While reading this story, it reminded me of fables I read as a kid. The animals represented different things, such as a fox being sly, which helped me determine characteristics and navigate the characters through the entirety of the story. I liked the illustrations, as they were vivid and helped create connections with the story. This story seemed to point out a theme of not judging others, based on stereotypical or common beliefs, which is a good message to relay to kids. 

I decided to evaluate my book on Believability, perspectives, and connections for my readers. I see this book as being believable as it relates to a very real-life thing that occurs frequently, adoption. Adoption is something that people are aware of and is something that some families experience. The perspective shown in this book is from the sister who is gaining a new sister. This would be a good book to share with young children of adopted families. This will help create perspectives on adoption and how some families can look different from others. 

Author/ Compiled by: Warren Binford
Illustrator: 17 Latinx artists
Publisher:  Workman Publishing Company; Bilingual edition
Date Published: April 13, 2021
Number of Pages: 96 pages 
Grade level: 3rd-4th grade
Visual Elements:  There is a lot of symbolism used within the art, tied to traditional and cultural Hispanic/ Latinx art styles, some of the art pieces are realistic and some are abstract. 
Genre: Children's historical non-fiction

Summary:

This book is very powerful and moving, as it is the real-life stories of detained children at the border. The art connects with each testimony in a way that makes your heartbreak for the conditions these children are living in. This book gives these children a voice so that people can hear them as well as be aware of some of the difficult and traumatic issues that refugees and people fleeing their country have to deal with. The book is also offered in Spanish so that it can represent the mother tongue of the children's testimony and reach an even larger audience. This story has curricular connections and can be used in social studies. This book identifies the themes of fear of the unknown and tragedy that takes place when trying to get into the United States. 

Poet: Kwame Alexander 
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Genre: Children’s literature, poetry 
Themes: The Power of Reading

Grade: Pre-K to 3rd grade 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Type of poetry: Free verse 
Visual elements: The artwork and illustrations actually are a part of the text, bringing alive the words.

 Summary: 
This book is a beautiful way to highlight the journey and joys of reading. It uses floral language and color to take the reader on a poetic road of discovery. I found it inspirational, and a unique way to inform and be creative in writing. This text shows that writing and poetry have so many different meanings and ways to be written about. Rather than just writing and publishing an instruction manual, Kwame Alexander uses his gifts to make this an intriguing book for children to read. 

 

Author/ illustrator: Tomie dePaola
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Date of publication: September 3, 1979
Type of traditional literature: Italian Folktale
# of pages: 40 pages
Grade level: PreK-3rd
Plot Summary: 
Strega Nona is a grandma witch who lives in a town. Everyone goes to see Strega Nona if they are having trouble with something. Since Strega Nona is getting older, she needs help to care for her house and garden. Big Anthony responds to her needs and comes to her house. She gives him one rule: To not touch the pasta pot. One day, Big Anthony sees Strega Nona with her pasta pot and she’s singing to it as it makes pasta all by itself. He went into the town and told the community, but no one believed him and he wanted revenge.  Strega Nona leaves town and trusts Anthony to take care of the house and not touch the pasta pot. He invites the whole town to Strega Nona’s house to feed everyone Pasta. He forgot a very important step, and pasta was overflowing everywhere. Big Anthony tried everything, but the pasta had continued to fill up with pasta and the pasta started to overflow into the town. Strega Nona arrived back home to see this mess and sang the song–this time with 3 kisses– to stop the overflowing. Big Anthony’s crime did not go without punishment, and so he had to eat ALL the pasta. 

A little boy loves the winter and being in the snow. Because of this, some mittens are made for him. The only dilemma is that his mittens are white, and he loses them, unable to easily find them in the white snow. An animal finds this cozy mitten and on-by-one the mitten gains an animal, and then another, and then another until it gets so full until it bursts. The little boy learns his lesson and gains a new pair of mittens that he won't lose as easily.

 

Number of Pages: 30 pages
Grade level: Prek-1st grade
Themes: community, friendship
Artistic elements: Colorful graphics
Genre: Children's literature, Children's fiction

Short Summary: 

CJ goes to church with Nana and after they get out they have to wait for the bus. It's raining outside, and he asks grandma why they have to wait. Cj then asks why they don't have a car, and Nana explains how exciting riding the bus is. Along the way on the bus, Nana teaches CJ valuable skills. Nana provides CJ with the opportunities that they get to experience riding the bus that others don't, like the blind man with the dog, the trees drinking through straws, and how real life is happening right in front of his eyes on the bus. CJ became mesmerized by the music, sunset, and all the people on the bus. Mr. Dennis, the bus driver, calls "last stop on market street." Nana always found beauty where CJ never thought to look. 

Number of Pages: 40 pages
Grade level: Prek-3rd grade
Artistic elements: Colorful graphics, symbolistic drawings, cultural elements
Genre: Children's literature, biography

Short Summary: 

This story tells about Yuyi's travel to the United States in 1994 with her baby. She became an immigrant with practically nothing in her hands, worried and fearful of this new journey. The mother and child learned so much and found a place they had never been before. Books transformed their lives as they learned to speak and write to make their own voices heard. "We are "sonandores" of the world, we are love..."

Illustrator: Lois Ehler
Publisher: Little Simon 
Publishing Date: January 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 36 pages
Grade level: Prek and up
Genre: Children's literature

Short Summary:

This book rhymes the alphabet, making room for all the letters in the coconut tree. They race up and up, but they all fall down because there are too many!

Publishing Date: March 31, 2011
Number of Pages: 32 pages
Grade level: Prek-1st grade
Genre: Children's literature

Short Summary:

Ferdinand lives in Spain and loves to sit and just smell the flowers. His mother was worried that he wouldn't skip and butt his head with the other bulls. Ferdinand grew but he still wanted to sit and smell the flowers, while the other bulls butted their heads. One day Ferdinand sat on a bumblebee, chasing around puffing and snorting, and the men noticed him put him in the bullfights. Ferdinand was in Madrid and all the matadors were scared of him, but he wouldn't fight the matador. He was returned home, happy to smell the flowers. 

Publishing Date: 1968
Number of Pages: 32 pages
Grade level: Prek-3rd grade
Themes: Feelings
Genre: Children's literature

Short Summary:

Corduroy is a bear waiting for someone to take him home, but no one wanted him. One morning, a little girl really wants corduroy, but corduroy feels sad. He fixes his button to become nice and new. He goes upstairs and thinks he's found a palace and thinks he finds his button. The watchman finds corduroy and places him back downstairs. The little girl takes him home, excited to have him, and finally felt home.

Publishing Date: August 7, 2018
Number of Pages: 32 pages
Grade level: Prek-3rd grade
Theme: Family, friendship
Genre: Children's literature

Short Summary:

Mother bat has a precious baby and names her Stellaluna. One day, Stellaluna is knocked from her mother's embrace as the mother is attacked by the owls. She is helpless as she falls down from the air, scared that her mother is no longer with her. Stellaluna is weak and dropped down below, and lands in a soft nest. Stellaluna was hungry and waited for the mother to feed her. She is raised like the birds and still likes to sleep upside down. Stellaluna figures out that she is a bat and learns about who she is. She is eventually reunited with her mother, and learns the ways of a bat.

Publishing Date: 
Number of Pages: 72 pages
Grade level: Prek-3rd grade
Genre: Children's literature

Short Summary:

This book is an excellent book about dogs, teaching children new words and rhymes. It is an easy introduction with pictures to help kids get started to read while enjoying it.