New reading delights - Responding to LIS721

 I love poetry, The language is often evocative and imaginative, encouraging new ways of looking at the world and seeing new truths. This week we are looking at a wide range of types of poetry for children. Yes, We are Latinos!: Poems and Prose about the Latino Experience Yes! We are Latinos is a collection of poetry and prose that explores the depth and breadth of the young Latino/a community and experience in the United States. The 13 profiles are gathered to bring the reader to ask what makes someone Latino/a and the rich cultural history that comes with it. Ada and Campoy directly address the readers directly in the introduction to encourage them to explore and to learn more, challenging what may be assumptions about the diverse group of people. After each profile and poem, there is background information and history related to the story, providing more context and knowledge of the Latino culture and histories Bringing to the classroom, these poems provide the opportunity to h...

 This week are some folktales.One is the origin of many well known tales, such as hansel and Gretel, but are the true versions, which tend toward much darker content. The other is rich in hisotry and inspiration of people working to survive in a harsh reality. The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm are a collection of 27 of some of the classic Grimm fairytales, ranging from very well known to rarely heard. Segal stays true to the original German text for the translation, without interpretations or additional reworking. There is no commentary on how the stories relate, so the reader is left to see the through lines of these stories. In a translator’s note, Segal reports translating primarily from later texts that had been reworked by the original Brothers Grimm and attempted to stay as true to the German as possible. The Grimm stories are mean tot be read aloud and retold and the language works for that in this edition. The simplisti...

 This week, we're also looking at Picture Books. Here are four more assessments and recommendations. Knockl Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me Knock Knock  is the powerful story told from the child's perspective of the loss of a loving father. Throughout the book, colors are muted and dark, echoing the heartbreak of the young boy. The illustrations have texture to add to the realism, such as the wrinkles in the father's shirt. Two primary illustrated metaphors move through the book - a paper airplane representing the child's reaching for this father through a letter and the father's hat, representing his presence and the memory of him. As the boy receives a letter from his father, he slowly grows into his own hat and life, following the words and advice of the letter. With 60-70% of African-American/Black families being single parent households, this book takes on some of the difficult emotions faced by the child in these situations. The Knock Knock childhood "I ...

 This week, we're looking at Board Books. I'll be posting one from each of the following categories with comments on them. These are some of my favorites, as my children are reading through these and Picture Books currently. Honestly, even once the kids are past these books, we love some of them so much, we will likely keep them for years. Alphabet book Pandas Love Pickles  by Liz Lynch, published in 2017, is an alphabet book of animals trying new food with their corresponding letters. The text follows a predictable pattern - "[Animals] try [food]" - but the inventiveness of each animal and food is engaging. The illustrations of the animals are in black and white, highly detailed and textured, while the food is in color. The contrast highlights the dual elements of the text and makes it easy for children to follow along. The expressions of the animals are not outside of the realistic animal, thoughin some cases it is quite possible to see the animal's opinion, suc...

 A fitting start to a class on children's book is the overview of how they are published and the differing aspects of the books. From Cover to Cover  by Horning (2010) describes in detail many of the finer points. An extremely salient point is how the authors often have no relationship with the illustrators or the designer, such as those that choose the fonts. In the world of children and picture books, this is a mind blowing concept. After all, much of the book is wrapped up in the pictures. What a feeling to give up that much creative control! This brings to point the lack of diversity in children's books characters. In her 1965 article "The All White World of Children's Books," Nancy Larrick writes that "Integration may be the law of the land, but most of the books children see are all white." It has been known and acknowledged for some time now that representation is important, but unfortunately, there still remains a surprising lack of diversity wit...