Outside Reading List

Outside Reading List

Book 1: Horton Hatches the Egg
Author: Dr. Seuss
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: January 27, 2008

Book 2: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Picture Book?: No - Poetry
Posting Date: February 12, 2008

Book 3: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: February 21, 2008

Book 4: Anne of Green Gables
Author: L.M. Montgomery
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: March 2, 2008

Book 5: The Magic Soup
Author: Janaki Sooriyarachchi
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: March 18, 2008

Book 6: World's Greatest Mom (series)
Author: Kath Smith
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: March 19, 2008

Book 7: The Red Pony
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No - Chapter book
Posting Date: March 27, 2008

Book 8: From the Bellybutton of the Moon
Author: Francisco X. Alarcon
Picture Book?: Yes.
Posting Date: April 10, 2008

Book 9: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J.K Rowling
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 15, 2008

Book 10: The Pearl
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 22, 2008

Book 11: The Bean Trees
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 26, 2008

The Cat in the Hat

Film vs. Book

Film

• Feminist viewpoint : woman is successful, hardworking, single, organized
• Utopia: society is organized, run by strict rules, uniform
• Dystopia: cat creates ruckus, breaks rules, mayhem 
• Stereotype of Girl: clean, rule follower, mature, honest, perfect
• Stereotype of Boy: adventurous, rule breaker, dirty
• Content: too mature for young children

Book

• Language: rhyming, alliteration, repetition, for children readers
• Illustration: describe what words could not
• Children: characters are underdeveloped, rule followers
• The Cat: playful, much more appropriate than the film version

Social Issues.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver is a short chapter book aimed at grade school kids. Today I spent the morning, afternoon and evening in the hospital with my roommate so I was left to spend the day reading. This ended up being a great time for me to sit and read and think about things. After reading this novel, I caught on to some important things that have been a trend in most the chapter book for kids, social issues. For example, in The Bean Tree, many issues regarding illegal immigration, rape, suicide, and adultery are introduced. I believe that as a writer for this certain age of pre-teen kids, there must be an awareness of these sensitive issues. Many times parents do not sit their children down and discuss hard issues like these with their them, so they are left to learn about them elsewhere. Well, it seems that children's writers have taken the liberty of teaching the kids through their works of fiction about these topics. Even if the book does not go into full detail about them, this allows a door to be opened in the classroom for further discussions with the teacher on these social issues. Truly, I think this is a smart move, and I applaud the writers like Barbara Kingsolver for being bold enough to talk about these taboo topics in their novels. If they do not, who will?

Book 11: The Bean Trees
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 26, 2008

Happy Birthday Kirbie!

Today Kirbie turned 21.
We celebrated throughout the day,
Trust me, it was really fun.

We even went to a bar to sing karaoke,
Kirbie and I sang classics like "loveshack",
It was a hilarious sight to see.

Kirbie is a wonderful friend,
I have known her for three yeas,
And she is one that i can depend.

Today Kirbie turned 21,
We played, laughed and sang
Our memories have just begun!

Happy Birthday Kirbie!

The Pearl

In keeping with my John Steinbeck theme, I read The Pearl. Mainly, I picked up the book because Steinbeck was the author I chose to read when I was younger and wanted to read a chapter book. The story is of an Indian family who finds fortune in the sea. Kino, the father, was diving and looking for pearls one day and comes across one of the largest pearls he had ever seen. His first action is to get a doctor to come cure his ailing son, then he wants to have a church wedding with his wife. The village and town start to hear news of Kino's pearl, and everyone starts to try and swindle him, steal from him, or even murder him. Kino lets the protection of the pearl become more important to him than anything else. After killing a man who was trying to thieve, Kino and his family must flee the village. A few days go by of quietly escaping, and the family realizes that there are a few trackers that have followed them. In the night Kino, approaches the trackers in order to kill them. During the dispute a gun shot is fired and Kino's son is killed. The next morning Kino and his wife Juana realize that this pearl has only brought evil into their lives. They return to the sea, and drop the pearl back where it belongs.

Moral: Wealth does not buy happiness.

Book 10: The Pearl
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 22, 2008

Imagination...

Does imagination play a role in learning and success in life? In a word, yes.

"According to Dorothy Singer, professor of psychology at Yale University and co-author of The House of Make Believe: Children's Play and the Developing Imagination, children who actively use their imagination reap a host of benefits, such as playing cooperatively and being successful in school" Imagination can help a child solve problems, by role-playing in their head, they are able to go through different situations and outcomes, and decide on the best possible one. I remember as a little kid imagining that i was grown-up, taking on roles that grown ups had. From teacher, to nurse, to mom, to even florist I was able to practice real-life skills. Imagination can also help to encourage communication and a wide range of vocabulary for a child. They often make up stories or repeat stories they have heard imagining that it happened to them. And, lastly, a child's imagination will be a lifelong skill of thinking creatively or outside the box. Through children's books, a child can become any character in any story that they read. Imagination has endless possibility.

Land of Blue (cont.)

The celebratory events were about to start, and still Samantha was no where to be found! People in the Land of Blue searched far and wide to find Samantha, so she could celebrate too. Samantha knew that everyone was searching for her, but she had hidden out above the land on an overlooking cliff, watching below. She did not want to attend her birthday party, she felt very sad because of her green skin, and just could not take being different anymore. Samantha thought that putting herself in the center of attention would only make it worse. So she hid away. The festivities began again, without Samantha there. And the town was having so much fun, they almost forgot that she was missing! When the blue firemen rolled out the 6 tier cake, everyone was so excited. Cindy even forgot that her best friend had gone missing. But, when it was time to blow out the candles Cindy remembered the past five birthdays and how fun it was to blow about the candles with Samantha. As she inhaled and made a wish, Cindy thought real hard for what she wanted. Then, with an exhale, Cindy wished to be a different color than blue. As the candles went out Cindy's blue skin faded into orange, her hair suddenly went from blue to orange as well! Samantha was watching all of this from above, and to her excitement she ran down to be with her friend. The two girls were so happy to be together, and each unique in their own color. Soon everyone in the town was wishing to change colors, and the Land of Blue was officially renamed the Land of Color.

