AJ’s Comments (group member since Sep 09, 2025)

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

1. Huck, C. S., & Lobel, A. (1989). Princess Furball. Greenwillow Books.

2. To escape an arranged marriage to an ogre, a princess disguises herself by wearing many furs and travels to a distant kingdom. While there, the princess relies on her own capabilities to win the heart of the prince - the man she chooses for herself.

3. Princess Furball is based on the Brother's Grimm tale "Allerleirauh" (or "All-Kinds-of-Fur" in English). The author changed a few elements from the original tale (like the incest part), but remains true to the original theme of the story. Plus the illustrations are just fantastic and accurate to the ambiguous medieval time period that the Brother's Grimm typically set their fairytales. After reading Hearne's criteria, I believe that Princess Furball falls into the #2 category, a well-made source note! This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and it will always be one that I keep on my shelves.

1. Berenstain, S., & Berenstain, J. (1978). The Berenstain bears and the spooky old tree.

2. Three little bears go out to explore the spooky old tree. Their bravery is put to the test, but they make it home safely after their adventure.

3. I think this book is an effective early reader book. The illustrations take up the majority of the pages, and the sentences are short. The words are simple but foundational vocabulary. The font used is fairly large and the sentences cooperate with the illustrations on the page. Only one page has 5 lines of text, but even then the sentences were short. I remember reading this and other Berenstain Bear books when I was younger. They were great for me when I was learning to read, and I think they are great for other early readers as well!

1. Dodd, E. (2000). Dog’s Colorful Day. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, Ltd.

2. We follow Dog as his messy day introduces us to new colors and counting concepts.

3. The art is simple, but effective. The book follows Dog, who is white with one black spot, as he has several mishaps which end in him covered in many colorful spots. For instance, at the breakfast table, Dog's owner accidentally drops a spot of red jam on his back. Now Dog has two spots -- one black and one red. Dog's movements throughout the day end with him acquiring ten spots that are each different colors. The art is brightly colored and the pictures are drawn to showcase Dog's height and how Dog sees the world. I think this book provides good visual learning examples for both learning colors and counting.

1. White, E. B., & Williams, G. (1952). Charlotte's web. First edition. Harper & Brothers.

2. John Newberry Medal (1953), Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (1970), Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1984)

3. Wilbur is a livestock pig that is saved from slaughter by the farmer's daughter. He befriends a spider named Charlotte who continues to help Wilbur thrive on the farm.

4. Your response to these questions: Why, in your opinion, did this book win an award? Do you think it deserved the award? Why or why not? Would you recommend this book to a child? Why or why not? Your answers to #4 should be about 100 words

I think this book won these awards because it tackles complex events/struggles and presents them in a way that children can understand. It was well-received by its original audience, enough so that various movies have been made adapting the story. Furthermore, it's included in many children's literature lists. Charlotte's Web deserved its awards, and is considered a great classic in children's literature. I would recommend this book to a child. I think that the animals as main characters is a very fun concept and makes the life lessons more engaging to young readers.