying slow-southern life during childhood.

Critical Response and Analysis: I kept waiting for the "historical fiction" connection asking myself, "What historical event" does this story have to do with?" But, fret not -- it hit me! Historical fiction does not necessarily have to be about a particular major event, sometimes it can just be about creating a mood or place from the past, a world that seems to no longer exist. This book is about slow, southern life when a boy looked forward to nothing more than riding his bicycle to spend time with his grandmother. The simplicity of life, the lack of technological distractions, and the unadulterated want to spend a weekend day with one's grandmother certainly feels like "a world from the past" as today's world continues to more further and further away from the values this book captures.

Connections: "Reading Literature in Elementary Classrooms" by Kathy G. Short states, "Although a text has particular potential meanings based on shared cultural codes, readers can construct their individual interpretations as they engage in "lived through experiences" with that text" (Short, 2010). There are many ways in which children can construct their interpretation of this book in order to create shared "lived through experiences" without having to have lived in Alabama in the 1960s (the given cultural code for this book). For instance, maybe they can share the experience of spending time with a grandparent or even having a particular weekend tradition that they enjoy.

Awards: n/a

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Bibliographic Information: Henry's Freedom Box; Written by Ellen Levine; Illustrated by Kadir Nelson; Scholastic Press; 2007

Summary: Henry grows up in slavery and is separated from his family to work in a warehouse. Henry grows older, and after losing his family to the salve trade, he decides to do something seemingly impossible: mail himself to freedom -- in a box.

Critical Response and Analysis:
This book opens with a statement that would be pretty baffling to children: Henry does not know how old he is because he was not allowed to know when his birthday was. This is another example of how children may not know how to grapple the concept of slavery, but they can grapple with the concept of not being permitted to have a birthday. This might help them understand how unfair and harsh life was for children in slavery.

Connections: Henry's Freedom Box is a retelling of a true story and, through the life of Henry, attempts to showcase the life of slaves -- lives that lacked basic human freedoms, opportunities, and ethical treatment. This book falls into the category of culturally conscious books. "African American Children's Literature: Researching Its Development, Exploring Its Voices" by Rudine Sims Bishop states, "The culturally conscious books appeared to recognize and try to reflect, with varying degrees of success, some aspect of distinctively African American ways of living, believing, and surviving" (Bishop). While this aspect of African American literature explores more modern concepts in today's publications, this book certainly does touch on a distinctively African American experience of the past, particularly when it comes to surviving. Henry merely survived through his life as a slave as he did not really start living until he was free -- this is emphasized through his "new birthday" being the day in which he was declared free.

Awards: 2008 Caldecott Honor

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Bibliographic Information: The Snowy Day; Written & Illustrated  by Ezra Jack Keats; Viking Press; 1962

Summary: Peter is excited to wake to the winter's first snowfall, but after being shunned by the older kids in his neighborhood, he is forced to find fun on his own. Part of this fun includes making a commemorative snowball and bringing it home. Peter's sadness from the snowball melting is quickly replaced by joy when there is more snow to play in the next day.

Critical Response and Analysis: What struck me about this book is pretty sad... It seems like so many children's books about African American children are about things that are specifically about the African American experience. The books about just "everyday, childhood experiences" rarely feature protagonists from ethnic backgrounds. This book is simply about a child having a snow day -- and those "simple books" usually feature white kids leading to a grossly underrepresented population of people in front of children. While the books about specific cultural attributes are wildly important, the books about "everyday experience" are also important -- and it's important that all children have an opportunity to see themselves in these books, as well.

Connections: In regard to a lack of representation of African American children in children's literature, Rudine Sims Bishop states, "For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, when people of color did appear in children's books, they were, with a few notable exceptions, most often presented from a cultural perspective that viewed them as inferior in some way - comical, primitive, pitiable, or in need of paternalistic care" (Bishop). It is important that African American children see themselves sharing similar experiences as other children. Keats' book, The Snowy Day, ensures that there is representation of an African American child being, simply, a child. Just like other children, Peter was able to put on snow clothes and go play in snow. Just like other children, Peter experienced being picked on by other kids (and it had nothing to do with race - just older kids being mean to a younger kid). Just like other children, Peter was sad that a day ended in a way he did not want it to. Just like other children, Peter was able to go outside and play again the next day. This book had nothing, at all, to do with Peter's race. It had everything to do with Peter being a kid.

Awards: 1963 Caldecott Medal

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Bibliographic Information: Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories; Written by Jack Gantos; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux; 2017

Summary: This book has tips to help young writers realize their very best stories can come from their very own lives.

Critical Response and Analysis: A very well-known piece of advice for writers is to "write what you know." This book takes that advice and aims to inspire young writers to do just that. The best fiction they can create come from their lived non-fiction experiences. This helps promote the idea that we can all be writers in some way...and the "one day" stories are closer than we think. Often times, the hardest part of writing is getting started, and this helps clear the fog to make children realize they already have started -- especially the ones who keep a journal. It is important to remind children that writing is process and polished writing doesn't just happen.

