OUR ELEANOR: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S REMARKABLE LIFE by Candace Fleming

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fleming, Candace.  2005. OUR ELEANOR:  A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S REMARKABLE LIFE.  New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers . ISBN 9780689865442

 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

OUR ELEANOR:  A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S REMARKABLE LIFE is a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life.   The book begins with her birth to Ana and Elliott Roosevelt in 1884 and ends with her funeral on November10, 1962.  The book covers all of the areas of Eleanor’s life from personal to political. 

 

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

As the title suggests, the book’s layout is like a scrapbook.  There are copies of newspaper articles, letters, and photos throughout the book.  The chapters are not written in the normal fashion but most pages are divided into sections with each section having a heading and information on an aspect of Eleanor’s life.   All the “articles” relate to the title of the chapter.   Fleming did not idolize Eleanor but instead painted a realistic picture of the former first lady.   For example, she included that her daughter Ana said that her mother, Eleanor, was “very unpredictable and inconsistent…inconsistent in her feelings—sweet and lovely one hour and the next very critical, very demanding, and very difficult to be with.”

 

The book includes a time line and an abridged Roosevelt family tree at the beginning of the book.  The book has an index and source notes at the end of the book.  There many copies of newpaper articles, letters and photos.  The photos vary in size and shape which makes the book more visually appealing.  From reading this book, readers will gain a well-rounded perspective on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. 

 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

A Junior Library Guild Selection

BOOK LINKS:  “…this intimate, unvarnished, and ultimately deeply moving portrait takes a pastiche approach to humanizing a legendary life.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:  “An intimate biography of an unhappy child who grew up to become an American icon.”

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE:  “This richly rendered account of the life and accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt is both unabashed tribute and absorbing history.”

A Junior Library Guild selection A Junior Library Guild selection A Junior Library Guild selection

5. CONNECTIONS

*The book can be used to support a lesson about Eleanor Roosevelt.   

 *Other nonfiction books by Candace Fleming:

Fleming, Candace.  THE LINCOLNS:  A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ABRAHAM AND MARY.  ISBN 9780375836183

Fleming, Candace.  AMELIA LOST:  THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART.  ISBN 9780375841989

Fleming, Candace.  BEN FRANKLIN’S ALMANAC:  BEING A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE GOOD GENTLEMAN’S LIFE.  ISBN 06898354930761458115

 

HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.  2005.  HITLER YOUTH:  GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW.  New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439353793

 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

HITLER YOUTH:  GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW gives the reader a glimpse of what it was like to be a Hitler Youth from 1933-1945.  Hitler understood that young people’s drive and energy could be a powerful force in politics.   The book shows how much the youth propelled the Nazi movement and how loyal many were to the cause.   The book also includes accounts of those youth who resisted the Nazi movement.  Many of these resistors paid a high price.  By learning the stories of these young people, readers can acquire knowledge and a greater understanding about the World War II era.   

     

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Bartoletti wrote in the foreword of the book that “this is their story” and the author was successful at letting their voices be heard.  Bartoletti’s use of many primary sources and quotes make this book very personal.   Most pages have at least one quote which not only makes the book more interesting but it also shows that Bartoletti did extensive research for the book.   The bibliography is extensive.  She even did interviews with former Hitler Youth and Jews who grew up during that time period.  There are many primary sources used in the bibliography and these personal accounts sweep the reader into the dark world of the Nazis.  The book has engaging prose and is not like the dry history books of the past.  The book has many photos.     

 

The book is organized in chronological order. The chapters of the book have a catchy title followed by a more descriptive subtitle.  The chapter titles engage a reader’s curiosity while the subtitles help students who are trying to find information about a particular event in history.  The bibliography includes a symbol by books that children might find interesting.  The back of the book also includes many other resources including a timeline, quote sources, and an index.    The dark times that the book is about is mirrored by absence of any color inside the book besides black and grey.  The book is a gem that should be in all children’s library collections.     

 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Newbery Honor Book

Robert E. Sibert Honor Book

BOOK LINKS:  “An epilogue describes what happened to the teens profiled, and a time line, source notes, bibliography, and more round out this gripping book.”

A Junior Library Guild selection A Junior Library Guild selection A Junior Library Guild selection

5. CONNECTIONS

* Reading sections from HITLER YOUTH:  GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW by Susan Campbell Bartoletti will be a great way to enhance a lesson on the Nazi’s and Germany.   The students can then think about what they would have done if they lived in Germany during that time period. 

