# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Weatherford, C. (2015). VOICE OF FREEDOM Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. (Illus. E. Holmes). Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Caldecott Criteria:
1. Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed.
Carole Weatherford describes the text through the pictures. You can get a good idea with what the book is about just with the pictures. The illustrator, Ekua Holmes, uses colors to really exhibit the feelings in the text. For example, on page 28, the text is talking about how Fannie goes to Guinea and is angry that slavery may have ended in her not meeting her distant kin. The colors on the page showed deep colors such as red, green, blue to exhibit her feelings about going to Guinea.

2. Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or concept.
You can feel the feelings through the paintings. The colors show the emotions through the paintings. For example, there was paintings that was a deep yellow to show three young men deceased. This showed the seriousness of their deaths, and what it meant in the civil rights movement. The words are also emphasized by being bold in the pictures to show the importance. For example, on page 32, in bold black letters, it says Say It Loud.

3. Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme, or concept.
I think the style of illustration is appropriate. The images are needed to show the message through the book and the power of the civil rights movement.

4. Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood, or information through the pictures.
Carole Weatherford shows the meaning through the picturess by using painting of herself, words, shape, and colors. For example, on page 2, there is white long curvy shapes to show the cotton picking and to indicate how long they spent cotton picking in the fields. Another example is on page 5, there is painting of a doll, that her mom gave her to let her know to respect herself as black child and then as a black woman.

5. Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience.
This book is catered to ages 9-12. I think this is appropriate since it is in paragraph format. It also has words such as, "Democratic National Convention", "Congressional Black Caucus", and "Reconstruction."

Picture Book Criteria from CHCL Chapter 3 Page 86: "Evaluating Picture Books"

Content:
This book is about the civil rights movement. Therefor, it talks about African America fighting for voting and running for governor. So the stereotypes weren't avoided since it emphasized the stereotype against African Americans. I feel this book is written with older children in mind. This book would not be appropriate for a young child with the sentence layout and the words that are used. The language used is advanced and will need teacher's instruction to know what the words mean.

Illustrations:
I feel like the paintings are needed to show the meaning in the book and the seriousness of discrimination against African Americans. The illustrations are extremely detailed with the colors indicating the feelings to match with the text. I like that the illustrations show the love and determination Fannie Lou Hamer had for changing the future for African Americans.

Medium and Style of Illustrations:
The shapes are used to indicate the flow of the story. For example, she used shape lines for the American flag, and long round circles to show the bags for cotton picking and how long it took them to pick cotton. The oil pastel that was used shows the emphasis on the colors to match the feelings in the book. This personally made me appreciate the text even more and the struggles that they went through.

Format:
The book's title summarizes what the book is about. The book title even knows Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. The pages are heavy to turn and more thick. The book itself is larger than most books. I think this is to show how important the lesson of the book actually is.

Overall Evaluations:
This book will continue to be in classrooms with the realism and the history that is in this book. The author's books are all similar to her other books. Her other books are about African American role models and the trials they had to face. I saw a review that states, “Bold, unapologetic, and beautiful." As simple as that was, it honestly describes the book and what it is about.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Cooper, E. (2017). BIG CAT, little cat. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Caldecott Criteria:
1. Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed.
In "Big Cat, little cat" Elisha Cooper does a fantastic job with balancing the words and the pictures. A child can look through the pictures and still understand what the book is trying to convey without looking at the words. For example, there is a picture of the black cat getting bigger and bigger until it is the same size as the white cat. The words on the page are, "Days went by- and months, too- and the little cat grew, and grew, and grew. Big cat, bigger cat." This indicates that even looking at the pictures you can see the smaller cat growing without looking at the words.

2. Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or concept.
Elisha Cooper does a great job with expressing the meaning of the story through pictures. She discusses the circle of life through the life of cats. You can tell with the pictures throughout the cats lives that it starts with having support to learn about things surrounding you, then as they age and grow, the white cat ends up leaving, and then it starts over again with a little white cat.

3. Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme or concept.
I think "Big Cat, little cat" is appropriate with the illustration. The illustrations are needed in order to fully capture the story's meaning. Children can understand the circle of life in the form of cats. For example, the words quote "Until the older cat got older and one day he had to go... and he didn't come back. And that was hard." The illustrations show the white cat laying down and then leaving the black cat alone. It shows that it is okay to be sad when someone passes or leaves, but life does end up going on and it is a natural thing.

4. Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or information through the pictures.
Elisha Cooper shows the meaning through the pictures by showing the black cat growing up. As the black cat grows up, you can see through images, the white cat starts laying down more to indicate it is getting weaker. Then the images show the black cat being sad and distant from the family in the images. You can see through the pictures, the hope returning when the black cat has a white kitten come so the black cat takes the replace of the older white cat. It shows to children that the circle of life is not bad and you will go through many changes throughout life.

5. Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience.
This book is catered to young children. First, there is only 15 words max on a single page. Secondly, there is repetition within the story that says "big cat, little cat". Lastly, there is pictures to show what the actions are being done. For example, the words say "climbing" and the pictures show the cats climbing on the chair.

Picture Book Criteria from CHCL Chapter 3

Page 86: “Evaluating Picture Books”

Content:
This book is for young children. It has a balance of pictures and words so even if a young child can't read the words, they can still look at the pictures and understand the story. It also teaches children that it is normal to grow up and that life changes to them and people around them. You can tell that the setting is indoors at a family's house. This is shown when the words say "hunting", and the two cats are looking outside at birds at a bird feeding.

