Kelly McMichen #33

November 27, 2012 

EED 312 – Section 2

Anna Dewdney

 I.  New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Anna Dewdney grew up in a family of five.Her father is a physician and her mother is also an author. By the young age of seven, Dewdney began writing and illustrating from the inspiration of her mother and Tasha Tudor. Like Tasha Tudor, when Dewdney became of age she moved to Vermont. In Vermont, Dewdney raised two daughters while working odd and end writing and illustrating gigs. It wasn’t until Dewdney wrote Llama Llama Red Pajama in 2005 that her work was recognized by publishers. Since then Dewdney has created the famous Llama Llama book series and a few other popular children’s books.

II. Currently, Anna Dewdney still lives in Vermont, but her daughters are now grown and off to college. Dewdney loves being outdoors and spends her time writing, drawing, visiting her daughters, traveling for book tours, playing with her three dogs, and spending time with her boyfriend.  Also, she spends time connecting to her fans and reaching out to those who are inspired by her.  Dewdney continues to write and has big plans for expanding her Llama Llama book series.

III. All of Anna Dewdney’s books feature animals and topics that Dewdney relates to. Each book also contains a fun rhyming flow that is enjoyed by young readers. When writing Dewdney channels her enter child while at her home in Vermont. For the illustrations in her books, she uses pencils and oils. Dewdney loves the smell of the oils. To create one of her books, Dewdney first writes the story. Then, in pencil, she draws the illustrations upon an 18’x26” mess canvas. Next, she uses oils to paint the characters alive. Lastly, she transfers her work onto a small canvas to send to her publisher in New York       

Annotated Book List

a.       Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Mad At Momma. 2007.  

Llama Llama and his mamma take a trip to the Shop-o-Rama, but Llama Llama gets bored. Llama Llama would rather be at home playing. So, Llama Llama throws a fit until his mama calms him down. Turns out, Mama Llama doesn’t like shopping either, but if they work as a team they can make it home sooner.

b.      Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Red Pajama. 2005.

While in bed one night Llama Llama decides he wants his mamma. Llama Llama wants a drink and he’s scared of the dark.  So, being impatient, Llama Llama hollers loudly for his mamma, but Mama Llama is busy. Eventually, Mama Llama goes to Llama Llama and whispers words of wisdom to him. Then Mama Llama kisses and tucks him in as he drifts off to sleep.  

c.       Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Home With Momma. 2011.

Llama Llama wakes up one morning not feeling to well. Llama Llama is sneezing, coughing, and feverish.  So, it’s back to bed for Llama Llama and Mama Llama knows just what to do. Medicine, tissues, a story, and rest coming right up, but as Llama Llama feels better his mama gets sick. Good thing Llama Llama knows now just what to do for his mama.

Websites

http://www.patriciamnewman.com/dewdney.html

http://www.annadewdney.com

http://www.llamallamabook.com

References

a.   Dewdney, A. (2011). A little bit about Anna. Retrieved from              

http://www.annadewdney.com/Annas_website/About_Me.html

b.   Newman, P. (2011). Who wrote that?. Retrieved from

http://www.patriciamnewman.com/dewdney.html

c.   Dewdney, A. (2010). For teachers. Retrieved from

                                    http://www.llamallamabook.com/forTeachers.html?mute=true

FREEDOM SUMMER

Freedom Summer

Written by: Deborah Wiles

Illustrated by: Jerome Lagarrigue

Simon Schuster Children’s Publishing Company, 2001

27 pages

Historical Fiction

            I have recently found a love for books containing both historical elements and friendship; therefore, I instantly knew I would enjoy reading Freedom Summer.  Just by looking at the title and the cover illustration I drew a connection and had to read it. The cover illustration displays the friendship of both a young white and black boy. Freedom summer is actually the 1964 civil rights movement organized in Mississippi to get blacks the right to vote. During the 1960’s blacks and white did everything separate. Blacks were not even allowed to enter a business through the front door and friendships between blacks and whites were thought down upon.

