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.