Illustrations:
The pictures are needed in order to understand the story. For a young child, they can look at the pictures and understand the meaning of the story. Looking at the pictures, you can tell the closeness of the two cats. For example, there is an illustration of the two cats sleeping intertwined with each other to indicate how close they are.

Medium and Style of Illustrations:
Elisha Cooper makes the style of the illustrations flow throughout the story. The medium of the illustrations is all black and white and looks like a outline of a black thick marker and then shaded in with marker for the black objects. The only thing that is confusing is that there is different color blue pokey dots in the beginning page of the story, and i'm not sure where that comes into play with the story.

Format:
I think the jacket of the book does portray the book well. The white and black cat is on the front to indicate what the story is about. The title has the big cat in all caps and all black, shown as BIG CAT. Then there is a comma and little cat in lower letters and in blue, shown as little cat. I think this makes sense to emphasize the size difference between the cats, however, I am not sure where the color blue comes into the story. On the front of the jacket, its the cat's front. While on the back, it shows the cats sitting near each other with their backs facing the audience.

Overall Evaluations:
This story is a book catered to young children. It teaches them about friendship, growing up, and its okay that things change in life. The author has other books that have animal characters, for example the animal alphabet. One review of the book stated: "Change is inevitable and in the circle of life the student eventually becomes the teacher. A sweet and tender story of friendship, love, life, and loss." I completely agree with this review since it sums up the meaning of the story and is always shown throughout the plot.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Lyons, K. (2020). Ty's Travels Zip, Zoom! (Illus. N. Mata). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Geisel Criteria:
Subject matter must be intriguing enough to motivate the child to read.
This is about not giving up. Ty is learning how to ride a scooter. The book gives it an interesting plot by having Ty think he is racing on a race track and imagining people cheering him on and the flags that surround the race track. Although he falls and thinks about giving up, he keeps going to discover that he can ride his scooter with the help of a new friend. This is motivating for a child to relate back to a time that may of wanted to give up and interesting in pointing in terms of racing on a race track.
Words should be repeated to ensure knowledge retention.
Vroom is repeated multiple times to show the meaning of going fast, you can see it on pages 7 ,9, 13, 20, and 32. Words that also appear in the title but shows up multiple times in the story is zip and zoom. It shows children the adjectives of going fast. Lastly, the phrase "giving up" is in the story multiple times. It makes sense since that is the theme of the story. However, it shows children that it is okay to sometimes fail but to not give up and keep going.
Sentences must be simple and straightforward.
The largest sentence is six words stating, "We push off with each other." The sentences are straight to the point and children does not need to infer in this story about what is going on.
There must be a minimum of 24 pages. Books may not be longer than 96 pages.
This story has 32 pages, which is appropriate for being "My First Shared Reading" book.
The illustrations must demonstrate the story being told.
The illustrations show exactly what is happening in the story. If a child only looked at the pictures, they could still tell what is happening in the story. This book would actually be good to have the child do a picture walk first and then go back and read it. There is allot of details as well to show the emotions in the characters. The story also has images that look like children's drawings so children can be more inclined to look and read as well.
The plot advances from one page to the next and creates a "page-turning" dynamic.
The story starts with Ty getting a scooter and going to the park with his family. As the pages turn, you see Ty feel like he is in a race on a racetrack. Ty is learning how to use his scooter so you see him being uncomfortable at first and even falling. As the story goes on, he falls but meets a friend to help him learn and get up. At the end of the story Ty does win the race with his friend. Children reading this can get into the story to find out if Ty wins the race and if he learns how to ride a scooter, which is around the age range where children reading this could be learning how to ride a scooter as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Schlitz, L. (2015). The Hired Girl. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Historical Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 8 Page 252: "Evaluating Historical Fiction"

CHCL Page 252: "Does the story accurately reflect the values and spirit of the time?"
One thing I noticed throughout the book that reflects accurately is how the need to chase dreams and new opportunities in America. This is a huge American value from back then to even today. The story exhibits this when Joan decides to go to Baltimore so her work is valued unlike working on the farm. Joan explains this when she states, "In a little while, I will go on to Baltimore – that’s the second stage of my journey – and from thence I will begin my new life” (Schlitz 65). Another value that is reflected accurately is how important equality is and was. This is a major theme in the story since Joan and other characters strive to have that. That's one of the reasons why she left the farm to go to Baltimore, since the men were appreciated more than here. Joan states, "All the people, even the servants. This is America, isn’t it? Haven’t you always said that? Wasn’t I brought up hearing about democracy and equality -” (Schlitz 337). This is the reason why she went and a huge value in the time and time after that.

CHCL Page 252: "Does the theme provide insight and under-standing for today’s problems as well as those of the past?"
One of the themes in The Hired Girl is the expectations of women's lives and how they don't get the recognition like men do. As a women in today's world, the problem is still relevant. We are still talking about the pay gap between men and women. This is like with Joan and one of the reasons why she runs away to Baltimore. She feels she doesn't get the recognition like men do especially on the farm. After her mom passes, her father makes her quit school to be the housewife basically of the house like cooking and cleaning. This is a typical expectation for women then and even in today's world. One of the themes that is a problem in today and is very personal for me is the importance of education. I talked about how Joan's father made her quit school to become a house wife. However, Joan has a desire to read, learn, and eventually become a teacher. This eventually leads to Mr. Rosenbach's building a new school in Baltimore while overcoming social barriers. This reminded me of today's problem with the stigma of education and the respect towards teachers. Education is extremely important, you are shaping the future generations. However, even today, the pay shows a difference, and the respect and the pressure teachers have shows that there is a long way to go with showing how important education is. This is even shown currently with the teacher's shortage.

