Module 6: January's Sparrow

When composing this blog, I had the most difficult time choosing which book to review.  I would like to mention The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, and Little Pea with the respect and honor that these books deserve, as well.  History lover that I am, I decided to go with what was, for me, the most compelling of stories.

Citation
Polacco, P.  (2009).  January's Sparrow.  New York: Philomel.

Summary
Unwilling residents of the Giltner Plantation in Kentucky, Sadie Crosswhite and her family have taken in January Drumm, a young man sold from his mother when he was young.  After January attempts to run away, Giltner has him cruelly beaten and left for dead by his overseers.  This, in combination with a plan to sell Sadie's brothers off, prompts the Crosswhite family to flee the plantation via the Underground Railroad.  They end up in Marshall, Michigan, where they settle somewhat uneasily; the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, should officials choose to enforce it, dictates that even runaway slaves in free states must be returned to their owners.  The community of Marshall rises up to protect the Crosswhites when Giltner's cronies show up, and the Crosswhites have the unexpected gift of being reunited with January, who had carved a beautiful little sparrow for Sadie back on the plantation.

Impression
I could not put this book down. Prefaced by January's point of view, this story hooked me through its depiction of the courageous Crosswhite family.  While slavery and Jim Crow fast recede into the past, the importance of remembering "man's inhumanity to man" (in the words of Robert Burns)  in the United States as an historic reality strikes me as vital to the preservation of freedom for all.  In fact, National Public Radio carried a piece this week about the groundbreaking for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.  Both President Obama and (Librarian!) former First Lady Laura Bush were present, demonstrating bipartisan support for its establishment.  The piece stated that it will not be long until veterans of the Civil Rights struggle and people who remember drinking from "colored" water fountains have departed this world.  While I enjoyed the illustrations in general, I would agree with Rochman below who said that the "characters' expressions in the colored-pencil-and-marker artwork sometimes overstate and simplify the complex emotions in the words."  However, I suppose that one could say equally that the emotions depicted speak of raw and visceral feelings unsuited to understatement.  Still, I can't help but feel that the luminous illustrations of E.B. Lewis (whose illustrations of Langston Hughes' The Negro Speaks of Rivers leave me dazzled and inspired) might be better suited to Polacco's well-turned words.  As Hamlet might say, "'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd."

Review
Rochman, H.  (2009).  January's sparrow.  Booklist, 106(4), 52.  Retrieved from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Told from the viewpoint of Sadie Crosswhite, a young child who was born into slavery, this dramatic picture book is based on true events that took place in Marshall, Michigan, near where Polacco lives today. The narrative begins with shocking brutality on a Kentucky plantation: Sadie and her family watch while her foster brother, January, is whipped and kicked to death for trying to escape to freedom. With the threat of being auctioned off, the family members run away that night, bound for Canada, and the unframed pictures show their journey on the Underground Railroad, pursued by the slave catchers with savage dogs, until they find shelter in Marshall. Will they be safe there? Are there spies? Sadie goes to school and makes friends, but then the slave catchers come, and so does a surprising visitor. The characters’ melodramatic expressions in the colored-pencil-and-marker artwork sometimes overstate and simplify the complex emotions in the words. Still, Sadie’s first-person narrative, in modified dialect, captures the terror, excitement, and hope of the powerful history. Grades 3-6

Suggestion
Without a doubt, this picture book would be well-suited to an older audience.  Though Rochman's recommendation right spans grades 3-6 as a start, I could see this book being used with even older audiences in American history classes.  Kenneth Clark famously said, "History is ourselves," but so often the personal stories become lost in the saga of "big events."  Bringing slavery and the experience of a runaway family on the Underground Railroad down to the personal level of the Crosswhite family makes it more attainable and less likely to be dismissed categorically.  I would suggest this book for an introductory read-aloud to American history classes (in Texas, taught in 5th, 8th, and either 9th or 11th grades) for units relating to slavery, abolition, and the Civil War.  Older audiences might be more interested in delving into how causes of the Civil War were varied and the reasons for fighting even more so, but how the existence of slavery in the States truly created "a house divided."

