Kristen’s Comments (group member since Sep 01, 2025)

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

1: Silverstein, S. (2008). Don’t bump the glump! And other fantasies. HarperCollins.

2: This poetry book includes many fantastical creatures with over-exaggerated features and characteristics. “Don’t bump the Glump” introduces children to differences between people as well as strange creatures.

3: This poem would be great for use with children who are developing their vocabulary collection. With the use of made-up words and creatures, it challenges the readers/listeners to use context clues and develop their understanding of new words. The poetry also introduces students to irony and sarcasm, inviting them to participate in activities like playing with a monster with huge claws and teeth, or saying a monster cannot catch you and cutting off the poem. Ex:
“no you won’t catch me, old Slithergadee,
You may catch the others, but you wo--”

1. Fipps, L. (2021). Starfish. Nancy Paulsen Books.

2. Middle school Ellie is a poet, a friend, a loving pug owner, and author of the Fat Girl Rules. Ellie stands up to bullies, doctors, and her own family to embrace her body and herself with the help of new friends, her father, and therapy.

3. If I had read this book when I was Ellie’s age, about 14, it would have changed my life. Growing up plus sized, and all that it comes with it is no easy feat. I could relate to the struggles that Ellie faces in this novel, of the pain words can cause, especially when used by your own family members, the disapproval of society and much more. I believe these themes are still accurate portrayals of the realities children face today. In my opinion, realistic novels should shine a light on the real conflicts in any readers’ life. This novel does a wonderful job of exploring not just Ellie’s hardships, but of those around her. She experiences and practices empathy for children of divorced parents, children in poverty, and adults with repressed trauma. I believe this book could be a huge help toward learning empathy, identity, and mental health for any reader.

1. Holm, J. L. (2021). The lion of Mars. Random House Children’s Books.

2. Bell is the only 11 year old on Mars, where life is predictable, living in his Lion’s Pride. When a terrible sickness breaks out in the American Settlement, Bell must travel to the other settlements, desperate for help, and finds more than he bargains for.

3. The Lion of Mars takes place in the American Settlement on Mars in the futuristic 2090’s. The settlement is underground, where the inhabitants grow most of their own food and make their resources from scratch. The people are a tight-knit community that support each other, like a Lion’s pride. The book was written pre-COVID era, but was edited and published at the height of the pandemic, when most people were stuck inside for long periods of time. The community in the novel reflects this societal shift in the way they learn to depend on their neighbors, and discover the importance of being part of a larger community.

1. White, J. A. (2018). Nightbooks. Katherine Tegen Books.

2. Alex’s passion is writing scary stories filled with ghosts, twists, and terrifying creatures. When he becomes trapped in the apartment of the witch Natacha, he must tell her a new story each night or remain her prisoner forever.

3. Nightbooks uses fantasy and magic to explore a theme that feels very real. Alex sees himself as an outcast, and his love of writing only deepens that isolation. Throughout the story, he learns bravery, the value of friendship, and self-acceptance. The witch’s enchanted apartment and fairy-tale parallels to Hansel and Gretel serve as a thrilling backdrop for a deeper message about embracing individuality and finding courage through creativity.

Non-Fiction books I read this week:
Finish the Fight! by Veronica Chambers and the Staff of The New York Times
Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin

1. Chambers, V., & members of The New York Times. (2020). Finish the fight!: The brave and revolutionary women who fought for the right to vote. HarperCollins.

2. This biography is engaging and well-written, offering young readers an honest and inspiring look at the women who shaped the suffragette movement. The book does not shy away from the more difficult parts of history, providing an educational and empowering perspective on women’s fight for equality.

3. Before reading this book, I knew several prominent figures in the suffragette movement, such as Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth. Although I’ve always been interested in women’s history, this book revealed just how much I did not know. I wanted to learn more about how specific events in history were influenced by women’s activism. While larger moments like the Emancipation Proclamation were explored, smaller events such as Prohibition were only briefly mentioned. I learned how different social movements, like those during the Civil War and the Jim Crow era, intersected and influenced each other. The book reminded me that history is not made overnight; it is fought for and cultivated over decades.

1. Bell, C. (2014). El Deafo. Amulet Books.

2. El Deafo is a graphic memoir in which Cece Bell recounts her childhood experiences growing up with hearing loss. Through humor and heart, she illustrates her journey to self-acceptance and finding confidence with her hearing aid.

