The Doll People: By Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin

         Do you sometimes feel like a little fish living in a big pond? Well imagine in you were only three inches tall! Welcome to the world of Annabelle Doll, and The Doll People, by Ann M. Marin and Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick. Annabelle is a six-year-old doll (she has been six since the day she was "born" over 100 years ago) living with her porcelain doll family in their dollhouse in the room of Kate Palmer. Annabelle and her family had been apart of the Palmer family since they arrived, in their dollhouse from England, as a gift for a girl in the Palmer family, years ago. They had spent over 100 years cooped up in the dollhouse with each other and no one else, that is until the Funcrafts moved in. Annabelle, who longed to escape the dollhouse was ecstatic when she met Tiffany, a new plastic doll, just her age. The two make it their mission to search the Palmer house for Annabelle's Aunt Sarah who has been missing for forty years. Together the pair read Aunt Sarah's journal and plan a search and rescue missions. The two determine that she must be trapped somewhere, and using the clues from the journal, are able to find her and reunite their family once again!
       This work of fiction describes a fantastical world, in which dolls who take the oath, come to life within the world of everyday humans. The storyline, which Martin and Godwin masterfully create, has the reader fully believing that every detail is real, and that everything they say could happen definitely can. The characters are each strongly developed, having their own unique personalities, Annabelle and Tiffany are brave and curious, Mama and Papa Doll are protective and worry a lot, and the list goes on. Each detail of fantasy comes to life throughout the novel, and the words are further enhanced through the inclusion of Brian Selznick's pencil sketches, that provide the reader with visually appealing images of what the characters look like, as well as various scene images.
       Being a child who LOVED dolls more than anything, this book was one of my favorites as a kid. I loved thinking that when I wasn't looking, my dolls came alive and caused mischief, just like Annabelle and Tiffany. This book is written to interest readers grades 3-5, with a little wiggle room up and down, based on reading level. Because the story is based on the life of dolls, I would say the general appeal is to girls, but the story itself is a mystery, full of action and great dialogue, so there is no real reason boys wouldn't enjoy it just the same. This book is the first in a four part series, followed by : The Meanest Doll in the World, The Runaway Dolls, and The Doll People Set Sail. Keep these fiction books in mind for children interested in well constructed mysteries or books about miniature worlds. By the time they finish the book, children will be sleeping with one eye open, watching and waiting to see their toys come to life!

For more books about tiny people living in a big peoples world, check out: The Borrowers By Mary Norton

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Doll-People-Ann-Martin/dp/0786812400

Who Was George Washington: By Roberta Edwards

       Just about everyone knows who the man with the crazy looking white hair on the dollar bill is, but do you know what else he did besides serves as the first US President? Who Was George Washington? by Roberta Edwards seeks to tell readers who George Washington was, and anything else you could possibly want to know about him. The biography flows in a linear fashion, beginning with a brief introduction to tell readers who he was (incase they really have no idea), then begins with his childhood in Virginia, his life as a young soldier, his rise through the ranks to General, and so on. The book ends by telling us how we commemorate George Washington today, through a national holiday, several monuments in his honor, and on the one dollar bill you use to buy your ice cream. The last three pages provide readers with a timeline summarizing George Washington's life, and a short bibliography where readers can find more information on the nation's first President.
     What makes this book a successful children's nonfiction piece is the use of simple language to make the factual information accessible. Edwards was also very selective with the information she chose to include, paying close attention to include only information that was extremely significant or that would be of great interest to the target population of young readers, such as the fact that George Washington had a mother who was very bossy and he was a great athlete (very relatable details). The linear format of the biography makes the biography easy following, allowing readers to learn information in a logical and familiar way.
         Cartoon-style, sketched illustrations by True Kelley help to bring visual interest to the story as well. Close to every page contains a sketch that seeks to enhance the text and gives the reader a physical depiction of what is being read. The cartoon-style of the pictures make them accessible and engaging, giving the book a very child appropriate vibe.
          This biography about George Washington, accurately provides readers with important information about a key figure in American history. The linear format, simple language, and cartoon-style illustrations weave together to create a nonfiction piece that is both engaging and brimming with information. This book, written for students in grades 3-5, would be a strong addition to a study of bibliographies, a study of presidents, or a study about our nation's forefathers.