CHCL Page 252: "Does the author provide background information in an afterword, or author’s note, that will help readers distinguish between what is fact and what has been fictionalized?"
The author clearly states in the author's note, "In The Hired Girl, I have tried to historically accurate about language." She goes on to talk about using Mahomet and Mahometan in the book. These were words that were used during that time as a replacement for Muslim. Also, she used the word Hebrew which in today's century, she talks about how many Jewish people find the term offensive. However, the time this story is place, the word Hebrew was used with pride. I feel like the author does provide background information to explain her choices to use those words that were used during that time.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Milgrim, D. (2018). The adventures of otto See Pip Flap. New York, NY: Simon Spotlight.

Geisel Criteria:
Subject matter must be intriguing enough to motivate the child to read.
This book is about Pip seeing a bird and trying to fly. This book is easy to follow along with only a few words on each page. A child can follow along with the book to see if Pip does end up flying at the end of the book. So the child is motivated to keep reading and follow through with the book.
Words should be repeated to ensure knowledge retention.
Most of the words and repeated throughout the story. Most of the pages have sentences that start with see, fly, and flap. This book teaches children words through repetition throughout the story. Also most of the sentences have the word fly in it so by the end of the story, the children should know the meaning of fly is by moving in the air.
Sentences must be simple and straightforward. There must be a minimum of 24 pages. Books may not be longer than 96 pages.
There are 29 pages. So this is an appropriate amount for a child learning how to read. The longest sentence is four words. Most sentences say "See _____ (flap or fly)." The sentences say exactly what is happening in the story. So inference is not needed for this story for children.
The illustrations must demonstrate the story being told.
On a few pages, there is only a single illustration of Pip. The illustrations also are simple enough to follow along without the words. So you can easily just do a picture walk and still understand the story.
The book creates a successful reading experience, from start to finish.
This book is appropriate for a young child. The words are repeated so children can get use to the words and feel comfortable with it by the end of the story. There is also interesting characters with a robot and a mouse. This book would keep a young child interested but help them form words and know the meaning of words as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Larocca, R. (2021). Red, White, and Whole. New York, NY: Quill Tree Books.

Newberry Criteria:
1. Interpretation of the theme or concept
One of the themes is finding yourself throughout the many factors that influence your life. In Reha's life, she is an only child to her parents that came from India. Therefor, they have strict expectations for her. However, she is a 13 year old girl that just wants to be normal. She wants to be a normal child and experience things. However, she has to find herself while taking care of her mother due to getting cancer.

2. Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization
This story is a verse novel which means that they use music and imagery as long as character development and still has a story to it. The title also represents red and white blood cells and whole blood. It also represents the colors red and white in the Indian and American culture with the colors of the American flag.

3. Development of a plot
It starts off with Reha wanting to be a normal teen by listening to current music and hanging out with friends. On the other side though, with her family, she is wearing homemade clothes and is spending her weekends with the Indian community. She is distant from her mother, since Reha thinks she doesn't understand being a teenager. An example of this is when Reha wants to go to the dance but her mom disapproves. That is until her mother develops cancer and Reha feels like her life is consumed with taking care of her mother.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 7 Page 220: "Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction"

CHCL Page 220: "Does the book illuminate problems and issues of growing up in today’s world?"
I think it does in the sense of belonging in not just society but also in someone's culture. Reha feels torn between both. On one side she wants to be a normal teenager listening to pop music and just hanging out with friends. On the other side, her family is part of the Indian Community so her clothes are homemade and her parents have allot of expectations for her. In return though, her peers look at her differently because of what she wears and being a child of indian immigrants.

CHCL Page 220: "Does the author avoid stereotyping?"
I think the author puts an emphasis on the stereotypes with families of indian immigrants. I think this plays a huge portion in the book as to why Reha feels torn between society and her culture. Reha says on page 51, "I am expected to focus on my studies, which I do, and I like them. My family did not come to America to be mediocre. I am not expected to like boys. I am not expected to date." This shows the expectations her family has for her and how strict her family is for her future.

CHCL Page 220: "Does the book truly represent the experience of the culture depicted?"
I believe that it does. It talks about how her family came to America to make something of themself. This is why Reha is brought up to only focus on her studies and not boys or what society sees as important. It also brings up how Reha's parents marriage was arranged as stated on page 54 as, "Their marriages were arranged. I wonder how different things would be if they chose their partners." This is common in the Indian community. Lastly, on page 85, it talks about how Reha's family celebrates the festival of lights which is a holiday that celebrates the light over darkness where everyone comes to their house to have a feast.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Kuklin, S. (2003). All Aboard! A True Train Story. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

Baker's Dozen Criteria:
Recent outstanding trade books whose text and illustrations are particularly suited to the interests and developmental characteristics of children between three and six years of age.
This books shows pictures of actual trains and different kinds of trains. This is a common interest for children that age, and it goes into common characteristics of trains. This book would hold the attention for a young child and they can relate if they have seen the same kind of train in their own life.
Large lettering with ample space between letters and words.
The first page has smaller lettering for the introduction. However, there is space in between the letters and a family member can easily read this portion to a child. After that page, the rest of the book, the letters are in large print. The words in the middle are also a different font to show the sounds of the trains in yellow and wavy lines. There is plenty of space between the letters and words with the next page the entire image of the train.
Few sentences per page without many sentences that break to the next page.
There is no definite sentence structure on most of the pages. Most of the words are just describing the train. For example, on page 7, it says, "Lights blinking Signs Warning CLICKETY- CLACK Railroad crossing." This is a book that is easy to follow along with a child and gets them excited with the adjectives in this book.
Print that appears at about the same place on each page, and generally reads left to right and top to bottom.
The print is different on some pages. The letterings is the same but the position is different. On some pages, the words are up and down all on one page and the next page is just the image. On other pages, the image is on both pages and the words and left to right along both pages on the bottom of the page. All of the print is read left to right though and can be easily read.
Illustrations that support and extend the text.
The pictures all describe trains. Some are different kind of trains and others are related to trains. For example, the sign that says RailRoad Crossing, that you normally see around a train track. Children can remember if they have seen those images in their own personal life. The illustrations are appropriate for this book and it's good that the book is showing actual photographs of trains.

