Poetry Review of Aneesa Lee and the Weaver's Gift by Nikki Grimes, Illustrated by Ashley Bryan

1. Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 1999. ANEESA LEE AND THE WEAVER'S GIFT. Ill. Ashley Bryan. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books. ISBN 0-688-15998-2

2. Plot Summary
Nikki Grimes tells readers the story of Aneesa Lee in this heart-warming book of short poems. Each poem tells a different aspect of Aneesa's life as a weaver - how she creates her pieces to how she feels about her days as a weaver. The author weaves a tale of multi-culturalism and family love through Aneesa's rich heritage - white, black, and Japanese all rolled into one person. Aneesa uses the colors of her yarn to express the importance of the fact that many different colors can combine to make one masterpiece.

3. Critical Analysis
Grimes does an excellent job of joining each individual poem together to create a complete picture of Aneesa's life and perspectives. This picture poem book could be enjoyed at even the youngest of ages. Older children will understand the symbolism of the different colors of yarn coming together to represent the aspects of multi-culturalism. She uses the subject of weaving as a metaphor for understanding how cultures blend together and how the love of a family is about acceptance and coming together. Not only does the book fall in the picture poem book category, but it also has a topical quality to it. Some of the poems and figurative language within those poems are simply to explain the intricate process of weaving, which is a craft that is near and dear to Grimes' heart. The author's use of punctuation within the poetry - a comma here, a hyphen there, is purposeful and adds emphasis just where she wants it, and the deep reader can understand the meanings behind these syntactical efforts.

There is a mixture of rhyming and non-rhyming poems, each one feeling natural and fitting the author's themes and purposes. Two favorites of a certain five-year old that I shared the book with were, "Family Gathering" and "Love is Purple" because she noticed the pictures first, commenting, "All of the colors melt together," or "Everyone is together," understanding the author's message of "bringing all kinds of people together." Reading the pages occurred after these initial reactions and observations. Figurative language such as "wispy hairs of hope" and "feelings laced or knotted" is sure to bring about emotional and intuitive conversations about Grimes' poetry. The vocabulary reference aid of weaving words at the beginning of the collection enhances what students will get out of the poems.

Ashley Bryan's illustrations of tempera and gouache paints are simply stunning. They are in full, vibrant, wispy colors of abstract and concrete images blended to create complete compliments to the also very colorful poetry of Nikki Grimes.The expressive emotions of "anger and gladness" and hope and worry are evident in the plethora of colors that Bryan uses to showcase the words in the book. The illustrations are vital to express Aneesa's weaving story fully and definitely articulate the themes and ideas of the human condition, family, and the blending of cultures further than just the words alone.

4. Review Excerpt(s)

-KIRKUS REVIEWS "The poems describe the art and craft of weaving including gathering natural materials for making dyes, spinning yarn, warping the board, dressing the loom, and completing the tapestry. Then there is Aneesa Lee, “a weave/of black/and white/and Japanese/a blend that sometimes/led to teasing,” in a poem that exhibits the poet’s larger theme, of how love weaves families together and how the craft of weaving links the past and present, connecting people in “a community of cloth.”

-PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "In a series of thoughtful, interlocking poems, Grimes (Meet Danitra Brown) skillfully uses the metaphor of weaving to explore the world of a talented girl. The young weaver's strands of black, white and Japanese heritage have "produced a pleasing,/ living, breathing tapestry/ christened Aneesa Lee."

-SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The variegated colors of the yarn and the various textures of the woven tapestries express her shifting emotions of sadness, hurt, anger, worry, joy, and love. Each spread features a poem on the left facing a full page of art. Bright, folk-style illustrations in tempera and gouache explode with color. Decorative borders reflect the artistic unity of words and illustrations."

-My five-year-old daughter Makena, "The colors are so beautiful! Look at all of the different people." "I think we should look at the pictures first and tell about them and then read the story." (Well said, Kena girl!)

5. Connections

A. The vocabulary section at the beginning of the book is all weaving words, and those words are a great way to introduce the concepts in the book and to cover a vocabulary lesson.Children could draw pictures of the words with a partner, guessing what they think the terms look like before ever reading the book.
B. This book lends itself to viewing the pictures first and letting younger children tell each other what they think the story will be about so that they understand the strong connections the illustrations have to the text.

