Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings

Bibliography:

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!. Ill by. Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN: 9781584302711.

Summary:

In this picture book, Pat Mora uses haiku to celebrate the various foods that are thought to be native to the Americas (South, Central, and North). The foods are listed alphabetically, beginning with blueberry, chile, and chocolate, and ending with pumpkin, tomato, and vanilla. In addition to the haiku, Mora also includes a short paragraph of informative text, pointing out that cranberries used to be called bounceberries and papayas can weigh up to twenty pounds, among many other facts.

Analysis:

This book is a celebration of food and culture, and how the two are intertwined. The faces of all the people are full of smiles, and the haiku speak of “party” and “magic” and “dance.” Children of all ages can appreciate this book. Very young children will enjoy the illustrations of yummy-looking food, young children can listen to someone read the haiku on each page, and older children can learn the facts about food. The full-page illustrations range from fanciful (children flying through the air) to realistic (a family sitting on the grass cracking pecans), but they are always very colorful and engaging.

In addition to the wonderful diversity of food, the illustrations show a diversity of ethnicity. There are a few white and African-American children, a Native American family, and many children with different shades of brown skin, who could be of Mexican heritage or from other Latin and South American countries. The food facts discuss how different cultures use (or have used) the foods. Some of the illustrations show the American Southwest or the tropics of Central America, and the landscapes look authentic, with details like a pueblo hut or a row of palm trees. Mora uses a few Spanish words throughout the text, which adds to the feeling of authenticity since many of the people in the Americas who use these foods speak Spanish.

Reviews/Awards:

Americas Award for Children’s Literature, 2008
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 2008-2009
ALA Notable, 2008

“Artful compositions and brilliant complementary colors bear out the book's multicultural themes. The art conveys an infectious sense of fun, as smiling suns and moons beam down upon happy children and animals, along with a trumpet-wielding peanut-butter sandwich and a dancing pineapple.” School Library Journal

"Mora's descriptive poetry features wonderful word choices and gets it right to the essence of each food...Perfect for sharing as part of the curriculum or just for fun." Book Links

Connections:
* This book celebrates food; for a book that celebrates books and reading, try Book Fiesta! – also written by Pat Mora and illustrated in the same cheerful, colorful way by Rafael Lopez.

Goin' Someplace Special

Bibliography:

McKissack, Patricia. 2001. Goin’ Someplace Special. Ill by. Jerry Pinkney. New York: Atheneum Books. ISBN: 0689818858.

Summary:

‘Tricia Ann begs her grandmother to let her go “someplace special” by herself. Feeling grown-up and capable, she steps outside into 1950s segregated Nashville. As a young African-American girl, she faces discrimination on her journey. She must sit (or stand) in the back of the bus. She can’t sit on a park bench, or enter a grand hotel, or sit in the front rows for a music performance. She is alternately angry and discouraged by the signs and the hurtful words, but with the help of friends and her own fighting spirit, she makes it to “someplace special” – the public library.

Analysis:

The author does not reveal where “someplace special” is until the very end of the book, which is an effective narrative technique. The reader is left wondering whether it is a park or a church or a relative’s house or any number of places. In an author’s note, Patricia McKissack says that the story is based on her own childhood, and that the public library in Nashville was one of the few non-segregated places in town.

Each page has just the right amount of text for reading aloud, and the “fuzzy” watercolor illustrations are gorgeous. Full-color and full-spread, the illustrations of ‘Tricia Ann’s journey really make the book something special. He pays careful attention to skin tone and facial expressions.

The friendly people who encourage ‘Tricia Ann on her way are of both races, from a jovial African-American street vendor to a kind elderly white woman. And ‘Tricia Ann remembers her grandmother’s advice, too: “Hold ‘yo head up and act like you b’long to somebody” and “You are somebody, a human being- no better, no worse than anybody else in this world.” This is an inspirational message to all who read this book.