Land of Blue

A Short Story...

In the Land of Blue, everyone looks alike. Hair, skin, eyes are all shades of blue. Even the buildings and streets are different blue colors. The Land of Blue is a wonderful place to be, with happy neighbors and parades every weekend. Cindy Lou Blue is celebrating her 5th birthday, and the whole town has come to celebrate. There is the Mayor with his long blue mustache that curls in exactly three loops at the end. The firefighters, police squad, and pagaent queens have all begun to drive through the neighborhood for the parade. But where was Cindy's best friend Samantha? Samantha was born at right around the same time as Cindy, so they were to be sharing their birthday's together. Every child that had a birthday in the same month was given the same party. But, looking around, she was nowhere to be seen. The strange truth about Samantha, however, is that she was born a slightly different color than blue. Samantha was green! No one in the town acknowledged her different color, no one but Cindy. Cindy did not mind that Samantha was green, in fact, she wished that she could be different too! Truly if she had one wish, that is what she would wish for.

To Be Continued...

Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O'Donnell has just started a movement, claiming that her family "has a no-media policy. The school they go to has a no-media policy. There's no television and no computer access. It has changed our lives." She has gone public to try and convince parents across America to jump on the bandwagon. Rosie has said that her kids have changed for the better since this. As television, media, and even children's literature becomes saturated with fewer moral teachings, it has become dangerous to allow our children to be subjected to this. But the question is where do you draw the line? Rosie has completely eliminated media exposure, while some parents allow too much exposure. I feel that parents should be responsible enough to censer what their children watch and read there truly should not be a problem. Monitoring their online activity is also an important part of being an aware parent.

Peter Rabbit.

A Poem for Peter Rabbit:

Peter was a mischievous young bunny,
His mother secretly found it quite funny.
Whatever she told him to do, he did the opposite,
She knew it was a phase, so she did not throw a fit.

One day though, she had had enough,
And trust me, mother never got into a tuff.
Peter had stolen from Mr.McGregor's farm,
But we all know he did not mean any harm.

He gathered the lettuce heads very quick,
Then to the carrots he went, and hastily he did pick.
Next was the eggs from the farm's chicken coop,
A bunny stealing their eggs sure threw them for a loop!

Then home he flew baskets full of treats,
Did I forget to mention, he even stole the beets!
Peter's mother was furious at the site of his return,
She spanked him through the night, and boy did it burn!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Since Summer is coming up I decided to begin the series of Harry Potter books. My roommate, sister and even mom love the books and have persuaded me to 'jump on the bandwagon'. Last week I began with the first of the Harry Potter series and I seriously could not put the book down. The writer, Rowling, has in incredible gift of creating imagery and adventure in the readers' head. Harry, the main character, is given an admission to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and from then on magic just seems to be released. What reader would not want to attend a school like this? Flying lessons on broomsticks, the game of Quidditch, trapdoors, three-headed dogs, troll adventures, invisibility cloaks, centaurs, and tons of mischief are all over the pages of this book. Harry is usually accompanied by his two new friends on these adventures Ron and Hermione. Together the three explore their new school, starting out as timid students, by the end they are powerful and unafraid, except for maybe Ron. This book ends with a banquet and then off to London to spend the summer with the family that raised Harry.

Book 9: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J.K Rowling
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 15, 2008

Car-Jacked

Yesterday evening was an eventful one indeed. My family and I were driving through a poor community in a dangerous area of Dallas, TX. Approaching a stoplight I noticed a Cadillac pull up next to us, all of the sudden, out of nowhere a woman leaps from the car and begins banging furiously on the windows of our car yelling to let her inside. In a panic my mother pressed the gas pedal and we drove off quickly. Playing the scary moment back in my head I truly wonder what the woman had wanted from us, and why? We made it back home and sat down to eat dinner. Flipping through the channels on the television we came across a recording of Idol Gives Back. This episode was purely to raise awareness of the need for education in other countries as well as America. In America specifically the target was poorer ghetto neighborhoods where education is not as important as personal safety. There were many famous people pouring money and time into these communities to try and help rebuild an appreciation for children's education in hopes of starting a rebirth in the communities. After my families experience in the ghetto of Dallas I am more aware of the danger of those neighborhoods, as well as more concerned for the children living in those neighborhoods. Knowledge is the key to change, and change is what these children need!

Infanticide...

Just a thought...

As the political race heats up there are plenty of key things to note about each candidate that will effect how you vote. As I was finishing up The Giver I began to think about the social issue of Infanticide, which was practiced throughout the novel to promote "sameness". Infanticide is assisted suicide for infants who clearly cannot make the decision for themselves. While it is not completely the same as abortion, the idea is still very similar. Abortion can be quite taboo to talk about, especially for presidential candidates, so only as of late have they begun to really take a stand on their beliefs. Without promoting any candidate I only want to lay it on the table to be aware of our future leaders' platforms. We can all see after reading a novel like The Giver the amount of control that comes with letting a small thing go unnoticed, well infanticide is not a small thing, and abortion should be given a lot of attention and thought.

Bilingual Picture Books.

Today I went on a search for a new picture book to read for our outside reading. While scanning the shelves at Barnes & Noble, I came across a bilingual section, and pulled out a beautifully illustrated picture book. 'From the Bellybutton of the Moon' or in Spanish that is ' Del Omibligo de la Luna' is a collaboration of short story and poetry. Written by Francisco Alarcon the book is a creative way of teaching two languages through simple, descriptive poems; as well as challenging them through reading the short story portion. I had never seen this type of book before, English and Spanish. While, I am aware that it is becoming increasingly popular for children (especially in Texas) to be taught more than one language as they are growing up, I am impressed that the children's book author's have caught on to this phenomena. This new group of picture books that combines two different languages was a small section of the bookstore, but I have hope that more and more authors will begin to incorporate more languages into their writing, giving children a chance to become bilingual at a young age!