Other books of poetry about multi-culturalism:
Woodson, Jaqueline. THE OTHER SIDE. Ill. E.B. Lewis ISBN 9780399231162
Gillian, Maria Maziotti and Jennifer Gillian, Ed. UNSETTLING AMERICA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN MULTI-CULTURAL POETRY. ISBN 9780140237788

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Review of Jospeh Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

1.Bibliography
Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. New York: Viking. ISBN 0670878553

2. Plot Summary
The story of Joseph and his overcoat is a traditional tale of reuse and saavy recycling. Joseph's overcoat begins wearing out, so he makes a shorter jacket out of it. Then, he creates a vest, then a scarf, and so on until the reader thinks he cannot make anything else. Each time Joseph makes something new, it coincides with an activity or adventure for him. Just when we think he has run out of ideas, he makes something out of nothing!

3. Critical Analysis
First published in 1977 and republished in 1999 with new illustrations by the author, the story of Joseph and his little overcoat is based on a Yiddish folk song that Simms Taback enjoyed called "I Had a Little Overcoat". Taback recreated the illustrations in order to prove "you can always make something out of nothing...over and over again!" This book has a fable-like quality since there is a lesson to be learned. The second publishing earned the book a Caldecott Medal Award. This tale is structured in a way that children will be able to latch on easily, especially due to its repitition in phrasing and the die-cuts on each page to keep the reader guessing what Joseph will make next out of what was originally a plaid overcoat. The theme of "waste not, want not" really, truly comes across in this endearing tale. Joseph never speaks as the entire book is written in a narrative form, but readers will know much more about Joseph through the illustrations. Although the book can be read very quickly, teachers will want to take their time reading to students so they are able to understand the full story.

Taback is also the illustrator, and he uses ink, pencil, watercolor, patchwork collages, and gouache (mixed-media) to bring this story to life. Each page is vibrant and bursting with color. Images fill each page to the brim, and some of the people and images are real photographs that have been imprinted on the page. The characters themselves have a cartoonish look about them with their showy teeth and beady eyes, but Taback still manages to incorporate some realistic people features. Children, young children especially, will be drawn into the bright, busy pages. The teacher will want to make sure she points out and explains some of the harder to understand images such as the photographs of Jewish figures on the walls and the newspaper articles written in Yiddish on the floor. A class discussion on how the character Joseph in the story looks like the author and why that is could take place. Older children will more than likely pick up on some forms of irony in the articles such as, "FIDDLER ON ROOF FALLS OFF ROOF." There are many possibilities for using this particular book's words and pictures.

4. Review Excerpt(s) and Awards:
Winner of The Caldecott Medal Award
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:  "Taback works into his folk art a menagerie of wide-eyed animals witnessing the overcoat's transformation, miniature photographs superimposed on paintings and some clever asides reproduced in small print (a wall hanging declares, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole"; a newspaper headline announces, "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof"). With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Pre-Grade 3-A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit."
BOOKLIST:  "This newly illustrated version of a book Taback first published in 1977 is a true example of accomplished bookmaking--from the typography and the endpapers to the bar code, set in what appears to be a patch of fabric. Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity."

5. Connections
A. This story would be excellent to use for the start of a science unit on recycling or reusing materials to save resources.
B. Students could write their own versions of the story by thinking of another creative object they could repurpose as it became worn and old.
C. This story could be used in middle to high school grades in order to discuss combining (compound) sentences and conjunctions.
D. This book would be great for discussing the Jewish culture (or multi-culturalism in general) as well. There are many Yiddish phrases and references throughout the pages.
E. For younger children this book could be used for a lesson on predictions and patterns within books.
F. This story needs to be read aloud for pure enjoyment.

Other stories about reusing/repurposing materials:
Gilman, Phoebe. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING. ISBN 9780590472807 (Modern adaptation folk tale of JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT)
Bergen, Lara. DON'T THROW THAT AWAY. Ill. Betsy Snyder. ISBN 9781416975175
Inches, Alison. THE ADVENTURES OF AN ALLUMINUM CAN. Ill. Mark Chambers. ISBN 9781416972211
Siddals, Mary McKenna. COMPOST STEW. Ill. Ashley Wolff. ISBN 9781582463162

Other stories with illustrations from Simms Taback:
Taback, Simms. THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. ISBN 9780670869398 (Also a Caldecott winner)
Taback, Simms. THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. ISBN 9780142402009
Taback, Simms. I MISS YOU EVERY DAY. ISBN 9780670061921




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Review of The Great Texas Hamster Drive by Eric A. Kimmel, Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

