Draw Me a Star
Bibliographic Information
Carle, E. (1992). Draw me a star. New York: Philomel Books.
Summary
The first words of the story are instructions, "Draw me a star." A young boy does what is asked and draws a star, which then asks the artist to draw a sun. This pattern continues throughout the book, where each thing he draws asks him to draw something new. Finally the blank, white background is covered with everything he's drawn combined in a beautiful work of art, and the artist has grown into a man. After adding "the night" to his work, we find ourselves back where we began, with the now elderly artist once again being asked to draw a star. The story ends perfectly, with the artist holding onto the star he created, and "together, they traveled across the night sky."
Impressions
This book is a true work of art. The text could be seen as a simple story of an artist creating more and more throughout his life, but readers could also find deeper, more complex ideas underneath. The blank, white pages at the beginning and circular ending seem to represent the cycle of life and Creation. The illustrations really are wonderful. Their vibrant colors set against the white background are captivating. Whether reading one-on-one or with a group of students, this work is meant to be shared and enjoyed.
Review
A young boy is told (readers are not sure by whom) to "Draw me a star." The star then requests that the boy draw it a sun; the sun asks for a "lovely tree," and throughout his life the boy/man/artist continues create images that fill the world with beauty. The moon bids the now-elderly artist to draw another star, and as the story ends, the artist travels "across the night sky" hand-in-hand with the star. This book will appeal to readers of all ages; its stunning illustrations, spare text, and simple story lines make it a good choice for story hour, but older children will also find it uplifting and meaningful. Especially pleasing is a diagram within the story, accompanied by rhyming instructions on how to draw a star: "Down/over/left/and right/draw/a star/oh so/bright." An inspired book in every sense of the word.
Review Reference
Larkin, E. (1992, October). [Review of Draw Me a Star, by E. Carle]. School
Library Journal. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2114/ehost/
pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=30&sid=ac785ab1-4d74-4ffe-9fe9-cfce68c80448%
40sessionmgr4004&hid=4103
Library Use
~ This would be an excellent book to use with younger students for a story time. The large, colorful illustrations and simple text would capture their attention, and they could use the instructions in the book to draw a star as a follow-up activity.
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars
Bibliographic Information
Florian, D. (2007). Comets, stars, the moon, and mars. Harcourt.
Summary
This informational book of poetry captures the reader with rhythmic phrases and beautiful illustrations. While all of the poems are about space, each focuses on a specific topic. From the universe to singular planets and on to "The Great Beyond," the book provides information in short, rhyming verses with a painted background that adds a dreamy quality to the text.
Impressions
I love this book because it is about a high-interest topic, so readers may choose it because of the subject matter even if they don't normally enjoy poetry. The poems are short, which may also be a selling point for some students. Readers can easily connect to the text. Such phrases as, "All persons throughout history- Including you, Including me" and "Start out when the day is done. Most of all: Have lots of fun!" draw you in. The painted illustrations are true works of art that add description and detail for each poem.
Review
Nothing gladdens the heart of believers in good poetry for children more than a new collection by Florian, whose verses and paintings consistently capture the essence of his featured themes. This one literally sings the music of the spheres. Twenty playfully lyrical poems treat topics such as the universe, the individual planets, constellations, and black holes. Each selection is presented on its own spread and adorned with a magical painting done in gouache, collage, and rubber stamps on brown paper. Circles abound in the artwork, and many pages have round cut-outs that lead into the next picture. For example, "the earth" ("Two-thirds water./One-third land./Valleys deep./Mountains grand") is illustrated with a colorful globe decorated with circled collage prints of animals and plants. A smaller orb appears nearby, made from a cut-out circle that reveals part of the illustration for the next selection, "the moon." Some of the paintings incorporate mythological names and images. The pleasing blend of faded shades and brilliant colors, of old-fashioned prints and fanciful sketches, makes the illustrations seem both antique and high-tech. An appended "Galactic Glossary" provides additional information. In both language and artwork, Florian strikes the perfect balance between grandeur and whimsy. Like Myra Cohn Livingston and Leonard Everett Fisher's Space Songs (Holiday House, 1988; o.p.), this book is a work of art worthy of the vastness of its subject.
Review Reference
Whalin, K. (2007, July). [Review of Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars]. School
Library Journal. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2071/ehost/
detail/detail?vid=26&sid=80f95763-8ad9-4cd9-a44a-133982e17831%
40sessionmgr113&hid=127&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=lls&AN=
25655647
Library Use
~ I would use this book to connect literature with third grade science TEKS. This would be a great way to include poetry throughout the year, integrated into other areas of the curriculum.
Giants Beware!
Bibliographic Information
Aguirre, J. (2012). Giants beware! New York: First Second.
Summary
Claudette longs for adventure outside the walls of her town. Sadly, to Claudette at least, the walls were built to protect her and the rest of the townspeople from the "baby feet" eating giant that lives on the mountain. After hearing a story about how the giant was chased away to the mountain, Claudette decides that it is time for her to find the giant and slay him so that he'll never eat babies feet again. She convinces her young brother, Gaston, who aspires to be a pastry chef, and her best friend, Marie, who longs to become a princess, to go along on the journey and help her slay the giant. The trio meets several obstacles along the way, and they each find a side of themselves that they hadn't seen before. After surviving the "Forest of Death" and the "Mad River King," the three friends are very surprised by what they find at Giant's Peak. The giant is actually a baby giant who only wants friends to play with him. After managing to convince the adults who came to save them that Claudette did indeed slay the giant, things return almost to normal. Marie, Gaston, and Claudette have a new friend, and they return to Giant's Peak as often as possible to play with him.