Book 8: From the Bellybutton of the Moon
Author: Francisco X. Alarcon
Picture Book?: Yes.
Posting Date: April 10, 2008

Happy Birthday!

Today was Jenna's birthday,
She is 22 years old, i dare say!
To celebrate we went out to eat,
Mexican food was such a treat!

She was showered with gifts galore,
Dresses, jewelry, purses and more!
We followed up dinner with a flick,
The movie 'Leatherheads' was her top pick.

The night was certainly a success,
And the movie was great, I do confess.
Happy birthday Jenna, I hope it was great.
Now I must go to bed, it is getting quite late!

Utopia.

Can there be such thing as a Utopia?

While reading 'The Giver', I am reminded of movies like the 'Truman Show' or 'Pleasantville', where the character's were just hopelessly stuck in this so called perfect world. I feel as though there is no uniform definition of a perfect world. For each of us it might mean something completely unique. But truly living life with no unexpected, no adventure, no true feelings would be like puppets in a make believe story. For the characters in this novel, so far, I can see beyond their planned out lives. They do feel a sense to rebel, to be creative and to love. As all humans do. They are just dictated by fear. Which, I believe would be the worst possible 'utopia'.

Aggie ring day.

This weekend I got my Aggie ring,
It was such an accomplished feeling!
Four years has flown by fast,
I wish I could make college last and last.

Our families came in to celebrate,
We dunked our ring at exactly 6:08!
Replacing pitchers for a small glass,
We guzzled down beer, but still with class.

Senior year has been so fun,
I just know I will miss it a ton!
I have made friends and memories to last,
It will be so nice to look back on this fun past!

Losing Childrens' Attention.

This past weekend in Dallas I had the opportunity to volunteer at the nursery at our church. It was so fun to get to play with the little babies, but maybe not as fun having to change them and listen to them cry. One thing I noticed about these little babies were their very distracting and busy toys that they were playing with. Even their car seats, cradles, and rolling chairs all had a million different knobs, buttons, lights, mirrors, and color.

While I think for a child it might be stimulating for them to have all of these things to look at and discover, I also believe it is contributing to the rapidly increasing number of children being diagnosed with ADD or some form of it. Approximately 1.6 million elementary school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) and over 2 million kids in the U.S. take Ritalin, a drug to treat ADD.

When thinking about children's literature I have noticed in my experience of reading to kids and having them read to me that they have an extremely short attention span. Could this be due to the exposure to so many elaborate toys as a child, I kind of think so. There are a lot of studies being done, but no definite answer to this. What ever happened to the days when a child was happy playing with blocks and a teddy bear?

History in the Making.

Today in my debate class we remembered the devastation of September 11, 2001. I got to thinking back on that day, trying to recall what exactly I was doing at the time the news began unfolding the story to the nation. Although I know that my life has been impacted and forever changed by these events, I wondered how this one act of terrorism would impact children's education from here on out. Clearly the encyclopedia's and historical reference books would all have to be changed. But there is something more. Children have a tangible sense of heroism, of leadership, and of war. To me, growing up, all of these things were a part of history. I never experienced true heroism, people becoming leaders of strangers, and a war that is still going on. Not only has history changed, the present has changed, and the future for children's education will forever be changed.

The Hobbit.

So far I have loved getting lost in the pages of The Hobbit. The language that is used to captivate the reader is wonderful and very descriptive. My imagination paints the pictures as the scene changes, and I can almost put myself right into the story. Bilbo Baggins is, of course, my favorite character. He is extremely likable, honorable and has a desire to please people. I love how laid back and relaxed the hobbit creatures seem to be. They have nothing but time. The qualities that Bilbo portrays, are what make up a classic children's literature protagonist. He is heroic, but does not let that change him, he is small in stature and kind at heart in all his actions. Like Gandalf exclaimed in the beginning of the novel, there is much more to Bilbo than what meets the eye!

Dress Shopping.

Today was a big day in a girl's life for me. Today i went wedding dress shopping. As a little girl growing up in Texas, with my Barbie dolls, dress up clothes, and Disney movies, I always have imagined what my dress would someday look like. Truly, the day was wonderful, and getting to try on these beautiful flowing white dresses was such a wonderful experience. Fairy tales play a huge role in how a girl looks at her wedding day. In class, as we read Cinderella and Ella Enchanted, you kind of get lost in the thought of this perfect romance, perfect guy, and of course the perfect dress.

Well I did find the perfect dress for me. It was nothing like the one I had dreamed of, I thought I would end up with a huge ball gown like the one Cinderella or Belle wore in Disney movies. But, it will be perfect for my wedding day, and add to my fairy tale!

test day.

today was a test day,
last night was a bad night to play.
i should have, would have, could have,
studied more with my friend Trav.

today was a test day,
and you know what they say,
dont waste away the week before,
or else your grade might be quite poor.

but what am i supposed to do now,
i must sit and wait for my result, somehow,
with high anticipation,
i remember the fun i had last night in college station!

even though today was a test day,
last night was a fun night anyway.

The Red Pony.

