The Final Four!
Title: "The Sun is Up: A Child's Year of Poems" Verses Compiled by: William Jay Smith and carol Ra
Publisher: Boyds Mill Press, Inc. 1996
Reading level: varies on the poem
Genre: poetry
Pages: 30
Summary:
This collection of poetry provides children that represent the year from New Year's Day until New Year's Eve. Each month has at least one poem that talks about the uniqueness of the month. Most months have another poem either about a holiday in that month or a special event in that month. The first poem is written by William Jay Smith and talks about the bright new hope that comes from a new day and a new year.
Winter: January's poem is written by James Stephens and is entitled "White Fields." In January, everything is covered by the white snow, and mothers always know by the footprints in the snow where their children have been. "February Twilight" by: Sara Teasdale and "My Valentine" by: Robert Louis Stevenson are the poems for February. The first talks about the magic of seeing a single star on a clear, February night. The second talks about the things that a person will make for his or her valentine.
Spring: "March" talks about the things like birds and grass that can be seen as the snow melts in March. "Kite Days" explains that a child's definition of spring is flying a kite on a breezy March day. "April" explains that singing birds and blossoming flowers welcome spring to the world. "First Day of April" gives a warning to all that if someone offers you gifts on April 1st, we should just laugh and remember that it is April Fool's Day. In May people weave rainbows of ribbon around the Maypole as explained in "Maypole Dance." The other poem for May, "Maytime Magic", explains that with a little seed, a hole, some water, and a little wish a flower will bloom.
Summer: In "A Day in June" children lie beneath the shade of a tree and relish the moments of summer. "Kick a Little Stone" is the second poem for June and explains that if a person kicks a small stone, the stone along with its shadow will bounce ahead and become a friendly sight. Tomatoes ripen, grass grows, and fireworks fly in the poem "In July". A child makes a sand castle that is swept away by the waves in the poem "At the Seaside". What can be done on a hot summer day? The poem "August Afternoon" explains that two children can swing on the swings and sip lemonade on a hot summer day.
Autumn: The poem "September" explains that the work of harvest must be done, but the reward is seeing the golden hues of the month along with the deep purple of the setting sun. "October" explains that the month of October can be characterized by the colors of gold, brown, and orange as well as the sight of children dressed as ghosts, witches, and pirates. The poem for November is called "Down! Down!" and explains that the leaves fall down in November. In the poem "First Thanksgiving" the food that the pilgrims ate is listed; they had lived for so long on so little, so they were really excited for the feast. December brings the "First Snow" and the "Winter Moon". December also brings Christmas time. "Christmas Tree" explains about a family who cut down and decorated a tree to welcome everybody on Christmas Eve. In "Christmas in the Olden Time" children add more wood to the fire, so they can make Christmas day last as long as possible.
The book ends in much the same way that it began, with a New Year's Eve poem by William Jay Smith that talks about how a clear sky and tinkling bells welcome the New Year.
Recommended Readers:
This would be a great book to introduce any child to poetry. The pictures are beautiful and inviting, and all of the poems are about things that are familiar to children.
Possible Problems:
This poem dedicates a whole page to Christmas, but does not mention anything about Hanukah or Kwanza. Children and parents might be offended that their religious holidays were not represented in the book.
Reaction:
I adore this collection of poetry. I think that all of the poems are beautiful in their simplicity. Each poem made me want to go to that month or time of the year. I love that the pictures portray children of the 19th century with girls in full-length dresses and boys in knickers and suspenders. I feel like the pictures add to the nostalgic feeling and remind children of a time where things were simpler.
Title: "Spencer's Adventures: The Great Toilet Paper Caper" by: Gary Hogg
Publisher: Scholastic, 1997
Reading Level: 3.6
Genre: Humor/Realistic Fiction
Pages: 76
Summary:
Spencer Burton is always coming up with crazy ideas. His most recent scheme is to get into the Giant Book of World Records. He plans on doing that by setting the record for walking backwards for the longest time, which would be longer than 4 days. As soon as Spencer walks into his classroom, he all but loses his nerve for setting the record. He is asked to complete a problem on the board, and all of his classmates make fun of him for his goal. His insightful teacher, Miss Bingham, decides that she should get the class to support Spencer with his goal, so she declares the next day as backwards day. Spencer had been thinking about giving up on the record, but he decided to stick with it since a whole day in the classroom was dedicated to supporting him in his efforts. The next day, Miss Bingham's class did everything backwards. They said their names backwards, greeted each other by saying "good-bye" instead of "hello", and walked backwards to their classes.