Books that are enjoyable for reading aloud and have appeal to a wide range of families.
This book is enjoyable for families. On the words that are bold, such as "CHUGGA-CHUGGA", everyone can make that sound together to make it fun. Families can also share their own experiences that they have had with train. This book can also be good to read before getting on a train or visiting a train museum to get the family ready.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Smee, N. (2006). Clip-Clop! New York, NY: Boxer Books Limited.

Baker Dozen's Criteria:
Recent outstanding trade books whose text and illustrations are particularly suited to the interests and developmental characteristics of children between three and six years of age.
This book is humorous and appropriate for ages three to six years old. Its text uses simple words that can easily be read with that age group. The children can also take a picture walk and still understand what is happening.
Use of language that is primarily natural as opposed to literary.
This book uses manners such as saying "please" when asking the horse for a ride. This is a popular lesson to teach for the age group. Also, the language is words they would hear on a daily basis, such as up, ride, leave, and tight.
Few sentences per page without many sentences that break to the next page
Each page has one sentence. Some words go across both pages but it isn't a full sentence all together. The sentences blend together but does not go to the next page.
Print that appears at about the same place on each page, and generally reads left to right and top to bottom
The words differ from where they are on the page. They are always read left to read. However, on some pages the words go across both pages. On others it is two words and go down like in a column. And others are a normal left to right on one page.
Illustrations that support and extend the text

The illustrations emphasize what is being said in the text. A child can easily follow along with just the picture. Children can also point out what animal is being shown on the page and what is happening with the animals. The emotions on the animal's faces is noticeable and helps know what is happening in the story.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Chee, T. (2020). We Are Not Free. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Walter Dean Myers Award Criteria:

"A submission must be written by a diverse author and the submission must be a diverse work. If a work has co-authors, at least one of the authors must be diverse."

- Traci Chee is a fourth generation Japanese American. This book takes place after the attack on Pearl Harbor where fourteen Japanese American teenagers lives change. Traci Chee takes something from her own personal life and culture and turns it into a story about bravery and history. All of her books, such as A Thousand Steps into Night, is still about her culture and is still Japanese influenced.

"A diverse work constitutes a work written by a diverse author featuring a diverse main character. For works without a main character, the work must address diversity in a substantial capacityA diverse work constitutes a work written by a diverse author featuring a diverse main character. For works without a main character, the work must address diversity in a substantial capacity."

- The story has 14 main characters. They are all teenagers that have been impacted from the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They are all Japanese American and from were all around the ages of 13 to 19 at the time of evacuation. The author is also Japanese - American so she brought her own culture and history into the book.

"For Teen consideration, work must be determined to be for an audience of ages 13-18."

- Multiple reviews say that this is for 13 and up. This story is targeted for grades 8-12th grade. This is because students may be learning the history of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in class.

Historical Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 8 Page 252: "Evaluating Historical Fiction"

CHCL Page 252: "Does the author provide background information in an afterword, or author’s note, that will help readers distinguish between what is fact and what has been fictionalized?"
The author discusses how her family was personally impacted from the bombing of Pearl Harbor and in her research she talked to numerous relatives about it to get the most personal story. The author states in her author's note, "As I have threaded snippets of family history through a fictional narrative, I have also woven this story through real historical events, including the forced removal of Japanese- Americans (a term I use here to encompass Issei, who were barred from becoming naturalized citizens by the Naturalization Act of 1790, as well as their descendants); the substandard conditions of temporary detention centers like Tanforan; the desolate incarceration camps such as Topaz and Tule Lake; the loyalty questionnaire and its divisive effects on the Japanese- Americans community; the formation, training, and campaigns of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; the turmoil at the Tule Lake Segregation Center and its period of martial law; and the return (for some) to the West Coast."  So she uses real events with fictional characters.

CHCL Page 252: "Does the theme provide insight and under-standing for today’s problems as well as those of the past?"
We Are Not Free theme is about resilience where the teenagers face incarnation of Japanese Americans. It also discusses the anger of inequality of Japanese Americans. This is even currently all over the world as well. There are incarnation camps over in China currently for Muslim minorities. There is also still anger in America with the way African Americans are still being treated.

CHCL Page 252: "Does the story accurately reflect the values and norms of the culture depicted?"
We Are Not Free showed different culture values and how every family was different. Some of the characters had to choose between their family and the rest of the their lives. However, in Japanese culture, families are normally extremely close and the children obey and respect the parents.

# data[].attributes.headline
Coretta Scott King Award 2022 (John Steptoe Award for New Talent, Author)

# data[].attributes.subject
Coretta Scott King Award 2022 (John Steptoe Award for New Talent, Author)

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
McBride, A. (2001). Me (Moth). New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards Criteria:
1.Must portray some aspect of the black experience, past, present, or future.
Moth talks about how her grandfather practiced hoodoo when he was alive. After he passed, she carried it on since they are African American. It was known for when enslaved african Americans could not practice their own spirituality because Christianity was forced upon them. Even when Moth is in school, she is an outcast and is not spoken to. Unfortunately, this can be seen in schools all over America especially with minorities such as African Americans.