The Red Pony is divided into four different stories, all centering around one main character, Jody. I picked this book out specifically, because I remember it to be one of my favorites from when I was in grade school. The first book starts out with a happy beginning. Jody had just received a new pony from his dad, and with the help of his ranch hand Billy, Jody learns how to take care of it and to train it. When the horse falls ill, Billy goes to desperate measures to try and save the horse from death. Eventually the horse runs away and is found dead with vultures preying on it. The second story introduces a new character, Gitano, a Mexican man who claims to have grown up on Jody's ranch. Gitano sparks Jody's interest in exploring the Mountains. Book 3 is a tragic story of another horse death. Jody is once again promised a cult from the stomach of a horse that the family already owns. Complications during the pregnancy causes Billy to kill the colt in order to save the mother's life. Jody's grandfather comes to visit in the last book, and Jody is filled with more wonder about exploration. His grandfather has many stories about his own crossing of the Great Plains, and Jody listens with wide eyes. The novel ends with his grandfather explaining that it was not the exploration that was important, that is was being able to be a leader.

Although this book has many tragic stories, I think I really liked it for the character of Jody. He is an emotional child full of wonder as well as very inquisitive. As a child I think that I was a lot like him, and I could relate in that way.

Book 7: The Red Pony
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No - Chapter book
Posting Date: March 27, 2008

Unconventional Education.

There is a movie coming out that is a true life documentary. The stars of this movie is a family of 9 kids with a mother and father. When the parents were first married they decided to go about educating their children in a unconventional way. After their first child was born, the parents bought a van and were on their way. Through the births of their nine children, the family developed a new way of education. The children learned through experience, they traveled from beach to beach surfing as a family and exploring their world. After seeing the trailer for this upcoming movie, I asked myself "Is this a better way for children to learn?" Truly I do not know the answer, whether kids learn from a teacher in a classroom as a strict curriculum through massive textbooks, is the right way is not for me to say. Because, honestly I do see the importance of growing in knowledge through experience, something that reading a book just cannot teach you. Either way, the nine kids in this movie all grew up to be successful and strong individuals in society, which does say a lot about this method of education!

Thoughts on Stevenson.

We have been reading a lot of poetry in class lately, and I have noticed a trend within most of these poems... they are not specifically meant for just children. Even though they are in a book titled "A Child's Anthology of Poetry", they can connect with adults just as much, if not more as they can with children. One of my favorite poets so far is Robert Louis Stevenson. He not only writes his poems specifically for children, in simple language, straight forward, and no metaphorical meanings hidden; he writes them as though from a child's viewpoint. He is not writing as an adult looking into a child's life, he writes with the imagination and energy of a child. This is intriguing to me, and I appreciate his thoughtful ideas in bringing the simplicity back to children's poetry!

Enchanted.

Tonight I had time to sit down and enjoy a movie I had rented called 'Enchanted". It has just been released in video, and the reviews for it were wonderful! I was pleasantly surprised by the modern twist on a classic love story. This Cinderella story combined the cartoon world with the human world, with wonderful music, humorous dialogue, and a surprise ending. A divorce lawyer from New York ends up saving a princess from the underground cartoon world with a 'true loves kiss'. It was a creative movie and I would recommend it to anyone!

The Easter Surprise.

For Easter, I wrote out a short story...

It was the day before Easter and all that little John could think about was the basket full of treats and the yeard full of colored plastic eggs that he was going to wake up to the next morning. But, something went wrong, something went really really wrong. John's little sister, Alice walked into his room, eyes full of tears and heart overflowed with saddness. Their favorite pal, their pet dog from when they were born, Buddy had past away. He died of old age, but his death upset Alice and John so much that the excitement of Easter was completely lost.

The next morning came very soon, John and Alice had fallen asleep with tears drying on their cheeks. Their mom and dad woke them up, trying to cheer them up with the treats the Easter bunny had brought. When the kids finally got ready to go outside with their baskets, they spotted a tiny animal in the corner of the yard. To their surprise it was a small bunny rabbit! 'Must be a relative of the Easte bunny' they thought; and they decided to rescue it and to make it apart of their family, as a new pet. This was the best surprise replacement pet ever! John and Alice never forgot their Easter, and their new pet Miracle was happy to become part of the family.

Easter.

Across the street from our house lives a little boy and girl, and today when I came home from campus I saw them playing in the front yard, so I went over to talk to them. Talking to them reminded me of how much I miss celebrating easter as a kid. I loved going shopping for a pastel easter dress, usually with bunnies and little chicks embroidered on on them, and then finding the matching hat for the dress. My family would go to church then go to my grandmother's house. We would wait patiently while our older cousins would hide the eggs. When the back doors to the house flung open we all ran out to the yard quickly picking up and gathering as many eggs as we could.

Sometimes in this class, Children's Literature, I am reminded of houw fun it was to be a kid, reading happy-go-lucky picture books, and being able to enjoy our Holidays with all the excitement and fun involved.

the books that shape us.

It is a known fact that we learn a lot of our habits from our parents. I had to do a study last year in one of my communications classes and we actually used children's books to back up our hypothesis. We predicted that these books would greatly portray gender roles; a boy being masculine, liking mud and sports while girls they portrayed as emotional and good in the kitchen and excellent mothers. We read two specific books one titled "World's Greatest Dad" and one titled "World's Greatest Mom". The mom of course was always busy, cleaning, cooking, and juggling carpool and kids. While the dad was a business man who came home to play games and sports with the kids and sometimes would grill meat. So it makes you wonder, are these books what shape our gender roles, our ideas and beliefs about femininity and masculinity. With the lines between the two being crossed so much lately you wonder if these books are designed specifically for the purpose of helping children identify with who they are, and teach them the code of being a boy or girl.

Book 6: World's Greatest Mom (series)
Author: Kath Smith
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: March 19, 2008

The Magic Soup

Today was a rainy day, and a perfect day for reading. I decided to start a new book because I did not have many classes, so I searched the library in my roommate's room for a fun picture book to read. I came across one that she has bought for her nephew and the title was just perfect for the day today! The picture book is called The Magic Soup and it was written by Janaki Sooriyarachchi. This book is a funny story of a little boy named Johnny who wakes up to a hungry stomach with no one to make him food. The vegetables here him howling from hunger, and begin to form a plan to come together and make a magic soup! In the end, the soup is made, and Johnny's hunger is satisfied.

