LIS 721 Children's Lit to lite and ignite

  One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia is a historical fiction about three sisters that had to spend a summer with their biological mother in Oakland, California, who repeatedly reminded the girls that “I didn’t want you girls here in the first place.” (p.49) So she decided to send the girls to Black Panther camp. At least they were provided meals, shelter, and somewhere to be out of Cecile’s way until sundown. The narrative descriptions of the setting take readers back to the 1960’s throughout the chapters. Readers get a sense of standing in the same room with Black panthers or only going as far as the living room in Cecile’s house, because the girls were told kitchen is off-limits. Theme is two-fold. There are mentions of Black Panther events, and they become known to the girls as “the black berets”. At one point, the author has the oldest sister, Delphine to equate Cecile and the Black Panthers as the “Establishment” where, the girls bring their demands and protests to the “...

  We Are Growing written by Authors and Illustrators Laurie Keller and Mo Willems, copyright Elephant and Piggie text and illustrations. Published by Hyperion Books for Children, copyright 2016. 64 pages. Tr $9.99, Hardcover.  ISBN 9781484726358 . We Are Growing is a delight to read and fits into Level 1 easy reading for beginning readers.  There is an average of 4 words per line, with one line having 5 words. Point type averages at 18, filling up to 1/4 - 1/2 of a page. Throughout the text the one syllable adjectives turn into multisyllabic adjectives with two to three syllables by adding -est at the end.  My not-a-big-fan-of-reading son, always requested this book to read at bedtime and his face lit up when he saw I pulled it out to do this assignment, maybe I'll upgrade his reading likeness to becoming-sort-of-a-fan reader, sometimes. Mo Willems, (copyright Elephant and Piggie text and illustrations), and Keller, Laurie.  We          ...

  Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Illustrator Eric-Shabazz Larkin.  Ages 8-10, AR Level 3.5, Lexile AD620L Author Jacqueline Briggs Martin has written multiple nonfiction works about harvesting farms to table foods from the ground up, literally. She herself grew up on a dairy farm and knows the work involved in farming. Hence the love of farming in odd places, like pots, buckets, small patches of ground and unlikely places like cities (author note, p. 35). The perfect amount of information for a 3 rd -4 th grade learner is presented in sequential format of Mr. Allen’s beginning trials and triumphs that he experienced with success that took around 20 years to come to fruition. The author notes her relation to farming and how she came to love it as an adult, and she encourages children through her many books about food to get involved with their parents, friends, and other family members to start growing anywhere and to see a vision as Mr...

  Grimm, J.  et al.   The Juniper Tree and Other Tales From                    Grimm . Translated by Lore Segal and Randall Jarrell.                    Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. New York: Farrar, Straus              And Giroux, 2003.  352 pages. Tr $28.00 ISBN 978-                      0374339715. I could not retrieve this edition of The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm,  in all of its entirety through my library.  It was finally found in Amazon with a reading sample of two of the 27 stories the authors' and illustrator painstakingly and accurately translated from German to English (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1973), from its 1943 edition. The Juniper Tree context was omitted from the Amazon sample , but retrievable from my library.   The pur...

  Kirsch, V.X. From Archie to Zack . New York: Abrams Books For Young Readers, 2020. 40                 pages. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781419743672.  Don't judge a book by it's cover!  I thought I was choosing an alphabet book until I began reading the reviews, then I took a closer look at the cover before I started to read, noticing the hearts out of Archie's back pack and Zack's pocket.  I cannot lie, this is my first encounter with a LGBQ children's book.  I was not aware that LGBTQ made themselves known at this young age.    The illustrations provide a delightful sensation of the mood of the book as well as viewing the emotions in the characters faces.  The colors are vibrant primary colors using a mix of warm and cool providing a happy feel throughout the story.  Yes, the illustrations do extend the text, but does not distract from the words.  As readers re-read the book, the short sentences all...

 This article was most impactful to me because throughout the LIS courses, I have been wondering, once I am in the position I want, how am I going to know all about books?  How will other staff members look to me as a resource, when clearly, I have not read all books that every student or teacher may want to know more about.  At times, Librarians are working solely or with one other non-Librarian staff member.  So that leaves a newbie at the wheel!  Are you supposed to say, "Oh, I haven't read that one yet, I'll let you know next week?"  Doesn't seem professional and I am worried in those type of situations, at least until I am more wrote with the material.  I hope staff and students give much grace and take newbie's into account.