Funny Bones (A Book Review)

Funny Bones Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras (Review by Leighanne Massey)

Bibliography

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Funny Bones Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2015. ISBN 9781419716478

Plot Summary

Funny Bones is a perfectly detailed account of Posada's influence on 1850's Mexico through his often humorous and perceptive drawings of the culture featuring calaveras as his subjects.   

Critical Analysis

Winner of several awards, Duncan Tonatiuh captures the story of the famous holiday El Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead in Funny Bones Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras in this informational picture book. Calaveras means skeletons and they are adorned everywhere during this November 1-2 celebration across many parts of the world to celebrate death and life. Funny Bones features an Author's Note at the end of the book as well as the Glossary, Bibliography, Art Credits, where to find Posada's work, an Index, and a note from the author about how the artwork was made in the book(hand-drawn and then collaged digitally). Funny Bones implies just what the title intends; it is mostly a story readers will enjoy about Jose Guadalupe Posada who was born into a big family in 1852 and became an icon for El Dia de Muertos with his illustrations. The picture book progressively chronicles his life spanning about two decades. 

His older brother taught him to read and write and it was through this schooling Posada developed a love of drawing. His brother enrolled him in a local art academy and Posada took off from there learning lithography, engraving, and etching in his lifetime. Tonatiuh captures the elements of Mexico in the mid 1800's through the clothing and Mexican surroundings in the unique collage illustrations and representations of Mexican people featuring heads with exaggerated protruding lips. The intricate process Posada used to create his drawings is also detailed in the book. Interwoven with Tonatiuh's text is authentic artwork from Posada and his friend Manuel Manilla. Actual calaveras drawings can be seen from Posada in this story of how one man poked fun at the culture, political figures, historical events, society and Mexican government of his time. What is even more interesting about this historical account are the thought-provoking questions posed to the reader concerning the hidden meanings behind Posada's work. What was he actually saying? Though the author notes there are still some unanswered questions about Posada, one thing that is not questioned is his ever-lasting presence in Mexico during El dia de Muertos when his calaveras paintings are displayed everywhere for everyone to enjoy even to this day.                     

Review Excerpt(s)
A 2016 Sibert Award Winner, Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Honor Book, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015.

From School Library Journal:

"Gr 3–6—Tonatiuh's latest delves into the life of artist and social commentator extraordinaire José Guadalupe Posada, best known for his literary calaveras, brief and amusing rhyming poems about skeletons dressed in clothes, going about their daily business. The beautifully expressive Day of the Dead-inspired illustrations on heavy paper pages sport borders of bones, grinning skeletons, and Tonatiuh's signature figures shown in profile, influenced by the ancient Mexican art of his ancestors."

Kirkus Reviews:

"Tonatiuh further marks himself as a major nonfiction talent with this artistically beautiful and factually accessible offering that effectively blends artistic and political content for young readers."

Booklist:

"Playful but informative, this picture book offers a fascinating introduction to the artist and his work." 

Connections

Other Duncan Tonatiuh books to check out:

A 2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book:

• Tonatiuh, Duncan. Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014. ISBN 9781419710544

A Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Honor book 2014:

• Tonatiuh, Duncan. Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013. ISBN 9781419705830

• Tonatiuh, Duncan. The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2016. ISBN 9781419721304

Teachers can utilize Funny Bones, The Princess and the Warrior and Pancho Rabbit to teach customs and elements of tales and legends to students about Mexican culture. Students could compare and contrast the stories or check out other books featuring the same Mexican tales and legends. 

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation is a great piece about a part of our history's past. This could be a great piece to discuss segregation with students or children.    

What To Do About Alice (A Book Review)

What To Do About Alice (Review by Leighanne Massey)

Bibliography

Kerley, Barbara. What To Do About Alice? New York: Scholastic, 2008. ISBN 9780439922319.

Plot Summary

What To Do About Alice chronicles the interesting life of Theodore Roosevelt's daughter and her vivacious personality.     

