Field Experience Summary

1.  How many hours did you complete?     5

2.  How did you spend your time?
    
I went to the Whitley County Public Library and assisted the librarian with shelf reading.  As easy as it seemed, it took a little more attention to detail than I expected.  I definitely said the alphabet many times during the time spent.  I also went back to the library and assisted with the craft session.  The children were making constellation tubes and star jars, very creative activity.  The children really enjoyed making their own constellations and star jars.  My favorite part was interacting with the children and talking to them about their favorite books and what they like best about the night sky.

3.  How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard?
    
Standard 6: Professional Learning and Leadership
Without the strong since of leadership in the role of children's librarian, the ideas that are thought of would not get completed.  This experience made me get out of my comfort zone and work with children to show them the proper way to act in a library yet have fun as children, especially with helping with crafts.  This gave them a good opportunity to be creative, learn and just have fun. 

4.  Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience.

I learned that there is a lot that goes into being a children's librarian.  After talking with the Whitley County Public Library's Librarian, I got a larger look on what she does during a year.  She attends preschools, does story time for children, and comes up with the crafts that they get to do, and also keeps the library in order.  There are more things that she does but these are the main things that we discussed.  I was glad to hear that she got to get into the schools and show them others crafts and ideas that they are not use to seeing.

Reading Log and Wiki Checklist

Reading Log for 30 books (to paste into your blog in at the end of the term)

• Instructions: List the titles and authors you read under each Genre, and use checklist below for Wiki posts. Then, highlight this material and paste it into a final blog post. I have already included (in the 30) the ones we read for discussion.

Genre/Titles I read:

        I.            Non-Fiction/Informational

1)      Separate but not Equal by Jim Haskins

2)      Skyscrapers:  How America Grew Up by John Severance

      II.            Poetry

1)      Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?  By Mel Glenn

2)      Falling up by Shel Silverstein

3)      Where the Sidewalk Ends:  The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein by Shel Silverstein

    III.            Modern Fantasy

1)      A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

2)      Messenger by Lois Lowery

3)      Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

4)      Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

5)      Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

    IV.            Historical Fiction

1)      Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

2)      Anne Frank:  The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

3)      Fair Weather by Richard Peck

4)      The Art of Keeping Cool  by Janet Taylor Lisle

      V.            Multicultural/Traditional

1)      Lon Po Po:  A Red Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young

2)      The Star Maker by Laurence Yep

3)      Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park

    VI.            Realistic Fiction

1)      Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis

2)      Flight #116 is Down! By Caroline B. Cooney

3)      Bridge to Terabithia  by Katherine Paterson

4)      Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

  VII.            Picture Books

1)      Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

2)      Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

3)      Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

4)      Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

5)      Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

6)      Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

7)      The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

8)      First Snow  by Bernette Ford

9)      Where the Wild Things Are  by Maurice Sendak

10)   The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Wiki Checklist

Instructions: Write the number of entries for each category you posted into on the Course Wiki (requirement is four total posts, in four different categories)

____ Social Studies

__1__ Science- Lon Po Po

__1__ Math - Rapunzel

____ Music

__1__ Art - Autumnblings

__1__ Reading/Language Arts- Owl Moon

____ Physical Education

____ Other

Separate but not Equal

Haskins, J. (1998).  Separate but not equal.  New York:  Scholastic Inc.

Jim Haskins had a way of getting the point across to the reader with historical facts and his own interpretations.  There were many times in this book that an African American would try to learn how to read and try to go to school but it was always frowned upon by society.  It was thought that slaves should not be intelligent in any form; they were not allowed to know how to read.  If slaves were able to read, they would then leave their current situations and make a life for themselves.  This caused owners to worry about the free laborers.  Haskins also wrote about the effects that the Civil War and Reconstruction had on the slave’s education and also mentioned many people who tried to make education available to anyone and everyone.  It was just a time in history where segregation was strong, not right, but strong.  This book covered just about everything in the educational world when discussing segregation; from the colonial times to the Supreme Court Decisions to the public education in the late twentieth century.  As well as using black and white photography to help to tell the story.  Facts are definitely hard to picture.