2. Particular attention will be paid to titles which seek to motivate readers to develop their own attitudes and behaviors as well as comprehend their personal duty and responsibility as citizens in a pluralistic society.
The title, Me(Moth), gets people interested because they want to know who this Moth character is. Children will relate to this book cause it’s about finding yourself along a journey. In Moth’s case, it’s finding out about her history and ancestors and finding herself while she is going on a trip with Sani. Also, with having different religions involved in the story, children can broaden their attitudes about different religions and see that there are many out there and that it is okay to believe something different from someone else.
3. Well drawn characters, which portray growth and development during the course of the story.
As Sani goes throughout the story, you can see how he finds out more about his Native America heritage. He wants to find out his root of depression, by the end of the story, you can see that he grows into a musician where he takes all of his pain and story and turns them into songs. Which you can see with the title moth, he turns into something beautiful just like a butterfly.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 7 Page 221: “Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction”

1. Does the book illuminate problems and issues of growing up in today’s world?
This book shows finding yourself as you grow up. It’s a difficult task for children especially with peer pressure and this is shown with Moth and Sani. This is exactly why they ran away, is partially to find themselves. Another issue is depression that is common with children in todays world. This is shown with Sani as he deals with depression and isolation. Children can relate to this and understand what it feels like to want to understand why you feel this way. This is exactly why Sani wants to know about his Native American heritage to find the root of his depression.

2. Does the book honestly portray the realities of life for today’s children?
First, some children move around allot when growing up unfortunately. After Moth’s family passed away, she moves around to different family members. As well as Sani, to get away from his abusive step father. This is also references grief, which children do experience at times. You will see throughout the book how Moth deals with grief and how it is okay to feel those negative emotions. I honestly wish I had a book like this when my brother passed away to show that it is okay to grieve. Lastly, unfortunately abuse happens with children. This is shown with Sani when his stepfather abuses him by hitting his head and being emotionally abusive.

3. Does the author avoid stereotyping?

I think it is the opposite in this story. I think the author exposes the stereotype of native Americans and African Americans. This is shown by how Moth are treated in schools. It also discusses the history of African Americans and how they were treated in the past.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation
Balcárcel, R. (2019). The Other Half of Happy. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, LLC.

Pura Belpré Criteria:
1. The committee should keep in mind that the award is for both literary quality and presentation for children, as well as for its portrayal of the Latino cultural experience.
This book has Spanish language in it, along with English. I think this is appropriate, since Latinos primary language is Spanish. It also discusses Guatemala's Independence Day where they make eggs and tortillas for breakfast, and celebrate in the Hispanic Heritage Month. It also discusses the everyday life of the culture, such as taking siestas during the day. This shows an insight on a different culture which all children could benefit from to relate or to learn from.

2. Interpretation of the theme or concept.
This book is big on bicultural children growing up not knowing where they belong. Quijana is both between the Anglo and Guatemalan. This leaves here not knowing who she really is and where she belongs. This books talks about her finding herself while getting to know her Guatemalan side of her. She also feels like she is not enough for either side of her. I feel like all children can relate to this at some point in their lives, even if they don't have two cultures. This also talks about the children of people who have immigrated. It discusses how the immigrant experience is passed onto the children. There is a pressure on the children to learn the culture and not forgetting where their parents came from, this is shown with Quijana even learning Spanish. Every child will relate to this book, since the theme is finding yourself and that they are enough just how they are.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 7 Page 221: “Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction”

1. Does the book illuminate problems and issues of growing up in today’s world?
This book talks about a child that is bi cultural. This is common with children in America in today's world. As beautiful as that is with diversity, children may feel like they are pulled in two different directions. They may want to value their families culture or cultures while also embracing America's values. This may make them feel like they aren't enough in any culture. This also talks about having a sibling with a disability, since Quijana's brother has Autism. Children can relate to this by being confused why siblings may act differently or how they communicate differently.

2. Are the characters convincing and credible to today’s child?
Children can relate to both Quijana and Memito. Memito has Autism, which contributes to him communicating differently and acting differently in general. In schools, students will probably interact with someone who has Autism. Even a student with Autism can relate to this book and see that they are not alone and it is okay to have Autism. Quijana shows that it is okay to be uncertain about your culture and not knowing where you stand. Many children can relate to this and see that it is normal to have difficulty growing up as you are learning your identity.

3.  Does the book truly represent the experience of the culture depicted?
This book does show how the culture represents. This is mostly shown through Quijana and Memito's dad. Their dad stresses the importance of knowing their Guatemalan culture, since her cousins are moving to Texas as well. Their dad discusses the Guatemala's Independence Day and talks in Spanish during the book. It shows different aspects of the Guatemalan's culture.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Sidman, J. (2010). Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. (Illus. R. Allen). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Poetry Book Criteria from CHCL Chapter 6 Page 185: "Evaluating Poetry for Children"

1. Does the poem create sensory images of sight, touch, smell, or taste?
This book uses allot of sensory images to emphasize the poem, it's almost like you can mentally image yourself in the poem. For example, on page 6, it says: "Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze, come smell your way among the trees, come touch rough bark and leathered leaves". This explains all of the sensory that you feel in nature. Another example is on page 18, where is describes a baby porcupette  as: "My paws are small; my nose is wet. And as I nurse aganist my mom, we mew and coo a soft duet." You can mentally image a baby porcupine with the size and the sound it may make.

