The Bookworm's Feast

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Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. Illus. by John O’Brien.  The Bookworm’s Feast.  New York: Dial Books, 1999.  0803716923

 Summary

A bookworm has a number of friends over for dinner.  Soon after arriving, they discover that the pages of familiar books are delicious.  Their host suggests they take a few bites out of some silly rhymes – the pages of the compilation that follows.  The poems are spilt into different sections, each with its own menu page telling what the worms will be dining on.  The poems themselves cover a variety of topics but have a common theme of being silly, unique and inventive.

Analysis

In the same silly style as Shel Silvertein, these poems are a young child’s delight.  Rhyming and rhythmic, they have a singsong feel that make them perfect to read aloud and will cause children to request to hear them again and again.  The broad range of topics spans from animals to cutlery, but the poems flow together nicely with the common element of humor.

Older students will enjoy Lewis’s unusual use of words.  Familiar words, such hippopotamus, are changed to become “Hippopotamole” and a hurricane is morphed into a “her-i-cane” who “wasn’t like the other girls.”  Other poems must be read from the bottom up or have the text size change to further reflect the verse.  These writing oddities will engage older students who can see the creativity and appreciate the uniqueness of Lewis’s style.

The illustrations feel somewhat dated.  The colors are too bland for the comedic nature of the poems, the images too tame when compared to the words.  The illustrations do however help the reader to understand the poem better, frequently giving context to the verses that deepens understanding.

Awards and Reviews

“With an irreverence suggestive of Ogden Nash and the silliness of Jack Prelutsky, Lewis and O'Brien whip up a whimsical confection of poems and drawings in a format just as enjoyable as the poems themselves. A "Gentleman Bookworm" invites his friends to a feast of " `ridiculous rhyme!/ But might I suggest?'/ Said the host to the guest,/ `Chew them slowly. One line at a time!' " Arrayed in chapters called "Appetizers," "Sherbets" and so on, the nonsense verses will keep young readers happily munching all the way to "Delectable Desserts." As varied in form as limericks and autograph verses, only some of Lewis's (A Hippopotamusn't) poems deal with eating…. Other rhymes are sprinkled liberally with advice, as in "What to Wear Where... As if this linguistically piquant dinner were not enough, O'Brien's (The Reptile Ball) illustrations are simply delicious. Clever and funny, his exuberantly cross-hatched pen and watercolor drawings provide humor on every page. Don't forget to sample the cheerful Hippopotamole making "mountains out of molehills," or the postcard frog snagging a stamp with his tongue. A five-star feast.” –Publisher’s Weekly Review

“A smorgasbord of poetic forms and moods. Arranged in sections like a formal menu ("Appetizers" to "Desserts"), the book contains poems for nearly any taste. There are selections for fans of wordplay, of limerick form, and of valentinelike verse, each accompanied by O'Brien's exuberant pen-and-watercolor drawings. Although all of the offerings may not receive five-star ratings, Lewis's poetic buffet is well worth sampling.” –School Library Journal

Connections

Lewis plays with words, dissecting them to make new meanings and changing them to make them fit into his poems.  Have students play with words.  Create a dictionary of new words, where students can give the definitions of their creations.  Then use these words to write poems.

Lewis based his book on the idiom “bookworm.”  Use other common idioms as the basis for poems or stories.  For example, “a head of the pack” could be a series of poems told by sled dogs and “every dog has his day” could be a story about a dog that has the best day imaginable.

Have students create their own feast for a group of bookworms.  Read a number of other poetry books about food, such as Food Hates You, Too or The Burger and the Hot Dog.  The students then can write poems about their favorite or least favorite food.  Create a class book, placing a few bookworms throughout that are eating up the students' work.  

J. Patrick Lewis’s Biography

Lewis’s Website

An interview with Lewis

Inside Out & Back Again

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/
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Bibliography

Lai, Thanhha.  Inside Out & Back Again.  New York: Harper, 2011.  9780061962783

Summary

For ten-year old Hà, life is Saigon is pleasant.  Not perfect, she wishes that her father had not disappeared when she was an infant and that her mother did not have to work so hard, but she enjoys the treats she gets from the market and watching her papaya tree grow.  The occasional drills and bomb drops are an annoyance, but she loves her home.  When the war comes too close, her mother decides that it is time for the family to leave Saigon and head for the unknown, much to Hà’s displeasure.  After months in transition, from battleships to refugee camps, Hà finally reaches Alabama, where more challenges are waiting.