Module 5: Zora and Me, Coretta Scott King citation, 2011

Citation
Bond, V. & Simon, T. R.  (2010).  Zora and Me.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary

Carrie and her friend, Zora Neale Hurston, thrive in the close-knit community of Eatonville, Florida, true childhood home of the well-respected writer of Their Eyes Were Watching God and recorder of oral history.  Zora's imagination and storytelling figure prominently in the novel, full of legend and mystery of the Gator King and a grisly murder; Carrie, whose father left the family for reasons unknown, struggles with grief and loss.  Racial identity, family dynamics, imagination, storytelling, and loss all find their way into this story.  Bond and Simon have collaborated on a captivating and resonant novel for junior high students and up.

Impression
I sincerely enjoyed this novel, and I can certainly see why it won the award for promising new talent.  I have to admit that I was skeptical going into the reading of this story, for I remain a fan of Zora Neale Hurston and had a difficult time imagining how the authors would render her childhood self.  The book skillfully provides a sense of place, and its characters became real to me through the authors' adept narration.  The following quote really touched me:

"The bad things that happen to you in life don't define misery -- what you do with them does.  When Mr. Pendir and Gold could have chosen connection, they chose solitude; when they could have brought loving themselves to loving someone else, they wore masks and shunned love's power.  You can't hide from life's pain, and folks that love you would never expect you to."

I feel that Zora Neale Hurston would be pleased.

Review
Rochman, H.  (2010).  Zora and me [book review].  Booklist, 107(4), 64.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost
Told in the immediate first-person voice of 10-year-old Carrie, Zora Neale Hurston’s best childhood friend, this first novel is both thrilling and heartbreaking. Each chapter
is a story that evokes the famous African American writer’s early years in turn-of-the-last-century Eatonville, Florida, and the sharp, wry vignettes build to a climax, as Carrie and Zora eavesdrop on adults and discover secrets. Family is front and center, but true to Hurston’s work, there is no reverential message: Carrie mourns for her dad, who went to Orlando for work and never came back; Zora’s father is home, but he rejects her for being educated and “acting white,” unlike her favored sister. Racism is part of the story, with occasional use of the n-word in the colloquial narrative. Like Hurston, who celebrated her rich roots but was also a wanderer at heart, this novel of lies and revelations will reach a wide audience, and some strong readers will want to follow up with Hurston’s writings, including Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). The novel’s back matter includes a short biography of Hurston, an annotated bibliography of her groundbreaking work, and an endorsement by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust. —Hazel Rochman

Suggestions for use
This book would be a fascinating read in conjunction with Their Eyes Were Watching God (if so, this pairing would be for 9th grade and up, the material of the latter being more mature).  For middle schoolers, this book would be an excellent springboard into the life and work of Hurston, one of the most influential and important American writers of the 20th century.  It would certainly be an excellent book to feature for a display during Black History Month, but I would say that its heroines deserve to be compared with Scout Finch.  In fact, reading Zora and Me in conjunction with To Kill a Mockingbird would be a fabulous study in the depiction of race, dialect, and place.  I could see this book as being a part of such a comparative study for advanced middle schoolers.

Module 5: Jellicoe Road, Michael L. Printz Award, 2007

Citation
Marchetta, M.  (2006).  Jellicoe Road.  New York: HarperTeen.


Summary
Jellicoe Road tells the story of boarding school student Taylor Markham, interspersed with snippets from the fragmented past of her guardian, Hannah Schroeder.  The novel, written by Australian Marchetta, ties together the present and past stories with abundant twists and turns.  The somber and tragic tone of the story is offset, at times, by dry teenage humor.  The mystery of Taylor's abandonment by her mother, somehow bound up with Hannah's own story, unravels through an adventure with her boyfriend, Jonah Griggs.  

Impression
This book very squarely falls into the category of young adult fiction, for its language, mild sexual content, and heavy -- and I mean heavy -- subject matter.  A horrific car wreck on Jellicoe Road results in the deaths of 5 people: two sets of parents and a sister.  The three surviving children form bonds with two other individuals, one who helped them out of the wreckage.  Depression, suicide, arson, and drug addiction (rendered sympathetically but with negative consequences) all comprise major elements of the plot.  A subplot involving a serial killer seemed a little over-the-top considering all of the other stuff going on in the book.

