scholarly journals We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by R.T. Higgins

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Main Character ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
New Students ◽  
Making Friends ◽  
Fitting In ◽  
The University

Higgins, Ryan T. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. Disney-Hyperion, 2018. Ryan T. Higgins writes highly rated children’s books dealing with common elementary school conflicts. The picture book, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, will capture all readers, no matter the age. The main character, Penelope, is an adorable T-rex who wears pink coveralls. She was designed by the illustrator and a group of children so it has features that will appeal to all and capture your heart immediately. Penelope is a having a rough first day of school because she keeps eating all her classmates; she struggles with fitting in but learns that it is not fun when you get bit. The story uses humorous hyperboles and the element of surprise that will keep the reader engaged until the end of the story. The humour is exemplified through the beautifully illustrated representations of the story. The illustrations capture the situations through simple images that show the character’s expressions and intentionally incorporate colours to emphasize the characters or the problem at hand. This picture book would make a fantastic addition to any early elementary classroom and would make a great read aloud because it uses humour to address the themes of new students, making friends, and learning to treat others the way you want to be treated. Its huge font will allow younger readers to follow along. The humour and overemphasis in the story is what makes it a truly engaging and fun read while hitting on the feelings of being different and excluded that many students face. Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Haley Oliver Haley Oliver is a fourth year Bachelor of Elementary Education student at the University of Alberta. She is interested in encouraging young child to love reading through entertaining and meaningful literature.

scholarly journals Elmore by H. Hobbie

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Mayzel
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
The Other ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
History Of ◽  
Worth Reading ◽  
Making Friends ◽  
The University

Hobbie, Holly. Elmore. Random House Children’s Books, New York, 2018. Holly Hobbie’s Elmore is a heartwarming story about a lonely porcupine determined to make friends. His prickly exterior makes the other animals scared of him at first, but through his creativity and inventiveness, he finds a way to help others embrace what makes him unique, all while staying true to himself. The invaluable lessons that this picture book teaches are remarkable. Readers learn that what makes us different, makes us special; once we accept and appreciate our differences and share what we have to offer, others will get to know, accept, and appreciate us for who we are. This book also teaches its readers to not ‘judge a book by its cover’. Elmore was judged by the other animals because of his prickly quills, but once he celebrated his differences and the other animals learned what made him special, they felt lucky to be his friend. Hobbie’s use of language is powerful and provides young readers with the opportunity to learn and have discussions about new vocabulary, such as solitude, emphatically, and tuckered out. Hobbie’s whimsical illustrations are adorable and charming, and her realistic portrayal of Elmore’s facial expressions are endearing; readers empathize and grow to love Elmore. This book is highly recommended as a real-aloud for elementary school educators and parents alike, because it creates opportunities to discuss the hidden messages within the story. Children will be able to make their own connections with Elmore and feel comforted by the fact that making friends isn’t always easy, but others will learn to accept them for who they are, once they accept themselves. Editor’s note: It is worth reading more about the author and the history of her namesake character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Hobbie Highly Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Valerie Mayzel Valerie Mayzel is a fourth-year student in the Elementary Education program at the University of Alberta. She is very excited to begin her career as a teacher and is looking forward to incorporating a variety of literature in her lessons to support student learning.

scholarly journals Found by S. Yoon

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Kammerer
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Rightful Owner ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
The University

Yoon, Salina. Found. New York, NY: Walker Books for Young Readers, 2015. Print.The fictional picture book Found, written and illustrated by Salina Yoon, takes place in the forest and follows Bear, who found a stuffed bunny and tries to find its rightful owner by putting up FOUND flyers and searching for them.This book has a strong visual quality with fun illustrations in bold colours. The limited text on each page is appealing for younger and beginning readers and work collaboratively with the illustrations in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The story could be understood without looking at the text as the illustrations clearly dictate what is happening in the plot. Yoon includes a variety of ‘Lost’ posters throughout the book that are engaging to read, beyond the book’s text.Children can easily make connections to this picture book because of the idea of ‘lost’ and ‘found’ are familiar to them. Some readers may find the book’s ending unrealistic as the bunny’s rightful owner allows Bear to keep it. Young readers may recognize that in real life, this is often not the case, or they may have a false hope in the future when they find something they would like to keep that is not theirs.Recommended: 2 out of 4 StarsReviewer: Tara KammererTara Kammerer is a grade 2 teacher with Elk Island Public Schools and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Elementary Education at the University of Alberta. Tara loves how excited her grade 2 students get every time she brings a new book into the classroom to read aloud to them!

