Dear Arica,

I just read a new book called No Water, No Bread by Luis Amavisca. I know you don’t much care for reading, but this book is definitely worth it. It’s very short, probably less than 15 pages and each page has maybe a sentence. It’s an easy read, but it’s also not. It really made me think. The book is about two sides of a barbed wire fence. One side makes water and the other makes bread. When the water side asks for bread, the bread side tells them they cannot have it because it’s not theirs. When the bread side asks for water, the water side tells them they cannot have it because it’s not theirs. The book pans to the children on either side of the fence, and both sides ponders why their parents are the way they are. It really blew my mind when I read it, Arica. It is so powerful. I really feel like this book says a lot about the future of our world and how it will affect our future children. I think this book would be an interesting read in my classroom one day. I’d like to see what the children think about this book.

Love,

Makaya

  Rollergirl is a fictional graphic novel by Victoria Jamieson. It tells the story of Astrid, a young girl with a strong desire to play roller derby. Astrid signs up for roller derby camp over the summer with hopes that she and her best friend Nicole can be roller derby stars for the Rose City Rollers one day. Except things don’t go quite the way Astrid hoped they would when she finds out Nicole signed over for a ballet camp instead. Heart-broken and unable to tell her mom, Astrid carries on throughout the summer and pretends Nicole has been there the whole time. Astrid starts out as the worst player at camp, but, through hard work, sweat, and lots of bruises, Astrid learns how to be a team player and a pretty good blocker. Rollergirl is a relatable book for all ages and genders. The book is well written, and the illustrations are amazing and always add to the story. I would advise potential readers to take their time. This book is very easy to rush through, but rushing through it leads to missing a lot of vital information. 

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein tells the story of a tree and a little boy, who develop a deep friendship with one another. In the beginning, the boy plays with the tree often, swinging from her branches and eating her apples. As the boy ages, he begins to only visit the tree when he needs or wants something. The tree, with a constant desire to please the boy and make him happy, gives and gives until she has nothing left. She gives him all the parts of herself and allows him to turn them into material things. At the end of the book, the tree and the boy both realize the issues of their give-and-take relationship. The tree is a sad, old stump, and the boy is a sad, old man. All the boy wants is “a quiet place to sit and rest,” which is all the tree can provide. In the end, the tree and the boy are happy. This book is so simple yet so powerful. This story can be interpreted in so many ways, such as parent-child, religious, environmental, and friendship. It teaches a lessons about the power of always taking and the power of always giving, and in the end, it shows the power of finding a common ground between the two. 

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner is a post-modern retelling of the traditional tale of the three little pigs. The book starts off like any other book about the three little pigs, but when the wolf starts huffing and puffing, he blows the first little pig out of the book. After this, the first little pig saves the other little pigs and they go on a crazy adventure through various stories. This book was such a fun read. I found myself laughing and just really enjoying myself. I think younger children would absolutely love this books. It is so funny and exciting; it kept me guessing the whole time. If you’re looking for a book to read with your little ones, be it in a school setting or at home, this book would be a great choice. 

A common fairy tale story type is the marvelous, perfect prince saves his poor, defenseless princess, but Robert Munsch does a fantastic gender swap in his story The Paper Bag Princess  In this story, Princess Elizabeth’s fiance Prince Ronald is kidnapped by a fire breathing dragon. Princess Elizabeth uses her smarts and the dragon’s ego to save her fiance, but he is ungrateful and tells her to come back when she looks like a princess. Princess Elizabeth calls him out on his selfish, idiotic ways, and she dumps him. Instead of Princess Elizabeth being a damsel in distress, she’s a cunning, brave, and resilient. Instead of Prince Ronald being a knight in shining armor, he’s narcissistic and selfish. I think this is a very effective retelling, and I believe it could inspire girls to be their own heroes. 