Book 5: The Magic Soup
Author: Janaki Sooriyarachchi
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: March 18, 2008

spring break.

The week finally came,
and it was anything but lame.
Spring break is a time for friends and fun,
a time to forget to work out and run.

I went to Michigan with four of my girls,
we laughed, played and let down our curls.
The snow covered ground was cold and white,
the hills made a space for us to sled into the night.

We had cooking lessons which were so much fun,
we even got massages which relaxed us a ton.
The week was perfect and as odd as it seems,
without going to a beach, it was the break of my dreams!

The Princess and The Goblin.

I really have enjoyed "The Princess and The Goblin", surprisingly so. I had been told before beginning the book that I would not like it much at all, which made me nervous to begin. But, the grandmother's character is what really has stirred my interest in this story. She is such a spiritual figure, and since I am religious I really have connected with this. The themes that we have picked up on in class such as: getting lost, obedience, belief is essential to seeing; all have direct religious correlation. This also brings me back to my relationship with my grandma, who was the only Christian in my family while I was growing up. This connection has really helped me to enjoy this novel, and connect on different levels with the characters as well as the events going on in the story.

TAKS tesing.

Is the TAKS sucking the fun out of early education? I did a speech on the pressures the TAKS test has put on teachers and students to perform. Performing is not what learning is about. The TAKS includes a math portion, science and history portion and a reading/writing portion. Basically the penalty for not passing the test is failure to graduate to the next grade. And even more stunning, the test does not follow the curriculum of the grade. A teacher could be teaching U.S. history in her class and the test could focus on World history. This has proved to be an inadequate way of testing children of their knowledge, and provided a very stressful and competitive environment for them to grow in their knowledge. No longer is learning exciting and interesting, it has now become forceful and frustrating, with a ever looming fear of failure. Something must be done to change this nonsensical procedure, so that kids can return to loving their education and enjoying school.

Anne of Green Gables

I love, love this book. Anne is a spunky and charming orphan girl who is taken in by Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert to help around the house, because they are getting too old. Anne is fortunate to move from her orphanage because the Cuthbert's were actually looking for a young boy to come help out. Through many funny and unfortunate events, Anne makes herself known to the people of this town, and befriends Diana Barry. One day while Diana is playing at Anne's, she accidently offers her guest wine instead of juice and gets Diana drunk! This makes her mother very angry and Anne is only forgiven when an event occurs where she saves Diana's younger sister from dying. Anne also makes friends and kind of enemies with a boy named Gilbert, and they both attend Queen's Academy becoming closer and closer throughout. After school Anne is offered a four year scholorship but must deny it because Marilla is becoming blind and has to stay in Green Gables and teach. Anne is happy and content as a teacher and will continue her life optomistic for the future.

Book 4: Anne of Green Gables
Author: L.M. Montgomery
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: March 2, 2008

purple glasses.

Granpa dropped his glasses once
In a pot of dye,
And when he put them on again
He saw a purple sky.
Purple fires were rising up
From a purple hill,
Men were grinding purple cider
at a purple mill.
Purple Adeline was playing
With a purple doll;
Little purple dragon flies
Were crawling up the wall.
And at the supper-table
He got crazy as a loon
From eating purple apple dumplings
With a purple spoon.
leoroy jackson.

im engaged!

im engaged! last weekend i was proposed to by my boyfriend of 2 years. all week i was noticing him being a little sneaky (he has a very hard time being secretive). my roomates also all knew about the upcoming weekend surprise, and they had a hard time not dropping hints here and there. so when the weekend came, stone told me he was going to pick me up at 11 and we were going to drive into austin, tx. so, we drove into austin and once we got there he put on a song in the car by an artist named tristan prettyman and told me the surprise was that we were going to the concert that night. so i was completely thrown off, because i thought the surprise was going to be the engagement. so stone and i had a relaxing early afternoon getting lunch at whole foods and going shopping. then we ended up going to a park and walking along this trail by a river in austin. we came up to a trail of flower petals that lead down to a small wooden boat that had a picnic basket with chocolate and wine. we got into the boat and by that time i knew what was happening. we paddeled out and stone began talking just about our relationship and how much he loves me. then he proposed! i said yes of course, and we paddeled onto shore and had a picnic in the park and called friends and family. after that we went to a restaraunt where 20 of my friends had come into town to surprise me at dinner. when we walked in the entire restaraunt started cheering for us. then we all had dinner and went to the concert all together. the day was perfect, the weather was beautiful, and i am so excited! both of us cant wait to enjoy this time of our engagement.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

I remember reading this children's chapter book , "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry", when I was in grade school. I remember not really understanding the brutality of a surviving African American family that was portrayed in this book because of my age. Reading it again, as an adult I recognize and understand the hardships presented throughout this book. The reason I was interested in re-reading it was because I have been studying slavery in America in one of my debate classes, so, picking up the book I felt like I could really comprehend what the author was trying to paint a picture of.

The Logan family is the center of our story, they endure many hardships throughout this novel, and they always fight for justice and what is right. The book, written by Mildred Taylor, describes the trials this family endured extremely vividly. Some of the things they went through are desrespect from store owners, burnings and killings, boycotting, losing jobs, lynching and crop fires. The family teaches the readers to stick together and stand up for what is right. Throughout the story the family is mostly trying to protect their small farm, while the kids are constantl lured into fights of defense, the Logan parents are always having to back them up. When a store owner disrespects their daughter, Cassie, the family begins to boycott the store. When a close friend gets condemned to lynching, Papa goes to stop it from happening. These are just a few of the ways they family sticks up for one another and for what is right. Over all the novel was a good read of courage and family.

Book 3: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: February 21, 2008

Teacher's Pet?