scholarly journals Black Cat Bone: the Life of Blues Legend Robert Johnson by J. P. Lewis

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Sivak
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The United States ◽  
Older Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Poetic Text ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University

Lewis, J. P. Black Cat Bone: the Life of Blues Legend Robert Johnson. Illus. Gary Kelley. Mankato: Creative Editions, 2006. Print.Although this book is designed as a large-format picture book, Black Cat Bone is more likely to appeal to older children (middle school and adolescents) as a poetic text, with its rich illustrations and unusual narrative flow. The foreword of the book addresses a reader who knows some about blues musicians, as well as has some hint of the history of blues music in the United States. The language of the text is not trying to tell a linear story, but to be more evocative of a time, and of some of the historical context. The book actually has several texts: the address of the historical context that bookends the work, the bluesy poems which make up the majority of the text, excerpts from Johnson's own lyrics, and a footer running throughout the book, which provides aphoristic summaries of Johnson's story: “He was destined for legend not a field hand's work.” Each text tells a part of the interpretation of Johnson's story. With the images, it adds up to a faceted narrative of the man and his musical legacy. The illustrations alternate between impressionistic pastels in deep dark colours, reinforcing the air of mystery around Johnson's life as understood by popular culture. Kelley's other illustrative style is reminiscent of Indonesian shadow-puppets, dramatic and exaggerated in their execution. A particularly lovely example is show in full on the cover, a depiction of Johnson and the devil facing each other, each with a hand on the guitar. This image is reproduced in the text, split by the page turn in a clever design turn. Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Allison SivakAllison Sivak is the Assessment Librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Library and Information Studies and Elementary Education, focusing on how the aesthetics of information design influence young people’s trust in the credibility of information content.

scholarly journals The Best Birthday Party Ever by J. LaRue Huget

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Birthday Party ◽  
Layer Cake ◽  
The University

Huget, Jennifer LaRue. The Best Birthday Party Ever. Illus. LeUyen Pham. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011. Print. “My birthday is 5 months, 3 weeks, 2 days, and 8 hours away.  Today I started to plan my party.” And so the planning begins for the 5-year-old soon-to-be birthday girl in this charming picture book.  She has to start planning early if she wants the best birthday party ever.  She is going to invite all 57 of her friends including the mailman and the invitations will be sprinkled with fairy dust.  She will have 9 thousand balloons, streamers and napkins: all in pink.  On the menu is a 17-layer cake, each layer a different flavour, with 6 zillion candles on top.  Not only will there be: a magician, camel rides and a Ferris wheel, but each lucky guest will receive a hamster as a party favour. In a kid-friendly countdown style towards the big day, our sweet party planner gets more and more excited as her birthday approaches and the plans get more and more grandiose.  Only after her mother comments that this birthday party is “getting out of hand” does she agree to skip the sparkly necklaces.  The day finally arrives and while it may not be the party she dreamed of, she is appreciative and enjoys her day so much that she immediately begins plans for her next birthday. This beautifully illustrated read-aloud captures the excitement of a child as she looks forward to her special day and will appeal to lower elementary grades as well as preschoolers.  The whimsical mostly-pink drawings may be initially off-putting to boys but they are certain to relate and enjoy the story. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction. 

scholarly journals Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by D. Stein

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Fairy Tales ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Good Story ◽  
Ugly Duckling ◽  
The University ◽  
Selection Of

Stein, David E. Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise. Candlewick Press in Association with Penguin Random House Canada, 2018. In this, his second picture book starring Interrupting Chicken, Stein begins with a delightful pun: Chicken declares that every good story has “an elephant of surprise.” Papa tries to convince her that she has misheard her teacher, that every good story has “…an element of surprise.” To demonstrate, he attempts to read aloud classic folk and fairy tales: The Ugly Duckling; Little Mermaid; Rapunzel. Chicken, of course, interrupts. The Ugly Duckling gazes at his reflection and sees “…an Elephant.” The prince ascends the tower on a rope of hair to discover that his love is “…an ELEPHANT!”. Papa is dogged; he keeps trying. Chicken is relentless; she keeps interrupting. The story hour goes on with appealing silliness until Papa graciously allows it to end, not surprisingly, with elephants. A former Caldecott Honor winner, Stein creates not only this amusing storyline, but its illustration as well. He employs a variety of artistic techniques to great effect. The basic narrative, (including Chicken’s interruptions of Papa’s readings) is presented in cartoon style and bold crayon; the classic readings are highlighted with line drawings and water colour. Thus the theme of “interruption” is both conveyed and sustained by the art work. There are a few provisos about sharing this book with primary school children: a child will more fully enjoy the inappropriateness—and silliness—of Chicken’s outbursts if he or she is familiar with the plotlines of the classic tales that Papa attempts to read. The wise parent, or teacher, or librarian will ensure this familiarity in the most obvious and enjoyable way: sharing the stories. There is a further consideration: the hilarity of Chicken’s behaviour arises because she either cannot, or will not, acknowledge the literary concept of a “surprise element.” Children who, themselves, can grasp that concept will laugh harder than children who cannot. Depending on the age and maturity of the child listener, a little didacticism on the part of the adult reader may be appropriate. With these requirements satisfied, this book is a winner. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Leslie Aitken Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and academic libraries. She is a former Curriculum Librarian of the University of Alberta.