Analysis

Chronologically presented, each dated and titled poem gives a glimpse into Hà’s inner thoughts about the world around her.  As would be expected, her interests and concerns are those of a ten-year-old: school, friends, parents, and free time.  Even while living in war-torn Vietnam, her mind focuses on these aspects of life, rarely thinking about the larger problems that surround her.  And why should she?  The war is a problem for adults.  Her mother, older brothers and teachers tell her what she needs to know.  For a modern day American child, the similarities shared with Hà may come as a surprise.  They are likely to be amazed at how very similar they are to this girl from a different country and decade.   

The free verse poems do more than document Hà’s life; they beautifully capture her feelings about the events happening around her.  The writing is not fancy or complex; there is little use of figurative language and no rhyme or repetition.  These poems use capture intricate details and paint them into masterpieces in the mind of the reader.  The sensory descriptions of markets, papaya plants and bomb blasts allow the reader to feel the world as it unfolds around Hà, the amount of detail she presents being a gauge of how important it is to her. 

Awards and Reviews

*Newbery Honor Book 2012

*National Book Award Winner 2011

*ALA Notable Children’s Book 2012, Middle

*School Library Journal Best Books of 2011, Fiction

“All told, Inside Out and Back Again has the brevity of a verse novel packed with a punch many times its size. It’s one of the lovelier books I’ve read in a long time, and can make you think about and question the entire immigrant novel genre, so long a permanent part of the American children’s literary canon. Lai drew upon much of her own life to write this book. Now I’d like to see what she’s capable of when she looks at other subjects as well. Great new author. Great new book.” –School Library Journal

“Based in Lai’s personal experience, this first novel captures a child–refugee’s struggle with rare honesty. Written in accessible, short free–verse poems, Hà’s immediate narrative describes her mistakes—both humorous and heartbreaking; and readers will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast.” -Booklist

Connections

Immigrating to America is a very different experience for every person.  Read another book about an immigrant coming to America.  Have students look for common themes between the characters and experiences.   Have students use these common themes to write their own immigration story.  If possible, have students research their own family history and write from the perspective of their ancestors. 

Research what immigrating to America and becoming an American citizen requires.  Have students take a citizenship test and see if they would be able to become a citizen.   Students then could write a persuasive letter to their state representatives explaining how they believe incoming immigrants should be evaluated.   

Research the current debate about immigration into America, making sure to read opinions from all sides. Have students orally debate about how America should handle new immigrants. 

Scholastic Reading Group Guide for Inside Out & Back Again

A note from Lai

Lai reads aloud from Inside Out & Back Again

Viet Kids is a not-for-profit started by Lai to provide bikes for children in Vietnam

The One and Only Ivan

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Bibliography

Applegate, Katherine.  Illustrated by Patricia Caselao.  The One and Only Ivan.  New York: HarperCollins, 2012.  9780061992254

Summary

For years, Ivan has lived a repetitive, dull, and somewhat lonely life.  Locked in his domain, he enjoys creating art and hearing the stories that Stella tells; she never forgets anything.  Visitors occasionally come to look at the mammoth male Silverback Gorilla who lives at the Big Top Mall and Arcade, but not as often as they use to.  With the decline in visitors, the mall’s owner is looking for a new attraction and finds Ruby, a curious baby elephant with a stubborn streak.  No one, especially Ivan, realizes the huge impact the little elephant will have.

Analysis

Told from the perspective of a Silverback gorilla, The One and Only Ivan is poetry for the poetry reluctant.  There is no pattern to the series of free-verse poems, no rhyme or repetition, no alliteration or onomatopoeia.  Each poem adds a new chapter to what we know of Ivan’s life.  Some poems cover pages, while others are only a line.  This variety puts the reader into the mind of the gorilla, conveying his emotions and thoughts in a way traditional writing could not.  It is easy to see the writing style as nothing more than the inner-thoughts of a gorilla.  It seems very reasonable that a gorilla would think in poetry.

