Draw Me a Star

Book Cover: 

Book Title: Draw Me a Star

Book Summary:

A boy wants things drawn for him so he asks an artist to draw for him.  The arairt draws staws and houses, dogs, cats, clouds, and other various pictures.  The young boy grows old as the story unfolds, at the end of the book there is a note at the end of the book telling the readers where the star came from and how he came up with the idea for the story. 

APA Reference:

Carle, E. (1992). Draw Me a Star. New York: Scholastic INC.

My Impressions: I feel the book is a great book showing the way different things can be drawn.  The big star is multicolored which reminds me of everyone in the world.  I wanted to read this because I wanted to know why an Eric Carle book was banned.  I was sursiped that it is just for the one page, did the man and the woman need to be naked no, but you can skip that page, you can give them clothes.  

Professional Review:

“A young boy is told (readers are not sure by whom) to “Draw me a star.” The star then requests that the boy draw it a sun; the sun asks for a “lovely tree,” and throughout his life the boy/man/artist continues to create images that fill the world with beauty. The moon bids the now-elderly artist to draw another star, and as the story ends, the artist travels “across the night sky” hand-in-hand with the star. This book will appeal to readers of all ages; its stunning illustrations, spare text, and simple story line make it a good choice for story hour, but older children will also find it uplifting and meaningful. Especially pleasing is a diagram within the story, accompanied by rhyming instructions on how to draw a star: “Down/over/left/and right/draw/a star/oh so/bright.” An inspired book in every sense of the word.”

Citation:

Larkin, E. (1992). Fiction -- draw me a star written and illustrated by eric carle. School Library Journal, 38(10), 80. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211668502?accountid=7113

Library Uses:  I would have the students write down what they want an artist to draw for them.  Then I would collect the papers and then have a different kid draw the picture that is described on the paper.  

Guys Write For Guys Read

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Book Title: Guys Write For Guys Read

Book Summary:

Is a mash up of male authors stories about male characters, which is a rarity in the book world.  All they stories are relatable to what male students go through in middle school and in high school.  After each story there is a super brief bio of each author, even giving three books that the author has written in hopes to aspire them to read those books as well.   

APA Reference:

Scieszka, Jon (2005). Guys Write for Guys Read. New York: Penguin Group.

My Impressions:  This is a great book to try to show you boy readers that not all books are based on girls and their problems.  That they to can be the focus of a story and not be the dumb ones in the story.  This is great and even though I am a girl I still found that the issues in this book are also relevant to girls too.  It also helps the girls see problems from another perspective. 

Professional Review:

Gr 5-9-Scieszka has put together a diverse and fast-paced anthology of scribblings and stories that deserves a permanent place in any collection serving middle graders. The book features brief contributions from scores of heavyweight authors and illustrators like Walter Dean Myers, Dan Gutman, Chris Crutcher, Avi, Brian Jacques, Dav Pilkey, Stephen King, Daniel Pinkwater, Jerry Spinelli, Will Hobbs, Chris Van Allsburg, Laurence Yep, and frequent collaborator Lane Smith. If there's one overarching theme here, it's the simple but important message: "read what you like, when you like, whatever that happens to be." Several other themes reappear in multiple selections. Among them are the importance of fathers, what it is to become a "real" man, how childhood reading predicted and shaped an author's future, adventures and misadventures in sports, why it's okay to be a "guy's guy," and, conversely, never being a "guy's guy" and finding out that that's okay, too. Boys who are constantly doodling-even when they're not supposed to-will be particularly inspired by contributions from successful illustrators like Tony DiTerlizzi, Timothy Basil Ering, and Brert Helquist, who've dug up their old, shaky drawings from parents' attics to show boys just what they were creating when they were kids. While the anthology arguably contains not one single masterpiece, there's something undeniably grand about this collective celebration of the intellectual life of the common boy.-Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI

Citation:

Hastings, J. (2005). Guys write for guys read: Boys' favorite authors write about being boys. School Library Journal, 51(4), 140. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211756016?accountid=7113

Library Uses: I would have the students write their own stories about a moment in their life.