2. Does the poem use alliteration? Onomatopoeia? Repetition?
On page 6, it uses onomatopoeia by saying, "To all of you who crawl and creep, who buzz and chirp and hoot, and peep." There is also alliteration on the same page saying, "The night's a sea of dappled dark, the night's a feast of sound and spark, the night's a wild enchanted park." The words that are an alliteration are dark, spark, and park along with rhyming.

3. invite the child to see something in a fresh, new way, or does it rely on tired clichés?
After it has a poem about a certain animal, the book will have a section that talks about that animal. It describes what it looks like, eats, when it sleeps, and what they look like. This is new to children because it's not everyday they learn about a baby porcupine or a cricket. This is also more interesting than just learning about it in a powerpoint. They also learn new words by using the glossary in the back of the book. Such as the word "stridulation which is the shrill sound made by certain insects that rub two body parts together." I didn't even know that word so chances are most children wouldn't either.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Elliott, Z. (2020). A Place Inside of Me. (Illus. by N. Denmon). New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

Poetry Book Criteria from CHCL Chapter 6 Page 185: "Evaluating Poetry for Children"

1. Does the poem use alliteration? Onomatopoeia? Repetition?
There is onomatopoeia on page 5 when he states, "they wait there in the darkness a knot of electric emotion seething, sizzling, burning until I find the strength to reach inside". The words sizzling and seething is something you can imagine how it sounds. There is also alliteration on page 11 when it describes fear for the boy. It states, "there is fear inside of me a terror deep down inside of me that stalks me like a sinister shadow & seeps like poison into my dreams". The words stalks, sinister, shadow, and seeps are examples of alliteration. There is repetition on every page that says "inside of me". This is the main purpose of the story which is explaining the emotions inside the main character.

2. What is the tone of the poem? Does it patronize childhood by talking down to it? Is it didactic and preachy? Does it see childhood in a sentimental or nostalgic way?
The tone of the poem is all of the feelings that contribute to being African America. It is not a surprise in this country that there is still racism and mistreatment towards African Americans even to this day. This poem is real with how it makes even a child feel to experience these things. It goes through the emotions of joy, sorrow, fear, anger, hunger for change, pride, peace, compassion, hope, and love. It shows children, especially of minorities, that there is nothing wrong with you or your race. It also encourages children to fight for their equal rights and for things to change for the better. So, I think this book sees childhood in a realism way. The reason why I say that is because some children do experience racism and mistreatment at a young age and it's natural to have all of those feelings in your body. It helps children understand the feelings and they can relate if they do have those feelings.

3. How has the poet created the emotional intensity of the poem? Does every word work to heighten the feelings conveyed?
This poem is extremely emotionally for the right reasons. Children already have a difficult time expressing their feelings. Especially if they have been mistreated or exposed to racism in their life. This book puts the feelings in words and describes them for the child. It also normalizes having those feelings and shows that there is no harm in having those feelings. The words in this poem does show the feelings, since each page is a certain feeling and talks about how it may feel. My favorite one in this book is on page 25, when it says, "there is still hope inside of me a promise deep down inside of me that I will use my life to help others & they will help me in return." It shows that just because something happened that was wrong in their life, they can turn to change for the better or someone else's life for the better.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Silverstein, K. (2019). Cursed. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing Inc.

Schneider Award Criteria:

Content:
1. Representation of characters with disabilities should be realistic, avoiding exaggeration or stereotypes.

A 14 year old named Ricky was just diagnosed with a chronic illness. Understandable, she is angry and starts cursing everyone out and skipping school. I think this is so realistic to finding out you have rheumatoid arthritis especially at a young age. I think this book does a good job portraying that people can be mad when having an illness. It's not always them trying to be brave and they shouldn't be happy all the time like the stigma portrays anyone with a disability or illness.

Style:
2. Should be engaging with distinctive use of language for plot and character development and setting delineation.

This book has the language that a middle schooler or teenager would speak. I think it grabs your attention right away with introducing the main character, a quote I laughed at is on page 2 saying, "Trust me, my particular life suckage is on a whole different level. (For the record, the boy I was crushing on was totally crushing back- until I got sick)." I just thought that was something in that age group would say, I could imagine my little sister saying that to me. This type of language is all throughout the book which makes it more relatable for teenagers and more likely to read.

Illustration and Design:
3.  Layout should be easy to follow, enhancing the flow of the story or information.
There are chapters that explain what happens in that chapter. For example, chapter three is called "we interrupt this glorious nap...". Even the chapter titles are something a teenager would say such as "well that was awkward" or "(groan), do I have to?" So it follows the sarcasm within the story, which makes children enjoy it more.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 7 Page 221: “Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction”

1. Are the characters convincing and credible to today’s child?
Yes, the main character talks about crushing on a boy. This is normal for most children around 14. It also talks about school problems, such as fitting in and making friends. I think all children can relate that especially when they go into middle school and it can get lonely just like it did for Ricky.

2. Does the author avoid stereotyping?
Yes the author does avoid stereotyping. Ricky has rheumatoid arthritis, which is extremely painful, but yet she is still a normal teenager. She has school problems and she has a crush on a boy. She has sarcasm and acts like a typical teenager. It also shows that just because someone has a illness, doesn't mean they can't still enjoy life and make friends. You see this with Ricky when she skips school to hide her illness until it comes out that she is going to fail ninth grade. Ricky has no choice to go back to school when she meets a cancer survivor. Oliver lives her life even surviving cancer, she goes on with life which helps Ricky. Ricky then enjoys her life and actually starts to enjoy school.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 7 Page 220: "Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction"

1. Does the book honestly portray the realities of life for today’s children?
It talks about Bobby having family drama. I think this is a reality for any family especially for today's children. Teenagers don't realize how their choices affect them at their age. This is seen with Bobby when he tries to make the right choice but it ends in being the wrong one. It's hard to find the right thing to do sometimes especially for a teenager.

