Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Testing

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Monday, January 29, 2007

REVIEW OF “TALK TO ME ABOUT THE ALPHABET”

REVIEW OF “TALK TO ME ABOUT THE ALPHABET”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Raschka, Chris. 2003. Talk to Me About the Alphabet. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0805067825

PLOT SUMMARY
Talk to Me About the Alphabet is a humorous picture book that teaches the alphabet using unusual words, sound, and illustrations. A funky-looking man and his yellow cat journey through an assortment of adventures on a set of cool wheels. The main character gyrates and calls out each letter of the alphabet like a lively cheerleader while his flexible cat performs acrobatic actions in the background.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Chris Raschka’s illustrations and vocabulary are used to teach the alphabet in a story form. Kids as well as adults will find his use of unusual words to demonstrate the alphabet suspenseful and exciting. It makes the reader eager to find out what the author will do with the next letter. The use of unheard words such as “velocipede” makes the book more fascinating than a traditional ABC book.

The illustrations of the main character’s huge face and large nose, and cute protruding ears make him look quaint. The rich palette colors such as greens, peaches, yellows, blues, and violets surrounding the text make the pages pleasing to the eye. For example the different shades of violets set a tranquil scene for the word sleep. Various font styles and sizes are used to separate the alphabets from the words. The illustrations in the book complement the letters.

The plot is action packed and creative. The author creates a mood of entertainment by using the cheerleading action words like “Give me T for Time”. The only weak aspect is the use of words, Yo, Zippy, and ZZZZZZZZ. They assist in the expression of the alphabet but are not particularly meaningful.

This ABC and concept book can be used to teach the pronunciation of alphabet to young children. Older children who are speakers of other languages can also benefit from reading this book.

REVIEW EXCERPT (S)
Review in Booklist (May 1, 2003): PreS-Gr. 1. Raschka, never conventional, offers an alphabet book that catches the attention. A round guy in a big coat and a small hat, with his yellow cat and his velocipede (an old word for a bicycle), takes the stage and begins a rap, "Don't give me numbers. / Don't give me 1, 2, 3. / Give me letters! / Give me A B C!".
Review from School Library Journal: Grade 1-3-This is an alphabet book with attitude. The main character, an oddly shaped man with an inordinately large head, delivers the goods with a clip and rhythm reminiscent of Yo Yes! (Orchard, 1993). He travels through the book on a velocipede with a cat in his front basket. After asking, "How are you?" he implores, "Talk to me about the alphabet." And admonishes, "Don't give me numbers. Don't give me 1, 2, 3." With a cheerleading tone, "Give me letters! Give me ABC!"

Review from Publishers Weekly (February 2, 2003): Raschka serves up this sassy ("A is for Attitude") abecedary with characteristic verve, but ultimately the whole is not equal to the sum of its rather haphazard parts.

CONNECTIONS
This book can be used as a read aloud to teach the alphabet to young children.
Other books that teach the alphabet in exceptional ways are:
Alphabet Explosion!: Search and Count from Alien to Zebra (ISBN: 0375835989) by John Nickel
Alphabet Mystery (ISBN: 0439443377) by Audrey and Bruce Wood.
Alphabet City (ISBN: 0670856312) by Stephen T. Johnson
Other books by Chris Raschka include:
Caldecott medal winner The Hello Goodbye Window (ISBN: 0786809140)
Simple Gifts (ISBN: 0310263506)
Like Likes Like (ISBN: 0789481898)

REVIEW OF “THE THREE PIGS”

REVIEW OF “THE THREE PIGS”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wiesner, David. 2001. The Three Pigs. New York, NY: Clarion Books. 0618007016.

PLOT SUMMARY

This picture book begins with the original tale of Three Little Pigs and a Wolf. However, as the story unfolds, the illustrations show how the pigs take it upon themselves to move the pages to create their own story. While they are moving the pages, they inadvertently enter other children’s favorites. They finally save a mighty dragon and pick up the pieces of the pages to get back to the brick house in their own adventure. The pigs choose the ending of the story. The dragon threatens the wolf and drives him to jump down the chimney. Of course, the three pigs and their hero, the dragon, live happily ever.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
“The Three Little Pigs” meets Jacobs and O’Tunnell’s criteria of a good book. The illustrations are colorful, unique, and clarify the content, the vocabulary is simple, and the subject matter is familiar. This book teaches young readers that they have the choice to interpret and imagine different endings for other tales. In the beginning of the book, the wolf is shown as a large powerful figure. The illustrator reflects this by drawing a wolf which is larger than the house. The pig’s comparable size to the birds shows their helplessness. At the end of the story the depiction of the wolf proves how powerless he actually is. The overwhelmingly large dragon intimidates the wolf into a look of surrender. The illustrations explain the surprising twists in the well-known story of The Three Little Pigs.

