Keely’s Comments (group member since Aug 19, 2024)

Keely’s comments from the 5183 Fall 2024 Information Resources and Services for Children group.

1.

Lewis, J. P., & Nesbitt, K. (2015). Bigfoot is missing! San Francisco, Chronicle Books.
2.
The poems in this book take the reader on a tour of creatures in myths and legends, like Big Foot or the lochness monster. These fun, humorous poems take the form of headlines, graffiti, milk cartons, and other hidden features that display the poems in plain sight, like the legends of these creatures.
3.
I would definitely recommend this book to children. These fun poems are not only interesting to read but interactive; they make the kids look at the surroundings of the illustrations to find context clues or to see if they can find the creature in the picture. More than that, the book gives information on some of the creatures, like where they are from and when they originated, like on page 22. This book delves into legends of creatures from all around that people tell stories about. For instance, Mothman was very popular for a time and still is, and this can be a fun storytelling book for children to read and look at. Overall, it's very cute, fun, and enjoyable.

1.
Rivers, K. (2016). The girl in the well is me . Scholastic.
2.
Kammie is the new girl in town, and she longs to be one of the popular girls to fit in; however, there is a slight problem. During her "initiation" into the club, she falls down a well and is waiting to be saved. In her delirium, she imagines a coyote and a goat in a cold, dark well, going over the best and worst moments of her life.
3.
I think Kammie shows real feelings of panic and wanting to fit in with the popular girls in a very real way. Being a new girl is hard, but being labeled as weird at 11 can be rough. Kammie was prepared to be in a group with the meanest girls in school to fit in. Cutting her hair, going to a well, and other trials of the other girls wanting to be mean to Kammie. It's important for books to be real, when that is the point with children. This way they can relate to the characters with situations going on in their lives or feelings. I think it does depend on who is reading the book; for some, it's completely fine to read real books with hard themes, but for others, it may take a gentler touch to usher them into harder subjects that revolve around real issues. So I think it's ok for children to read real books when they are ready, and the caregivers are ready for the conversation. I don't think it harms them but helps them define what they are feeling or how others could be feeling based on different perspectives.

1.
Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. First edition. New York, Scholastic Press.
2.
Katniss lives with her little sister and mother in the poorest city in Panem, District 12, and they are all just trying to survive the days. One boy and girl as tributes in an annual televised event called the Hunger Games, where each tribute fights to survive and be the lone survivor to be called the winner.
3.
The setting of the novel changes as the characters travel to the Capitol and then to the location of the Hunger Games, which is a forest-like setting. The book starts in District 12, where the main character, Katniss, her friends, family, and Peeta are from in this dystopian world. All the settings are important to the backdrop of the story because they highlight the differences between where Katniss is from and the hardships vs. the richest city in Panem, the Capitol, and how they find entertainment in the Hunger Games. Also, touching on subjects such as poverty, capitalism, and how strongly television influences people, and the popularity of the tributes of the games reflects how well they do in the games with sponsors. While dramatized more in a dystopian future way, these are issues we face as a society in our age.

1.
Riordan, R. (2005). The lightning thief. London, Puffin.
2.
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is considered a troubled youth and is about to be kicked out of yet another school. However, there are more pressing matters for Poseidon's son. Monsters of Greek myth are coming after him, but after getting to a special camp for demigods, he and his new friend Annabeth and old friend Grover set out on a quest to prove Percy's innocence, return Zeus's lightning bolt, and get his mom back.
3.
I think that the Lightning Thief is “true” in the themes of the book and some of the characterizations. One theme is wanting to fit in, Percy has never really fit in with the other kids at his schools, and he starts to struggle with his new identity as he starts to find out who he is. I think many readers relate to trying to understand who they are in a changing world. Finding your identity and place in the world is rough, and in a world where there are mythical monsters, it is harder. Also, many kids can relate to Percy because of his ADHD or Dyslexia, and they can see themselves in Percy. I could talk about Percy Jackson for ages, but I think what's true is how relatable Percy is as a person/character.

1.
Winter, J. (2011). The watcher: Jane Goodall's life with the chimps. New York, N.Y., Schwartz & Wade Books.
2.
Jane Goodall is a woman known for her observations of chimpanzees and her advocacy to save these animals. Walking through her life in London to her years of observation in Tanzania of chimpanzees.
3.
K- I knew some about Jane Goodall and her work with chimpanzees through PBS programs mostly. I know who is is but did not know much more beyond that fact.
W- When reading this book, I wanted to learn more about her life and what she did in Gombe, Tanzania, during her time in observation. I wanted to know the details of the danger that the animals she is known as an expert in were in danger and what she did overall.
L—After reading this book, I learned more about her accomplishments and observations. I also learned more about the dangers that Chimpanzees were and probably still are in. However, thanks to Jane Goodall's efforts, we now know more about these animals and how to better preserve their habitats and help preserve both.