In my English 413 class we just finished reading Augustine’s “Confessions”. The first three chapters are dedicated to Augustine’s early childhood. Throughout the book, the author makes a point to discuss language and learning. He pointed out a flaw that he has noticed in early education, which is learning through fear. He remembers times when he was chastised when he did not do well. I agree with Augustine in that if a child is having a hard time learning to read, they should not be disciplined for it, they should have more encouragement to study from their teachers.
My boyfriend is a substitute teacher right now, and has noticed the same thing. Although he has just told me that the same way of teaching children is still present today. While there is another side to this story, in that if a child is doing well they should be rewarded. Teaching is a hard, but extremely valuable profession, and a kind encouraging teacher is the best!

Won't You be my Neighbor?

What a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The weather was perfect today, just perfect. I spent the day in the park across the street playing with friends. We flew kites and rode bikes. This reminded me of when I was a child, spending the weekend afternoons in the outdoors. This desire, as a kid, to play outdoors was not just because of my rambunctious personality, but children’s books and television shows also encouraged this lifestyle. One television show that combined TV entertainment and reading was the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood show. Thinking back I am now interested in who exactly Fred Rogers was, and came up with a quiz of these details:
1) Fred Rogers was an American…
a. Minister
b. Educator
c. Songwriter
d. TV host
e. All of the above

2) Mister Rogers often fed his ____ during the show.
a. Dog
b. Children
c. Fish
d. Cat

3) The show began in 1968 and ran for ___ episodes, the longest running show on PBS.
a. 354
b. 778
c.1,082
d. 998

Will You be my Valentine?

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I decided to do a little research…
The correlation of Valentine’s Day to love can actually be dated back to 1382. The writer and poet, Chaucer, write a poem in honor of the marriage of two friends. The poem was read mistakenly and the readers thought he was declaring the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day. From then on, the day was equated with love and marriage. Since then many Children’s stories and picture books have been written about this topic. In grade school I remember always celebrating the special day making cards for my friends, including a poem in it, usually sounding something along the lines of:
‘Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you’
That of course is one of the most famous love poems. But, now there are plenty out there in bookstores and on the internet, I found one that might describe how some girls feel on Valentine’s Day by Myra Livingston:
If you won’t be my Valentine
I’ll scream, I’ll yell, I’ll bite.
I’ll cry aloud, I’ll start to whine
If you won’t be my Valentine.
I’ll frown and fret, I’ll mope and pine, and
It will serve you right—
If you won’t be my Valentine
I’ll scream, I’ll yell, I’ll bite!

Lost Somewhere in Time

I just received in the mail a copy of my grandmother’s journal from when she was growing up. She is still alive, and she wanted to share a little bit about what she was like when she was a child. Every entry in this journal is so eloquently written, and with beautiful cursive handwriting; and at the young age of 13! I was so impressed by her stories and it made me wonder what has happened to our education as children that we have come from my grandmother’s time with such sophistication and beautiful writing. As a young child, I could barely write in cursive let alone use words such as ‘languidly’ and ‘sauntering’. I hope one day the education system will regain the emphasis placed on rhetoric and language, I feel that through children’s literature this can be taught quite easily and through reading thy can learn a new beautiful form of language which has gotten lost somewhere in time.

Sick

One memory I have from growing up is the yearly poetry readings at my elementary school. Sixth graders at Moss Haven Elementary, spend their second semester memorizing Shel Sylverstein poems to recite to the school with their own interpretation of costumes and acting. I can remember I chose the tongue-tying poem titled “Sick”. The young girl in the poem spends exactly 27 lines complaining about absurd sicknesses she has developed that would prevent her from going to school that day. In the end she is told that today, in fact, is Saturday. Then she exclaims “okay I’m going out to play”! I enjoyed reading this poem as a 12 year-old as much as I enjoy reading it today. I definitely plan to read the poems by Shel Sylverestein to even my children one day, and I know they will love them just as much as I have.

Book 2: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Picture Book?: No - Poetry
Posting Date: February 12, 2008

Politics?

With the presidential races at their peak right now, I have been contemplating a lot about politics and how we can be influenced by the world around us. Starting at a young age, children are subjected with the views of their elders whether they even realize it or not. The novels that children read growing up for the most part are conservative. Yet as our country ages, these books have become more and more liberal. These books can teach children to live under a certain belief system, and forever more shape their political views.

Not Such a Fairy Tale After All

Walking into church this morning we were handed a pamphlet with a story corresponding to what the sermon would be about. The title of the story was “Not Such A Fairy Tale After All”, and it was about the misconceptions we all sometimes have about life. Most likely rooted from our early childhood of losing ourselves in these dreams of being a wealthy princess with a handsome prince, we grow up to have somewhat of the same expectations. Reality does hit at times, and when it does it can hit quite hard. When we try and mask it with this idea of a fairy tale lifestyle we are only denying ourselves of truly enjoying the wonderful mediocrity of life! I truly came to the realization today sitting in church that I am so thankful to not be apart of some idealistic fairy tale story; I love the ups and downs of life, it is what keeps it interesting!

Little Rockstar

Once upon a time in a far off land,
There lived a young girl who wanted to star in a rock band.
She sat in 5th period and dreamed of the day,
To be the lead singer, she must find a way.

When school let out she raced home to find,
The Gibson guitar she had bought online.
As she opened the box, the excitement made her scream,
“This is the coolest thing I have ever seen!”

She was on her way to becoming a young star,
All she needed were back up dancers and a flashy new car.
The only problem still standing in her way,
Was that she was only 9 and didn’t know how to play!