2. Are controversial topics such as sexuality dealt with in an open and forthright way?
In the story, Bobby is being a typical reckless teenager. That is until his girlfriend gets pregnant. Bobby has to stop skipping school and mature to give his baby the best life he can. It shows Bobby maturing and even getting his own apartment to support his child and girlfriend. In the story, it also talks about adoption and the other choices that they both have. I think this is appropriate to talk about all the choices when involving teenage pregnancy which is a controversial topic. The book approached the subject with sensitivity but showed the reality of most when the choice of keeping a baby during your teenage years.

3. Are the characters convincing and credible to today’s child?
The character, Bobby, is extremely credible. The story is in first point of view with Bobby talking about his life changing when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. The story is in the language of what a normal teenager would speak which would appeal to a teenager. It also discusses how the immature stuff that a teenager would do, such as skipping school or going to the arcade randomly.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Kusel, S. (2021). The Passover Guest. (Illus. by S. Rubin). New York, NY: Neal Porter Books.

Picture Book Criteria from CHCL Chapter 3 Page 86: "Evaluating Picture Books"

Content:
1. How appropriate is the content of the book for its intended age level?
This book is for the ages four to eight years old. The vocabulary in this story is appropriate for the ages more of six to eight years old. It includes titles and places in the story that may be hard to pronounce for a four year old. This book could be something that is read to them. The book includes magic which children tend to love. The content is informational since it talks about the passover. However, it also has that fiction aspect to it with the magic part of the story.

Illustrations:
2. Do the illustrations extend the text in any way? Do they provide clues to the action of the story?
The illustrations do extend the text. For example, on page 16, there is a image of a women sitting down and a man with his hand on her shoulder. They both have sorrow looks on their face. By looking at that image, you can image that there is something bad happening. In this book, it was because there was no food to eat and the fact that they didn't have anything. The illustrations give you an insight on what has happened and what will happen in the story, especially if you look on the faces of the people.

Medium and Style of Illustrations:
3. How has the illustrator used line, shape, and color to extend the meaning of the story?
There is lots of micro lines to develop a pattern on the clothes of the people and surrounding. You can see micro lines on every page. I think this indicates that everything can be taken away at any moment for anyone. I think this since there is even micro lines on the page where there is a buffet of food in front of a little girl. On pages were something good is happening, the background is a bright yellow. However, when something is sorrow, the background is a deep blue.

Format:
4. What way does the title page anticipate the story to come?
The Passover Guest shows you that it will be about the Passover. That is the history aspect of the book so you know that it will be talked about with the title. The Guest part shows that someone is visiting, which is the magician, but you don't know that with just the guest part. The reader just knows that there will be a guest during the passover.

Overall Evaluations:
5. What has the artist said about her or his work?
Susan stated on her website, when asked "where do you get your ideas" she said "From everything. From a song, article, conversation, thought- it could be anything. In the case of The Passover Guest, it is an adaptation of one of my favorite books from when I was younger.  Plus, Passover is my favorite holiday, so that helps."

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons Over Broadway. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Orbis Pictus Criteria:
1. Style of writing that is engaging and distinctive in its use of language.
The style of writing is easy enough for a child to understand it. However, there is challenging words such as "marionettes" so a child would not get bored reading this book.

2. Accuracy of presentation in both text and illustrative material, as well as appropriate documentation, avoidance of anthropomorphism and teleology, distinction between fact and theory, and balanced treatment.
The images and the text balance each other out. They both describe what is happening but every image is different depending on what is going on. The text in the speech bubbles are different depending on what is being said in the images. The text describes the progression of the puppets and floats of the Macy Day Parade. The images also help that since it shows the ideas that Tony came up with the progression of the puppets.

3. Organization of material (e.g., general to specific; specific to general) that contributes to clarity and accessibility.
There is organization with the way the puppets and the floats are organized in the book. It shows the thought process that Tony had and how he came up with the different ideas for the floats. Personally, the book is very crowded so some children may feel overwhelmed with the details and text on each page.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Jordan, S. & Greenberg, J. (2010). Ballet for Martha. (Illus. by B. Floca). New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

Orbis Pictus Criteria:

1.  Organization of material (e.g., general to specific; specific to general) that contributes to clarity and accessibility.
It goes from Martha is young and trying to dance to an adult being a ballet dancer. The text goes from specific to general, although the entire story is about a woman named Martha. It goes into depth into Martha's dancing career.

2. Style of illustration that is engaging, informative, and complementary to the text.
The illustration uses watercolor to display the image. I think the illustration is extremely detailed for the text. For example, Aaron is trying some notes on the piano. You can see on the illustrations him working on creating a melody and piano notes and keys is the background of the entire two pages. You can see the emotion on the people's faces to indicate what is happening in the story.

3. Style of writing that is engaging and distinctive in its use of language.
The writing shows the process of developing a dance and movement. It is filled with emotion and trail and error with the movements. There are allot of describing sentences within this story. For example, on page 29, it says "The music turns lively and playful as the young girls dance in pairs, then form circles, fluttering, skittering, reaching up to the sky."