1.
Baldacchino, C., & Malenfant, I. (2014). Morris Micklewhite and the tangerine dress. Toronto; Berkeley, Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press
2.
This is a picture book about a little boy named Morris who loves space, drawing, singing, tigers, and using his imagination, but most of all, he loves the tangerine dress that is at his school's dress-up station.
3.
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress is a Stonewall winner from 2015, and I think it does have a good representation of the experiences of a boy not following gender stereotypes. This book discusses how sometimes children can be mean when they don't understand, like when they bully Morris for wanting to wear the tangerine dress, something he likes because it's the color of his mother's hair and the color of tigers. At the start of the book, we see that he is sad, showing in the illustrations because the others are mean to him, but towards the end, the other children come to accept Morris more, or most of them, and he is smiling and having fun with those who accept him. Morris just wants to have space adventures, read about elephants, and do his thing with a pretty dress he likes and painted nails with his head held high. When Morris comes back to school after faking sickness, he stands his ground for the things he likes.

1.
Hinds, G., & Homer. (2010). The Odyssey: a graphic novel. Somerville, Mass., Candlewick Press.
2.
This is a graphic novel version of the epic The Odyssey, following a man's journey home through challenges and hardships. Facing monsters, betrayal, and other creatures of myth, our hero is detailed through illustration on his way home.
3.
The source note for this book is incredible. At the beginning of the book on the cover it states that this graphic novel is based on Homers epic poem, along with a lovely source note at the end of the graphic novel. This is why I think that the source note falls into category 1 based on Hearne’s source note countdown. Additionally, in the notes section at the end of the novel, the author explains his relationship with the story, Homer, what he had done while writing the book, i.e., the changes he made and why, and cites the pages he directly quoted from.

1.
Sternberg, J., & Cordell, M. (2011). Like pickle juice on a cookie. Amulet Books.
2.
Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie takes the reader through the Elenors thought process as she goes through a terrible thing, her babysitter Bibi leaving. She further takes the reader through her summer and shares her thoughts, worries, and other emotions as the summer progresses.
3.
This is a transitional book that is good for readers who are in that phase between pictures and wanting something more in their stories, something longer. This book goes through Elenor learning how to be ok missing someone and make space in her life and heart for new people, like her new babysitter. The story can be relatable in the ways of being nervous about a new grade, missing someone, and trying to process emotions through it all. This is a cute story as well and easy to read and follow for early readers making the transition from picture to chapter books.

1. Kerascoët. (2018). I walk with Vanessa: a story about a simple act of kindness. First edition. New York, Schwartz & Wade Books.
2. I Walk with Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness is a wordless book about how an act of kindness makes all the difference to someone without having to say a word. Showing the emotions of one person being bullied and another choosing to be kind the next day.
3. Wordless books are powerful in conveying messages while allowing the reader to also figure out what is happening without words. Sometimes people see others being bullied in school or going through a tough time, but one does not need to say words to be kind, sometimes it is the actions that mean the most. The art style is simple but has details for readers to notice something different in each illustration from emotions, like the use of red on page 6 to show the anger being used towards the character or the smiles on the faces at the end of the book on the children's faces.

1. Santat, D. (2014). The adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary friend. Little, Brown, and Company.
2.
Caldecott Medal (Medal Winner — 2015)
Monarch Award (Nominee — 2017)
Blue Hen Book Award (Nominee — Younger Readers — 2016)
3. An imaginary friend wants to make a friend, and after so long of not being chosen he sets out on a wonderful adventure to find his friend and receive his name.
4.
I believe this book deserved the awards it received, i.e. the Caldecott medal because Santat illustrates imaginary friends in different and unique ways, along with showing drawings that the child in the story did look like kids’ drawings children could relate to. Along with the writing that displays the imagination and friendship of the characters and the characters finding the world to be less strange. So yes, this book deserved all the awards it received. Yes, I would absolutely recommend this book to a child, most of us had imaginary friends when we were younger, and this book takes that concept and provides a lesson on friendship that can help the child learn about the world and how friendship works.