All in all, I found this to be an interesting and compelling story.  I do have to say that I felt that the plot and action were rather heavy-handed (in addition to being heavy in content) at times.  Overall, I really liked the book and felt a great deal of sympathy for the edgy characters.

Review
Adams, L.  (2007).  Jellicoe Road [book review].  Horn Book Magazine, 84(6), 708.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

"Two tragic stories—one past, one present—come together in this carefully constructed novel set in the Australian bush. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Markham has just been made leader of the Jellicoe School’s “Underground” during the annual territory wars with the townies and the cadets. Taylor arrived at the school at age eleven when her mother dumped her at the local 7-11 and she was taken in by Hannah, voluntary caretaker of the school’s neediest students. Interspersed with war maneuvers, negotiations, and Taylor’s hotly charged meetings with cadet leader Jonah Griggs are excerpts from Hannah’s unfinished novel about three teenaged survivors of a horrific car wreck on Jellicoe Road years earlier. The three survivors, and the lifelong bonds they formed with the townie who rescued them and the cadet who befriended them, have everything to do with Taylor; together with broken memories of life with her drug-addicted mother and dream visits from a mysterious boy, Hannah’s story helps Taylor piece together the truth about her past and determine who she will become. Despite grief piled on grief in the personal histories of the characters, they are all firmly bound by friend- ship and love. Suspenseful plotting, slowly unraveling mysteries, and generations of romance shape the absorbing novel."

Suggestions for use  
I would recommend this title for high school collections.  It would be a difficult book to use for anything cutesy or creative: the plot is simply too heavy, and it deserves more sophisticated treatment.  I could see a librarian using this book for a lively and interesting book club discussion.  A comparison between Jellicoe Road and The Hunger Games would be interesting, though the settings are obviously different.  I see similarities between the female protagonists, Taylor and Katniss.  Both are tough characters on the outside trying to survive impossible circumstances.

Module 4: Criss Cross, Newbery 2006

Citation
Perkins, L.  (2005).  Criss Cross.  New York: Greenwillow Books.

Summary
Lynne Rae Perkins' Criss Cross tells the story of Debbie, Hector, and Lenny, three junior-high students, as they tackle the hurdle of identity during adolescence.  Their three stories weave in and out of the narrative, only to coalesce finally at a neighborhood luau with the reappearance of Debbie's necklace.  The book contains Perkins' own pen-and-ink illustrations.

Impression
First of all, I loved this book and its subtle humor (a passage on the sanitary napkin industry, for example, made me laugh until my sides ached).  Perkins has a knack for communicating poignant moments without being maudlin.  The imagery, analogies, and keen observations she incorporates into Criss Cross will stay with me as examples of excellent writing.  However, what lingers with me after reading this book is Perkins' characters.  Debbie, Hector, Lenny, their friends, and their acquaintances are rendered with care.  Perkins paints even the neighborhood jock, Dan Persik, with shades of complexity as he plays with girls' hearts, steals the attention of Hector's crush, insensitively occupies bus seats, and forthrightly makes a man who lost his legs during war feel comfortable at a bus stop.  The way that the characters try to connect with one another -- sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, but always trying -- communicates a deep and resonant humanity which will touch the heart and mind of willing readers.