 *Other nonfiction books by Susan Campbell Bartoletti:

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.  BLACK POTATOES:  THE STORY OF THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE, 1845-1850.  ISBN 0618002715

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.  GROWING UP IN COAL COUNTRY.  ISBN 0395778476

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.  THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.:  THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP.  ISBN: 9780618440337

 

 

 

Newbery Honor Books ; 2006

Sibert Honor Books ; 2006

 

BIGGEST, STRONGEST, FASTEST by Steve Jenkins

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jenkins, Steve. 1995. BIGGEST, STRONGEST, FASTEST.  New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395697018

 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

BIGGEST, STRONGEST, FASTEST is a nonfiction book about the “record holders of the animal world.”  The book covers fourteen different animal record holders from the African elephant, “the biggest land animal” to the Etruscan shrew, “the world’s smallest mammal.” 

 

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This delightful book will capture both the attention of fact lovers and art lovers.  For each animal, Jenkins describes what record that animal holds in one simple sentence.  He then has a section of the page that explains the record in more detail which sometimes gives comparisons that children can relate to.     An example of this is when Jenkins writes that “others, like the blue whale, are bigger than a house.”  Next to the section that explains the record in more detail, he includes a small picture showing the record compared to something the child would be familiar enough to tell the size, strength etc.  For example, he includes a picture of a man next to a giraffe so children can see how tall a giraffe really is!    Even though there are not many words in the book, there is a lot of information in this book!  Jenkins was very careful to be succinct and make every word count so that children do not get overwhelmed with the number of words.  

 

The back of the book has a chart which is useful for reference.  The chart lists the name of each animal with the following information for each animal:  record, size, diet and range.  The chart in the back of the book is in alphabetical order but the book does not discuss the animals in alphabetical order which might have been helpful for reference.  Jenkins included a bibliography in the front of the book that lists his sources that he used for the book.  Most of the illustrations in the book span two pages with a few illustrations that span one or three pages.   The blue whale and the sun jellyfish are intentionally over three pages to emphasize their size because they are the biggest and longest animals respectively.  The illustrations are not photos like most nonfiction books about animals.  Jenkins chose to use paper collage to make the illustrations for the book instead of photos.   The collage makes the animals seem to have different textures.  The backgrounds are not all the same and have different textures.   The book is truly a work of art! 

 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE:  “A book that will stimulate thought and discussion about animals, art, and comparisons. “

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Large, clear print; fascinating facts; and beautiful, detailed, cut-paper collages make this an excellent title a delight.” 

 

5. CONNECTIONS

*After reading the book, students can classify the students in their class.  (tallest, shortest, fastest, etc.)   

 *Other nonfiction books by Steve Jenkins:0761458115

Jenkins, Steve.  PREHISTORIC ACTUAL SIZE.  ISBN 0618535780

Jenkins, Steve.  ACTUAL SIZE.  ISBN 0618375945

Jenkins, Steve.  THE BEETLE BOOK.  ISBN 0547680848

Jenkins, Steve.  JUST A SECOND.  ISBN 0618708960

Jenkins, Steve.  NEVER SMILE AT A MONKEY: AND 17 OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER.  ISBN 06189

 

THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA by Mary Ann Hoberman

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hoberman, Mary Ann.  1998.  THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA.  Ill. by Betty Fraser.  San Diego, CA : Harcourt Brace & Co. ISBN 0152001115 0152001115

 

BOOK REVIEW

THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA is a collection of 100 poems written by Mary Ann Hoberman.  The length of the poems varies from a mere three lines to two pages long.  It is well-organized with a table of contents in the front of the book and an index of first lines in the back of the book.   These features make the book a great resource for a teacher trying to find a specific poem by Mary Ann Hoberman to share with a group of students.   The poems are about subjects children can relate to like animals, balloons and money.  The illustrations by Betty Fraser are simple and done in watercolor.    

 

Many of the poems have the traditional rhyming at the ends of the lines.     The poem the book is named after, THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA, is an excellent example of this.  Later in this same poem, “Or what in the world will I wear?  Or what in the world, In the wumberly world, In the wumberly world will I wear?” shows clever use of alliteration and meter.     

 

Mary Ann Hoberman carefully crafted the meter and arrangement of words in some of her poems.   In “Rabbit”, the words are arranged so that all the lines with “bit” in them line up.  The rhythm of this poem sounds like a rabbit hopping.  Even though the poems do not have the imagery or emotional content that some other collections of poems have, the meter, clever word rhyming, arrangement of words, and alliteration make up for this deficiency. 

 

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

 

Horn Book Magazine, 1998.    “The poems--peppy verses immediately identifiable as Hoberman's by their use of alliteration and repeated words and lines--seem to cover every subject under the sun; all are dependably child-centered.”

CONNECTIONS.    

*  The anthology has many poems about different animals and insects. Students can read a poem about an animal that they are studying in science. 

INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN by Thanhha Lai

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lai, Thanhha. 2011. INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN.  New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780061962783

 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Há lives in Saigon with her family.  Her family is forced to flee Vietnam during the Vietnam War.  They move to Alabama.  In the verse novel, Há gives a personal account of her thoughts and feelings throughout her family’s move from Saigon to United States.