scholarly journals Better Together by Sh. & S. Shapiro

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Library And Information Studies ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Soccer Team ◽  
The University ◽  
Mixing Water

Shapiro, Sheryl, and Simon Shapiro. Better Together. Illus. Dušan Petričić. Toronto: Annick Press, 2011. Print. This concept book is infused with a cheerful, slightly mischievous spirit as the authors and illustrator explore a wide variety of, and a broad notion of, mixes. Kids might be familiar with many of the mixes—mixing cinnamon and sugar to spread on toast, mixing water and dirt to create mud, mixing blue and yellow to make green or mixing water and flour to create glue. Other mixes are more abstract—mixing up each team member’s different skills to make a great soccer team or mixing up musical instruments to make raucous music. Each mix is explained by a playful, rhyming poem that is easy-to-read and delightful to read aloud. The writers themselves decided to mix things up—the book is this husband-and-wife’s first collaborative effort and their obvious pleasure in wordplay is apparent. For example, the first poem, which explains what mixes are, contains the line “You stir and squoosh them, squish and moosh them” to create a brand new thing. The lively text is supported by the equally zippy illustrations. The first illustration is a highlight as Petričić shows how mixing the separate ingredients of ideas, paper, and drawings can produce a wonderful new thing: a picture book. The mix of vivid illustrations and energetic text has created a fun book that both kids and parents will enjoy. The book is recommended for children ages 4-7. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Tami Oliphant Tami works as a research librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries and for the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta and her doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. She has worked in academic libraries, public libraries, communications and planning, and as a sessional lecturer and researcher at the University of Alberta and the University of Western Ontario. 

Catch That Baby! by N. Coffelt

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Visual Detail ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
Book Award ◽  
The University

Coffelt, Nancy.  Catch That Baby! Toronto: Aladdin, 2011. Print. There comes a point in every toddler’s life when he or she just needs to make a break for it and run away from Mom; if naked, after a bath, so much the better.  Nancy Coffelt captures that moment in this delightful book.  Rudy tosses his towel at the dog, shouts, “No dressed” and the romp begins.  Mom chases, clothing in hand, and is joined in successive panels by other family members all of whom try, but not too hard, to “catch that naked baby”. This is primarily a picture book.  Award-winning illustrator Scott Nash has drawn cartoon style illustrations, with large blocks of bright colour, little visual detail and speech bubbles.   The simple presentation is perfect for toddlers, who will be able to completely relate to “Nudie Rudy” pelting around the house in the buff, although most pre-readers will not end up swinging from vines in the conservatory. Young children will enjoy the repetition in the little bit of text on each page and will love finding Rudy on each page, particularly on pages where those silly adults cannot see him, even though he is so obviously in plain sight that a baby could find him. Catch That Baby! is a gem that will become a favourite read aloud book in many families.  It would make an excellent gift for a toddler and belongs in every public library collection. Highly recommended:  4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

scholarly journals Really and Truly by E. Rivard

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Family Stories ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time ◽  
Junior Students