Gender Roles in Children’s Literature

"Everything we read...constructs us, makes us who we are, by presenting our image of ourselves as girls and women, as boys and men" (Mem Fox, 1993).
I took a ‘Gender in Communication’ class last semester where we studied just exactly how we inherit gender roles. One of our projects of the semester was to find a children’s book that expressed specific male and female gender roles. Of course, this was not hard at all. Turns out, almost all children’s literature is intentionally teaching it’s young readers how they should act.
This, however, can be dangerous. From as far back as these ancient fairy tales, teaching girls to be subservient, boys to rule over them, to rescue the powerless. So from an early age children are interpreting their gender roles with these characters, helping promote the idea of a independent and strong man, and a weak and helpless girl. Is this the message we want to send to our young? As we know, children are eager to learn and be molded. While we are thankful for the morals that come out of these stories, we must be aware of the power this literature has over kids. Hopefully, as our society ages, our minds become more open to things, children’s books will evolve with that, allowing kids to make up their own mind of what kind of characteristics they want to hold.

Ella Enchanted

After completing Ella Enchanted, I find myself only upset that there is not a sequel to such a fun, delightful story. There are many things that surprised me and pleased me about this wonderful read. One of my favorite characters in the story was of course Ella and her witty sense of humor, and courageous presence. She is unlike many fairy tale ‘princesses’ in that she is very independent and self-sufficient; something I am sure feminists were pleased in. She did not need her father, she did not need Char, she was brave and bold in her thoughts and her actions. I also really admired the way the love story between Ella and Char unfolded. Their love was not founded in vain; he was drawn to her by her humor and character more than her looks. Ella contained a kind heart, which was evident in the way she mourned her mother’s death, befriended those who had no friends, and sacrificed her happiness for the safety of Char. Through letters the two grew closer and closer to each other, which I loved because it showed that they were truly attracted to each other’s hearts. I was pleasantly surprised by the novel and literally could not put it down! Hopefully our nest read will be just as ‘enchanting’ as this one has been.

Quiz... Take If You Dare...

The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis
What fruit does Digory bring back from Narnia to cure his mother?

Pear
Orange
*Apple

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Who was the first child to win a Golden Ticket?

*Augustus Gloop
Veruca Salt
Mike Teevee

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
What do the Baudelaire orphans make for dinner for Count Olaf and his theatre troupe?

*Noodles with Puttanesca Sauce
Roast beef
Spaghetti bolognaise

Stig of the Dump by Clive King
What animal escapes from Bottom's Mammoth Circus and is later chased by Stig into a stable at Mrs Fawkham-Greene's fancy dress party?

Puma
*Leopard
Lion

The Diamond Girls by Jaqueline Wilson
What is the name of Dixie's pet?

*Bluebell
Foxglove
Dahlia

Shadowmancer by GP Taylor
The evil vicar Obadiah Demurral has a magic candle. Once lit, anyone in the house is put into a deep sleep. What's the candle made from?

*The severed hand of a hanged murderer
The ears of a drowned witch
The toes of a dead troll

Storm Breaker by Anthony Horovitz
What does the villainous Herod Sayle keep as a pet?

Scorpion
Boa constrictor
*Portuguese Man of War

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Is Mulch Diggums a

Elf?
Troll?
*Dwarf?

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Tom is sent away to stay with his aunt and uncle because his brother Peter is ill with:

Whooping cough
*Measles
Mumps

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
What is the name of the bay where George lives, which is the scene of some of the Famous Five's exciting adventures?

Carlyon Bay
*Kirrin Bay
Holywell Bay

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
What does Toad disguise himself as to escape from the prison?

A policewoman
* A washerwoman
A gypsy woman

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss
What does the small Who daughter ask the Grinch for when she finds him in her home taking away all the presents?

A cup of warm milk
A glass of orange juice
*A cup of cold water

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
In which English county is the novel set?

Lancashire
*Yorkshire
Derbyshire

The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
In the book, the Iron Man crashes to the bottom of the cliff and falls to pieces. A seagull swoops down and picks up one part of his body. Which part?

*His eyeball
His hand
His tongue

Charlotte's Web by E White
What does Charlotte first write in her web?

Great pig
Top pig
*Some pig

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
What is the first name of Mallory, Simon and Jared's great uncle Spiderwick, author of the Field Guide found by the children?

*Arthur
Archimboldo
Arnold

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Which of these pairs are among the dwarves who accompany Bilbo on his quest?

*Balin and Dwalin
Stolin and Bolin
Fingle and Dingle

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
What does Meggie's father, Mo, do for a living?

Bookmaker
*Bookbinder
Bookseller

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
What is the name of "the world's cheesiest animation technique" used in the Captain Underpants books?

Move-o-matic
*Flip-o-Rama
Supermarionation

The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
What is the real name of 'Cloud Wolf', Twig's sky pirate father?

Rook Barkwater
*Quintinius Verginix
Vox Verlix


So, I got less than 50% correct in this Children's Literature Quiz. What does this mean? Well clearly I need to catch up on literature I missed out on, while I was too busy playing with toys and watching tv. Yikes!

My African Children

So far in class we have had the opportunity to read literature from many different origins including: Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany, and China. This has been extremely interesting to me to see the differences in the works from different origins. Some works I have found are more patriarchal, while others gladly support feministic power. Some villains are witches, others ogres, and plenty of evil stepmothers. Because I enjoy traveling myself I have noticed in different cultures the diversity in how their children are raised. Recently I have had the chance to travel to Africa to work with AIDS orphans, mostly ranging in age from 5 to 17 years. I did notice however the lack of children’s literature, and I was not sure if this was because of the poor economic status of the area I was, or, if it was because there just was not any being written.

Researching this, I found that it must have been the latter. There is plenty of African children’s literature out there, it has just evolved much later than in other countries. In an article by Lillian Temu Osaki, she states “Books like Black Beauty, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves are a few examples. These books have a western background and are based on western values. While some of them present moral teachings, I would argue that African children would have benefited more if they had read these books alongside books that had an African background with African cultural values.” The culture in Africa is drastically different than the cultures around the world. Evil is very predominant in the children’s lives, witch doctors still exist, and war is so real to them. In this non-protected environment, I know that allowing children to enter into this fantasy world of make believe and good over evil, sometimes can be dangerous. Yet, in the case of African children, I feel as though they need these stories to escape from their reality. In my research I was very happy to find, that more and more authors are writing stories just for the precious children of Africa!

