The Subway Mouse, by Barbara Reid

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Title: The Subway Mouse
Author: Barbara Reid
Illustrator: Barbara Reid
Published: 2005 by Scholastic, Inc.
You Should Love it Because: 
Again, the illustrations! The bright, full-page spreads are created with Plasticine (like modeling clay, but better). In this book, she also uses found objects to embellish the pictures. It is a sweet story about a mouse named Nib, who lives in the subway. He loves to hear stories, and has a big dream of leaving his tunnel. The reader joins him as he faces his fears and follows his dreams.

True Story: I don't remember how I came upon this book, but I do remember the first time I stopped to actually look at the pictures. I was completely engrossed--I couldn't even follow the story because I was so attracted to the pictures. Each page, I found myself curious about how she created the pictures--they are so full of detail and texture. Once I had my own classroom, I made a point to use the book with my kids and make sure they all had time to examine the pictures up close.

Classroom Connections: I have used Barbara Reid multiple times as an Author/Illustrator study. Most recently, I used her style of illustration with an after-school club. We took time to examine her books (see links below for her bibliography) and her style. She also has provided multiple videos on her website which  show how she creates her pictures. We watched each of these and then used Play-Doh to create our own pictures. I do not recommend using that--it was way too moist and was difficult to spread on the paper. I did not have access to Plasticine, though, so we made do. The videos can also be found on her website, which is listed below.

For Further Reading:
Barbara Reid's Website
Specific Link to her video tutorials
GoodRead's page about Barbara Reid

Mo Willems for awhile...

My apologies for slacking on my posting. I have a lot of ideas to share, but I have currently moved to Chicago. Needless to say, blogging hasn't been on the top of my list. To tide you over until I can give you a full blog, go check out Mo Willems' book blog. He is one of my top 5 favorite author/illustrators, especially his Piggy & Elephant books. The link is www.mowillems.com  Spend some time clicking on the links--many of them talk to you :)  Enjoy!

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury's recent passing spurred this post. I planned to discuss mainly picture books here, but this novel is also a book you should love, and deserves to be here. 

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Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Illustrator: N/A
Published: Originally in 1953 by Ballantine Books
You Should Love it Because: This book focuses on censorship. It is a dystopian novel which explores what the world would be like if books, and thus the ideas in them, were banned. Government controls what people think, say, and believe by ridding the world of these evil things called books. The job of the firemen in the book is not to stop fires but to set fires to burn books. I remember when I read this book, it put into words the reason I cherish books so much. Here's the quote that did it for me:

"There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing...I realized that a man was behind each one of the books. A man had to think them up. A man had to take a long time to put them down on paper."

This is exactly why I created this blog to celebrate books! A person who takes the time and loving-care to create a book for the pleasure of the reader should be recognized and applauded...Especially when it's done well!

Classroom Connections: I was never required to read this book in school, but I think this would be a great addition to any required reading list. It fits well with other dystopian novels such as 1984 (Orwell), Brave New World (Huxley), Anthem (Rand), House of the Scorpion (Farmer), The Giver (Lowry), or more recently The Hunger Games trilogy (Collins). An entire semester could be devoted to studying various dystopian novels and the warnings offered by each author.

A project idea which could prove interesting is to have students write their own dystopian short stories. These could be their own version of what the world would be like if books/ideas were banned, or they could choose different topics to address.

For Further Reading:
http://www.raybradbury.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/06/ray-bradbury

Into the Forest, by Anthony Browne

Title: Into the Forest

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Author: Anthony Browne
Illustrator: Anthony Browne
Published: In 2004 by Walker Books
You Should Love it Because: 
The illustrations are amazing. Anthony Browne is well-known for his surreal illustrations (i.e. Gorilla) and this book does not disappoint. In this story of a young boy who ventures into the forest, Browne uses simple sepia tones to draw the reader in. At first, the forest seems dark and scary, but when you take a second look you find all kinds of treasures. While the story told with words is simple, the story told in the pictures is what makes this book so intriguing. Each page has elements of many traditional fairy tales--from Snow White to Rumpelstiltskin to Hansel and Gretel. As is obvious from the cover, Little Red Riding Hood is the main inspiration for this story.

True Story: When I shared this book with my 1st grade students, I had not previewed the book. As I began, we spent a good 2-3 minutes simply staring at the front cover and excitedly pointing out more elements of fairy tales. As I read, my kids were practically jumping out of their seats to be the first one to point out a new element! For the next week or so, this book was constantly in someone's hands, being closely looked at and delightfully devoured. I have rarely seen my kids so attentively and enthusiastically engrossed in the illustrations in a book.

Classroom Connections: This book would be a fantastic addition to a Folk & Fairy Tales unit. After studying some of the traditional tales, it would be a fun activity to see how many elements they can spot from different stories.  To extend the book, you could let each student choose a favorite tale and use elements from it to tell another story. The students could share the stories and try to guess which tale it was based upon.

The book also touches on the unsettling feelings of parents leaving, and the uncertainty of when they will return. In this story, the boy finds his father at his grandmother's home, making it very appropriate for children dealing with separation anxiety. 

For Further Reading:
 Walker Books' Anthony Browne page
Anthony Browne: 6th Children's Laureate
More on his illustration style