Critical Analysis

Barbara Kerley is an award-winning author known for her books written about prominent topics in science and history. What To Do About Alice is a Biography set in a picture book format that highlights Theodore Roosevelt's daughter and her unordinary behavior as documented in the early 1900's. With factual excerpts embedded throughout, the story begins two days after Alice is born, briefly mentioning the devastation after her mother's death. As Roosevelt remarries and Alice grows, so does her big personality. With historical facts in the time period portrayed accurately in the colorful depictions of clothing, period documents, buildings, furnishings, and transportation, Edwin Fotheringham helps paint a comical picture of a bold girl growing up in the spotlight of her political father. Referred to by her father as "running riot," Alice adversely described herself as "eating up the world." Alice could be seen staying out late, gambling, playing with her pet snake, and joining a club with boys. Even with some setbacks, She enjoyed life differently than girls her age and did not want anyone feeling sorry for her. Though her antics continued in the White House when she was a teenager and her father became President, the nation began to love Alice and anticipate the news stories about her. Roosevelt was once documented as saying to a friend, "I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly DO BOTH." Readers will fall in love with Alice just as a nation did in a conservative time when hardship and prosperity prevailed.                     

Review Excerpt(s)

A Starred Review From Booklist on December 15, 2007:

"Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art."

A Starred Review From Kirkus on February 1, 2008:

"Theodore Roosevelt's irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book.... Kerley's precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms—and largely succeeded."

A Starred Review From School Library Journal in March 2008:

"Kerley's text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject's antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship's swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father's trusted advisers. Fotheringham's digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text."

Connections

Other Barbara Kerley books to check out:

• Kerley, Barbara & Fotheringham, Edwin. A Home for Mr. Emerson. New York: Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9780545350884

• Kerley, Barbara & Fotheringham, Edwin. The Extraordinary Mark Twain. New York: Scholastic, 2010. ISBN 9780545125086

• Kerley, Barbara & Selznick, Brian. Walt Whitman: Words for America. New York: Scholastic, 2004. ISBN 9780439357913

Teachers can utilize these books to facilitate a research project about influential Americans and their lasting impact on the country. Students could even check out other books about these famous figures, comparing and contrasting the information contained.  

Looking Down (A Book Review)

Looking Down (Review by Leighanne Massey)

Bibliography

Jenkins, Steve. Looking Down. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. ISBN 0395726654 

Plot Summary

Looking Down is a wordless picture informational book about the perspective of Earth from Space.  

Critical Analysis

Jenkins' colorful and detailed cut-paper collage art takes the reader farther than words can in this wordless unique viewpoint of Earth from Space. With a reputation for worthwhile science books for children, Jenkins fascinates again as he expertly leads a journey from the Moon to Earth by placing the reader in the seat of a rocket ship. As Earth draws near, differing outlines of landforms, water, and clouds can be seen with consistent accuracy. As the reader zooms closer, aerial views of a farm town and river come alive before our very eyes until resting on a neighborhood, a house, and then eventually taking on the mindset of a little boy viewing a ladybug under a hand lens. The clever design and sequence of this picture book will draw in curious imaginations and questions from children almost certainly. It is a great conversation piece to utilize in a classroom environment. Jenkins concludes noting that the town used in the book is based loosely on many towns on the East Coast.      

Review Excerpt(s)
From School Library Journal:

"PreSchool-Grade 3-The Earth floats in space, a small blue marble, growing with each turn of the page. The North American continent swells until the streets of a (fictional) coastal town become visible, then a particular neighborhood; a dot on the sidewalk becomes a boy with a magnifying glass, viewing-what? A ladybug fills the last page. Using neat, sharp-edged paper collages and pure, simple colors, Jenkins convincingly conveys, better than most aerial photography, both a sense of height and an almost vertiginous feeling of movement in this wordless fall. Books with expanding rather than contracting scales, such as Istvan Banyai's Zoom (Viking, 1995) or the Hirsts' My Place in Space (Orchard, 1990) end on more cosmic notes, but younger readers will find this an exciting, eye-opening slide."