Who Pushed Humpty Dumpty

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Book Title: Who Pushed Humpty Dumpty

Book Summary:

Binky a cop in what I call fairy tale land, and he is solving the crimes that people call in with in. Here are stories with a twist, who broke into the the bears house, why doesn’t Snow White doesn't make it to the beauty pageant, an awful giant mysteriously crashes to the ground, Binky discovers who is responsible.

APA Reference:

Levinthal, D., & Nickle, J. (2012). Who pushed Humpty Dumpty?: And other notorious nursery tale mysteries. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

My Impressions:  This book is a mystery book I wish the stories were longer.  And the story ends kind of suddenly with no real closure, and it felt odd to leave the book hanging that way.  Even the stories seemed to short and could have had some more beef added to them.  Over all it is a good book and great to introduce reading concepts to the students.   

Professional Review:

Once again folk tales and nursery rhymes prove their flexibility and resilience. The premise here (similar to that of Steve Metzger and Tedd Arnold's Detective Blue, rev. 9/1 1) is that the events of fairyland are crimes: "The Three Bears" is a breaking and entering; "Snow White" is an attempted murder; Hansel and Gretel present a self-defense plea. The detective on these cases is Binky, a laconic and rumpled frog cop, a warty Sam Spade. Levinthal has a good time with scene-of-the-crime details, forensics, and witness testimony, and the fun is contagious. The idea provides rich illustrative potential, and Nickle's dramatic, hard-edged paintings, with their hint of grotesque misanthropy (reminiscent of Anthony Browne), are just the ticket, making especially effective use of varied page design and a low, froggy point of view. This is a world where big creatures loom, but Binky demonstrates the power of logic and a good deadpan oneliner. Of the pig who pushed Humpty Dumpty: "He was on his way to a different pen." SARAH ELLIS

Citation:

Ellis, S. (2012). Who pushed humpty dumpty?: And other notorious nursery tale mysteries. The Horn Book Magazine, 88(5), 68-69.

Library Uses: I would have the students add to the stories.  For example the in case of Snow White I would have the students tell me how the evil queen get the apple to Snow White.  When did the dwarfs find Snow White?  I have them try to answer all my questions and possibly their own questions.   

Just being Audrey

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Book Title: Just Being Audrey

Book Summary:

This is a tale about a little girl who had big dreams, and never stopped believing or striving to be the best. This book tells of her life from poverty in England during WWII.  It follows her life to stardom and becoming apart of UNICEF.  It gives lots of little side pieces of trivia about Audrey’s life, while continually focusing on her character, specifically her kindness.

APA Reference:

Cardillo, M., & Denos, J. (2011). Just being Audrey. New York: Balzer Bray.

My Impressions:  I loved this book, I love Audrey; I love her even more after reading this this book.  I just knew her form her movies I never knew about her background or where she came from.  This book sheds light on her and the values that her mom distilled in her growing up.  I loved the tidbit of her cooking for the cast and crew and wonder if she really did this.  This book makes me want to go out and read and learn all I can about Audrey Hepburn.

Professional Review:

Booklist

It’s hard to believe life for Audrey Hepburn was ever anything but smart clothes, quirky expressions, and wistful gazes into the eyes of Cary Grant, but Cardillo makes a strong case to the contrary. Growing up in WWII-era Europe, Audrey wanted only to be a dancer, but the other girls made fun of her physical hurdles: She was too tall, her feet were too big, and her neck was too long, and her eyes seemed too big for her head. Young readers will get the message: these were precisely the traits that made Audrey an iconic beauty as an adult. In short order, she was spotted by entertainment heavyweights for her je ne sais quoi and quickly catapulted to fame. Denos’ soft pastel illustrations cut just the right Audrey outline (complete with flapping neck scarf), and fans will especially enjoy picking out the movie roles depicted in a two-page spread of costumes. Her later humanitarian deeds are given their due, but it is Audrey’s simple kindness that is emphasized throughout. –Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist

Citation:

Kraus, D. (2010). [Review of the book Just Being Audrey] Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:8060/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|30465090|29852804&mc=USA#

Library Uses: I have the students write about what they want to do when they grow up, and what challenges they might face along the way.