Rivard, Émilie.  Really and Truly. Illus. Anne-Claire Delisle. Trans. Sarah Quinn. Toronto:  Owlkids Books Inc., 2011.  Print. Prolific Quebec author Émilie Rivard departs from her usual novel format in the picture book, Really and Truly. Really and Truly describes the loving relationship between Charlie and his grandfather, a master storyteller.  Grandpa’s stories are fabulous and Charlie becomes immersed in the tales of pirates, gnomes and witches.  Grandpa has an imaginative explanation for everything and Charlie is mesmerized.  Every story ends with the line, “Really and truly, Charlie.”  Time passes, Charlie gets older and Grandpa changes as a disease “eats up his memory and his words”.  Visit after visit Grandpa becomes less responsive, leaving Charlie and his family heartbroken.  During one visit, Charlie remembers a story his Grandpa used to tell and decides to tell it back to Grandpa.  For the first time in a long time, he catches his Grandpa’s attention.  At each visit, Charlie tells another story eventually eliciting a small smile from Grandpa. This is an endearing story about family relationships and the difficulties of dealing with dementia.  Clever illustrations complement the straightforward text.  Grandpa’s and Charlie’s stories are illustrated in black and white on top of the coloured illustrations of reality.   This would be a good read aloud for primary-junior students, providing a vehicle for discussions about family stories, grandparents, and Alzheimer’s disease.   Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Brenda Roberts Brenda Roberts is the teacher-librarian at Edenbrook Hill Public School in Brampton, Ontario and is working on her M.Ed. in teacher-librarianship from the University of Alberta.  When not devouring books, she enjoys travel, quilting, music and gardening.

scholarly journals Kamik Joins the Pack by D. Baker

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Elementary Reading ◽  
Important Lesson ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Sled Dogs ◽  
The University

Baker, Darryl. Kamik Joins the Pack. Illustrated by Qin Leng.  Inhabit Media, 2016.This is the third book about Jake and his puppy, Kamik. Each of the books in the series is adapted from the memories of a different author. The first, Kamik: an Inuit Puppy Story was by Donald Uluadluak, while Kamik’s First Sled was by Matilda Sulurayok. In addition to the characters and setting, the constant across these books is the illustration by Qin Leng, whose bright and colourful drawings capture the Arctic environment. Each of Leng’s drawings covers a pair of pages, with text overprinted on the snow or sky. Leng sometimes cleverly adds to the expansiveness of the images by showing just a boot or a dog entering or exiting the side or bottom of the page. In this volume Jake and the reader learn about looking after sled dogs and training a puppy to join a dogsled team. Jake’s uncle teaches him about cutting dogs’ nails, inspecting paws for injuries, mending harnesses, building dog houses and keeping dogs healthy. The most important lesson is about spending time with the dogs to get to know them well. The language is more appropriate to an upper elementary reading level than the 5 to 7 year-old intended audience.  However, because it is primarily a picture book, it would be a good read-aloud book for younger audiences.Recommended for elementary schools and public libraries.Highly Recommended:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.  

scholarly journals The Qalupalik by E. Kilabuk

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Small Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Early Readers ◽  
Colour Image ◽  
Text Page ◽  
The University ◽  
Different Cultures

Kilabuk, Elisha.  The Qalupalik. Iqaluit:  Inhabit Media Inc., 2011. Print. This volume is the first in the Unikkaakuluit Series from Inhabit Media.  It is currently available in English and South Baffin Inuktitut editions, with other Inuktitut dialects in the works.   Contemporary Inuit storyteller, Elisha Kilabuk, leads off this series with a story that he learned from his mother, who learned it from her father. It is not unusual to find a myth appearing in different cultures or subcultures in different forms.  This cautionary story is about the qalupalik has many variants.  The qalupalik is a scary monster that lives under the sea ice, and captures small children who wander too close to the water.  The monster is outwitted by a small orphan child, who convinces the creature that his toes, which are poking out of his shoes, will eat her. Inhabit Media has recently published similar stories in Stories of the Amautalik: Fantastic Beings from Inuit Myths and Legends.    In that version, the creature comes from underground, but is still outwitted by a child who tells the creature that his toes eat Amautaliks. The Qalupalik is a single story in a picture book.   There are a few sentences on each text page and a full colour image on the facing page.  Joy Ang’s artwork is evocative and effective.  Her qalupalik is green and slimy with a huge nose, white eyes, webbed feet and long claws.  It is scary enough to keep any child from roaming too close to the water’s edge.  The images of this disgusting creature will also cause this book to be in high demand among those 6 to 8 year olds who love “gross” pictures.  In contrast to the qalupalik, Ang’s images of the children are more cartoon-like and light-hearted.  They are a nice balance to the scary monster.  While the text will be too difficult for early readers, the images tell the story and the book will work well as a “read aloud”. Overall The Qalupalik is an excellent presentation of the myth and is recommended for public and elementary school libraries. Highly Recommended:  4 stars out of 4 Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

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