1.Bibliography
Kimmel, Eric A. 2007. THE GREAT TEXAS HAMSTER DRIVE. Ill. by Bruce Whatley. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. ISBN 9780761453574

2. Plot Summary
THE GREAT TEXAS HAMSTER DRIVE is a variant and extension of the American folktale Pecos Bill. It was inspired by a Texas librarian, and this would be an interesting fact to share with audiences. The strory begins with how Bill and his gal, Slue Foot Sue, become married. They settle on a large ranch in Texas and raise four boys, one girl and longhors. The main story centers around their tiny daughter, Sue Foot Sal, who decides she would like a hamster as a pet. Bill rounds up two hampsters for her from his friend in Chicago just in case "one gets lonely". Sal's two hampsters end up parenting many, many, many more hamsters. One day, Sal finds all of the hamsters to be missing. They appear all over the fields, eating all of the grass, driving the longhorns away. Ike, Bill's friend in Chicago, tells him to take the thousands of hamsters to the Abilene railroad and send them on to Chicago for all of the city children. Thus, The Great Texas Hamster Drive begins with eighteen thousand, three hundrend and seventy-six mischievous hamsters. Pecos Bill, Sal and the crew lose the hamsters in a prairie dog field along the way, and Cookie is the only one who knows how to get them out - by sticking a stove pipe in their tunnel. At the end of it all, Sal realizes it is best to give the hamsters to the children in Chicago, but she is sad and asks for a new - a gerbil!

3. Critical Analysis
This folktale is a comical and light-hearted variant of Pecos Bill and his advenutres. It has been made even more kid-friendly in THE GREAT TEXAS HAMSTER DRIVE through Kimmel's introduction of Bill and Sue's daughter, Sal. Some of the other versions of Bill and Sue's story do not end up this happily, so this is a great story to share with children of all ages. In true folktale fashion, there is an element of exaggerationm, and the plot moves quickly, making this a very fun story for young audiences. The use of the author's dialogue is simple but interesting with its "Texas talk", creating the perfect atmosphere for a read aloud.

Whatley's illustrations of the characters are done in watercolor adding to the imaginary quality. Folktales are not meant to be believable, and the illustrator has done a nice job creating simple paintings with just a hint of that needed exaggeration. For example, all of the characters' features are painted very similarly. They have black dots for eyes, very simple angled eyebrows, and straight lines for mouths. The distinguishing factor on Bill is his squared off chin, and his downward mouth movements when he speaks makes him seem very manly and cowboy-esque. The hamsters smile at the audience, adding more to the theme of exaggeration. The illustrations are rooted in the Texas culture and match the words of the author.

This story would be difficult for children if they do not have background knowledge of Pecos Bill and his stories. It may be important for the teacher or teacher-librarian to share some other versions first.

4. Review Excerpt(s)
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Using a palette of invitingly pale, warm hues, Whatley depicts squads of smiling, irresistibly cute hamsters in close-up ground level and underground scenes being herded by broad-faced, comically confused-looking "cow" pokes in full western gear".
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Inspired by a school in Texas where children helped a commercial breeder take care of thousands of hamsters, Kimmel’s tall tale is sure to make young readers smile."

5. Connections
A. This story would be an excellent reader's theater event focusing on the tone and how to speak with dialogue after the book has already been read by the teacher or librarian. The lesson could be extended by having children write their own versions in small groups including diaglogue. They could even possibly research dialect of other states and incorporate that into their story writing
B. This folk tale would be excellent to use for a vocabulary lesson. Words such as sidewinder, mail-order, peddler, muttered, saddlebags, and others are interesting words that younger children may have not heard.
C. Symbolism is something that could be taught with this book as well. The names Widow Maker, Slue Foot Sue and Sal, Crockett, etc. all lend themselves to a discussion on name symbolism. This would be a great tie in for middle to high school aged children when you are discussing "grown up" versions of folktales or myths such as Anthem by Ayn Rand or The Odyssey by Homer.