Review
Hepperman, C.  (2005).  Criss cross [book review].  Horn Book Magazine, 81(5), 585-586.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Catching fireflies in a jar, fourteen-year-old Debbie (first met in Perkins’s spectacular debut novel All Alone in the Universe, rev. 9/99) watches the bugs’ “glow parts go on and off,” appeasing her guilt over capturing them by convincing herself that “once they were free, their small, basic brains
would . . . have no memory of being imprisoned.”
Perkins’s wonderfully contemplative and relaxed yet captivating second novel, again illustrated with her own perfectly idiosyncratic spot art, is a collection of fleeting images and sensations—some pleasurable, some painful, some a mix of both—from her ensemble cast’s lives. Like All Alone in the Universe, the story is set in a 1970s small town, but teen readers won’t have to be aware of the time period to feel connected to Debbie, Hector, Lenny, and the rest as the third-person narrative floats back and forth between their often humorous, gradually evolving perspectives. The book’s title refers to a radio show that the neighborhood teens listen to on Saturday evenings; on a thematic level, it also refers to those barely perceptible moments of missed communication between a boy and a girl, a parent and a child, when “something might have happened” but didn’t. In keeping with Perkins’s almost Zen-like tone, such flubbed opportunities are viewed as unfortunate but not tragic. “Maybe it was another time that their moments would meet.” Like a lazy summer day, the novel induces that exhilarating feeling that one has all the time in the world.

Suggestions for Use
I must say that I am hard-pressed to say how this book should be "used" in the library setting.  It is the sort of book which deserves to be savored in some cozy spot.  It would definitely be a book I would highlight in a display showcasing more recent Newbery winner.  I would find some student readers to pioneer a reading of this book and get their reviews on it, as well.  I could see it figuring prominently in a book club discussion of the effectiveness of illustrations in novels.  I think it might be fun for students inclined to do so to verbally sketch out an event in their own lives and to provide accompanying illustrations in the same style.

Module 4: Caddie Woodlawn, Newbery 1936

Citation
Brink, C.  (1935).  Caddie Woodlawn.  New ed., 1973.  New York: Macmillan Publishing.

Summary
Eleven-year-old Caddie Woodlawn struggles with what it means to be a girl and grow into a woman on the frontier of Wisconsin during the Civil War.  Told through a series of stories, this tale primarily relates the adventures and misadventures of Caddie and her two closest brothers, Tom and Warren.  It delves into the complex relationship of settlers to Native Americans of the area, including a sympathetic, if not politically correct, character by the name of Indian John with whom the Woodlawns enjoy mutual respect.

Impression
As I referenced in my discussion post, this is one of those books that I had wanted to read for many years and have finally had "practical" enough excuse to do so.  What a marvelous work of American literature!  Comparisons with Laura Ingalls Wilder are inevitable; I read Wilder's books voraciously as a child and young adult.  Though I still love and will always love tales of Laura, her books feel less introspective than this little volume.  Perhaps this is just a function of having so many volumes to tell her story, which covers many years.  However, Brink's story, based upon her own grandmother's childhood experiences, provided this reader with yet another positive female protagonist, full of spirit, spunk, and compassion.  Her relationship with her siblings and parents is characterized skillfully and lovingly.  I strongly recommend this book for any collection, as its themes and characters are timeless, while the story itself is set in an interesting time in American history.

Review
Jaffke, K.  (2007).  Caddie Woodlawn [webpage].  From Wisconsin Kids Paper Dolls: A Learning Resource from WisHis for Kids website.  Retrieved from http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/kids/dolls/caddie/reviews.htm

Excerpt:
My favorite part of the book was when Caddie used her entire silver dollar to buy things such as a comb, candy, and other goodies for three small children who did not have a mother. This was a very unselfish thing for Caddie to do. She was being very kind and a good friend to those little children.
I wouldn't change any part of this book. I enjoyed this whole book and found it to keep my interest for the entire time. I would recommend it to my friends because it was an exciting book that showed how life was in the 1860's from a 11 year old's perspective. Caddie was very different from other children, especially different from other girls. She made this book very entertaining and kept me connected. I always wanted to come back and read what exciting adventures that Caddie would have next.

Suggestions for Use

This book certainly lends itself well to read-alouds.  However, I think that an interesting way to use the book would be to create an American frontier-themed evening for families in the library.  Children could be encouraged to dress as their favorite characters from the American frontier.  The librarian would promote Caddie, the Little House books, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, and many other books chronicling life on the frontier.  The American diary series would be good selections, as well.  Perhaps families with Native American heritage could share their experiences and perspectives.  I would envision this event as taking place in February, when we celebrate Presidents' Day.  Abraham Lincoln himself represents part of the mythology of the American frontier, and his birthday would tie in well to such an evening.