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York, NY: Graphix.

Biography Criteria from CHCL Chapter 10 Page 305,
"Evaluating Juvenile Biography"

Evaluating Juvenile Biography
1. Can the subject’s experiences widen children’s views on the possibilities for their own lives?
It can show children that something can happen at any moment in your life. For Raina that is losing her two front teeth and going to multiple dentists in order to fix it. While all of that is happening, Raina has to deal with middle school. Every typical child can relate to this book by the topics of unhealthy friendships, bullying, and having crushes. This book can widen children's views by knowing that they aren't alone and it is normal to have these experiences in their life.

Accuracy and Authenticity
2. Does the author provide notes about original source material, a bibliography, or other evidence of documentation?
This book is about the author itself and her childhood. She talks about telling people what happened to her teeth and then she needed to write everything down. The author started to run the story in a weekly Webcomic which helped her turn the comic into over 120 pages.

Style
3. Are quotations or dialogue used in a way that brings the subject to life?
I think the dialogue is the reason why children are attracted to this book. The dialogue is in the language of a typical middle schooler. It especially shows this with the topic of bullying. Raina is eating her school lunch when Karin (a peer) comes up and says " Ha Ha! Looks like someone's trying to cover up their dog breath!" Then you can see the other peers in the background laughing and Karin repeating "Dog breath, dog breath". Without the dialogue and the comics, children would not be really interested into reading this. This book not only shows the realism of bullying but shows situations where it does happen.

Characterization
4. the subject presented as a believable, multidimensional character, with both strengths and weaknesses?
Raina has many sides to her. You can see how she never gives up. Even with bullying, it upsets her, but she keeps going to school which leads to her meeting a new friend. Also, she is always open to trying new things. You can see on chapter two, she tries girls scouts even though her teeth are missing. You can also see how Raina gets impatient with her teeth and everything they have to do to fix it. Raina is displayed as a normal middle schooler that has to go through  getting her teeth fix, but also the normal obstacles that a middle schooler goes through. I feel many middle schoolers can relate to her at some point in the story.

Theme
5. Does the author’s interpretation of the subject represent a fair and balanced approach?
The story is about the author when she was a child. I think this story has a great beginning when it shows her losing her teeth. Then all the trials into fixing her teeth and going through middle school. The subjects are personal, such as broken friendships, bullying, and body image issues. I think the story is more fitted for a middle schooler to understand that these topics are normal. Also that it's normal to feel lonely or feel confused when going through school or life in general. The approach is not overwhelming but it's exactly as a middle schooler would approach the situations that happen in this book.

# data[].attributes.body
Citation:
Gandolfi, S.(2010). Run For Your Life. New York, NY: Restless Books, Inc.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Criteria from CHCL Chapter 7 Page 220: "Evaluating Contemporary Realistic Fiction"

1. Does the author avoid stereotyping?
The author does a great job at displaying a universal circumstance that could happen to any child, whether it is in Sicily, where this takes place, or any other country. The author describes the characters as children that have to make a choice and try to live in the adult world. There is no stereotyping involved.

2. Does the book illuminate problems and issues of growing up in today’s world?
This book shows gun violence and family members passing away. This is something that is more common in today's world, especially children living in poverty. Santino watches when he watches his father and grandfather killed by a gunshot. He is also shot in the process. Then Lucio has to go find his mother since he got a text saying that she is dying. So at the age of 12 years old, he has to go and take care of his dying mother as well. This is common for children especially in poverty to take care of their younger siblings or their family members when they are young themselves.

3. If violence or other negative behavior is part of the story, does the author provide motivations and show aftereffects?
There is a shooting that involves Santino where his father, grandfather pass away from the mafia. Santino is also shot in the process. Although faced with a difficult decision whether  to cooperate with the police or mantain Omertia which is the code of silence. Luckily, Santino does end up going to testify and is later put into the Witness Protection Program for justice for his family.

Batchelder Criteria:

1. The book should not be unduly "Americanized." The book's reader should be able to sense that the book came from another country.

The book provides history in Sicily, such as a holiday that takes place. On page 272, they talk about this holiday saying, "There are lots of stories circulating about Death taking a holiday in Sicily.. At midnight some people saw the same comet that appeared at the birth of the Baby Jesus. Here in Palermo everyone is convinced that it was Santa Rosalia, except for those who remember Don Vittorio and are sure he did it from beyond. Every city is claiming its own patron saint as the source of the miracle." Also, the language is still spoken in the books. Such as on page 272 again, "I'll say she's an extremely powerful magara", when speaking about the mother. The names of characters are also more common in Sicily.

2. The textual qualities to be evaluated will vary depending on the content and type of the book being considered. Each book should be evaluated only on the elements pertinent to it.
- Interpretation of the theme or concept
The theme is to never take anything for granted. You can see this with Santino having a normal life. Until his father, grandfather, and himself get shot by a mafia member. Santino now has a difficult decision on his hands whether or not to tell the police. Then Lucio has to take care of his little sister and his mother but often dreams of going sailing. Other children, his age, may not have to worry about taking care of their family members and may be able to go sailing freely. Then Lucio has to go get his mother from Palermo. This shows that you should never take anything for granted cause anything can change in a second in someone's life.

3. In all cases, committee members must consider the book's manner of presentation for and the potential appeal to a child audience.

This book would be a great book to have in high schools. Children could relate to this especially in city schools and schools surrounded by poverty. I think the title alone would spark an interest with teenagers with "Run for your life." I feel like teenagers may feel that way sometimes especially if they are in similar situations like the boys in the story.