3. El Deafo is an authentic and empowering portrayal of life with a disability. Bell’s illustrations vividly express the isolation and challenges of being hard of hearing while also celebrating her creativity, humor, and resilience. By portraying her characters as anthropomorphic rabbits, Bell makes her story accessible and relatable, helping readers empathize without pity. The book promotes a positive attitude toward differences by emphasizing that disabilities can be sources of strength and individuality. Overall, El Deafo fosters understanding, inclusion, and acceptance in a diverse society.

1. Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the 3 little pigs (L. Smith, Illus.). Penguin Books.
2. This humorous retelling of the classic fairy tale presents the story from the Wolf’s perspective, offering a clever twist on the traditional narrative. Through witty text and expressive illustrations, it challenges readers to consider bias and differing points of view.
3. I was saddened to find that this book falls into the lowest category of Hearne's countdown. The author does not explain the origins of the original tale in an author's note or in the narrative, merely saying "everybody already knows the story of the three little pigs." This fractured tale challenges the classic telling of the three little pigs from a story about preparation to a conflicting point of view about being misunderstood. While the book’s purpose is humorous and inventive rather than scholarly, including even a brief note recognizing the traditional story could have strengthened its transparency and educational value for young readers and teachers.

Books I read this week:
1. Cinderella by Kinuko Y Craft
2. Cinderella; an Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani
3. Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O'Connor
4. Rapunzel by Paul Zelinsky
5. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkey
6. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

1. Underwood, D. (2020). Outside in (C. Derby, Illus.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2. Even when we are outside, sometimes we are still inside. Outside misses us and reminds us it is still there, waiting.

3. Outside In is a fantastic book for beginning readers. It uses a limited vocabulary and expands on the meaning with the pictures being used, like "even when we are outside, we are still inside," shows a girl in the car with the beautiful expanse of the outside through the window. Another example being, "rivers rush inside, and then go back out to sea" the image shows the plumbing of a house going to a girl's bathroom sink and travelling to a large ocean. The themes of the book remind children to appreciate the outside and that they should go play outside! The ending message could be stronger, relying mostly on pictures, but does a great job of expanding the vocabulary of young readers.

1. Hest, A. (2024). Bunny should be sleeping. Random House Studio.

2. This concept book is a wonderful source for children learning or struggling to sleep alone. Bunny has gone through his entire bedtime routine but is only missing being tucked in my his Dad, and learns the most important step of bedtime.

3. "Bunny Should be Sleeping" is an adorable book that uses a small bunny to teach children that sleeping alone can sometimes be scary, but we can also be brave. The art is done in a very soft and an under-stimulating style that makes this book perfect for reading at bedtime. The narrative follows bunny through his bed-time routine and is told in an easy to understand language for children. It repeats words and reinforces their meanings, for example, "The bed is high, and he looks up high, at Dad sleeping. 'You forgot to check on me,' Bunny whispers." The illustration shows a small bunny trying to reach up to his Dad who is sleeping in bed, corresponding with the text, but also giving the reader new information, such as Bunny being too short to reach Dad on his own. Overall, "Bunny Should be Sleeping" is an adorable concept book that helps parents teach their kids that sleeping alone is sometimes hard, but the parent's love is always with them.

1. Bradley, K. B. (2020). Fighting Words. Dial Books for Young Readers.

2. John Newbery Medal (2021) and Golden Kite Award (2021).

3. In this heartbreaking novel, Della Roberts finds the strength to speak out against the abuses she and her sister, Sookie, endured. They learn to find the courage throughout foster care, school bullies, and mental health.

4. I loved this book, even though it did cause my heart to break in several places. This book is so important for representation and speaking out against child sexual abuse, mental health struggles, and foster care. Students need to be able to see themselves within the characters they read about, and any student who reads this book might feel empathy and understanding for someone who has gone through what Della and Sookie went through, or find comfort in knowing they aren't alone. This is something the author makes sure to mention not only in her prose but in the author's note as well. I would think that this book won the awards it did because of the strength of the words that were used, the careful approach to such a controversial subject. I don't know if this is a book I would choose for a book club or would widely recommend it to any student, but it is one that I think absolutely deserves a place on the shelves in a library.