Chapter Book 5: The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (Poetry)

Author: Langston Hughes

Illustrator: Brian Pinkney

Genre: Poetry

Themes: African American experience, pride and self-esteem

Characters: none

Awards: Horn Book Fanfare

Date of Publication: 1994

Publishing Company: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Summary: This is a reprinting of Langston Hughes original book of poetry for children published in 1932.  The poems are illustrated by beautiful scratchboard illustrations that express the movement and the meter of the poetry. 

Recommendation: The simple elegance of Langston Hughes’s poems make them attractive to readers of all ages.  Readers in middle grades will appreciate the sing-song quality of many of his poems about the blues and the clear language used throughout the poems, while readers in older grades will enjoy the ease with which they are able to understand, connect to, and analyze the poems.  

Chapter Book 4: Bud, Not Buddy (Newbery)

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Genre: Fiction

Subgenre: Historical Fiction

Themes: racism and prejudice, hope in the face of obstacles, survival, loss of a parent, family connectedness

Characters:  

~Primary: Bud Caldwell

~Secondary: Todd Amos, Herman E. Calloway, Lefty Lewis, Bugs, Steady Eddie Patrick, Miss Thomas, Bugs, Nina Sleet, Deza Malone, Tyla, Mr. Jimmy, Doug the Thug, Doo-doo Bug, Dirty Deed

Awards:

~Newbery Award Winner

~Coretta Scott King Award Winner

Date of Publication: 1999

Publishing Company: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary: Bud, not Buddy, Caldwell is determined to find his father.  He is resolved to leave behind the mistreatment he received from his foster home, and sets out on an adventure from Flint to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Although his mother never told him who his father was, before she passed on she left a clue, a flier from a jazz show by Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression.  Bud is determined that no obstacles, not even a vampire and a real live girl, will keep him from his goal of being reunited with his long lost father.

Recommendations: This book is a great book for reading with the class.  There are numerous ways to use it to tie into the curriculum.  This book could be used in social studies to study racism and the Great Depression, to music by studying jazz, and to science by looking at the different machines used at the time of the Great Depression (telegraph, automobiles, etc.).

Chapter Book 3: Everything on a Waffle (Newbery)

Author: Polly Horvath

Genre: Fiction

Subgenre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: loss of a parent, adoption and foster care, holding on to hope, not compromising your beliefs

Characters:

~Primrose Squarp

~Ms. Perfidy, Uncle Jack, Primrose’s parents, Miss Honeycut,

 Evie and Bert

Awards:

~Newbery Honor Book

~Boston Globe- Horn Book Award Honor Book

~American Library Association Notable Book

Date of Publication: September 2002

Publishing Company: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary: No matter what everyone else in Coal Harbor thinks, Primrose Squarp know that her parents did not die in a terrible storm at sea.   After living for some time with an elderly neighbor, Primrose finally goes to live with her only relative, Uncle Jack.  Despite several mishaps, Primrose is able to hold true to herself as she discovers the good and bad qualities of the adults in her life as they try to determine what to do with this young orphaned girl.

Recommendation: This book is very funny, but also touches on serious topics such as loss and staying true to personal beliefs.  I believe that this would be a good read aloud book for the classroom, because it touches on a range of emotions and allows for good discussions.  A fun activity for the book would be to make some of the recipes in the book, including waffles.

Chapter Book 2: The Wanderer (Newbery)

Author: Sharon Creech

Illustrator: David Diaz

Genre: Fiction

Subgenre: Adventure

Themes: travel and adventure, adoption and foster care, extended families, facing the past, self-discovery

Characters:

~Primary: Sophie, Cody

~Seconday: Brian, Uncle Dock, Uncle Mo, Uncle Stew, Bompie

Awards:

~Newbery Honor Award

~American Library Association Notable Book

Date of Publication: 2000

Publishing Company: HarperCollins Publishers

Summary: Sophie desires the adventure and chance to explore that sailing on the ocean provides, so she takes the chance to sail across the ocean to see her grandfather, Bompie, with her three uncles and two cousins.  While on the way, Sophie must face memories from her past that she has hidden deep within herself.  Her cousin Cody does not know why he is on this voyage, but he desperately wants to prove himself to the rest of his family, his father in particular.  Despite his goofy exterior, Cody continues to question himself to see if he has the inner strength to make it all the way across the sea.  Through their travel logs and journal entries, Sophie and Cody reveal their inner thoughts and growth as they work together to survive the journey across the ocean.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book for students in grade five and above.  Teachers can use this book in the classroom to talk about journaling and stories that convey information through journal entries.  