Without many of the traditional aspects of poetry, Applegate focuses on capturing emotions.  When Ivan is upset, a poem may simply be a title with a word or two of verse.  When reminiscing about his past and remembering his sister, Ivan is able to fill pages with details of his surroundings and emotions.  This is where the empathy of the reader comes into play, understanding the desire to be alone when one is upset or the joy of remembering every detail of happy times and wishing to relive them all.  With her poems, Applegate is able to activate the reader’s empathy, allowing them to experience Ivan’s life through his words.

Awards and Reviews

*Newbery Medal 2013

*School Library Journal Best of Children’s Books 2012

*Kirkus Reviews Best of Children’s Book 2012

*Texas Bluebonnet Award, 2013-2014

"How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage. … Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author's note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates." –Kirkus Reviews

“We can’t ever really know what a gorilla is thinking at a given time, but Applegate plays nicely with the differences between what we think and what he thinks. Ivan isn’t stupid by gorilla means but kids might find his thought process a bit slow from the human standpoint. That’s okay. He comes to thoughts and ideas in his own time. Plus the pacing of those thoughts and ideas works well.” –School Library Journal

Connections

Have students think of an animal they find interesting.  Complete a graphic organizer highlighting how the animal’s thinking would be different than a person's understanding of the world.  Use these observations to write a story about the animal's life from the animal’s perspective. 

Pretend that you are employed to create an ad campaign to encourage people to visit Ivan, either at the mall or the Zoo.  Create a poster, flier, TV commercial or other ad persuading people to come visit Ivan.  Use what you learned about Ivan’s personality and preferences as the basis of your persuasion.

Have students read non-fiction books, articles and websites about silverback gorillas.  Write a report to give to Ivan’s keepers informing them of what they should do to provide him with the best living conditions possible.

Read Applegate’s picture book version of Ivan’s story and have students compare and contrast the two.  Have students analyze which version of the story they enjoy more and write a letter to the school librarian explaining which one should be included in the school's collection. 

The Real Ivan

Official Book Trailer

NPR Interviews Applegate

The Real Ivan move to the Atlanta Zoo after his time at a mall

Applegate answers student questions about The One and Only Ivan

The real Ivan passed away in 2012

Swamp Angel

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Bibliography

Isaacs, Anne. Illus by Paul O. Zelinsky.  Swamp Angel.  New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1994.  0525452710

Summary

When Angelica Longrider was born, she was just a happy, Tennessee baby with a loving family.  She grew up making log houses and playing in the hills, as was the norm.  However, the day she bare-handedly saved a group of covered wagons from being stuck in a swamp showed that she might be more than people expected.

Analysis

The voice in Swamp Angel rings clear from the first page; this is a story about rural southern America.  The voice of the narrator takes you to the back hills, with phrases such as “second to none in buckskin bravery.”  The illustrations support this, showing idealistic scenes of the Great Smokey Mountains and the details of the hills. 

What grabs the reader’s attention is the juxtaposition of illustration, text and logic.  Isaacs makes statements that are clearly absurd and presents them as fact.  In explaining Swamp Angel’s very average birth, he states that she “was scarcely taller than her mother and couldn’t climb a tree without help.”  The illustration shows a traditional happy family, however the young child in her mother’s arms has a head the size of beach ball and a full-grown body.   Young and old will see the humor and oddity in this statement and be drawn into the story to discover more about this strange character. 

It is easy to fall in love with Swamp Angel.  From the second page of the book, she is going out of her way to help others, putting out fires and saving covered wagons while asking for nothing in return.  She shows courage and gumption, self-confidence and bravery, never allowing naysayers to get the better of her.  She shows the importance of determination and hard work to the American settlers while providing an entertaining story at the same time.

Awards and Reviews

*Caldecott Honor, 1995

*New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 1994

*ALA Notable Book, 1994

*School Library Journal Best Books of 1994

“This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“It is impossible to convey the sheer pleasure, the exaggerated loopiness, of newcomer Isaacs's wonderful story. Matching the superb text stride for stride are Zelinsky's (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990) altered-state, American primitive paintings--gems that provide new pleasures, reading after reading. To say that you are entering Caldecott land doesn't begin to do this book justice.” – Kirkus

"Move over, Paul Bunyan, you are about to meet Swamp Angel, an original creation in the tall-tale tradition whose exploits are guaranteed to amaze and amuse a wide swath of readers. . . Visually exciting, wonderful to read aloud, this is a picture book to remember." –Horn Books

Connections

After reading Swamp Angel, read Sally Ann Thunder AnnWhirlwind Crockett by Steven Kellogg.  Students could compare and contrast the two characters, looking at their similarities and differences.