Module 3: Owl Moon, Caldecott 1988

Citation
Yolen, J.  (1987).  Owl Moon.  New York: Philomel.

Summary
Jane Yolen's Owl Moon, illustrated by Caldecott artist Schoenherr, relates the story of a youngster who finally has the opportunity to go "owling," or walking about the woods at night looking for owls, with her father.  While I say "her," I would like to make it clear that one of the interesting things about the book is that the voice and illustration of the child remain somewhat androgynous, enabling readers to project themselves into the small adventure of a child venturing out for the first time on a "grown-up" excursion.  The father calls for a great horned owl, and the owl responds and seeks a glimpse of his forest guests.

Impressions
Owl Moon will have a longstanding role in my storytelling times.  The illustrations demonstrate an appreciation for the beauty, wildness, and mystery of the natural world.  The themes -- growing up, trying to keep up with parents, wonder of childhood -- speak today as well as they did in 1987, the year that the book won the Caldecott.  The anticipation, thoughtfulness, and quiet mood of the book resonate with this reader.

Review
Vandergrift, K.  (1987).  Owl moon [book review].  School Library Journal, 34(4), 78.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Excerpt: "Owl Moon is as expansive as the broad sweep of the great owl's wings and as close and comforting as a small hand held on a wintry night. . . . This is a loving book that readers, male or female, young or old, will want to make a part of their lives."

Suggestions for Use
Reflecting my own interest in birdwatching, I think that Owl Moon would be an excellent springboard for introducing a unit on urban wildlife for a science class.  I know that Plano's third graders do an extensive unit on urban, suburban, and rural settings, and I think that this book would dovetail well into investigating the environment around us with wonder and appreciation for its complexity.

Module 3: A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Caldecott 2011

Citation
Stead, P.  (2010).  A Sick Day for Amos McGee.  New York: Roaring Book Press.

Summary
In A Sick Day for Amos McGee, readers catch a glimpse of the friendship between Amos and his animal charges at the zoo as depicted by author Philip Stead and his illustrator wife, Erin Stead.  Amos spends his days caring compassionately for an elephant, a penguin, a tortoise, an owl, and a rhinoceros.  When they note his absence, Amos' friends decide to pay him a visit, and his kindness comes full circle.  The lovingly-rendered pencil illustrations, enhanced with color, communicate the simple affection between long-time friends.


Impressions
I think very highly of both of these books.  A Sick Day for Amos McGee is one of the best books for children that I have read in a long time, both for its sweet, compassionate verbal message and for its beautifully detailed illustrations.  I look forward to hearing more from the author and illustrator.  Far from being overly sappy, the book's simplicity in depicting the relationship between Amos and the animals warms the heart without being cloying.



Review
Flynn, K.  (2010).  A sick day for Amos McGee [book review].  Horn Book Magazine, 86(3), 72-73.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Kindly zookeeper Amos McGee is a creature of habit, much like his animal charges. Every day Amos follows the same morning routine; and when he gets to work, he "always | makes] time to visit his good friends." Amos has a special relationship with each one of his pals: he plays chess with the thoughtful elephant, races the tortoise "who never ever lost," quietly keeps the shy penguin company, has a handkerchief ready for the runny-nosed rhino, and reads stories to the owl "who was afraid of the dark." Erin Stead's attentively detailed pencil and woodblock illustrations reveal character and enhance the cozy mood of Philip Stead's gentle text. Wiry, elderly Amos has a kindly Mister Rogers air about him; the animals, while realistically rendered overall, display distinct personalities without uttering a word. When Amos stays home one day to nurse a cold, his friends have just the right medicine: they make time to visit their good friend. Two wordless spreads showing the animals (and one peripatetic red balloon) taking the bus to Amos's house have an almost surreal quality, which adds some low-key anticipation to the understated story.


Suggestions for Use
A Sick Day for Amos McGee would be an excellent theme for a library display or bulletin board.  After a reading of the book, K-3rd children should respond creatively by thinking of what kind of animal they would want to have as a friend and what they would do together.  Then, children should draw their own depictions of what that would look like.  Teachers and librarians would then display the artwork in a prominent area of the school.