Soon the whole school heard about backwards day. Mr. Warner, the school principal, got so excited about the idea of backwards day that he declared the next Friday to be a school-wide backwards day. He also declared Miss Bingham's class as the class of the day for their great idea.
The students in Miss Bingham's class decided that because Mr. Warner was so generous with giving out awards, they were going to give him an award. Spencer thought it would be better to give him the fame that would accompany getting a world record. So Miss Bingham's class got out the Giant Book of World Records and started looking for a record they could set on Mr. Warner's behalf. Many records were suggested, but they decided the most likely record would be the record for the largest toilet paper roll. As it stood now, the largest roll was 6 feet four and a half inches tall.
Each student in the class was supposed to go home and get as many rolls of toilet paper for operation TP that they could. Spencer was disappointed when his mom would only allow him to have 3 rolls of toilet paper. He decided to go around house to house to ask for toilet paper. His mom quickly put a stop to that. His second attempt at gathering toilet paper was to stuff the shirts of his brother and himself with toilet paper from the bathroom of the burger restaurant. His mom didn't like that idea either and made him give the toilet paper back. His final attempt was to go to the corner of two busy streets and hold a sign saying "toilet paper needed". His dad found him this time and put a stop to that as well, but not before he got $10 to buy toilet paper with.
The day came to build the toilet paper roll. All of the class members had a different job, and they were able to build a roll 6 feet 4 and ¾ inches tall. They broke the world record and had the world record official take a picture and prepare the paperwork. The class presented Mr. Warner with the largest roll of toilet paper at the assembly held to honor the school-wide backwards day. They explained that he would be in the Giant Book of World Records. He was so flattered. As Tom Meyers, the record book official, went to take the picture, the roll of toilet paper rolled off down the hill towards the city. Mr. Warner ran after the roll. He decided to jump into his car and chase after the roll before it killed someone in town. Spencer rode after him on his bike. With the quick thinking of Spencer and Mr. Warner, they were able to stop the roll by grabbing an unraveling end and letting it unroll. By doing so, they stopped the roll, but also gave up their hopes of a world record. Tom Meyers told them, though, that they would be in the book after all because the whole school had walked backwards all day which was a world record.
Recommended Readers:
This would be a fun book for all children. It is pretty easy to understand and really funny. The content is appropriate for both boys and girls.
Possible Problems:
I don't really think many problems could arise from this book. The only thing that I could think about would be that students, after reading this book, would want to build a roll of toilet paper or set another record. In my opinion, that would kind of curiosity and drive would be a good thing.
Reaction:
I thought that this book was extremely funny. I laughed out loud on several occasions, which meant that I had to explain what was so funny to my roommate. The best thing about this book was Miss Bingham, Spencer's teacher. I would love to be a teacher like her. She capitalized on the interest of her students and made going to school and learning so much fun for them. I think that it would be fun to have a backwards day in my classroom. It would be fun for the students, but they would still have to be thinking and using their brains. It would be great.
Title: "The Baby-Sitters Club: Boy-Crazy Stacey" by: Ann M. Martin
Publisher: Scholastic, 1987
Reading Level: 3.5
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pages: 138
Summary:
Dawn, Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey are all members of the Baby-Sitters Club. This group of middle schoolers meet three times a week to answer phone calls from parents in need of a sitter. The summer after their seventh grade year in school, the group of friends discover that they will be separated for two weeks. Dawn is going to visit her dad in California for the first time since her parents divorced seven months ago. Claudia is taking a trip with her grandma, Mimi, and her parents. Kristy will be stuck in Stoneybrook, Connecticut in the mansion of her new step-father, Watson. Mary Anne and Stacey got invited to be "mother's helpers" to Mr. and Mrs. Pike on their two-week vacation to Sea City on the New Jersey Shore. The Pikes have eight children. Adam, Jordan, and Byron are triplets. Margo and Mallory are the middle children. Nicky is the other boy who doesn't like to hang out with the girls but is not always accepted by the triplets. Vanessa always speaks in rhymes, and Claire, the five year old, is going through her silly stage and always adds "silly-billy-goo-goo" to the end of words. Stacey's parents were reluctant to let her go at first because she has diabetes, and they were worried that she would not stick to her diet and forget to take her insulin. After much persuasion, she convinced them to trust her.