Reviews/Awards:

2002 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

“An afterword explains McKissack's connection to the tale, and by putting such a personal face on segregation she makes its injustices painfully real for her audience. Pinkney's (previously paired with McKissack for Mirandy and Brother Wind) luminescent watercolors evoke the '50s, from fashions to finned cars, and he captures every ounce of 'Tricia Ann's eagerness, humiliation and quiet triumph at the end.” Publisher’s Weekly

“There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.” Horn Book

Connections:
* Read along with an accessible biography of Rosa Parks, and talk about how ‘Tricia Ann couldn’t sit in the front of the bus, and what Rosa Parks did to change that.

Talkin' About Bessie

Bibliography:

Grimes, Nikki. 2002. Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Ill by. E. B. Lewis. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0439352436.

Summary:

Bessie Coleman was born in Texas in 1892. As an African-American, she had to deal with racism and discrimination growing up. She helped her mother cook and clean, and cared for younger siblings. She worked in the cotton fields and took in laundry. But through all of it, she worked hard at school, and she dreamed of doing something big. As a young lady she moved to Chicago, and from there she went to France to train as an aviator, because no school in the United States would accept her. When she returned as the first licensed African-American female pilot, she gradually became a hero through her daredevil flying stunts and her inspiring lectures across the country. Though her life ended early in a tragic plane crash, she was a pioneer for African-American rights.

Analysis:

Except for some biographical information in the front and back, the entire book is written in poems from the perspectives of various people in Bessie’s life. These are fictionalized, but based on facts. Bessie’s mother, father, siblings, teachers, and friends all speak of Bessie’s work, hopes, dreams, challenges, and experiences. Some poems are written by “field hand” or “laundry customer.” Bessie’s own perspective doesn’t come in until the very last poem. The author varies the voices slightly from poem to poem, making them feel more authentic.

The writing style and the long poems make this book more suited for older children. All ages will enjoy the beautiful full-page watercolor illustrations that accompany each poem. Almost every person pictured in the book is African-American, except a laundry customer and a news reporter, and the illustrator portrays various skin tones and facial expressions. Both the text and illustrations give a good sense of what life was like for African-Americans in Texas and in Chicago.

The author shows that it was not only whites who spoke negatively about African-American abilities. Bessie’s own brother is the one who says, “You Negro women ain’t never goin’ to fly.” The book also shows those who help Bessie achieve her dream, such as an African-American newspaper owner.

Reviews/Awards:

2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
2003 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

“Teller by teller, the story moves chronologically and builds emotionally to last entry, where Bessie speaks of the joy of flying...The verse reads aloud beautifully…” Booklist, starred review

“An introductory note puts the aviatrix in historical context, but neglects to explain some references (e.g., Jim Crow laws). The text consists of 21 poetic vignettes of Coleman delivered by "speakers" at a funeral parlor, all of whom have come to mourn the pilot who died at age 34 in a plane accident. Their reminiscences on stark white pages are illustrated with miniature portraits bordered in sepia, each one facing a full-page watercolor capturing a moment in the woman's life. Skillfully drawn and occasionally photographic in their realism, the pictures perfectly match each speaker's recollections.” School Library Journal

Connections:
* Pair with a second book about Bessie, such as Fly High by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger (for older children) or Nobody Owns the Sky by Reeve Lindbergh (for younger children).

The Dumpster Diver

Bibliography:

Wong, Janet. 2007. The Dumpster Diver. Ill. by David Roberts. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763623807

Summary:

Steve the electrician goes dumpster-diving for cast-off treasures, and three kids in his apartment complex like to help him out. They hose him and the trash off as he climbs out of the dumpster, and then they all work together to create something fun or useful from what he finds. A grouchy old lady says someone will get hurt, and one day Steve does in fact get injured by a dumpster. The kids then decide to collect Useful Junk straight from the source, by knocking on apartment doors and asking instead of waiting until it gets tossed in the trash. They even make something for Steve when he comes home from the hospital!

Analysis:

This is a creative and fun book about recycling and how to make useful things for free. The dumpster-diver in the book is an adult, so it does not encourage kids to do it themselves. I liked the ending, since it’s certainly safer to get treasures before they make it to the dumpster.

The illustrations are quirky and brightly-colored. They create the setting of a multicultural, urban environment. One thing that really adds to the “recycled” feel of the book is that the text on each page is printed on a different background of something you could find in the trash: duct tape, torn-up typewriter paper, bandaids, cut-up doilies, etc. This book could lead to discussion about trash and re-using, and then perhaps lead to action!