Separate but not Equal is an informational chapter book that sells the facts, as hard as they may seem.  When I started to read this book, I was instantly surprised at what I did not know.  I know that segregation was a huge part of our history but to look behind the scenes and see how many people out there wanted to help provide education to African Americans, happily surprised me.  The down fall though, is that there were many people who tried to stop this act so that they could keep the free labor that they had, very sad.  Our history definitely made us what we are today and will continue to make us, but I definitely learned a lot of things reading this book.  As hard as factual books are to read, I know that if you are interested in the past and what really happened, it can suck a person in.  The photographs in this book are far and in between but having them there help make the history more alive.  I always feel that if you can have a picture along with a story, it be non-fiction or fiction, it can and will capture the audience a little better, if they are not interested. 

The structure of a factual, informational book is very important.  It explains all aspects to the lives that we live.  The sequence in Separate but not Equal is very easy to follow by giving dates and is straight to the point showing Haskins’ style in writing.  He wrote in ways that the reader could see history in many perspectives, which I liked.  I feel that this book would be a good informational book to use in the middle school/junior high classrooms.  I think that it could teach students how our educational system grew in so many years.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about segregation in our education system. Great read!

BIG Question:  If you were able to make a change in educations history, what would your contribution be?  How would you help others learn and grow as individuals?

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Frank, A. (1952).  Anne Frank: the diary of a young girl. New York: Doubleday.

Take a moment and think back to your thirteenth birthday.  How did you get to spend your day? 

Now take a moment and try to imagine your birthday not being able to spend it with your friends having fun but with your family in hiding. 

Thirteen year old Anne Frank lived her life for two years in hiding with her family and another family.  The take over of the Netherlands started a new life for Anne of seclusion and constant worry.  She could no longer go to school, see her friends or develop crushes on boys.  If she were caught out and about, she and her family would be transported to the concentration camps with rest of the Jews.  Could you imagine not being able to live your life the way you want to or were raised to?  Her teenage years now consisted of war, awaiting her freedom.  Her parents listened to the radio daily hoping to hear of some change in the war.  Some days it was as if the end was around the corner until they would learn of the German advances.  Anne wrote in her diary everyday, telling the people who would someday read it, about the trials and tribulations of her life.  Everything always seems to start out okay, but as time passes it is as if you have to grow up way too fast.  How did Anne’s life change?  How did she grow as a person listening to the war?  Explore the journey with Anne as she takes one day at a time through the German take over of the Netherlands and her life.  War is an ugly event that is almost never fully revealed.

Flight #116 is Down!

Cooney, C. (1992). Flight #116 is down!.  New York:  Scholastic Inc.

What seemed to be a normal night by herself with her parents off traveling, Heidi took the dogs out for their walk when she saw an object going straight for her yard.  She was screaming so hard and loud she could not hear herself because of the sound coming from, what she did not know at the time, the plane.  She put her mother’s dogs back inside and ran down to see what had just happen.  Having nothing but panic with her, she ran back to her house and dialed 911, where she told the dispatch that a plane had just crashed in her backyard and that she needed immediate help.  Once Heidi was convinced that the calm lady on the phone believed her, she hung up and ran back down to the scene to help.  A young man, Patrick, 17, who wanted nothing more than to use his EMT training on more than an elderly heard the call on his scanner.  He called in for the location with a calm, suave voice.  He was now on his way with excitement of being the first to the scene.  Heidi, who once thought there was not a use for her, found herself becoming a hero to so many people.   This day that she will never forget gave her new friends and a sense of worth.  Nothing will ever be the same at the Dove House. 