Other variants/versions of Pecos Bill:
Kellogg, Steven. PECOS BILL. Ill. Laura Robb ISBN 978-0688099244
Cloyd Bowman, James. PECOS BILL: THE GREATEST COWBOY OF ALL TIME. Ill. Laura Bannon. ISBN 978-1590172247
Hamann Tulian, Sean. PECOS BILL, COLOSSAL COWBOY, THE GRAPHIC NOVEL. Ill. Lisa Kay Weber. ISBN 978-1434222671

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(Traditional Literature Genre) Review of Ziggy Piggy and the Three Little Pigs by Frank Asch

1. Bibliography
Asch, Frank. 1998. ZIGGY PIGGY AND THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. New York: Kids Can Press Ltd. ISBN 1550745158

2. Plot Summary
This light-hearted story is a retelling of the traditional beast tale THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. In this version there are four pigs instead of three - Ted, Fred, Ned, and Ziggy. You can probably guess who the "black sheep" of the family is. There are still houses made out of straw, sticks, and bricks constructed by the first three pigs, but Ziggy chooses not to build a home. He sleeps underneath the stars. Ziggy, being the care-free, playful soul that he is, asks each of his brothers to go swimming with him. To his dismay, his brothers tell him they cannot venture out with him because the BIG BAD WOLF is in town, and the three pigs are prepping their houses for the moment when the wolf decides to show up. Ziggy decides to go swimming despite the stern warnings of his brothers. While Ziggy is out having fun at the beach, the BIG BAD WOLF shows up at each one of the homes. The phrases, "Open your door or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in," and "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!" are still in this version, staying true to the "original" one. The twist here is that the house of brick actually does get blown down! So, the pigs run and find Ziggy on his raft at the beach. Ziggy has a genius idea, but his brothers are leery of a pig who never plans. In the end, the wolf's huffing and puffing and blowing backfire, and Ziggy's laid-back spirit saves the day. Oh, and he gets his swim in, too!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Frank Asch's retelling of this story is simply fun and easy to follow. The subtle changes in the story, such as adding the fourth, almost "out cast" pig brother, and the twist of the brick house being blown down despite the brother Ned's reassurance that, "No one can blow down a house made of bricks," leaves just enough room for a less predictable, still satisfying plot line. The wolf still represents the human characteristics of slyness and villanousness, and the pigs still represent naivety and innocence. The introduction of the Ziggy character brings in a freshness to the story, adding the qualities of mellowness and intuitiveness. Ziggy's unhurried spirit saves the day, which is an ingenious way to enliven an old tale. The theme in the original story is along the lines of "ingenuity and smart thinking wins out", but in this newer version, there is more of a theme of "Do not worry about the future until it comes."

Asch's illustrations were drawn in pencil and then scanned into Adobe Photoshop. They are vibrant and simple and would grab the attention of any child. Each brother is told apart mainly by his choice of hat, and Ziggy's clothing is the most casual, with his blue jeans and striped shirt and bandanna. While the pictures remain very simple throughout the book, there are small details that are humorous and even ironic, such as when Ziggy is depicted sleeping underneath the stars, he is roasting a hot dog over the fire. When the wolf comes into the picture, the blowing down of the houses is quite dramatic with colored, wispy whirls drawn all about. The author did a nice job of making sure the characters' facial expressions helped to convey the words on the pages; however, the characters were plain. The wolf also seems to be a bit stale in this version; he is not quite as wicked as in other versions. This book may not be as memorable or interesting as the other versions of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.

4. Review Excerpt(s)
LIBRARY TALK: "Children will enjoy the humor and playful language of this book. Useful in comparison units using famous folk tales and all their variants."
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "Asch heightens the danger of the original by allowing the Wolf to blow down the third pig's brick house, but deprives the audience of a suitable comeuppance."

5. Connections
A. This story could be used to compare and contrast to other versions of the THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. Children could then write their own version after discussing the elements of simple plot and a traditional tale. B. This story also lends itself to a dramitization. It would be easy and fun to act out.

Other versions of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS:
Scieszka, John. 2006. THE TRUE STORY OF THE THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. ISBN 0140544518
Wiesner, David. 2001. THE THREE PIGS. ISBN 0618007016
Trivizas, Eugene. 1997. THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG. ISBN 068981528X

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Review of Eloise by Kay Thompson, Illustrated by Hillary Knight

1. Bibliography
Thompson, Kay. 1955. ELOISE. Ill. by Hillary Knight. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young    Readers. ISBN 067122350X

2. Plot Summary
Eloise is the story of a precocious six-year-old girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The main conflict is that Eloise, besides the help of the loving Nanny, is left to raise herself. She fills up her time by finding anything and everything to keep her busy, some of which leads to borderline trouble. The hotel staff are tolerant but irritated as the reader can see from the spunky drawings by Hillary Knight within the book. Eloise also fills up much of her time by "making things up," as stated by Eloise herself. She also gets to live vicariously it seems through the stories of the hotel staff's lives. Kay Thompson tells a poignant story in a light-hearted manner of what measures people will go to in order to fill a void in their lives while trying to make the best of things. It is also a story of independence and finding your own path.