From Booklist:

"Ages 4-7. Jenkins' distinctive cut-paper collage illustrations take readers on a fascinating, wordless journey that begins with a look at the earth from outer space and ends with a close-up of a ladybug. The double-page spreads show progressively smaller aerial views of a coastline, a town, a street, and so on, until they finally zoom in on the ladybug as seen through the magnifying glass of a young girl. As with all wordless books, children can apply their own interpretation to the pictures to create a story that is uniquely theirs. The book can also be used by preschool and primary-grade teachers to introduce basic science vocabulary, and of course, it can simply be enjoyed as a work of art."

From Horn Book:

"Beautiful, engaging, and full of possibilities for discussion, the book will be a welcome addition to the collections of young science enthusiasts."

Connections

Other Steve Jenkins books to check out: 

• Jenkins, Steve. Actual Size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. ISBN 9780547512914

2004 Caldecott Honor Book:

• Jenkins, Steve. What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. ISBN 9780618997138 

• Jenkins, Steve. Biggest, Strongest, Fastest. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1997. ISBN 9780395861363

Teachers can use Looking Down to share with their class to build curiosity of Earth and Space. It can even be used as a lesson opener for the planets and The Solar System. 

Teachers can utilize the story Biggest, Strongest, Fastest and What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? to teach animals, their characteristics, habitats, and size in a way children can understand.  

Orchards (A Book Review)

Orchards (Review by Leighanne Massey)

Bibliography

Thompson, Holly. Orchards. New York: Random House, 2011. ISBN 9780385739788

Plot Summary

Kana Goldberg is sent during her Summer vacation to stay with her family in Japan after a girl in her 8th grade class falls victim to constant bullying. Feeling a sense of guilt for not having helped the girl, Kana goes through a cultural journey of self-realization and soon develops empathy for those affected, feeling a sense of urgency in the end to honor her fallen classmates.   

Critical Analysis
"One week after 
you stuffed a coil of rope 
into your backpack 
and walked uphill into 
Osgoods' orchard 
where blooms were still closed fists 

my father looked up 
summer airfares 
to Tokyo (Orchards)."

From the very first line, the free verse flows quickly, hits powerfully and catches the reader's attention instantly. Over-abundant in purposeful language with lots of built-in metaphors, Thompson both delivers and captures the emotions of guilt and blame accurately. The author intertwines the internal struggle of the main character as she tries to cope with the aftermath of the events and her own cultural identity. Although lengthy, the verse style in Orchards allows the story to progress naturally catching the reader off-guard in the end. The aspects of Japanese culture coupled with the woodcut illustrations of Japanese emblems after each chapter keep the reader tied into the impact of the poems. This is a story beautifully told that will leave a mark on the reader, particularly since its relevance in today's culture cannot be underscored.              

Review Excerpt(s)

"Thompson has crafted an exquisite, thought-provoking story of grief and healing that will resonate with teen readers and give them much to discuss."

-Starred Review, School Library Journal, March 2011

“Eloquently captures a teenager’s anger, guilt, and sorrow after a classmate takes her own life. . . . Understated yet potent verse.” -Review, Publishers Weekly, January 3, 2011

“A fast-paced page-turner that explores the rippling effects of suicide.” 

-Review, Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2011

“Readers will want to talk about the big issues, especially the guilt of doing nothing.” -Review, Booklist, January 1, 2011

“Compelling. . . . Teens who enjoy learning about other cultures will relish Thompson’s ability to evoke the sights, smells, and tastes of Japan, while poetry fans will enjoy the novel’s unique format.” -Review, VOYA

Connections

Other Holly Thompson books to check out:

• Thompson, Holly. Tomo: Friendship through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories. California: Stone Bridge Press, 2012. ISBN 9781611725186 

• Thompson, Holly. The Language Inside. New York: Random House, 2013. ISBN 9780385739795

• Thompson, Holly. Ash: A Novel. California: Stone Bridge Press, 2001. ISBN 9780893469887

Tomo would be an interesting account of the events in Japan following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It could lead into a history lesson about Japan or tsunami and earthquakes. Teens will relate to the characters in this book.