All I can say is “WOW!”  I found myself incased in this book.  I could not put it down once I started, it seemed so real that it had me in tears at times and then I’d catch myself smiling.  When reading this book there were time stamps that took me to the lives of each character on the plane.  The characterization in this book was unreal to me!   Teddie was a little girl who was being sent on the plane alone back to her parents, worried to death about making sure her parents would be there when she got there.  She never let go of her bear, her protection.  Two brothers, Daniel and Tuck, were on their way to their father’s house for his wedding to their new stepmother.  Darienne was a girl who was only worried about herself and getting to her destination, no concern for anyone.  Carly was on her way home from California, where she had run away, because she realized that home is where she needed to be with her family and twin sister.  Even though the plot was about the plane crash, it had me going in many different directions but Cooney had a wonderful way of tying it all together.  She made me feel like I was apart of the tragedy by taking me into each life; the lives of those waiting in the airport for their loved ones.  This young adult book is perfect for the young teenager.  The situational realism of this story can tell anyone who is struggling with self worth that they can do anything that they put their mind to; they just have to find what interests them.  Heidi, a sixteen year old sophomore, had no idea what she wanted to do or where she belonged, but after the crash she learned that she wanted to be trained for emergency situations.  She wanted to be prepared for any emergency so that she would be of knowledgeable help. 

I am completely blown away by this book and would read it again tomorrow!  The moral choices that Heidi made were uncanny.  In this situation many people would panic, as she did, but she still acted as a human being who cared about those strangers involved in the crash.  She had no idea what to do; she just knew that she had to save them.  I would say that this book is appropriate for middle school aged students.  When giving students the opportunity to discuss a book that has a crisis or situation in it, such as a plane crash, it gives the opportunity for open discussion about the consequences of peoples actions.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in heroism in a young adult, looking for an example of self-worth or just something to read.  I am so glad I found this to book to read!

Big Question:  If a plane were to crash in your backyard, what would you do?  Would you be scared to do anything?  Would you react the same way that Heidi did?  In today’s world, are you comfortable enough to help a stranger in need without thinking twice?  What can we do to be prepared for emergency situations?

Falling UP

Silverstein, S. (1996).  Falling up.  New York:  Harper Collins Publisher Inc.

This collection of poems by Shel Silverstein can catch the attention of just about any audience.  As I sat down to read this book, I was immediately taken back to Where the Sidewalk Ends, even though I have not read Falling Up until now, I always found Silverstein to be hilarious.  His poems are to be taken lightly; you either share his same humor or you do not.  While reading this book in a crowded room full of silence, I found it hard not to at least smile at many of his poems.  His poetry seems to reach out and relate to just about everything that occurs in life or some times in a person’s imagination.  It is kind of like the thought of, "well that is interesting, I'm glad that someone else had that exact thought."  It's just funny to read his work.

Silverstein used many different sound patterns in this book, many of which contained rhymes and onomatopoeia.  There were even some poems that contain repetition.  One that stood out to me was "Tell Me". 

TELL ME

Tell me I'm clever,

Tell me I'm kind,

Tell me I'm talented,

Tell me I'm cute,

Tell me I'm sensitive,

Graceful and wise,

Tell me I'm perfect--

But tell me the truth.



It seems to be about everything that a person wants to hear but in turn no one ever wants to be lied to.  There is also an alliteration pattern on page 158, grungy, grumpy, grouchy and an assonance pattern on page 138; creepy, weepy, screamy.  In a book of poems such as Falling Up, there are good examples of all patterns as Silverstein explores all sides of poetry.  The fun thing that he also does is, gives almost every poem an illustration.  Some of the illustrations make sense to me but then there are those few that I have no idea how he came up with the idea.  That is what makes his illustrations so much fun.  His pen and ink technique on some of them adds depth and detail but for the most part he just uses simple penmanship.  No matter how silly the poem or illustration, Silverstein seems to get his ideas across.  He does a wonderful job making a person get out of their comfort zone.

I chose to read this book because I have only read Where the Sidewalk Ends and thought this would be the perfect time to continue the readings of Shel Silverstein.  It's always hard to get into poetry because I do not understand it fully.  I would like for poetry to be fun instead of me feeling like it is something that always has to be taken apart to figure out what is being said.  I think that is why I enjoy reading this book so much, there is not always a meaning written within.  I think that I would use this book in a classroom because it is so much fun.  I would assign each poem that did not have an illustration to the students and have them come up with a drawing.  It would be a creative way to see how each person thinks and also to see how different we all can be.