The harmonious use of color throughout the book encourages readers to relax and enjoy the journey. The blank spaces in the pages make one speculate about the next turn in the adventure. In some instances, color is used to portray the pigs as more important to the story line. When the pigs enter an imaginary story about a dragon that guards a golden rose, the illustrator displays black and white pictures to show the pigs taking the dragon out of the picture frame.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review from Publishers Weekly (March 12, 2001): “As readers have come to expect from the inventive works of Wiesner, nothing is ever quite as it seems in his picture books. . . . Wiesner's brilliant use of white space and perspective . . . evokes a feeling that the characters can navigate endless possibilities—and that the range of story itself is limitless.”

New York Times, Book Review (May 20, 2001): “Wiesner's dialogue and illustrations are clever, whimsical and sophisticated.”

Starred review from School Library Journal (January 4, 2001): K-Gr 6-In Tuesday (Clarion, 1991), Wiesner demonstrated that pigs could fly. Here, he shows what happens when they take control of their story. In an L. Leslie Brooke sort of style (the illustrations are created through a combination of watercolor, gouache, colored inks, and pencils), the wolf comes a-knocking on the straw house. When he puffs, the pig gets blown "right out of the story."

CONNECTIONS
This is a good book to invite children, young and old, to use their imagination to write a different ending to a story.
Other imaginative versions of the “Three Little Pigs” are:
The True Story of the Three Pigs (ISBN: 0140540563) by Jon Scieszka
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas (ISBN: 068981528X)
Wait! No Paint (ISBN: 0060282711 ) by Bruce Whatley

Other books by David Wiesener are:
Flotsam (ISBN: 0618194576)
Tuesday (ISBN: 0395870828)

REVIEW CREATION OF PICTURE BOOKS

REVIEW CREATION OF PICTURE BOOKS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marcus, Leonard S. 1998. A Caldecott Celebration. Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal. New York, NY: Walker and Company. ISBN 0802786561

PLOT SUMMARY

This book describes the personal lives of seven Caldecott Medal winners, Robert McCloskey, Marcia Brown, Maurice, Sendak, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, and David Wiesner. Leonard Marcus gives interesting snippets of information about the picture books, including illustrations, to explain the amount of work it takes for the illustrators to create picture books. He also discusses details of the illustrators’ sources of inspiration on their way to fame.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Marcus Leonard’s writing style is very engaging. The memoir of each illustrator is unique. The true details of the story behind the illustrated books make the readers aware of the finer points of creating a picture book.

The characters in the book are the illustrators in different decades that have won Caldecott medals. The plot depicts their dreams, their mentors, the research for their illustrations, and finally their excitement in winning the Caldecott medal. The sketches at various stages tell more of the story of the various books illustrated by each author. The before and after color coded pictures explain the progression of the illustrators’ drawings. The descriptions next to the illustrations give information such as dates, sources of inspiration, portrayal of characters depending on the timeline, type of medium use, and comparison with final illustrations.

This book is factual as well as emotive. Its simplicity makes it comprehensible to older children and adults. It may be used to impart background information to readers about the creation of picture books. Younger readers may need an explanation of the text that complements the illustrations.

REVIEW EXCERPT (S)
Starred review in Publishers Weekly (October 12, 1998): “Filled with witty anecdotes and pithy observations, Marcus's approach to examining the works of six Caldecott Medalists will be of as much interest to adults as to picture book readers."

Starred review in Booklist (November 15, 1998): "Marcus, who interviewed each artist, provides a lively, informative introduction to each book and its maker. A beautifully made book, this will serve as a fine resource for children interested in illustration and for teachers researching author/illustrator studies."

Amazon.com-Editorial Review: Leonard S. Marcus's thoughtful recognition of the labor and serendipity that go into the making of great art illuminates every page of A Caldecott Celebration.

CONNECTIONS
If you are interested in the creation of children’s picture books and how illustrators work, this is a good book to read.
Other books that describe creation of children’s picture books are:
Talking with Artists (ISBN: 0027242455) by Pat Cummings
Picture This: How Pictures Work (ISBN: 1587170299) by Molly Bang,
Other similar books by Leonard Marcus are: Ways of Telling: Conversations on the Art of the Picture Book (HTML), and Side by Side: Five Favorite Picture Book Teams Go to Work (ISBN: 0802796168).