3. Critical Analysis
Thompson's style of writing in this book allows Eloise's true nature come alive through the grammatical structures. Thompson rarely uses periods and lets the language flow out non-stop. There is also much repetition and parallel structure through out the story, especially with certain conjunctions such as and. The author is so true to how a child would really speak, which helps the story and the character's attitude come to life. There are long ramblings from Eloise combined with short bursts of thought, showing the reader the true mind of child. The author does an excellent job of balancing the comical side of Eloise's story with her curious search to fill the void left by her absent mother. Thompson introduces readers to the theme of void filling with such subtly that younger children may not pick up on this message. This picture book is a bit different from its more modern-day counterparts in the sense that there are 58 pages versus the traditional 32 pages, and there are many more words than what I normally encounter in picture books. The book also has some qualities of an engineered picture book, with the fold-out pages of the elevator travels of the main character.

Hillary Knight's drawings contribute to the story in a very meaningful way. His mainly black and white pencil drawings have pops of fuscias and pinks possibly symbolizing the brightness and positivity in Eloise's world despite the family aspect that is missing. Many times, the bright shades of pink show up when Eloise is using her imagination to keep things interesting for herself. The pages where there are less words and more drawings are just as powerful as when there are more words than pictures. The illustrator has a strong sense of who Eloise should be, and many times the pictures show things about the main character's world that the words cannot convey. For example, there is a page that shows Eloise's room. Not much is mentioned except the fact that there is a large coat rack in it. While observing the drawing, the reader notices, (especially the older reader), that there are things that should not be in a child's room such as a bottle of gin and a pair of large scissors. The illustrations also help the reader understand the relationship with Eloise and her mother. Even though we never meet her mother, we can see that she longs for her through the way the illustrator forms the lines and expression on Eloise's face and through the way she reacts to other characters that know her mother. The drawings of Eloise remind me of something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Eloise is depicted much more round and softer when contrasted with the other characters in the book - which are all adults indicating the difference of an adult's world versus a child's.

This book is a fantastic book for children, beginning, according to the book, age 7. Older children beginning around the age of 10 would more than likely begin to understand the underlying themes in the book. ESL children would benefit from hearing and reading this book because the drawings are so well done and help convey the meaning and plot of the story extremely well.

4. Review Excerpt(s)
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS CHILDREN'S REVIEWS: "Brimming with confidence, self-importance and a general disregard for rules, Eloise had to have been a refreshing anomaly among female characters in the '50s."
AMAZON.COM -"Frankly, one can never have too much Eloise."

5. Connections
*This book would be excellent for creating conversation with older children regarding independence and how sometimes we are forced in to being independent.
*Students can compare and contrast the positives and negatives of independence and then write their own stories of independence.
Review film version of Eloise. Compare the differences and similarities.
Check out the website for all things Eloise.
http://www.eloisewebsite.com/kay_thompson.htm
*Other books for children about independence:
Falconer, Ian. OLIVIA. ISBN 0689829531

Review of Tomas and the Librarian by Pat Mora, Illustrated by Raul Colon

1. Bibliography
Mora, Pat. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0679804013

2. Plot Summary
This is a very heart-felt picture book that is about a young Tomas Rivera who lives in Texas during the winters and in Iowa during the summers as a child. His parents are vegetable and fruit pickers for farmers. He forms a love of story telling by listening to his grandfather. Tomas goes to the public library in Iowa and meets a caring, encouraging librarian who fosters his love for reading even further by giving him books and asking him to teacher her Spanish. Tomas is transformed into another world when he reads his books, allowing his love of reading to grow and grow even when he has to leave Iowa and the librarian he adored.

3. Critical Analysis
Mora's use of syntax is intriguing. As the story begins, the author writes in a mixture of short, concise, complete sentences along with fragments. As the plot unfolds, the reader begins to notice a more complex grammatical structure with longer simple sentences and some complex. This seems to be because as Tomas' love of reading grows, so does the author's need to express more complex ideas. The library is both literal and symbolic for Tomas. Symbolic in the sense that Tomas has found a place of escape, a place where his mind is free to wander from the hard work of the day. Mora does an excellent job of establishing the freedom and excitement Tomas feels through reading at the library in particular.