Big Question:  If there were a poem of your life, exactly how it is right now, how would it read?  What would your poem say about your accomplishments and ambitions?

The Star Maker

Yep, L. (2011). The star maker. New York:  HarperCollins Publishers.

Artie is a young Chinese boy who is the youngest in his family and is constantly picked on.   His family had many parties and at the first one of the story, Artie is playing board games with his cousins when his Uncle wants to join in on the fun.  Petey, one of his cousins, has always given him a hard time and while playing a board game Artie got frustrated and threw the die.  Uncle then started a new conversation to get everyone’s attention off of Artie.  The new conversation was about firecrackers.  Everyone loved firecrackers and each child had a favorite.  Petey continued to give Artie a hard time so he got so mad he said that he would have so many firecrackers one day that he would give them away.  Wow, that started something new!    He now had to come up with money to buy all of these firecrackers to give out to family by the Chinese New Year.  Artie learned very valuable lessons through his journey from September until February and that he could count on one person, his Uncle Chester!

In our culture we associate fireworks/firecrackers with the Fourth of July and sometimes New Years’, depending on individual traditions.  I chose this book because firecrackers always amaze me; you never really know what pattern you will get.  Even though it may be the same brand, the design will change slightly, you cannot control it.  I guess I have never really thought of it this way, but it can kind of be like a snowflake, no one is exactly the same.  Why would one want to be like the other?  The bright flash in the sky has its moment, might as well make it big and shiny!  The “stars” are made on the Chinese New Year Day by Artie’s family.  Most families normally do theirs on New Years Eve but Artie’s family always waited.   The appropriate reading level for this book is grades 3-7, and this would be one that I would recommend to anyone to show the value in family and traditions; makes a person really think about what is important no matter the situation.

“Making noise.  Making Light.  Making Stars.  Not in the night sky, but right here in front of me.”

The protagonists of the story, Artie and his Uncle Chester, spend so much time together that they have found a new appreciation for each others stories.  It starts out with Uncle Chester looking out for Artie when Petey, a minor character, starts to attack him about being the youngest, a “mooch” and useless.  This attack starts to have a person-against- self conflict for Artie until his uncle tells him stories of what it was like when he was a child.  Artie and his uncle were more a like in more ways than one and Uncle Chester was always going to look out for Artie no matter what.  He did not want Artie growing up with the same thoughts in his head that he had when he was growing up.  The mean things that were said to Chester stuck with him into his adulthood.  Artie and Uncle Chester both developed a new characterization by the end of story, it’s like something happened and turned on a light to a whole new world.  The character change was nothing but good for the both of them!

I do not necessarily have a quote for this life comparison, but in the beginning of the book when all the children are playing games and Artie is constantly picked on by Petey until Uncle Chester’s comes into play with them gave me a flashback.  I can remember times when my entire family would gather at my Grandmother’s house for holidays or just to get together.  My older cousins and even sisters would pick on me because I would always want to help out the “grown ups”, my Mom, my Grandma and my Aunt Connie.  As the years passed as we grew older it only seemed to get worse as everyone was experiencing new things.  I would concentrate on school, playing, cooking with my family, etc.  I then became the “goody good”.  It didn’t make me happy at the time to constantly be nagged about always being good but a couple of Christmas’ ago when I went to my Grandmother’s house, my cousins gave me a nice reminder that I was always the good one in the family.  You know what?  I finally realized (mid 20’s) that I was okay with that, call me what you will.  I am proud of what I was and what I have become because I went on to accomplish many things. 

“I tried to hand him my packets. ‘I don’t feel like it.  Maybe you can return these.  And then save that money to get your watch back.’”

“But Uncle wouldn’t take them.  ‘Enjoy what you got while you got it.  The watch was great, but, hey’—he raised his shoulder in a shrug— ‘it just wasn’t meant to be permanent.”