Reviews/Awards:

“The topsy-turvy artwork keeps things light, but adults will find plenty to talk about with children, from the value of creative conservation to safe modeling of the depicted activities (which include gathering junk from apartment tenants who may or may not be strangers). This will be popular anytime, but especially around Earth Day, when it will inject new possibility into enjoyment to reduce and recycle.” Booklist, starred review

“This urban trash-to-treasure tale will resonate with city dwellers and send suburbanites and kids in rural areas searching for similar adventures.” School Library Journal

Connections:
*Find pictures (online or in other books) of items people have made using “junk” and discuss this method of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.

Flotsam

Bibliography:

Wiesner, David. 2006. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0618194576

Summary:

A boy is spending the day with his family on the beach. While he’s playing with a crab, a wave washes up a camera next to him. He finds a roll of film inside and gets it developed at a one-hour photo place. When the pictures come back, he is astounded. The following pages show the extraordinary pictures the camera took while underwater, as well as pictures of the other kids who have found the camera washed up on their beach. Finally, he takes a picture of himself and throws the camera back in the water so it can continue its journey.

Analysis:

This is a wordless picture book, but it doesn’t need words. The illustrations tell the story perfectly, and there is a clear story. It’s beautifully illustrated in watercolor, and there is enough detail to keep a patient reader busy for a long time. Some pages are one big picture, meant to capture a scene. Other pages are a series of smaller frames meant to convey action, such as the boy finding the camera, showing his parents, and discovering the film.

The fantastical pictures he finds reveal an ocean we haven’t seen before – miniature aliens, starfish with islands on their backs, and mechanical fish. The author/illustrator enjoys playing with perspective, first showing the reader an extreme close-up of an image and then zooming out, or vice versa. This creative story is circular, since the boy returns the camera to the water for the next child to find.

Reviews/Awards:

The book won the Caldecott Medal in 2007 for excellence in illustration

"From arguably the most inventive and cerebral visual storyteller in children's literature comes a wordless invitation . . . not to be resisted." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"New details swim into focus with every rereading of this immensely satisfying excursion." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review

Connections:
*Read David Wiesner’s other picture books, especially Tuesday.
*Kids will enjoy making up their own stories about the underwater pictures.
*Older readers can try works illustrated by Brian Selznick, who uses a similar style of perspective and action in his drawings.

Make Way for Ducklings

Bibliography:

McCloskey, Robert. 1965. Make Way For Ducklings. New York: Viking Press. ISBN: 0670451495

Summary:

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are looking for a home, and as they fly over Boston, nothing seems quite right until they find an island in the river. Their eight ducklings hatch, and soon Mrs. Mallard takes them on a trip to the Boston Public Garden. But there are busy streets in their path, and the cars just won’t stop! A friendly policeman halts the traffic and the ducks – all in a line - proudly cross the street. They decide to live in the park, where people feed them peanuts.

Analysis:

This book has been popular since its first printing in 1941, and a statue of the ducks now stands in the Boston Public Garden. Kids will enjoy this classic story of the eight little ducklings with names that rhyme. The plot is simple, and the most exciting part is the few pages where the ducks cross the highway.

The text is not evenly distributed between pages, but the balance of text and illustrations is appropriate. The illustrations are beautifully done in sepia, and provide lots of detail. The ducklings, in particular, are shown with various facial expressions and actions. To make his drawings realistic, McCloskey actually brought a family of ducklings to live in his apartment.

Reviews/Awards:

The book won the Caldecott Medal for excellence in illustration

"One of the merriest picture-books . . . told in very few words with a gravity that underscores the delightful comedy of the pictures--fine large pictures, strongly drawn, with a wealth of detail".--The New York Times

Connections:
*Find Boston on a map. This is an ideal book to study for children who live in or are going to visit Boston, as the book talks about specific landmarks and streets. Others can discuss ducks and animals they have seen in their own city.

*Other books dealing with animals in the city:
City Animals by Elizabeth Austin
Chester Cricket’s Pigeon Ride by George Selden