I have read Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary several times, but a few times have really stood out. The first time I read it was in third grade. My parents were divorced, my dad was in prison, and my mom was working two jobs to support our family. My junior year of high school I wrote a literacy narrative about this book and they way it has impacted my life. I was a sixteen year old in high school and life was a little confusing. My dad was in prison (again). I read Dear Mr. Henshaw for that assignment, and this book still had something to offer. It still changed me. Now, I am eighteen years old and making my way through college. My father is in prison (yes, again), my mom is struggling to help me with college payments, and life is still pretty confusing. I’ve read Dear Mr. Henshaw a dozen times, yet this book still has something to offer me.You can’t walk through life with a bitter attitude. Life isn’t here to hand out favors, and it’s definitely not easy. And the lesson I’m still trying to learn: you can’t expect people to always be who you want them to be, where you want them to be, there when you want them to be there.

http://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/dear-mr-henshaw/ A fun review with lots of dicussion points

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/dear-mr-henshaw-teaching-plan/ A lesson plan from Scholastic

Flotsam by David Wiesner is a peculiar book. It has no words, and the story is told entirely through images. A boy goes to the beach with his family and finds an old camera. He gets the film developed and finds a fantastic collection of photos of undersea cities and inventions. The last picture is that of a girl holding a picture of a another child, holding a picture of another child, and so on. The boy realizes he is one of many children who have found the camera and takes a picture of himself holding the last photo. He then returns to the beach and throws the camera back into the ocean. I really enjoyed this book. It’s fun and different and exciting. This book uses imagery and imagery alone to tell an interesting story about a boy and a camera. 

“You're beautiful, but you're empty. No one could die for you.” 

When I read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, this quote really stood out to me. This simple book about a young prince from another planet, but this book also says a lot about life and human nature. For the book, this quote is about the prince’s love for his rose in comparison to the unimportance of just any rose. The prince is talking to the fox, and the fox tells him that his rose will be more important to any rose in the world. The prince looks at a field of roses and tells them that they cannot be beautiful to him because they are not his rose that he has watered, sheltered, and listened to. For me, this quote reminds me of how unimportant beauty is if you’re ugly on the inside. No amount of beauty can cover up a nasty personality. 

Please, Puppy, Please, by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee is a book about two young children and their puppy. And it is absolutely adorable. Two little kids, whose names the reader never learns, are trying to keep up with a very energetic puppy. They take their puppy outside, chase him out of the fence, wash him after he rolls in the mud, and play catch. With full page illustrations by Kadir Nelson and short, simple, repetitive sentences, this book is a very easy read that would easily capture the attention of young audiences. The end of each sentences features a simple repetition of the words ‘puppy’ and ‘please’, but the pattern is never the same. This book would be great for young readers.

Brown Girl Dreaming  is a novel told in verse by Jacqueline Woodson. The book details the  author’s childhood as an African American in 1960s South Carolina and New York. Woodson describes what it’s like to grow up in the remnants of the Jim Crow laws and the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. Brown Girl Dreaming is a story about a little girl trying to understand the world as well as a social commentary on the Civil Rights Movement. This book is about family, friendship, childhood, and America. Woodson talks about her parents’ divorce, the death of her grandfather and aunt, the birth and hospitalization of her younger brother, the imprisonment of her uncle, and what it’s like to be a Jehovah’s Witness. Brown Girl Dreaming is deep and complex. It’s a story about so many different things all tied together in one little girl. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. 

“She walked off her sorrow. She covered it up and pressed it in, tighter and tighter and tighter. And it was so hard, and heavy, and dense that it bent the light around it. It sucked everything inside. Sorrow sucking sorrow. She turned hungry for it. And the more she fed on it, the more she needed. . . And she learned how to increase the sorrow around her. She grew sorrow the way a farmer grows wheat and meat and milk.And she gorged herself on misery.”

I know it’s a long quote, but it really stood out to me. When I was younger, I struggled with depression and this is exactly how I felt. An ever growing spiral of sad. But when one makes the decision to choose hope, he or she is able to leave that spiral and grow. 

Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks. Her story is taught in every classroom across America. But I have never heard her story like this. After a long day working as a seamstress, Rosa Parks boards a bus to go home for the night. The back of the bus is full, but the middle, where blacks or whites are free to sit, is empty. Rosa sits next to an older black man. When a group of whites board the bus, the driver orders Rosa and the man to move back. Rosa refuses. News about what Rosa Parks did spreads fast, and it leads to a nation wide walk. The author uses full page illustrations with small columns of text to tell Rosa Parks’ story beautifully. I think this book would be a very creative way to teach Rosa Parks’ story. 