These two quotes say a lot to me, in not so many words.  I have an aunt in my life that would do anything in the world for me and vice versa.  She continually tells me and my sister that we are blessings to her and without her; I wouldn’t be the person that I am today.  She has given me the world.  I thank this book for making me remember the small things and what matters in life, and that’s family!  I would not be where I am today without them.  Like Artie, I can always count on my Aunt Connie!

Big Question:  How would you show your appreciation for someone in your family?  Would you give something up for them because of a promise that you made to them?   How does giving back to your family or community make you feel?  Appreciative?

Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China

Young, E. (1989). Lon Po Po: a red riding hood story from China. New York: Philomel Books.

The Caldecott Award Winning story of Lon Po Po is the Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood. There are many things that are the same but there are some variations to the story.  A mother and her three children live in the country, and the mother is going out to visit their grandmother, Po Po, for her birthday.  Their mother told the children to make sure to shut the door tight when the sunset.  There was a wolf in the nearby forest that saw the mother leave.  The wolf dressed up like their grandmother, knocked on the door and was persistent to get in.  At first they questioned the wolf multiple times before they grew with a too much excitement, so they opened the door.  The wolf walked in and made himself at home and blew out the candle.  It wasn’t until it was time for bed did they realize that their Po Po was not their Po Po, that it was a wolf.  The oldest girl convinced the wolf that he needed to eat gingko nuts from the top of the tree outside to live healthy and forever.  The girls hurried up to the top of the tree to escape the wolf. 

This week’s book selection was a book from the multicultural genre.  Lon Po Po is a multicultural picture book that is a Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood, written, translated, and illustrated all by Ed Young.  As cultures are different, there are still many ways to tie everyone together.  This progressive plot gives an introduction to how the children are left alone; the conflict is introduced and developed with a climax of the children realizing what they had just let into their house.  The resolution is then figured out by the oldest of girls and before you know it they are back in bed safely asleep.  The writing style of this story is very similar to the folktale Little Red Riding Hood, how the story reads and flows without having to back track to make sure that you have not missed anything.  The use of pastels, or chalk, in this book is a first for me.  Out of the children’s books that I have read, I have not seen illustrators use chalk.  I noticed the use of media on the wolf to give him good texture.  The texture of the wolf gives his fur a coarse feel and makes the reader see that he is a wolf and not just a dog or a pet.  The use of color, although bright, makes the entire story realistic and adds characterization to each character.

“My little jewels,” said the wolf, “this is your grandmother, your Po Po.”  This quote is just like the wolf who tries to disguise himself as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother when lying in her bed.  When reading these books, it takes me back to my childhood living in the country.  I lived in a place where the moon lit the area and when knocking noises happened, it seemed like someone was knocking on the door and most of the time it was a branch falling or hitting the house/roof.  We, my sisters and I, would sometimes let our imaginations run wild, like what if something were trying to fool us to letting them in for a midnight snack, which in the morning always made us laugh.  The imaginations of young children can always cook up something fun!

Big Question:  If you were in the same situation as these children after have letting the wolf in, what would your solution be to get him out of your house?  As the oldest, what would you do to protect your siblings for harm?

Messenger

Lowery, L. (2004). Messenger. New York:  Delacorte Press.

What starts out to be a normal story of a child who is troubled and then saved by a man, definitely made a big turn.  Matty, the troubled young man, was a brought to the village by Seer, a blind man, to be healed and to become a better person.  Anyone living in the village had no secrets from the town’s people, everyone knew everything about everybody.  It was a way of the living.  The town progressed by a means of trading, until one day it seemed as if the trading of good turned into bad.  People started trading for themselves and it all turned into greediness.  The town’s people then decided that they didn’t want any more outsiders to come to their village because they thought that it would only bring more trouble, using Matty as an example.  The only difference was that there were people in the town that had certain powers, the Leader had the power to see beyond, Matty had the power of healing, and Kira, daughter of Seer, had power to see ahead.  Once the town had decided to take a vote on letting outsiders in, and it came back to not allow it, Matty had made the decision that he would make the journey through the changing forest to get Seer’s daughter.  This was a dangerous journey, but he knew that this was a journey that he had to make for someone that took him in as his own. 

