Audrey’s Comments (group member since Sep 03, 2025)

Audrey’s comments from the 5183 Fall 2025 Information Resources and Services for Children group.

Howl’s Moving Castle
Jones, D. W. (2001). Howl’s moving castle. Greenwillow Books.

This fantasy novel follows Sophie Hatter, a young woman cursed by a witch to become an old woman, who seeks out the mysterious wizard Howl and becomes immersed in his magical world. This book blends humor, adventure, and romance, and explores themes of identity, transformation, and courage.

Le Guin’s statement that fantasy is not real but true is supported by Howl’s Moving Castle. The magic and absurdity of the story are fantastical, yet Sophie’s journey captures a very real truth about self-discovery and confidence. Her curse forces her to confront how she’s underestimated herself, and through courage and kindness, she learns her true worth. Though castles that move and wizards that eat hearts aren’t real, Sophie’s emotional growth and the idea that love and bravery can change us absolutely are.

Hayao Miyazaki: A Story of a Little Dreamer Who Captivated the World with Animation Biography Book for Kids About Perseverance and Growth Mindset
1. Dabr, S. (2023). Hayao Miyazaki: A story of a little dreamer who captivated the world with animation. Little Fins Publishing.
2. This wonderfully illustrated biography introduces readers to Hayao Miyazaki, the well-known Japanese animator behind Studio Ghibli. The story tells of his childhood dreams, setbacks, and successes, highlighting the power in perseverance, imagination, and following your passions.
3. KWL
K – Before reading, I knew that Hayao Miyazaki created famous animated movies like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, known for their magical worlds and art style.
W – I wanted to learn how he got started as an artist, what inspired his creative style, and how he kept believing in himself despite challenges.
L – I learned that Miyazaki’s love for nature and storytelling began in childhood, and that his success came from years of persistence and imagination. His story shows how curiosity and hard work can transform dreams into art that inspires the world.

We Want to Go to School!: The Fight for Disability Rights
1. Cocca-Leffler, M., & Leffler, J. (2021). We want to go to school! The fight for disability rights. Albert Whitman & Company.
2. This nonfiction picture book tells the true story of how students with disabilities fought for their right to attend public schools in the United States. Through engaging text and illustrations, the authors highlight the activism that led to the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
3. We Want to Go to School! offers an inspiring and realistic look at the fight for disability rights. I appreciated how the book shows children with disabilities as strong and determined advocates who worked together to make change, rather than as people defined by their challenges. The illustrations highlight many forms of diversity, showing students with different disabilities learning and growing together. Reading it helped me better understand the importance of inclusion and how much effort it took to achieve educational equality. Overall, the story sends a hopeful and empowering message about fairness, respect, and belonging for all students.

1. McDermott, G. (1972). Anansi the spider: A tale from the Ashanti. Henry Holt and Company.
2. This Ashanti folktale from West Africa tells how a clever spider, Anansi, is saved by his six sons, each possessing a unique skill. The story celebrates wit, cooperation, and the origins of the moon’s light as a reward for family unity.
3. Based on Betsy Hearne’s “Cite the Source: Reducing Cultural Chaos in Picture Books,” Anansi the Spider would fall around level 2 on Hearne’s source note countdown. The book acknowledges its Ashanti origins and includes an author’s note referencing the oral storytelling tradition of Ghana, showing cultural respect and partial citation. However, McDermott does not provide specific informants, textual sources, or direct translations from oral tellers, leaving the adaptation open-ended. Despite this, his art style and respectful tone preserve cultural authenticity and highlight the importance of honoring folklore roots rather than claiming them as original creations.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
1. Litwin, E. (2012). Pete the Cat and his four groovy buttons (J. Dean, Illus.). HarperCollins.
2. Pete the Cat loves his four groovy buttons, but as each one pops off, he keeps singing his cheerful song, reminding readers that “buttons come and buttons go.” The story uses repetition, rhyme, and counting to teach basic math skills and a positive attitude about loss.
3. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is an effective beginning reader book because it combines predictable text with engaging repetition, which helps children anticipate language patterns and build confidence in decoding words. The simple math component—counting down from four—integrates early numeracy skills in a natural and enjoyable way. The rhythmic phrasing and sing-song structure make it fun to read aloud, supporting phonemic awareness. James Dean’s bright, expressive illustrations reinforce comprehension and keep young readers’ attention. Overall, this book encourages resilience and positivity while strengthening foundational literacy skills, making it a strong choice for early readers.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick:The Invention of Hugo Cabret
1. Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic Press.
2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a Caldecott Medal picture‐book/novel hybrid: it combines text with many full‐page illustrations (nearly 300 picture pages) to tell a story as much through images as through words.
3. Brian Selznick’s art in The Invention of Hugo Cabret is immersive and cinematic, with charcoal sketches that evoke the dim corridors, clocks, and hidden spaces of a 1930s Paris train station. The interplay between pictures and text slows down some moments and accelerates others—chase scenes, for example, are visually paced like film frames, tension building through a sequence of images. This style not only heightens the mystery of the automaton and the secrets Hugo is trying to unlock, but also reinforces the themes of time, machinery, and memory. The visual detail gives readers clues (in drawings of doors, notebooks, the automaton itself) that deepen understanding beyond what the words alone could accomplish. Overall, the art is not decorative but essential to delivering the novel’s emotional and thematic weight.

The Graveyard Book
1. Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. HarperCollins.

2. Newbery Medal (2009), Carnegie Medal (2010), Hugo Award for Best Novel (2009)

3. After his family is murdered, a boy named Nobody Owens is raised by ghosts in a graveyard where he learns lessons about life, death, and courage. Neil Gaiman blends gothic fantasy and coming-of-age themes in this haunting yet heartwarming tale.

4. I think The Graveyard Book won awards because it captures a universal story of growth and identity while set in a unique, imaginative world. Gaiman masterfully balances dark themes with warmth and humor, making the book both unsettling and comforting. The originality of having a child raised by ghosts, along with the lyrical writing, makes it stand out in children’s literature. I believe it deserved its awards because it challenges young readers to think deeply about mortality, bravery, and belonging without being heavy-handed. I would recommend it to older children, especially those who enjoy fantasy and slightly spooky stories.