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a story about a little boy named Max who goes to visit the place where the Wild Things live. In the Land of the Wild Things, Max is a king. The Wild Things follow his orders and allow him to be whomever he wants to. Max is free to explore and act crazy, his imagination running wild. Max eventually returns him, the scent of a good meal pulling him back. I think this book is very important for children because it reminds them how powerful their imaginations can be. This story is also important to adults because it reminds them to never let go of their imaginations and their childhood. 

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan is a phenomenal book. This book is full of illustrations and poetry. Each slave gets two poems: one about their lives and one about their dreams. The first poem is about their life, and it features a full page illustration of them, as well as their name, age, and cost. The second poem is about their dreams, and it features a full page illustration of them acting out their dream. These illustrations are bright and beautiful; they add to the story perfectly. The language in this book is elegant yet simple. Each story is told in a way that makes it unique, but each story is interwoven. I loved this book, and I think it is a very great read. 

Dear Cheyenne,

I just read a really interesting book that I think you would really like. It’s called Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe. It’s about a man named Jean-Michel Basquiat. He grew up in Brooklyn and dreamed of being an artist. As a teenager, he moves to New York City to pursue his dream. He creates everywhere he goes. Poetry, paintings, graffiti. As a graffiti artist, he use the name “Samoo.” From street artist to gallery artist, Basquiat has an amazing talent. The book itself has amazing illustrations. They’re very bright and vibrant. They’re actually done in a really similar style to how Basquiat’s actual work, which I think is awesome. It’s short and an easy read, but I think it’s a good book.

Love, Makaya

“Sweeter because it didn’t taste like good-bye.”

I really loved this book, and I loved this quote because it sort of brings the story full circle. In the beginning of the book, Rain is celebrating her birthday with her best friend Galen. She loves him and she wants to kiss him. The next morning, he’s dead, and the reader doesn’t know what happened that night. But, the end of the book finishes off with what really happened that night. They did kiss. She says “It was only one kiss… it was pepperoni, snowflakes, spit, and rodeo dust. Crazy like dancing and soaring and walking to a new home. Sweeter because it didn’t taste like good-bye.” Something about that quote just feels right to me. 

Follow the Moon Home: A tale of one idea, twenty kids, and a hundred sea turtles, written by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkins and illustrated by Meilo So, , tells the story of Viv, a young girl who has a new home and a new school by the beach, and her brave attempt to bring her community together to save the loggerhead sea turtles on the South Carolina Coast. For an assignment in her summer school, Viv must find a problem for her and her classmates to solve. During an innocent trip to the beach, Viv finds a wandering sea turtle hatchling and realizes what problem she needs to solve: the hatchlings are going the wrong way because of the bright lights of the beach houses. With the help of her mother, classmates, and community, Viv helps the sea turtle hatchlings follow the moon home. This is a powerful book that will inspire young children to use their problem solve skills and to understand the world around them. 

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf follows the life of Milada, a young Czechoslovakian girl, during World War II. Set in 1942 in a small Czech town called Lidice, an eleven year old Milada has just finished celebrating her birthday when German soldiers march into town and order people out of their homes. After being separated from her family, Milada and two other girls are taken to a special school where they recieve German names and learn how to be proper German ladies. Milada, now called Eva, is adopted by a German family, but she always holds on the her identity, despite how hard it is. This is a powerful story about identity and the strength of family. Joan M. Wolf is a fantastic writer. Many events from the story are inspired by actual things that occurred during the war. Someone Named Eva is heartfelt and inspiring. 

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is a verse novel about a young girl named Billie Joe, who struggles to help her family survive the dust-bowl during the Depression. Billie Jo fights against the elements on her farm and eventually takes on the burden of caring for her pregnant mother after she is burned in a kerosene fire. After Billie Jo’s mother and newborn brother die during childbirth, Billie Jo distances herself from her father and eventually runs away. Billie Jo does later come back, ending the novel with Billie Jo describing her life as not the best but happy enough. Out of the Dust is a first-person, free-verse, fictional account of the struggle of the Dust Bowl, the courage of an American family, and the power of healing.