 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this highly emotional verse novel, the author, Thanhha Lai, captures the heart of a girl named Há. She shares her hopes, dreams, and struggles as she transitions to life in the United States.  The author does a great job depicting the emotional struggles of being an immigrant to the United States.  Even though the story is fictional, Thanhha Lai has used experiences and emotions from her childhood when she fled from Vietnam with her family as a child.  The character, Há has many experiences and emotional struggles that parallel the author’s struggles in the transition from Vietnam to the United States. 

 

The succinct verses really capture the emotional struggles.  For example, “Unless, Father has sent word that he’s safe after all.  I shiver with hope.”  The book is divided into four Parts:  “Saigon”, “At Sea”, “Alabama” and “From Now On.”   The book is then further divided into titled journal entries that each end with a date.   The author seems to want to make the reader feel like you are reading Há’s journal.  There is not much rhyming in the book but the author put much thought into the rhythmic flow of the verses which helps enhance the emotional quality of the book. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Children's Notable Books, 2012

Newbery Honor Books, 2012

School Library Journal, 2011

 

5. CONNECTIONS.  

 *Great book for a student who has immigrated to the United States since the book deals with the difficult emotional and cultural transitions of moving to a new country. 

*Other verse novels:

Spinelli, Eileen.  THE DANCING PANCAKE. ISBN 97803758587039780375858703

 

Creech, Sharon.  LOVE THAT DOG.  ISBN 0060292873006029287300602928730

 

THE WORLD'S GREATEST: POEMS by J. PATRICK LEWIS

 

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2008. THE WORLD’S GREATEST: POEMS.  Ill. By Keith Graves. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 9780811851305

 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

THE WORLD’S GREATEST: POEMS is not an anthology of the best poems in the world but a book of poems about world records.   Some of the poems depicting world records are  “The Shortest Street”, “The Biggest Potato” and “The Longest Time a Message Was in a Bottle at Sea.” 

 

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

All of the poems are about world records and include information about the world record.  The information often includes the date, location and more specific information about the world record.  The poems are in many styles including limericks and concrete poetry.  For example, “The Tallest Christmas Tree” is written in the shape of a tree.  “The Shortest Street” poem is short and each line is short just like the actual street.   “The Crookedest Building” is a poem about the Leaning Tower of Pisa.   The poem is typed so that it leans!  

 

The illustrations fill the entire page and are as zany as the words.   The bright colors and nice layout will keep the attention of any child.  The pictures were done with acrylic paints and colored pencils. 

 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Magazine, 2008.  “Readers drawn in by the clever hook will marvel at the record-holders…”

Kirkus Reviews, 2008. School Library Journal, 2008.  "sprightly, clever collection"

 

Kirkus Review, 2008.  “…a goofy celebration of (mostly) equally zany world records.”

 

5.  CONNECTIONS.   

*Other humorous poetry books:

Lewis, J. Patrick and J. Yolen.  LAST LAUGHS: ANIMAL EPITAPHS.  ISBN 9781580892605ISBN 9781580892605

 

Silvdrstein, Shel.  WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS.  ISBN 0060572345 0060572345

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS by James Marshall

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marshall, James. 1989. THE THREE LITTLE PIGS New York,  NY: Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN 0448422883

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Each of the three little pigs builds a house.  The first pig builds its house of straw. The wolf comes and blows the house down.    The second pig builds its house of sticks.  The wolf comes and blows that house down also.  The third pig builds its house of bricks.  The wolf tries to blow the brick house down but he cannot.  The wolf then tries to trick the pig by getting him out of the house to go on different outings including picking apples from the apple tree.  However, the clever pig always escapes the wolf.   The wolf is frustrated and decides to jump down the chimney but the pig has a pot of boiling water ready for the wolf.   The wolf falls into the boiling water and the pig gobbles him up for dinner. 

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

James Marshall’s version of the THREE LITTLE PIGS is a traditional version.   He retains the pig’s classic“No, no, no, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin” and the wolf’s “then I’ll huff and  I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in.”   The first two pigs escape to the third pig’s house in many versions of this story but the first two pigs are eaten up in this version.   The story ends with the wolf falling into the boiling pot of water and the pig cooking the wolf for dinner.    Many versions just have the wolf running away from the pig’s house instead of getting eaten.   The large, bold lettering of the text makes the book great for beginning readers.  

The gruesomeness of the pigs being eaten is curtailed by not having any illustrations of those events.   The illustrations are simple with bright primary colors. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal, 1989

5. CONNECTIONS

*Other versions of THE THREE LITLE PIGS:

Guarnaccia, Steven.  THE THREE LITTLE PIGS: AN ARCHITECTURAL TALE.  ISBN 9780810989412

Artell, Mike.  THREE LITTLE CAJUN PIGS.  ISBN 08003728158