Module 2 Review 2 - All-of-a-kind family

All-of-a-kind family / by Sydney Taylor.

Bibliographic Citation:

Taylor, S. (1951). All-of-a-kind family. New York, NY: Follett Publishing Company.

Summary:

This book is about the daily lives and adventures of a Jewish family living in tenement housing in New York City’s East End at the beginning of the 20^th century. The family includes 5 stair-step girls all two years apart, who all share one room in their small house. While you can tell time is passing as you read the chapters, they do not necessarily build on each other. Each chapter focuses on a different event or Jewish holiday.

Impressions:

This book, while the main characters are all girls, would be a good resource for giving children an idea of what life was like for poor families living in New York at the beginning of the 20^th century. The details are descriptive and can help paint a picture in the readers mind even though there are very few pictures in the book. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the market, Coney Island and how the girls contemplated how to spend their pennies. As a non-Jewish reader, I found the information about how this family celebrated Jewish holidays and traditions like the Sabbath, Purim Day and Succos.

Library Use Suggestions:

I would pull out sections of this book that have excellent description of details to use as examples of how good authors used words to paint pictures. I would have students close their eyes and listen to the description and then give them the opportunity to illustrate what they think it looked like.

Along the same lines, I would use the descriptive details to help with a writing lesson. After reading, I would ask the students what words they could use to paint a picture of the school library for someone who had never been there.

I may also use this book to discuss money and how the cost of buying things is different today than it was a hundred years ago. I would ask questions such as: If each girl got a penny a day, how many pennies would they have in one week? What are things they spent their pennies on? Could you buy the same things with pennies?

Reviews:

The Charles W. Follett Award series stepped off to a sprightly start last year with Carol Hoff's Johnny Texas and this season's offering again features authentic period and regional flavor plus expansive and attractive format, in a loving family story set in 1912 on the lower East Side of New York City. Five little girls in one family supply in lively activities and affection what may be lacking in worldly goods to the close-knit Jewish household in the days of immigrant poverty and hard-ships, and this story chronicles the activities of the family -- hated household choring which Mama made fun; the cherished religious holidays -- including a Seder celebrated by Papa, Mama, and one daughter, while four scarlet fever patients participated wistfully in the bedroom; a wonderful Fourth of July with real fireworks; an outing to Coney Island; a furious hunger strike by one of the more willful daughters which plunges the family into misery; a pushcart-street shopping expedition; and even a small mystery-romance. Although the author's nostalgia for times past weighs heavily now and then to point the story adultward, this is a honey, gentle book, tailor-made for little girls.

(1951, June 15). [Review of All-of-a-kind family]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sydney-taylor/all-of-a-kind-family/

Module 2 Review 1 - Millions of cats

Millions of cats / by Wanda Gag. 

Bibliographic Citation:

Gag, W. (1928). Millions of cats. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Summary:

In Millions of Cats, a very old man and a very old woman cannot be happy because they are lonely. The very old woman believes they will be happy if only they had a cat. The very old man sets out to find a cat for the very old woman. He comes to a hill covered with “hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats” (Gag, 1928). The very old man cannot pick just one cat and they all follow him home. The very old woman says they cannot afford to keep all the cats, so they let the cats decide which one will stay. All the cats fight over which one is the prettiest. When the fighting is over, there is only one little cat left. It was a homely little cat, but with love and care from the very old man and very old woman, it turned into the prettiest cat.

Impressions:

The illustrations are black and white, which may not be attention-grabbing for children. However, the repetition in the phrasing and the relatable subject might. The book is about the very old man choosing a cat for the very old woman. Many children have cats, or pets, and can relate to picking out the perfect pet to take home.

Library Use Suggestions:

I would use this book with younger students, beginning with asking students who has pet cats and what they look like. After reading the book, I would provide students will an outline of a cat and give students the opportunity to decorate it according what the cat they would choose would look like. 

Reviews:

More nostalgia. This one, I remember reading to myself when I was very small when we would go to my great-grandmother’s house. She had some old books in her bookcase, and I know I read this one more than once. Since then, I read it to my own sons, and I still love using it in storytime. That refrain is unforgettable, and I love getting kids to chant along with me, “Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats!” – Sondra Eklund

E. Bird. (2012, June 11). Top 100 picture books #21: Millions of cats. [Blog post]. Retrieved on January 25, 2015 from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/11/top-100-picture-books-21-millions-of-cats-by-wanda-gag/#_

Module 1 Review - Miss Malarkey leaves no reader behind

Miss Malarkey leaves no reader behind / by Judy Finchler & Kevin O'Malley.

Bibliographic Citation:

Finchler, J. & O’Malley, K. (2006). Miss Malarkey leaves no reader behind. New York, NY: Walker & Company.

Summary:

The principal, Mr. Wiggins, promises to dye his hair purple and sleep on the school roof if the students read 1,000 books during the school year. Miss Malarkey, a teacher, sets out to make readers of all the students in her class, even those that have no interest in reading. One by one, she gets to know her students and presents them with books to read that peak their interest. One of her students rejects every book she gives him. At the very end of the school year, she finally finds a book that sucks him in.

Impressions:

Non-readers or unengaged readers are common, but I think with some effort to find a book of interest, every student can become a reader. That’s what Miss Malarkey did in the story, it took all year, but she put the effort in to determine what interested her students and then sought out books they could read. She did not give up if a book wasn’t a good fit, she kept searching.

Library Use Suggestions:

As a librarian, I think this would be a good read this at the beginning of the school year. I would start a discussion with students about what Miss Malarkey did to make sure all students read a book. I would ask students to share subjects they are interested in. I would take their interests into consideration and get to know them better individually so that I could make quality book suggestions for them.

Reviews:

During the first week of school, Principal Wiggins promises that if the students read 1000 books by June 12, he will dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof. Miss Malarkey tells her class that they will be doing the Everybody Reads in America program and promises that all of the students will find books they love before the end of the school year. She picks some for each of them, engaging even reluctant readers. One boy remains unable to find a book he likes until June 10, when Miss Malarkey chooses one that has aliens, race cars, funny jokes, chewing gum, hot sauce, and cannonballs. It becomes number 1001 read by the students and the story ends with everyone wishing Principal Wiggins (whose hair is now purple) a good night on the roof. This title will resonate with those who choose math, video games, and sports over books. O'Malley's illustrations, done in markers and colored pencils, enhance the text with expressive pictures of the students and their teacher as they explore (or choose not to explore) the joys of reading. The illustrations lend humor and credibility to the reluctance of some of the students. A must-have for all libraries.-Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA

Sheridan, R. (2006, August 1). Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind [Review of the book Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind, by J. Finchler & K. O’Malley]. School Library Journal Reviews 52(8), 81.