After a long car ride in the Pikes' two station wagons, the caravan made it to Sea City. The Pikes expected Mary Anne and Stacey to help care for the children and watch them while they went off and had alone time. The Pikes visit Sea City every year, so they remembered all of the fun things to do in the city. They, of course, wanted to do everything right away, but Mary Anne and Stacey convinced them to just take a tour of the city the first night. The group eventually began getting into a routine. While the lifeguards were on between 9 in the morning and 5 at night, the crew left their beach-front rental home and headed onto the beach.
Stacey was a big fan of spending every day on the beach, especially after discovering that a bleached-blonde was the lifeguard along that strip of the beach. Stacey soon began coming with every excuse to talk to Scott, the lifeguard. At first, she had to fight for his attention with the other teen-aged girls, but eventually, they began going away. Stacey seemed to have Scott's full attention. He called her things like "babe" and "cutie". He was even generous enough to let her get him soda and make him sandwiches. While Stacey was flirting with her "love", Mary Anne was tending all 8 Pike children by herself, and she was not very happy about it. Besides being annoyed that she was having to do Stacey's work, Mary Anne knew that the 18-year old soon to be college student could not possibly be interested in Stacey. Stacey knew that Scott loved her and that Mary Anne was just jealous and didn't understand. Mary Anne began giving Stacey the silent treatment.
One night, Mr. and Mrs. Pike gave the girls the night off to go out on the town. The excitement of the night off was enough to help the girls mend their friendship. They headed for the board walk, grabbed some dinner, bought some souvenirs in the little gift shops, and rode the Ferris wheel. On the way back to the house, Stacey decided that she would buy a gift for Scott. Mary Anne did not like the idea very much, but she had no choice but to wait as Stacey picked out the right gift. As Stacey was bringing out her choice of a heart-shaped box of chocolates, Mary Anne froze. Stacey looked over to see what Mary Anne was looking at. On a bench near the store, Scott was kissing a girl who was at least 18. Stacey was crushed. She felt stupid for thinking that Scott could possibly interested in her.
After that night, Stacey began to see how neglectful she had been of her responsibilities. She realized that she had been around the Pike kids but hadn't been with them. She determined to make the most of the time she had left with the children. The next day the girls decided to split up. Mary Anne took the kids who were sick of the beach to the boardwalk, and Stacey took the others to the beach. She met Alex, a boy "mother's helper", who Mary Anne had been hanging out with while Stacey was preoccupied with Scott. She also met Alex's cousin, Toby, who was her age. She fell instantly in love with Toby, but this time her love helped her with the children.
On the last night that the girls were in Sea City, the Pikes gave them the night off again, and the girls went on a double date with Toby and Alex. They all ate dinner together, and then the pairs split off to spend time by themselves. Stacey and Toby played games at the arcade, walked on the boardwalk, and rode the tunnel of love. On the ride, Toby kissed Stacey. She was so thrilled to have gotten her first kiss. She didn't want the night to end. It had to end, though, and the next day they had to leave. Toby and Alex found the girls the next day to say good-bye. Tony and Stacey promised to write each other and stay in touch. Mary Anne was so sad when Alex left that she started crying.
After another long car ride, Stacey made it back home. She could not wait to tell Claudia all about what happened in the two weeks that she was gone. She got her first love, lost him, found another, and got her first kiss. It was a really successful trip.
Recommended Readers:
This is definitely a girls' book. Because it is a lower reading level, it is more fit for younger girls about 3rd or 4th grade, but I know that older girls in the 5th or 6th grade like these books as well.
Possible Problems:
There are two big problems that I see with this book. The first problem is that this book and other books in the series paint what I see as an unrealistic picture of what 13-year old girls should be like. I remember reading these books and thinking that those girls were so mature, and that is how I should be when I am that age. This book especially shows girls that age 13 is the average time to be dating and kissing boys. I know that I look at this book with a biased, LDS lense, but I don't think that that message is good for girls, LDS or not. The girls that I knew in high school who started dating at about 12 or 13 ran into serious problems by the time they were 16 or 17. Besides that, I remember reading these books and thinking that there was something wrong with me because I wasn't receiving the same kind of attention from boys that the girls in the stories were receiving. It wasn't really good for self esteem.