Chapter Book 1: Belle Prater's Boy (Newbery)

Author: Ruth White

Genre: Fiction

Subgenre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: dealing with grief, the loss and death of loved ones, the importance of inner strength, looking beyond a person’s appearance, building friendships

Characters:

~Primary: Woodrow, Gypsy

~Secondary: Belle Prater, Everett Prater, Love Ball Dotson,

 Granny Ball, Grandpa Ball, Porter Dotson, Amos Leemaster, Buzz

 Osborne, Blind Benny

Awards: Newbery Honor Book

Date of Publication: 1996

Publishing Company: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Summary: After the disappearance of Belle Prater, her son Woodrow moves in with his grandparents in Coal Station, Virginia.  The entire town, including his cousin Gypsy who lives next door, is curious about her disappearance, despite the fact that Woodrow is silent on the matter.  Despite his appearance, with hand me down clothes and a cross-eyed stare, Woodrow proves to be a charismatic and witty boy who sees other people for who they are and not what they look like.  By spending time with his cousin, the two grow close, and begin to share their secrets, including what Woodrow knows about his mother’s disappearance and Gypsy’s unresolved feelings about her father’s death.

Recommendations: This book deals with several serious issues, including the loss of and abandonment by a parent.  While the book deals with these topics in a way that is sensitive to younger readers, teachers should ensure that their students are emotionally prepared for reading this book.

Picture Book 8: Duke Ellington: the Piano Prince and His Orchestra

Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrator: Brian Pinkney

Genre: Picture Books

Subgenre: Fictionalized biography

Themes: African American history, doing what you love, the ability of music to connect people across different groups, art and music as a means of bettering oneself

Characters:

~Primary: Duke Ellington

~Secondary: Daisy and J.E. Ellington, Sonny Greer, Joe Nanton,

 Otto Hardwick, James Miley, Billy Strayhorn,  

Awards: 

~Caldecott Honor Book

~Bank Street Best Book of the Year

~American Library Association Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth

~Coretta Scott King Award Honors Book

~Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

Date of Publication: 1998

Publishing Company: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary: This book chronicles the career of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington.  Although Duke began to play piano at a young age, he gave it up for baseball until he first heard ragtime.  At that point, he fell in love with music, both performing and composing.  He formed a band called the Washingtonians and set out to make his fame in New York City.  Duke Ellington’s big jazz style made him popular, and contributed to his long and successful career.

Recommendations: The pictures in this book are beautiful, done in Brian Pinkney’s scratchpad style.  These pictures, matched to the melodic words in the text, will definitely appeal to children age four and older.  The book is perfect for reading out loud, and any teacher that reads with prosody will be able to captivate the attention of young readers.

Picture Book 7: Through My Eyes (Orbis Pictus)

Author: Ruby Bridges

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Autobiography

Themes: Courage in the face of opposition, prejudice and tolerance

Characters:

~Primary: Ruby Bridges

~Secondary: Barbara Henry,  Lucille Bridges

Awards:

~American Library Association Notable Books for Children

~Orbis Pictus Award

Date of Publication: 1999

 Publishing Company: Scholastic Press

Summary: Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to be integrated into a white elementary school.  At the time, school segregation was still the de facto law of the land in Louisiana, even though the United States Supreme Court had unanimously declared it unconstitutional.  Despite extreme prejudice and threats, Ruby Bridges attended school with her teacher Mrs. Henry, alone in their classroom, and was able to learn not only her academic skills, but also how to stay strong and true to yourself in the face of adversity.  

Recommendations: The photographs in this book bring stunning reality to a turbulent time in American history.  Teachers can use this book to discuss prejudice and to talk about the civil rights movement.  Caution should be exercised, however, when sharing some of the images with children; the book would be most appropriate for children over the age of eight.  In addition, teachers should be advised about the language used in this book; although true to the time period, teachers should emphasize that the language is not appropriate for students’ use.