Three Children's Books

This week I had to dig deep and find some children's books that I had actually never read before. Being an avid reader for most of my life as well as an educator, made this a somewhat difficult task. The three books that I found and read were Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Dolly Parton (part of the Little People, BIG DREAMS series), and What Do You Do With An Idea?.

The first book that I read was Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. The Restored Deluxe Edition of this book included the authors' Caldecott speech. With the knowledge that I have on children's literature and the information that I have gained from reading about picture books, I would say that this book qualifies as a picture book. The carefully created watercolor illustrations work together and intertwine with the text, to give the reader a clear idea of what is happening throughout the story. This was one of those books that really made me feel for the characters in the book. This is something that I think is hard to do with picture books. I think that by definition, this books is a picture book, but I believe that it is a book that is more intended to be read aloud to children, versus them reading it themselves. The book states that it is intended for ages four-eight years old, but with many of the pages, the text (although I think that it works well with the illustrations) is in longer paragraphs as opposed to shorter more condensed sentences. I also noticed that there were some vocabulary words used that I think most children in that age range would have trouble grasping. Words such as gradually, ceased, gratified, eager, fetlock, are just a few of the more difficult words that I think young children would have a hard time with if they were to read this book independently. I do really like this book overall though, and it is one that I am looking forward to adding to my collection.

The second book that I read was Dolly Parton written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Daria Solak. This book is number thirty two in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. It reminds me a lot of the Who Is/Was ____? series, which a lot of my first grade students were reading and very much interested in a couple of years ago. This series has come out with many other people whom they have written about such as, Stephen Hawking, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, Maria Montessori, and Rosa Parks. They have also written other books in this series about other famous entertainers such as Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, David Bowie, Bruce Lee and so many more. I think that these books could eventually be read independently by students who are in mid-upper elementary. This also depends on the child's level of comprehension and reading ability. I chose to purchase the book on Dolly Parton because I am somebody who grew up listening to country music and she is somebody who I always resonated with as a singer and (the more I read and learned about her throughout my life) as a person. I think that these books are child friendly and are definitely presented in a child friendly manner. I believe that this book is a children's picture book and was written with the intention of children reading them and learning more about the people they are interested in and admire.

The third book is called, What Do You Do With An Idea? Written by Kobi Yamada and Illustrated by Mae Besom. This book was given to me by my mother during my very first year of teaching and believe it or not, I have still not had the chance to sit down and actually read it all the way through. This is definitely a picture book. In fact, it won the Independent Publisher Book Award for Children's Picture Book (for all ages) This is amazing! As I read this book, it's gradual changes in the illustrations from black and white to full blown color by the end of the text reminded me a lot of another book I recently discovered called, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen. The style of illustration and how it grew and grew as the story was very much what happened in What Do You Do With An Idea?. In a way, the changes in the addition of color gradually changed and became bigger and bigger as the idea of the little boy grew bigger and bigger. This book is wonderful and I think is an excellent picture book for children to read, but I also think that it could work as a read aloud for your whole class.

All of these books are great and are definitely books that children could and should either read independently or have read to them if they are not yet reading themselves. They range from heartwarming stories with a theme to a book with a nonfiction feel to it that is still meant for children and then a wonderfully illustrated and well deserved awarded book with a great lesson for children. I really enjoyed reading all three of these books and whether they are classified as children's picture books or not, they are ones that I am going to enjoy having them in my classroom library for a very long time.