A Modern Cinderella

Every girl desires to have her own 'Cinderella' type story. To meet her prince charming, to rise above people who have been evil to you, and to live in a far off castle. Okay, well, maybe not every girl dreams of that, maybe more of a modern version of it though. In 2004 Warner Bros. Entertainment released a modern tale of the old Disney Cinderella story. Featuring none other than Hilary Duff, a popular teen favorite. In this comedic film, Cinderella is actually a waitress under the low profile name of Sam. She is left to her evil stepmother when her father dies, and they live in a wealthy community in California. With an emphasis on money and name brand things, Sam gets camouflaged in a world of Mercedes and Salmon only diets. Through the internet and text message, Sam finds her prince charming, yet behind their ‘screen name’ disguise, they have no idea who each other is. Finally, the poor waitress makes her big break at the annual high school costume ball. They finally meet and kiss, but under her costume, Sam cannot be identified. As the cyberspace relationship continues, the two encounter many obstacles on the way to finding true love. At the end, the two end up together, and as the story goes, they live happily ever after. The end.

Tummy Ache

In class we read a 12 sentence fable that left the reader completely satisfied. This is a hard task, especially for those who seem to have the ability to write forever. Dr.Robinson challenged the class to go home and attempt to write our own… so here goes:

Jeremy sat in the airport, palms sweating, mind racing, and knees… well, definitely shaking. At the mature age of 12, Jeremy had avoided airplanes his whole life, and while he fantasized about the adventure of being a pilot or the courage of joining the airforce, there was something holding him back, fear. Unfortunately last year his beloved grandmother moved to California, a mere five states away from his home of Kentucky. Jeremy had promised to spend the summer there swimming in the ocean, climbing the mountains, and enjoying his grandmother’s famous cooking.

The day came fast, way too fast for Jeremy, and it was now 20 minutes before he boarded the plane. His dad leaned over to reassure him that nothing bad would happen, and all that came to Jeremy’s mind were flames, smoke, and crash landings. Jeremy sat and thought hard about what he could occupy himself with that would make him not so afraid. He remembered back to when he was a little boy and his older brothers would watch horror films late at night, well Jeremy wanted to be like them, so he sat and watched the films too, and the only thing that would calm him was his favorite candy, gummy bears.

Jeremy quickly rose and ran to the magazine stand, pulling a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket he purchased 14 boxes of colorful, delicious gummy bears. As he confidently stepped on the plane he began popping the bears into his mouth one by one. By the time he landed in California he had eaten exactly 280 pieces of the little gummies. Even though he had made it through the plane ride with no tears of fright, he missed playing in the ocean and climbing the mountains because for the next 5 days Jeremy lay in bed with a terrible tummy ache.

A Faithful Elephant

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant… an elephant’s faithful one hundred per cent!” Reading through another classic written by none other than Dr. Seuss I am reminded of why I wrote the previous blog. This children’s picture book is a fun and educational story with a wholesome underlying moral. I would recommend this story to any children and even as a reminder for how adults should stick to their word. Here are are the facts:
Title: Horton Hatches the Egg
Main Character: Horton (the elephant)
Moral: Stick to your word and remain faithful in your actions.
Mayzie, a mother bird, has left her baby egg in the care of Horton (an elephant). Through cold weather and killer hunters, the elephant sits atop Mayzie’s nest and remains steadfast to his word. Meanwhile, Mayzie is vacationing in Palm Beach. After Horton’s tumultuous seasons of taking care of the egg, Mayzie returns to claim it. In the end, Horton begins to back down and allow the egg to return to it’s rightful mother. When the egg finally hatched, to everyone’s surprise, the baby was a flying elephant! In the end, Horton is rewarded for his faithfulness to his word.

Outside Reading List

Book 1: Horton Hatches the Egg
Author: Dr. Seuss
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: January 27, 2008

Book 2: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Picture Book?: No - Poetry
Posting Date: February 12, 2008

Book 3: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: February 21, 2008

Book 4: Anne of Green Gables
Author: L.M. Montgomery
Picture Book?: No - Chapter
Posting Date: March 2, 2008

Book 5: The Magic Soup
Author: Janaki Sooriyarachchi
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: March 18, 2008

Book 6: World's Greatest Mom (series)
Author: Kath Smith
Picture Book?: Yes
Posting Date: March 19, 2008

Book 7: The Red Pony
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No - Chapter book
Posting Date: March 27, 2008

Book 8: From the Bellybutton of the Moon
Author: Francisco X. Alarcon
Picture Book?: Yes.
Posting Date: April 10, 2008

Book 9: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J.K Rowling
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 15, 2008

Book 10: The Pearl
Author: John Steinbeck
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 22, 2008

Book 11: The Bean Trees
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Picture Book?: No
Posting Date: April 26, 2008

A Moral Dilemma

Growing up my grandmother was a librarian, so we spent our childhood immersed in the fantasies of children’s stories. Looking back we not only enjoyed these books, but we learned a ton from them. Truly these stories have the ability to mold and shape children’s moral code. The first day of class Dr. Robinson shared a little about her life; we know now that she has two sons and she makes sure to censure through books before either of them want to read it.
I think as media and television begin to allow more and more immoral things to be aired on children’s networks, it is important that storybooks and novels stay true to the maturity level of their audience. In pop culture even, children’s minds are flooded with terrible images and ideas.
While I know that children’s books with underlying adult messages will always exist, I do feel that it is the parents responsibility to be a filter between the bookshelf and their children’s hands. Forever this genre of book has been innocent and moral, teaching kids lessons in life, and I believe that even though the times are changing the content of these books should not.