Impressions
This is the first graphic novel I've read cover to cover, and I really enjoyed it once I got used to the format. The story is full of wit and larger than life characters. The dialogue is funny and filled with humor that the target audience will love. Illustrations are bright and bold but are simplistic enough that younger readers could enjoy this book. The thing I liked best is the growth of the three main characters. They each find bravery within themselves at different points in the story, and their true friendship and affection for each other is clear throughout. I can see why it was nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award last year.
Review
A blacksmith's daughter is unsatisfied with her peaceful life within the fortress of Mont Petit Pierre. Rambunctious and loudmouthed, Claudette yearns for action, like killing the giant that lives on the mountain outside of town. With her timid brother, Gaston, and her ladylike friend, Marie, she blusters her way through the fortress gate and into the Forest of Death, beyond which lies the Mad River, and then Giant's Peak. Can these three kids, armed with a wooden sword, Marie's intelligence, Gaston's fortitude, Claudette's stinky feet, and a pug named Valiant, survive in the wilderness and defeat the giant? Of course they can, but not in the ways they might have expected. The adults in the story are distinguished by exaggerated characteristics, but their actions are driven by realistic, largely generous motives. The story strikes a fine balance between being action-and friendship-driven. The art is similarly well-balanced: Rosado's ink drawings are strong and lively, with expressive characters and well-drawn landscapes. Digitally applied color is natural, bright, and nonintrusive. Fans of Jimmy Gownley's "Amelia Rules" (S&S) and Jeff Smith's "Bone" series (Scholastic) will snap this title up.
Review Reference
Wiley, P. (2012, May). [Review of Giants Beware!]. School Library Journal.
Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2114/ehost/detail/detail?
vid=13&sid=b3423b3f-9137-426a-aa04-89e3c56314ff%40sessionmgr4003&
hid=4202&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=lls&AN=74998704
Library Use
~ This would be a great book to use as an introduction to the Graphic Novel genre for second or third grade students. Second grade is when more students become interested in these types of books, and this title is good for them because there isn't too much text on each page. There are fewer panels on many pages as well. The story is fun and full of adventure, and since two of the main characters are girls, it would interest a wide range of students.
Author: A True Story
Bibliographic Information
Lester, H. (1997). Author: A true story. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Summary
Helen Lester describes how she loved to write from the earliest age, 'writing' grocery lists at the age of three that were the same even turned "upside down." When she began school, they discovered that she had a learning disability when they saw that she wrote everything backwards. Lester overcame this "thanks to a lot of help," and continued to write, even though it was still hard at times. She describes how difficult it sometimes was to come up with ideas and edit her stories when she was a student. After spending some time as a teacher, Lester was encouraged to write a children's book. She talks about receiving rejection letters and how through hard work and perseverance she finally published her first book. The last few pages of the book are full of great advice for young writers: how to come up with and choose the best ideas, revising to make a story better and better, and when and where to write. She ends with her love of being an author and how her life is "better than a dream come true."
Impressions
This autobiographical account of becoming an author is lighthearted and fun even though it discusses overcoming challenges in life. Her description of being a "mirror writer" is written in a straight-forward way that young readers can understand and relate to. She focuses on the facts in her explanation of trying to publish a book and being rejected repeatedly before she achieved success. Her illustrations are simplistic and a perfect companion to the text. It is obvious to the reader that Helen Lester loves being an author.
Review
Lester's (Tacky the Penguin) lighthearted look at how she came to write children's books will give aspiring authors of any age a lift- and encouragement to persevere, even in the face of learning disabilities (as a child) and multiple rejection slips (as a novice writer). Candid and a little self-effacing, Lester tells of her struggles with the creative process, noting that both as an elementary school student and a published author, "Often I can't come up with a single idea, and my stories get stuck in the middle, and I can't think of a title." She accompanies her breezy narrative with her own cheerful, somewhat rudimentary cartoon pictures, save on one spread where she drolly juxtaposes her childlike drawing of a pig next to a highly polished rendering by her frequent collaborator, Lynn Munsinger. Some of the best moments here are transitional: a picture shows the young Lester dreaming of joining the circus when she grows up; the next page continues, "Since no one from the circus came looking for me, I became a teacher." Her ending playfully concludes, "I'm glad I didn't join the circus... I never dreamed I'd become an author. So this is better than a dream come true." Her admirers will agree.
Review Reference
(1997, February 3). [Review of Author: A True Story, by H. Lester]. Publisher's
Weekly. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2114/ehost/
pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=12&sid=9b5f661f-b1fd-48f5-bd9c-54db4c644bbd
%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4103
Library Use
~ This book would be a wonderful read-aloud to explain the writing process with the easy to understand text and to encourage aspiring, young authors.