The other problem that I see from these books has more to do with the books themselves than the content. The Baby-Sitters Club book series is a really extensive series. I was reading the list of books and there are over 90 regular series books plus several other "special" series books. These books are great to get children interested in reading, but as far as literary merit goes, they are not the best. I remember that these books were the only ones that I wanted to read, and it really was pretty much the only thing I read because there were so many to choose from. A series as extensive as this doesn't encourage children to branch out and try new things.
Reaction:
I really enjoyed reading this book, mostly because it was a walk down memory lane for me. I realized while reading it how silly it really is, though. The story is so dramatic that it is almost funny. There will always be a special place in my hear, though, for the Baby-Sitters Club, though.
Title: "Pokémon: Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon" Adapted by: Tracey West
Publisher: Scholastic, 1998
Reading Level: Could not find
Genre: Fantasy/ Anime
Pages: 65
Summary:
Ash's dream is to become the world's greatest Pokémon master. As it stands now, his Pokémon training skills could use a little help. One day while hunting for Pokémon with his friends, Misty and Brock, and his very first Pokémon, Pikachu, Ash hears about a fossil hunt at Grandpa Canyon. Ash figures that finding the first fossilized Pokémon will get him that much closer to fulfilling his dream. It also be amazing to beat Gary Oak, Ash's rival trainer.
Ash's plans and the plans of the other Pokémon diggers are ruined by Team Rocket, the infamous Pokémon thieves. Team Rocket also heard about the pre-historic fossils and planted tons of dynamite at Grandpa Canyon, so they could blow it up and get all of the fossilized Pokémon. Ash and his friends hear about their evil plan and try to blow out the lit flame of the dynamite before it blew up and injured everyone at the site. Even with the help of his Pokémon, Ash was not able to stop the explosion. He and Pikachu got knocked over by the force of the explosion. The ground caved below them, and they found themselves with Team Rocket and their Pokémon, Meowth, in an underground cave. Soon they discovered that they were not alone in the cave. Four prehistoric Pokemon that had been sleeping for thousands of years were awoken by the explosion, and they were not happy.
After trying to fight off the prehistoric Pokémon with Pikachu and the defiant Charmeleon, Ash was overtaken by the angriest of the Pokémon, Kabutops, and was carried out of the cave in his claws. Ash cried for the help of his friends and those around them. While they tried to think about what to do, Charmeleon got so angry with the prehistoric Pokémon that he evolved into Charizard, the powerful Pokémon. Ash thought that he evolved to save him, but he quickly learned that Charizard was only angry at the other Pokémon. Down below, Ash's friends decided that they would have Jigglypuff sing his slumber song that would make the Kabutops fall asleep. The prehistoric Pokémon along with everyone else except for Charizard fell asleep. Ash fell out of the grips of Kabutops and landed on the back of Charizard who carried him down to the ground safely. The dangerous Pokémon fell back into the cave, which was quickly covered back up. Ash determined that it was better off to leave ancient Pokémon alone. His trip was not a loss, though, because he found the egg of a rare Pokémon, Togepi, which quickly took a liking to Misty and would cry when Ash picked him up.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was still stuck in the cave. They vowed to teach Ash a lesson as soon as they got out.
Recommended Readers:
I don't know if Pokemon is still popular among little children, but I know that it used to be. I think that this book would be great for little children who love Pokemon but don't like to read. It would be a good way to get them to read and would be a good lead into reading other books.
Possible Problems:
If a student has no prior knowledge of Pokemon, this book would be really confusing because it definitely has its own set of words. I got really confused about what was going on, and I have even seen a couple of the Pokemon movies. Even having base-vocabulary knowledge, it is still a little confusing because there is so much going on in the book.
Reaction:
I thought that this book was so ridiculous that it was funny. The situations that Ash gets himself into are really funny, and I just couldn't help but laugh to hear how he and his friends tried to get him out of those situations. It was funny to me that they always conveniently had a Pokemon that would do exactly what they needed it to do, but at the same time it showed me the character's ability to use their resources to get themselves out of scary situations.
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