The Language Inside would be a book for teens who can relate to living in a different country and having to move when tragedy strikes in their lives.

Ash: A Novel in Thompson's first novel and would interest teens who like Japanese culture and stories of redemption after witnessing traumatic events. 

Each of Thompson's books center on Japanese culture since the author lives and teaches creative writing in Japan. Her books also glean aspects of the culture and celebrations such as O-bon which might interest readers familiar with this custom. 

Jazz (A Book Review)

Jazz (Review by Leighanne Massey)

Bibliography

Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz. New York: Holiday House, Inc., 2006. ISBN 0823415457

Plot Summary

Beginning with an interesting overview of the birth of Jazz and a glossary of terms in the back, this book's colorful and vibrant pages move you to the rhythm and beat of each unique and brilliantly worded poem prose and verse. Cleverly engineered by Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher, this is a masterpiece anyone can appreciate.  

Critical Analysis

"Start with rhythm. Start with the heart. Drumming in tongues. Along the Nile. A Black man's drum. Speaks LOVE. Start with RHYTHM. Start with the HEART. Work songs. Gospel. Triumph. Despair. Voices. Lifted From the soul (Jazz)." 

With each musical poem in this picture book, Myers sets the tone and feel of jazz, representing it in its different forms. With the bright and distinctive illustrations, it's as if Myers makes the characters dance along to the beat unfolding in the reader's mind. Christopher Myer's use of shadows and dark colors signify dramatic moments, emotions and gestures of musical impact. With a reference to Louis Armstrong, a representation of a New Orleans funeral, and the child-like appeal of the repeating lines of the poem 'Three Voices,' many readers will enjoy Jazz on so many different levels. With such precise and carefully chosen language, it begs to be sung/chanted aloud and repeated over and over again.                 

Review Excerpt(s)

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (inaugural year-2010)

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor Book (2006)

"The father-and-son team behind blues journey creates a scintillating paean to jazz. Walter Dean Myers infuses his lines (and the rests between them) with so much savvy syncopation that readers can't help but be swept up in the rhythms."-Publishers Weekly

"The highly acclaimed author opens with a title poem that speaks of the African origins of jazz and "[d]rumming in tongues along the Nile," then swings to an exuberant tribute to Louie Armstrong in which that legendary trumpet player spanks a bad tune "like a naughty boy." The rhythm and word-play of poems such as "Be-Bop" and "Three Voices" will have kids bouncing and repeating lines like "[a] bippety-bop snake can't bite my style" and "[t]hum, thum, thum, and thumming/I feel the ocean rhythm coming." -Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum

"Gr 5-9-Expanding on Blues Journey (Holiday House, 2003), this talented father and son have produced new poetry and paintings to explore a wider repertoire of jazz forms. An introduction provides historical and technical background, briefly touching on influences, improvisation, rhythm, and race. Spreads then pulsate with the bold, acrylic-and-ink figures and distorted perspectives that interpret the multiple moods and styles set forth in the text." -School Library Journal

"A cycle of 15 poems and vivid, expressive paintings celebrate that most American genre of music: jazz. Myers pŠre presents readers with poems that sing like their subject, the drumming of African rhythms leading into a celebration of Louis Armstrong, an evocation of stride piano, a recreation of a New Orleans jazz funeral and a three-part improvisation among bass, piano and horn. A script-like display type appears sparingly, guiding readers to the sound of jazz embedded in the poems' syncopated rhythms." -Kirkus Reviews

Connections

Other Walter Dean Myers books to check out:

Michael L. Printz Award (First) (1999), Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor Book(1999), National Book Award Honor for Young People’s Literature(1999):

• Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 9780064407311

Coretta Scott King Honor Award (2011):

• Myers, Walter Dean. Lockdown. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. ISBN 9780061214820

Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book (2014):

• Myers, Walter Dean. Darius & Twig. New York: HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780061728259

Jazz would be a great story for music teachers to utilize for young students when teaching them about the different aspects of music. It also provides a historical context, drawing on other musicians from History. There are even references to New Orleans, so it could also be used for a brief opener to historical contexts.