Connections: When looking at children's non-fiction, there are several elements to consider including Interactive and Interpersonal Structures: "These verbal and visual resources construct the nature of relationships among speakers, listeners, reader, writers, viewers and what is viewed" (Kiefer & Wilson). One of the structures to be considered is attitude. The attitude in Gantos' book, Writing Radar, is generally light and humorous. This is important when dealing with something that can be rather "dry" like the writing process and attempting to make it appeal to older children and young adolescents. It is vital for non-fiction geared toward youth to get on the level of its audience in a number of realms, and attitude (voice) could be one of the areas of top concern when writing this genre.

Awards: n/a

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Bibliographic Information: You Read to me, I'll Read to You; Written by Mary Ann Hoberman; Illustrated by Michael Emberley; Megan Tingley Books, Little, Brown, & Co.; 2001

Summary: This book has several (very) short stories with simple themes and subjects. Each story has two voices that allow readers to trade-off.

Critical Response and Analysis: This book is designed to be a paired reading between two people whether that pair be a child and parent, a child and teacher, or two children. The text is separated into different colors to signal when each participant should read aloud thus creating a truly interactive reading experience.

Connections: On the nature of choral reading, The Wonder of It All asserts, "In many ways, choral reading is a close relative of shared reading and a natural next step after (or in concert with) partner reading" (Johnson & Giorgis, 2007). Elementary teachers could take reading data on two students at once and make the means a bit more fun. This is also a way to incorporate social interaction with literacy.

Awards: Notable Book by American Library Association; A Best Book (2001) by Chicago Parent

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Bibliographic Information: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?; Written by Bill Martin Jr.; Illustrated by Eric Carle; Doubleday and Company; 1967

Summary: A series of animals are repeatedly asked what they see. They respond each stating the next animal they see starting back,

Critical Response and Analysis: This book lends itself well to choral reading because of its repetition of key phrases. One partner could read the "[insert animal] what do you see?" and the other could read the "I see a [insert animal] looking back at me." The linguistics of this book are incredibly simple, yet they can aid in developing oral reading skills and fluency.

Connections: The Wonder of It All states the multiple benefits of choral reading including, "enhancing vocabulary and punctuation use." Children can work on the change in intonation they should use when reading questions versus reading statements.

Awards: n/a

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Bibliographic Information: The Catawampus Cat; Written by Jason Carter Eaton; Illustrated by Gus Gordon; Crown Books for Young Readers; 2017

Summary: The Catawampas Cat, himself, walks around town with his body in a noticeable tilt. As the townspeople notice the cat and tilt their heads and bodies to attempt to make sense of his off-kilter strut, it turns out that by "adjusting their own views" they make positive changes in their lives.

Critical Response and Analysis:
From the title alone, we can see that the author is not afraid to put high level vocabulary into a children's book. Most adults probably don't know what "catawampus" means (I mean, I just learned that word within the past year). The fact that the cat is catawampus and walks at an angle adds to the book's overall message: sometimes, when we take the time to look at world from a different vantage point, we make surprisingly welcomed changes in our lives. As the townspeople slanted themselves as they looked at the cat, they found and realized things that they otherwise wouldn't have. Additionally, the people didn't try to change the cat, and more importantly, the cat didn't change himself (even toward the end when it looked like it might). He continued to walk at his special tilt: his strut made him unique.

Connections: "Reading Literature in Elementary Classrooms" by Kathy G. Short speaks of the "limits of knowing" and the fact that because children's books are written by adults, they often are limited to what adults think children can understand. This can also be applied to language, itself. Eaton was not afraid to use a word like "catawampus" in his title because he knew that through the context of his book, children would be able to have an understanding of what that word means. Furthermore, this very concept of a "limitation of knowing" connects to an emergent theme of the book: the townspeople are less limited in their thinking, perception of their world, and

Awards: 2017 CLA Notable Children's Book

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Bibliographic Information: Honey, I Love; Written by Eloise Greenfield; Illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist; Harper Collins; 2003

Summary: In poetic form, a young girl recounts the things she really loves.

Critical Response and Analysis: The premise of this book is simple: a young girl lists the things she loves like her cousin, playing in the hose on a hot day, making a doll a dress out of paper, eating with fellow church-goers, and her mama. The poetic verses in this book help create a voice for the young girl -- and that voice does capture help to capture some of a more unique dialect. The things the young girl does note listing can be classified as more traditional aspects of the black community. By expressing her love, she is elevating these everyday cultural aspects. She also ends the book by saying that she also really loves herself.

Connections: As stated, through expressing her love for particular places, people, and activities, the young girl elevates these aspects of her culture. She is instilled with a sense of pride. As stated in "African American Children's Literature: Researching Its Development, Exploring Its Voices," Rudine Sims Bishop states that doing this helps "instill race pride, [which bolster] Black children's positive self image" (Bishop). These seemingly simple things that she loves are still unique to her culture -- they make her feel good and lead to her, most importantly, loving herself.

Awards: n/a