            With that in mind, Freedom Summer follows the story of the Joe’s summer with his best friend John Henry. John Henry is the son of the Joe’s black house keeper. The story begins by talking about the things the boys enjoy doing together such as swimming in the damn and eating ice pops. Unfortunately, John Henry is not allowed to swim in a public pool or go into the store to buy ice pops like his friend. One day the boys learn of there being a new public swimming pool that allows blacks to swim, but when boys arrive the pool is being covered. It is at that moment that John Henry shares with his friend his emotion about being separate. John Henry wanted to be able to get his own ice pop without having to go through the back door and to swim in public with Joe. Joe feels for is friend and wants nothing more than to solve all of John Henry’s problems, but that was impossible. So, the narrator hugs his friend and leads him through the front door of the ice pop shop. Together they would take a step in fighting diversity by walking through that front door together. 

            The illustrations that follow this story are hand painted and bring out the emotions that this story involves. The text, however, is placed most formally which I feel was most appropriate for this particular story. This story to me was filled with emotion and the power of friendship and the text needed to have been separate from the illustrations. The coloring for this story is primary browns, tans, and blacks for it is not the type of story in which bright coring fits well with.  I believe that the dull coloring brings out the history and time period in which this story is set. The illustrator even received the John Steptoe Award for New Talent and the Ezra Jack Keats Award for best new picture book writer of the year.

            This story would be appropriate for children of all ages; however, I would recommend it for grades second through sixth. This story would be an excellent source for an integrated lesson on history and literature. I would use this story for black history month, a discussion on civil right movements, a discussion on freedom summer, and a discussion on black rights in the 1960’s. I would also use this story for character building. I personally feel that this story is a must read and I definitely plan to include it in my future classroom’s library. 

ROSA

Rosa

Written by: Nikki Giovanni

Illustrated by: Bryan Collier

Henry Holt and Company, 2005

28 pages

Non-Fiction 

           I love reading inspirational stories and when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Rosa is the true story about the life of Rosa Parks. The setting for the story takes place in the 1950's when blacks were separate from whites. The story begins by talking about Rosa's home life and job as a seamstress. Then one day as Rosa is heading home from work she finds a seat in the middle of the bus. Blacks, however,  are only allowed to set in the back of the bus. So, a white man demands that Rosa  give up her seat. Being strong willed and tired of the racism,  Rosa refuses to give up her seat. Why should she have to just because of the color of her skin?  Rosa was arrested, but due to her refusal she created supporters who began a boycott over the bus rules.  Eventually, this event lead to an inspirational speech by Martin Luther King, the formation of the NAACP, and several other groups that fought for the rights of blacks.  

       The Caldecott winning illustrations in this story are remarkable for they bring out the emotion and power of the story. The illustrator, Collier, even made a trip to Montgomery to capture the realness of the story. Collier used watercolors and collage for this story and the text it placed informally. The story also contains a fordable page illustrating the intensity of the boycott. 

      I personally love this book and even was inspired to research this topic further. I would use this book for students in grades second and up. I would use this story to teach students about Rosa Parks, black history, and the NAACP.  For upper grade students, I would have them research another African American who, like Rosa, made an impact for black history. I definitely plan to include this story in my future classroom as part of my non-fiction section. 

THE EMPANADAS THAT ABUELA MADE

The Empanadas That Abuela Made

Written By: Por Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Illustrated By: De Alex Pardo DeLange
Spanish Interpretations By: Gebriela Baeza Ventura
Pinata Books, 2003
28 pages

            I chose to read The Empanadas That Abuela Made after it was recommended to me by the Annistion librarian. The story is told by using the cumulative folk song style and it is written in both English and Spanish. The story  it is about a grandmother who makes her family the Hispanic traditional meal, empanadas. At the end of the book the author provides a recipe for empanada in both English and Spanish. 

           The illustrator of the story created a story of her own while still following the story line. The illustrations show the family playing around with each other on a rolling pin while sampling grandmas empanadas as she bakes. Also the illustrations show the closeness and the love that the family has for each other. Food does typically bring us all together. The text, on the other hand, is placed most formally. 

         This story has not won any awards, but it is a nice story to have in a classroom library. I think that with the increasing amount of Hispanic's within classrooms, that it is important to include stories that are written in both English and Spanish. I would recommend this story for students between first and third grade. I would use this story to teach students about what different cultures eat and to talk about different writing styles. For a writing activity, I would have students write about a traditional food within their family. 