In Swamp Angel, the origins of the Short Grass Prairie are explained.  Provide students with a list of natural landmarks in the United States, such as the Grand Canyon, redwood forest and great lakes.  Have students choose one and then write a tall tale explaining how it came to be.

To extend the story, have students write as Swamp Angel to Sally Ann Whirlwind or Paul Bunyan telling of her recent adventures.

Anne Issacs biography

Isaacs explains how SwampAngel came to be.

Book Preview of Dust Devil, the sequel to Swamp Angel, with a focus on illustrations.

The Three Pigs

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Bibliography

Wiesner, David.  The Three Pigs.  New York: Clarion Books, 2001.  0329279815

Summary

What starts out as a traditional telling of The Three Little Pigs quickly takes an unexpected turn when the wolf unknowingly blows the first little pig completely out of the story. The pig takes full advantage of this situation and quickly finds his brothers, bringing them to safety and leaving the wolf in the story frames, hungry and confused.  The pigs find that they are not limited to their own story and venture through a number of different tales, collecting friends along the way.

Analysis

The Three Pigs takes fractured fairy tales to a whole new level.  Not just changing the viewpoint of the narrator or putting a cultural spin on the story, this book challenges readers to think outside the box, literally and figuratively.  Playing on his strengths as an illustrator, Wiesner seamlessly blends small amounts of dialog with stunning illustrations.  The pictures truly do steal the show and are capable of telling the story in such a way that the dialog seems superfluous. 

Young and old alike are able to enjoy this story.  Younger readers enjoy the adventures of the pigs; making and flying on paper airplanes, befriending a dragon and running across familiar faces, such as the cat from Hey Diddle Diddle.  Older readers enjoy seeing the pigs transition from looking realistic to cartoonish as they wander through the pages, finding illustrations from other Wiesner books, and imagining the pigs tumbling through the world Wiesner has created using story book pages. 

When reading this book aloud to a second grade class, they weren’t able to stay seated or simply listen.  “Look at the pigs, they’re changing!” they would shout out as the pigs moved from story to story.  The pages where the pigs were flying on the airplane were met with many ooohs and ahhhhs.  When one of the pigs appeared to look out from the book and stated “I think…someone’s out there,” he was met with a chorus of hellos and waves.  They stated this was now one of their favorite books. 

Awards and Reviews

*Caldecott Medal, 2001

“David Wiesner’s postmodern interpretation of this tale plays imaginatively with traditional picture book and story conventions and with readers’ expectations of both. (Though with Wiesner, we should know by now to expect the unexpected.) Astute readers will notice the difference between the cover’s realistic gouache portrait of the three pigs (who stare directly out at the viewer with sentient expressions) and the simple outlined watercolor artwork on the title page. In fact, the style of the illustrations and the way the characters are rendered shifts back and forth a few times before the book is done, as Wiesner explores the possibility of different realities within a book’s pages. The text, set in a respectable serif typeface, begins by following the familiar pattern—pigs build houses, wolf huffs and puffs, wolf eats two pigs, etc. But while the text natters on obliviously, the pigs actually step (or are huffed and puffed) out of the muted-color panel illustrations without being eaten…Wiesner may not be the first to thumb his nose at picture-book design rules and storytelling techniques, but he puts his own distinct print on this ambitious endeavor. There are lots of teaching opportunities to be mined here—or you can just dig into the creative possibilities of unconventionality.” –K.F., The Horn Book

“Satisfying both as a story and as an exploration of the nature of story, The Three Pigs takes visual narrative to a new level. Dialogue balloons, text excerpts, and a wide variety of illustration styles guide the reader through a dazzling fantasy universe to the surprising and happy ending.

Fans of Tuesday's Frog's and Sector 7's clouds will be captivated by old friends the Three Pigs of nursery fame and their companions in a new guise.” -Scholastic

Connections

Building a background from the few pages from the dragon’s story seen in The Three Pigs, students will write a continuation telling how the story would have gone, had the pigs not stolen the dragon away.

Wiesner's Caldecott acceptance speech.

Students could write a letter asking the pigs to save a character from another story and justifying why the character should be saved. 

