Farm Days by William Wegman

This book is about a city dog named Chip who goes to visit his cousins in the country and learn about farming. I would say that the story itself is just ok. There were a lot of parts that read "jiggity jig, hot diggity, or gitty git giggity." Some of this is ok but I felt there was too much of it and it didn't really tie into the story. It became a tongue-twister trying to read these parts and beginner readers may have a hard time and could even get frustrated trying to read it.

The thing about this book that makes it amazing and hilarious is the photographs. I would say William Wegman is a photographer first and an author second. The illustrations in the entire book are photographs that Wegman has taken of his dogs. As you can see from the picture, Wegman photographs his dogs' heads with a human body. It looks so real and I think that is what makes it so funny. How often does one see a dog drive a tractor, mow grass, plant a garden, or act as a scarecrow? In this book, you can see it all. Some of you may remember watching video segments of Wegman's work on Sesame Street when you were younger. His artwork also appears in museums and galleries around the world. Wegman has done a great job of using his talent to appeal to children and adults.

Time Warp Trio: Nightmare on Joe's Street by Jon Scieszka

First, let me say that before doing this assignment, I had no idea what a graphic novel was and I am quite embarrassed by it. I had incorrectly assumed that a graphic novel was basically a scary book and I had come to this assumption because of the word "graphic." I was completely surprised to find out that a graphic novel is just a comic book. If it had just been called a comic book in the first place, my life would be a lot easier. :)

Time Warp Trio is part of a series but this particular book is about friends Joe and Sam and Frankenstein. Joe and Sam are having a sleepover when the hear something in the closet. It is Frankenstein. He is looking for his creator to ask him or her why he was created so ugly. To keep the monster happy and to stop him for seeking vengeance, Joe and Sam take him back in time to meet Mary Shelley, the author who wrote Frankenstein. After a frightful experience, Mary Shelley decides not to write the book after all. Sad that such a great masterpiece may not exist, Joe and Sam travel back farther in time to change her mind.

I was pleasantly surprised after reading this book. I thought I would hate graphic novels (especially after I found out they were comic books) but the humor, style, and ties to real history kept me interested. I like the style of graphic novels because it paints such a clear image in my mind while reading. The pages come to life and I am able to feel the emotions of the characters. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book. There is one scene where Joe leaves to try and find his book and he asks Sam to entertain the monster to keep him calm. Joe comes back and Sam is singing "I'm a Little Teapot" to the monster. The pictures painted quite a scene for me which made this particular scene extremely hilarious.

Another thing I liked about this book is the facts and history that it included. Sam is a human encyclopedia and he explained to Joe that the monster's name is not Frankenstein; the doctor that created the monster in Mary Shelley's book was named Dr. Frankenstein. Twice throughout the book, the story stopped to give a "news report." The book would say "We interrupt this story to bring you this message..." and then fun facts about Mary Shelley or the book Frankenstein were given and it would conclude with "And now...back to our story."

The book says that it is for grades 2-4 but I think it is a great book for any age, even adults. It is a fun, easy read and there is even a section at the beginning that lists and explains the characters just in case younger or beginner readers get confused.

No Zombies Allowed by Matt Novak

This book is about two witches who are planning a party. While cleaning the house, they find pictures from their party last year. First they find pictures of zombies and they remember that they practically ruined the party by dropping their eyes into the punch bowl so they made a sign that said "No Zombies Allowed." Next, they found pictures of werewolves from the party last year. They didn't like how the werewolves would cough up furballs all over the house so they made a sign that said "No Werewolves Allowed." Next, they found pictures of swamp creatures, ghosts, skeletons, and vampires and made the necessary signs to make sure that they stayed out. Finally, they found pictures of witches and they didn't like how their brooms knocked everything over. They were going to make a sign that said "No Witches Allowed" when they realized that it was them in the pictures. Afterwards, they decided that it was a fun party so they took down all the signs and allowed everyone to come to the party but there was only one rule: "No Photos Allowed."

I like this book because of its humor. It is funny that the skeletons called everyone "Fatso" and that the vampires sucked the juice out of all the fruit. The book plays on characteristics of these fictional characters and I think that is what makes it so funny. This would be a great book to read around Halloween time.

A lot of the humor also comes from the pictures. Matt Novak is also the illustrator and he does a good job of making the pictures relate to the text. He draws all the photos that the witches find while they are cleaning their house and if the witches don't want the werewolves to come because of their furballs, then the picture is of werewolves coughing up furballs. But he also goes beyond just a picture of werewolves coughing up furballs; he puts in detail and draws the characters in a funny manner.

This is a great book for beginner readers. There are some words that they may have trouble with because they aren't used to seeing them, such as vampires and skeletons, but the pictures are a great resource for the kids because they can infer what the words are and this is a great reading strategy.