Raul Colon's illustrations fill the reader with sentiments of understanding. Readers are able to get a sense of what Tomas is feeling through the way that Tomas's mouth/facial expressions change from page to page. Much of the setting is depicted through sepia tones and a bit of blurriness through the brush strokes giving off a feeling of nostalgia of the 1950s. The beauty of the illustrations lie in the facial expressions of the characters. The reader truly gets a feel of what the characters are feeling - from Tomas when he holds a book and shows his love for it, to the librarian when she watches Tomas with admiration and respect when he teaches her words from Spanish, to Tomas's mother and grandfather when they curiously watch Tomas retell stories.

This book is appropriate for all ages. It may be difficult for emerging readers to read as the plot line progresses, but the illustrations help and enhance the meaning of the book's main theme of exploration and discovery through reading and the impact a librarian or educator can truly have on a child. This beautiful story would be wonderful for teaching many different lessons for small children all the way through high school students.

4. Review Excerpt(s)
AMAZON.COM REVIEW- "Sometimes you read a story and it almost seems too nice. This book may seem to be one of those at first, but the difference is that this story is true! Tomás and the Library Lady is the wonderfully illustrated tale of Tomás Rivera and the kind librarian who helped him learn to love books.
From BOOKLIST: "Colon's beautiful scratchboard illustrations, in his textured, glowingly colored, rhythmic style, capture the warmth and the dreams that the boy finds in the world of books."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "While young readers and future librarians will find this an inspiring tale, the end note gives it a real kick: the story is based on an actual migrant worker [Tomás Rivera] who became chancellor of a university--where the library now bears his name."

5. Connections
*This book lends itself to any lessons on multi-culturalism and the blending of cultures through reading.
*This book would be excellent to use on a lesson about sentence structure an syntax for most ages.
*Compare and contrast other books with the same themes:
Stewart, Sarah. 2008. THE LIBRARY. Ill. by David Small. ISBN 0312384548.
Willams, Suzanne. 1998. LIBRARY LIL. Ill. by Steven Kellog. ISBN 0590511882

Review of A Ball for Daisy Written and Illustrated by Chris Raschka

1. Bibliography
Raschka, Chris. 2011. A BALL FOR DAISY. New York: Swartz and Wade Books. ISBN 8790375958618

2. Plot Summary
In this very simple, straight-foward all picture, no word book, the author shares a story of a dog, Daisy, and her love for a ball. Daisy plays with the ball all over the place and loves every minute of it until one day something happens to the ball. The falling action begins with Daisy's sadness, but by the end of the book she has a new ball to play with. Her adventures begin again!

3. Critical Analysis
The illustrations in this book tell a sweet, story. The illustrations take on a whimsical feel, like you are being swept away into a playful watercolor. The lines of Daisy the dog are very curvy and blurred just a bit to give you the perspective of a professional children's drawing or painting. Children can relate very well to this story. The pictures are colorful and enticing with vingnettes of illustrations grouped together like mini flip books to give the reader a clear picture of the plot.

Raschka's illustrations appear to be created with swiftness and preciseness all at the same time. The brush strokes are quick  and whispy, proving that the theme of play and the joy that comes from that is the major message in this book. The reader is taken on a wordless journey of understanding Daisy's joy in playing with a simple object to her feelings of melancholy when she loses her prized possession and back to elation when a new ball is discovered. Children will find this book very relatable since most of us have experienced the pleasure in simple things and also the feelings that come with losing something special. This may be difficult for some children to understand if they have trouble with expressing themselves orally. On the other hand, what better book to help children undertand the power of a picture.

4. Review Excerpt(s)
2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner
Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Raschka’s genius lies in capturing the essence of situations that are deeply felt by children."
Starred Review, HORN BOOK: "A story that is noteworthy for both its artistry and its child appeal."
Starred Review, KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Rarely, perhaps never, has so steep an emotional arc been drawn with such utter, winning simplicity.”

5. Connections
This book would be perfect for leading a discussion on the emotions of happiness versus sadness.
Compare other picture books by Raschka or other authors that share the same themes and emotions.
Have children write the story of A BALL FOR DAISY, using dialogue and the conventions of storytelling.
This book would also be a great way to introduce the parts of plot.
*Another wordless picture book with similar themes :
Wiesner, David. 2006. FLOTSAM. Ill. by David Wiesner. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: New York. ISBN 13: 9780618194575.

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