In The Three Pigs, the pigs made friends with the other characters they met.  Write the names of other folktale characters on slips of paper and put them into a basket.  After students draw two names, they will write a story or comic showing what happens when the characters met after being pulled out of their stories.   

How Chipmunk Got His Stripes

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Bibliography

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac.  Illus. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.  How Chipmunk Got His Stripes.  New York:Puffin, 2001.  9781404671027

Summary

It is a lovely autumn day when Bear, feeling confident, is out for a walk.  As he is walking, he chants that he is the biggest, strongest and loudest of all the animals.  Knowing this to be true, he claims to be capable of doing anything.  Little Chipmunk overhears Bear’s claim and asks if Bear can keep the sun from rising.  Certain that he is powerful enough, Bear states he can and demands the sun to stay down.  What follows is a lesson in humility for both big and small creatures.

Analysis

People have always attempted to make sense of the world.  With simple characters, a universal setting and repeating phrases, it is easy to see how this folktale was passed down through generations of Native Americans up and down the eastern coastline.  The lessons it teaches are straightforward and show the cultural values of the tribes.  Bear’s vanity, arrogance, and ultimate downfall as well as chipmunk’s lack of empathy show the importance of humility and respect to the Native people. 

The illustrations are simple, allowing the personality of the characters to shine through.  By focusing on the animals, their size and emotions are clearly transmitted.  Young readers especially will gain more meaning from the menacing face of Bear and the teasing expressions of Chipmunk then they would from the text alone.  They will be able to sympathize with bear when the sun rises as well as feel chipmunk’s fear when trying to escape from the gigantic predator.

Awards and Reviews

Bear struts through the forest, bragging as he goes: "I am Bear. I am the biggest of all the animals. Yes, I am!-I can do anything. Yes, I can!" Little Brown Squirrel elects to challenge him: "Can you tell the sun not to rise tomorrow morning?" Bear accepts the challenge. As the sun sets, he issues his command and the two settle down to see what morning will bring. As the night progresses, the braggart continues to boast, and Squirrel cannot resist teasing. When the sun predictably rises in the morning, Bear is disgruntled and angry, and his taunter foolishly continues to tease. When Bear threatens to eat the little creature, Squirrel makes a desperate dash for his burrow. He is able to escape, but not before Bear has raked his back with his sharp claws. Although the scratches heal, they leave Squirrel with long, pale stripes on his back. He is now Chipmunk, the Striped One. In their introductory authors' notes, the Bruchacs indicate that the story is an amalgam of tales they have heard from Cherokee, Abenaki, and Mohawk sources, and has further been fleshed out through their own telling over the years. The result is polished, cohesive, and energetic. While the story begs to be told, Aruego and Dewey's vibrantly hued trademark watercolors add significantly to the humor. A priority purchase for most collections.  -Grace Oliff, School Library Journal

In Bruchac and his son's (When the Chenoo Howls) serviceable retelling of a Native American pourquoi tale, Brown Squirrel challenges prideful Bear to keep the sun from rising. When the sun does rise, and Brown Squirrel teases Bear, Bear threatens to eat Brown Squirrel, and his claw marks transform the fellow into Chipmunk. Though the prose occasionally falters (e.g., "Everyone was happy except for one animal. That animal was Bear" or the advice of Brown Squirrel's grandmother, "It is good to be right about something. But when someone else is wrong, it is not a good idea to tease him"), the dialogue is effective and invites audience participation especially the repeated phrases with sound effects, as when the quarrelsome pair sit side by side all night chanting: "The sun will not come up, hummph!" and "The sun is going to rise, oooh!" Aruego and Dewey (Antarctica Antics) create lush landscapes, but Bear and Brown Squirrel are uncharacteristically bland, often featuring the same facial expressions repeatedly.  –Publishers Weekly Reviews

Connections

To highlight similar values, students could compare Hare from The Tortoise and the Hare to Bear.  A class discussion could highlight how the stories are the same and how they are different.  We know that the stories originated in different parts of the world.  What do you think is similar about the places and people where they come from?  What do you think might be different about these cultures?  Students could then write a letter to either character explaining how they should have behaved.

An author study could be done focusing on Joseph Bruchac.  Before researching Bruchac, a number of his books such as Racoon’s Last Race, Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back, and The First Strawberries, could be read and students could make inferences about Bruchac’s background and what he believes is important.