Ice Cream Soup by Frank Modell

This book is about two boys named Marvin and Milton that were told by their parents that they would not be having a birthday party this year. The two boys decided to throw a birthday party by themselves. They made paper hats, blew up balloons, and wrote out invitations. The day of the party the boys tried to make a cake and ice cream. They made a caved-in, burnt cake so they went to the bakery and tried to get help but none was given. The ice cream they made looked soupy so they went to the ice cream shop to get help but none was given there either. The boys were upset but when the guests finally arrived, the baker and ice cream maker showed up with cake and ice cream.

I thought this book was going to be very different because of its title. I thought the entire book was going to be about ice cream soup, but it wasn't. It was about a birthday party with only one little mention of ice cream soup. I don't feel like a lot of thought went into the title. Also, I felt some of the story was incomplete or didn't make sense. When the two boys go to the bakery to get help, the owner says that they should have gotten a cake from him. The picture shows the man walking into the bakery so I assumed that the man was leading the boys into the bakery to help them. On the next page, the boys are back in their kitchen making ice cream. I felt like I missed part of the story.

Frank Modell is also the illustrator of this book. The pictures are pretty straight-forward with not a lot of detail. They remind me of pictures that I would read in a comic strip in the newspaper, which makes sense because Modell regularly publishes cartoons in The New Yorker.

This is an easy book for beginner readers. The text is big and there aren't very difficult words. It is good for all ages.

Dragon Pizzeria by Mary Morgan

This book is about two dragons that decide to open a pizzeria but they will only deliver pizzas in Fairy Tale Land. They get calls from different Fairy Tale characters with specific pizza orders. At the end of the book, an order is made for a pizza wedding cake and everyone in Fairy Tale Land comes together for a party.

I like this book because it can be interactive. The children can try to guess which fairy tale creature is ordering a pizza by the type of pizza they order. For example, the first pizza order is made by someone with a booming voice and he orders 1 GIANT pizza, with a topping of magic beans delivered to Beanstalk Castle. The children can try to guess which fairy tale this is and when they turn the page, they realize that it is Jack and the Beanstalk. Other fairy tales in the story include Thumbelina, The Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty.

This is a fun book to read because the text isn't boring. There are a lot of conversation bubbles and there is text that can be read off signs that the dragons made. At the end of the book, there is a map of Fairy Tale Land which shows where are the fairy tale characters live. As a child, I remember reading books with those "extra things" and loving it.

Another thing I like about this book is that the author is also the illustrator so she was able to incorporate the text into the pictures and make it really interactive for children. There is also a lot of humor shown in the pictures that isn't explicitly in the text so it is important to study the pictures to get the most out of the book.

Flags by Maxine Trottier

This book is about a young girl who visits her grandmother for the summer. Her grandmother's neighbor, Mr. Hiroshi, has a beautiful garden and pond that she admires. When Mr. Hiroshi is sent to a Japanese relocation camp during WWII, the young girl states that she will take care of the garden and pond. When she notices that Mr. Hiroshi's house has been sold she transfers the fish in the pond to the river and digs up two iris bulbs (called flags) to plant in her backyard when she returns home.

This is a great example of an historical fiction book. Japanese relocation camps are real history but the characters in this story are fictional. Having a lesson about WWII and relocation camps can be a bit heavy for children in lower grades. Even though this is a picture book, I would read it to older grades to help accompany a lesson. Children don't really have to know anything about WWII and relocation camps to understand the story. The book is about a young girl helping her neighbor out while he happened to be sent away. The main focus isn't on the relocation camps.

The illustrator, Paul Morin, paints beautiful pictures in this story. I like them because they are paintings that I could imagine being displayed at an art museum as opposed to just being in children's books. He adds a lot of colors and is very detailed. It almost looks like a photograph instead of a painting.

The Color of Home by Mary Hoffman

This book is about a young boy named Hassan who just came to America from Somalia. He has a hard time adjusting to school because it is so different and he hardly speaks any English. At school, he draws a picture of his home and family when he lived in Somalia. Then, he smudges his uncle out of the picture, adds men with guns, and adds dark colors. The next day at school an interpreter is there to help Hassan communicate. He explains the picture to his teacher and tells about all the bloodshed in Somalia and the difficult journey his family had to make to America. After talking he paints a new picture-a happy picture of his cat that he had to leave behind. Talking about his difficulties helped him move on.

This is a great book to have in the classroom because more than likely there will be kids in your classroom who have had similar experiences. It is also great to read to the class as a whole and talk about some of the things that go on around the world. Many children don't understand the life in other countries and may have a hard time relating to students who come from other countries. Reading this book helps prepare all students. This is a good book for an ELL classroom because it is multicultural and it is a kid's book so it would be easier to read. One of the ways to help ELL students learn is to have them read books that they can relate to. It makes it more interesting and gives them a sense of pride. There may be some ELL students who have had similar experiences and may need to talk about it to help them heal. This book can be a good book to help open conversation.

I like the way Karin Littlewood did her illustrations. Her use of watercolors does a great job of showing how Hassan feels. On pages that Hassan talks about the troubles in Somalia, she uses a lot of black and red to help convey how Hassan is feeling. On more happier pages she uses a lot of bright colors.