SO YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT

So You Want to Be President

Written by: Judith St. George

Illustrated by: David Small

Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2000

47 pages

Non-Fiction 

               I chose to read this book after flipping through a few pages and seeing that it was a humorous way to learn about the presidents and the White House. The story begins by telling some funny pros and cons about being president and by comparing and contrasting the different presidents. Then the story goes on by telling facts about the different presidents such as their hobbies, appearance,  pets, historical marks, and favorite foods. Also, the story talks about what is is like to live in the White House and what the duties of the president are. I personally found it interesting to learn that Andrew Jackson couldn't read until he was fourteen years old. Lastly, in the very back of the book there is an ordered list of the presidents.  Beside each presidents name is the year he was born,  where he was born, and his accomplishments. 

            The Caldocott winning illustrations in this book are done using pen, water colors, and chalk. The text; however,  is placed both informally and formally. I personally love these illustrations because they provide a humanizing and humorous interpretation of the presidents.

            I would definitely use this book in my future classroom and I would use it for all ages as a read aloud. For lessons, I would pull this book out to talk about Presidents Day and to educate students about presidency, the White House,  and the different  presidents. I would also use this story to have students do a quick write about weather or not they want to be president and what they would do if they were president. For upper grades, I would have students group up and select a president in which they found interesting and research other information about them to share with the class.

HAIRY, SCARY, ORDINARY: WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE?

Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective?

Written by: Brian P. Cleary

Illustrated by: Jenya Prosmitsky

Lerner Publishing Group Inc., 2000

28 pages

Non-Fiction 

         Recently I taught  a lesson on adjectives and when I saw this book I instantly wished I had spotted it sooner. This book starts off by giving the definition of an adjective. Then the book continues by explaining adjectives and how they are used in a fun way. As the book explains adjective,  it incorporates several examples while keeping a fun and energetic flow. The book ends by asking the question, "So, what is an adjective? Do you know?"    

        Just like the author, the illustrator of this book did an excellent job of making adjectives fun. To emphasize adjectives, the illustrator illustrates the descriptions of the examples that are provided by the author. It appears that the illustrator used colored pencils for the creations and the text is very informally placed. The adjectives are in colors while the remaining of the story is written in classic black. This reason for this is to highlight the adjectives. 

         I would highly recommend this book for classroom use for grades kindergarten through fourth grade. This book would make an excellent introduction to a lesson on adjectives. Also, if provided in a classroom library, students can refer to this book for self study. Unfortunately  the book has not won awards, but the author has a series of award worthy books such as this one. Brain Cleary also has books about nouns, addition, subtraction, and pronouns. I personally, would like to included some of Brain Cleary's other books as well when introducing various topics. 

HUSH HARBOR

Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret

Written by: Freddi Evans

Illustrated by: Erin Banks

Lerner Publishing Group Inc., 2008

28 pages

Historical Fiction 

              The combination of the cover illustration and the title of this book is the reason I chose to read it. I was instantly curious as to what praying in secret meant.  For this story, it meant that the slaves would hold a secret meeting in the woods in order to pray together and to worship. The settling of this story is in the 1970's when slaves where not allowed the freedom of religion. Simmy, the narration of this story, and his family works in the cotton fields for their master. One day, while working in the fields, his Uncle Sol announces that there will be meeting in the hush harbor.  The meetings are prayer meetings in the words. As the news spreads of the meeting, excitement follows. This meeting's purpose, however, was to pray for Mamma. Mamma was getting older and her end was near. Once at hush harbor, the family was praying and singing worship while Simmy was playing the role of the look out. Unfortunately, Simmy spots the patrolmen coming and has to call the meeting to an end just in time for the family to hide. After everyone in in the clear of being caught, the family returns to their cabin.  At the cabin Uncle Sol tells Simmy how good of a look out he is and that that will always be his job. Mamma was proud of Simmy as well and thankful for the prayers. That night Mamma passes away and becomes free. Simmy prays that someday he to will be free and that Mamma will be the last to have to die in order to get freedom. 

          This story is full of emotion and the illustrations do a wonderful job of expressing that emotion  The story's illustrations are done using Fall coloring and the text is placed within the story informally. My personal favorite illustration in the story is of Simmy in his Mamma's arms the night before she passes. This particular illustration shows the bond between Simmy and Mamma It also shows Mamma's happiness despite all she has been through. 

         I would recommend this story for students in grades second and up. Although this story has not won any awards it is award and lesson worthy. I would use this book to teach students about slavery and the lack of right they had. I would also discuss the importance in freedom in speech.  For higher grade levels, I would ask that a discussion be formed about the characters and their emotions. Why do the you feel that they seen Mamma's death as freedom instead of a horrible event? Despite their situation they never lost their faith, can you relate?