This story is a Modern Fantasy, again a genre that does not catch my attention.  Having to read this book, I was a little reluctant because of the plot.  It starts out in a normal integral setting of a small village and people living their normal lives until Matty discovers that he has powers of some sort that he couldn’t quite understand.  He sees this frog that has been apparently gobbled up and spit out, and his leg is dangling.  He naturally picks him up to put into a safe place, and begins to feel something weird happen to him.  Needless to say the frog is now healed because of his powers.  The plot then moves into the town changing into a place of greediness and the forest that everyone is so afraid of is changing as well.  This is the forest that Matty had to travel through to get to Seer’s daughter.  It is like the fantasy of this story changes.  The town turns greedy; the forest turns me and tries to kill those who go through it.  The troubles and tribulations that Matty and Kira have to go through to get back to a town of greediness strikes me as strange because who would really want to live that way.  I know that I wouldn’t want to, even though we already live in a society that people are sometimes forced to look out for themselves.

I find myself drawn to this book because in high school we had to read Giver and I never took the opportunity to read this one.  I found it interesting to see how quickly someone can change because of something they want so badly.  I think find myself thinking that I am a little crazy to think that these things don’t happen.  They happen every day!  We either choose to see it or we do not.  It is our choice!  I did enjoy reading this book and am glad that I am being told to read outside my normal genres.  Definitely a good read!!  I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a book where you can get entrapped and see the good in people again.  There are still people who do well for others.

Big Question:  If you had special power such as Matty and good do well, what would your power be?  How would you use this to better mankind?  Would this be something that you would be proud?

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Henkes, K. (1996). Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. New York:  Greenwillow Books.

Lilly is a little girl mouse who loves everything about school; she loves her desk, her pencils, and most of all; she loves her teacher, Mr. Slinger.  She goes to school everyday looking forward to listening to her teacher and helping him as much as possible.   One weekend she goes shopping with her “Grammy” and gets a new pair of sunglasses, three shiny quarters and a purple plastic purse that plays music when it’s opened.  She cannot wait to take her new things to school and show them to her classmates.  During and after school, Lilly learns a very good lesson and decides that she wants to be just like Mr. Slinger again and be a teacher when she grows up.  In every situation, there is a lesson to be learned.

Kevin Henkes books can be very helpful to young children because of the lessons that can be taught to an individual.  I can relate to Lilly in this story because there were times when I was younger that I wanted to do a particular thing and had to wait and I just couldn’t.  With my actions always came consequences, as the same with Lilly in this story.  She got her purse taken away for disturbing the class.  There is always a time for everything and I think with this story it portrays a students idea of a teacher very well.  This is how children think, or so I believe this is the way children think, when something bad happens to them in front of peers, they are embarrassed.  When finishing the story, everything always works out for the best.  I followed Lilly’s character very closely in this story, trying to see her view of things as well as an outsider’s view.  I could see that she was about to get in trouble and then I could feel her anger.  Lilly made me remember that jumping to conclusions is never good and can only lead to regret.  The style of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse is one that is shown in many of K. Henkes books.  The author uses third-person perspective to tell the story as someone who is omniscient.  This story was constructed with a plot that has multiple conflicts.  Lilly is put up against her teacher, person-against-person, when her belongings are taken away from her but then has a fight against herself, person-against-self, when she discovers that the teacher was only doing his job and was still the nice teacher that she believed him to be.

When choosing books, I am always drawn to illustrations.  The art of anything definitely catches my eye and the illustrator’s use of color is what draws me into a book.  I now, not only read books, but I pay very close attention to the detail of how characters are created so that I can get a sense of their personality.  Makes reading fun!

Big Question:  In this situation, what lesson do you think Lilly learned?  How do you think this is going to affect the way she acts from here on out in the classroom?