Monster and Lockdown are good resources for teens who might relate to the characters. It is a story about the consequences of actions and how making choices is vitally important. It could be used as a great guidance lesson or discussion piece for older students. 

Darius & Twig is the story of personal hardship. Older students can relate to the characters and potentially glean hope or inspiration from the strength of friendship.

Danitra Brown Leaves Town (A Book Review)

Danitra Brown Leaves Town (Review by Leighanne Massey)

Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. Danitra Brown Leaves Town. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. ISBN 0688131557

Plot Summary

Summer is approaching and two best friends will be separated for the first time. Throughout the summer and a few letters later, each realizes how to appreciate new friendships and experiences.   

Critical Analysis

Told in flowing verse with 13 poems, occasional internal and ending rhyming that does not sacrifice vocabulary, is the story of a young girl named Zuri who is not happy about her best friend leaving for the Summer. Though it is not easy to decipher between the girls in the beginning, it becomes apparent toward the middle of the text when both girls begin writing each other letters detailing their Summer. 

One such hyperbolic example of their dialogue is described from the poem 'First Night' in which Danitra describes to Zuri how the sky in the country is a "thick overcoat all buttoned up with stars. At midnight, I stretched my arms out to slip the darkness on..."  Coupled with the colorful and realistic photo-like paintings from Floyd Cooper, the reader gains a glimpse of Zuri and Danitra's lives and special friendship. Many readers will pick up this book and find it easy to place themselves within the childhood nostalgia of Fourth of July parties and nighttime fireflies while reminiscing of Summer vacations' past.
           

Review Excerpt(s)

"This warm sequel to the Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Meet Danitra Brown, shows two friends that their friendship can endure separation for the summer when Danitra goes to visit her extended family in the country while Zuri stays home in the city. Both write letters detailing some of the joys¾of weeding and the night sky, or a street party and making a new friend¾and reveal that they are gutsy, savvy, and affectionate." -Children's Literature

"Zuri describes in verse the summer that she and her best friend Danitra are separated in Danitra Brown Leaves Town by Nikki Grimes, a follow-up to Meet Danitra Brown. Floyd Cooper's luminescent pastels chronicle the long days and Zuri's many moods. ( Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information." 

-Publishers Weekly

"Gr 3-5-Grimes and Cooper return with another story told through poems about Danitra Brown and Zuri Jackson. This time, the friends exchange letters all summer long while Danitra is visiting relatives. Zuri starts out feeling angry and disappointed that Danitra is leaving her behind and doesn't seem to care, but eventually both girls make new friends while they look forward to being together again." -School Library Journal

"Fans of this author-illustrator team's Meet Danitra Brown (1994) will welcome their latest effort about Danitra and her best friend, Zuri Jackson. Told as a series of 13 poems and letters about the joys of summer and the strong bond of true friendship, this will resonate with many young readers who have savored the pleasures of Fourth of July fireworks, picnics and games, block parties, starry summer nights, and family reunions." -Kirkus Reviews

Connections

Other Nikki Grimes books to check out:

Coretta Scott King Book Award Winner (2003):

• Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2003. ISBN 9780142501894

Coretta Scott King Book Award Winner (2014):

• Grimes, Nikki. Words with Wings. Pennsylvania: Highlights Press, 2013. ISBN 9781590789858

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book (2007): 

• Grimes, Nikki. The Road to Paris. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2008. ISBN 9780142410820

Danitra Brown Leaves Town would be a great resource to use as a read aloud for students who are new to a school and may be missing their old home and friends. It could also be utilized as a resource for letter writing. 

Words with Wings would be a great resource for motivating children and students. Teachers might give it as gifts to students. It is a boost to self-confidence and children with troubled home lives might relate to the main character and find inspiration in its message.

This would be a great read to build self-confidence in students in foster homes, CPS care, or recently placed with other relatives. They may be able to relate to the character and her feelings. 

All three texts center on discovering one's potential and gaining a sense of worth.