Wemberly Worried

 

Henkes, K. (2000). Wemberly Worried. New York:  Greenwillow Books. 

 

Wemberly is a young mouse who is constantly worrying about every little thing.  She worries about the smallest to the biggest things, and with everything fun or normal she finds something to worry about.  This story is absolutely one of the cutest that I have read because it shows the things that children may worry about on a day to day basis.  The characterization that the author uses for the reader to know the character is on point.  While reading this book, I got a feel of how this little girl was reacting to situations and could understand why she was worrying.  She couldn't help but worry, it was her personality.  Wemberly is a great

example of character development.  In the beginning, she worried about everything that she encountered, and by the end she was a little bit of a different mouse.

 The page layout for this particular book keeps me interested.  It uses the whole page with no boundaries, which I like.  The author tells the story and adds little blurbs of what Wemberly would be thinking in a different font so that it is distinct that it is her thought.  These blurbs add more character than just telling the story with words and illustrations alone.  The creators of this story used each page to it's fullest by placing the illustrations at different places on the pages and the words went along.  This book is a new favorite of mine for the use of color alone.  The illustrator uses watercolor and a black pen to add detail.  The artist has great control of the water just as much as the use of color.  The value adds just the right amount of detail and then coming back in with a pen to add a little more gives the story the character that it needs.  I can always get myself stuck on paying attention to detail when it comes to the pen work in a book.  I literally can get my face in the book to see the types of strokes an artist may

have used to create that particular look.  Amazed! 

As I continue to read Kevin Henkes books, I notice that his “mouse” books all have the same type of characterization when it comes to the illustrations.  The mice in Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Wemberly Worried use the exact same style of watercolor usage and pen work.  The colors in each also compare very well.  Even though the stories are completely different, they relate in so many ways because of the artist. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone because the characterization is so relate able.  I would hope that this would help children see that they are not alone and that there are ways to deal with fears. 

Big Question:  How would you, a friend of Wemberly, help her to overcome her fears? 

Owl Moon

Yolen, Jane (1987). Owl moon. New York:  Philomel Books.

A cold, snowy, night, a father takes his daughter on an owling trip.  This young girl has been looking forward to going out with her father for quite some time.  Her brothers have been owling multiple times and it was now her turn and she had so much excitement.  The duo headed out one night when the moon was at it's brightest to find a horned owl.  The little girl was so excited she didn't seem to mind the cold weather whatsoever, she was just glad to be apart of the adventure.  This quality time that she got to spend with her father will never be replaced and will always be cherished.

With every book that I come or across or read, being interested in art, I always notice the type of media used to create illustrations.  In Owl Moon, the illustrator used a mixtured of watercolor and ink.  Watercolor was used as a base and pen and ink was used to add a more detail to the landscape and characters.  The cool colors that were selected for this story gave it more of the realistic night image.  The writer created great imagery with this story to the sense that the little girl explains how she did certain things, such as how she had to run after her father every so often to keep up with him.  When she became cold,  it's as if she explains it so well that you could feel it yourself.  The "who-who-whooo-whooo" that her father used to call with was explained to great depth to how owling is done and what all it entails, from the cold weather to being absolutely quiet to having that hope that an owl would return the call.  The heart and hope behind the imagery to tell this story makes my heart melt for this little girl.  When reading this story you could just feel her excitement to be out with her father doing something that he always takes part in. 

Owl Moon  is a book that has received the Caldecott Medal and definitely caught my attention because of the snowy night.  I am a person who absolutely loves the snow and everthing that comes with it.  I felt this book was fitting to my personality as well.  As I am someone who cherishes every minute that I had with my father, this book makes my heart melt.  It caught my attention because of the father/daugther bond and adventure that they shared.  This particular book, one that I've never read, definitely touched home for me and is a book that I would recommend to any parent or child. These are the moments that everyone should cherish. 

Big Question:  What is a great adventure that your Father takes part in?  Have you been apart of this adventure?  If so, what was your first reaction?  If not, what is something that you would like to do with your Father?