To learn more about George's Washington home, Mount Vernon, check out this webpage!

Picture Source:http://www.amazon.com/Who-George-Washington-Roberta-Edwards/dp/0448448920

Who Was Sacagawea?: By Dennis Brindell Fradin & Judith Bloom Fradin

      No study of Lewis and Clark and the idea of Westward Expansion in the United States would be complete without knowing: who was Sacagawea? The children's biography by Dennis Brindell Fradlin and his wife, Judith Bloom Fradlin seeks to tell you just what the title suggest, Who Was Sacagawea? In this biography children will lean about Native American, Sacagawea, who was only sixteen-years-old when she made one of the most impressive journeys in American history, traveling 4,500 miles across the US. Without her contributions, Lewis and Clark's westward expedition might have been impossible. While reading this book, students will learn about how and why Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark, and understand the reasons that we still remember her and celebrate her today.
      What makes this biography successful as a book for children is the way the Fradlins use simple language and basic vocabulary that conveys the factual information in an accessible and engaging way. The book is almost a narrative told in a linear format, following the timeline of Sacagawea's life. It is the simple language elements and linear flow that help to make this book an engaging work of nonfiction that children will actually enjoy reading, and not a textbook-information-packed-snoozefest.
       This book is made further kid-friendly through the use of black and white, sketch style illustrations by Val Paul Taylor. The simple sketches that occur on just about every page help to give the content visual appeal, and to allow young readers to get a sense of what they are reading, through having it shown to them in a physical scene. While the sketches are fairly minimalistic, they provide enough detail to enhance the meaning of the text and help show the setting and characters more fully.
      The combination of narrative, nonfiction language and simple illustration brings to Sacagawea to life for the reader. Teaching us details about her as a person and about her extensive contributions to American history and Westward Expansion. This biography would be a great addition to a study of important Native Americans in history, a study of the biographic form/genre, or to a study of Lewis and Clark and the idea of Westward Expansion. This nonfiction, biographical, chapter book is geared towards students in grades 3-5.

Extension for the classroom:
Teachers could have students draw their own pictures in the unique cover art style of this book. Then ask students to write a brief autobiography about their own lives, using a narrative style to give information.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Who-Sacagawea-Judith-Bloom-Fradin/dp/0448424851

Hidden-A Child's Story of the Holocaust: By Loic Dauvillier

         Perhaps my favorite genre to read is historical fiction, but when I stumbled across Loic Dauvillier's Hidden, I was immediately skeptical, that is until I read it. Hidden is a graphic novel that was originally published in French in 2012 under the name L'Enfant Cahee. Alexis Siegel translated the novel and in 2014 it was published in English, under the current title. The book received a Batchelder Honor Award in 2014, given for outstanding children's book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the US. In the graphic novel, Dauvillier tells the powerful story of a grandmother recounting her childhood experiences hiding from the Nazis in France during World War II to her granddaughter, Elsa. In a world riddled with cruelty and harshness, Dounia Cohen finds her 6-year-old-self shunned by her peers and teacher the first time she wore her required yellow star identifying her as Jewish. Soon after her parents are taken away by the police during a raid, and she finds herself depending on neighbors to hide and protect her. When the time is right, Dounia is able to escape to the French countryside, where she is safe to wait out the rest of the war.
         This over-archingly hopeful story makes use of a long series of cartoon-style, detailed illustrations, typical of what you might see in a comic strip. The intense details of every image help to slow the readers movement through these story. Because there are so few words on a page, the reader is tempted to fly through the rest of the story to learn what happens, but the intricate details of Greg Salsedo and Marc Lizano's illustrations beg the reader to slow down, in order to discover hidden images. For example, in one sequence, if the reader looks closely, a "picture" of Dounia's missing parents is shown in the background and gradually grows and grows, until it takes up an entire frame of the story.
        The writing of Dauvillier conveys an account of the Holocaust that while very real, is ultimately child-friendly. The explicit details of what occurred during this time period are for the most part put vaguely and the story focuses on a young girl's experience hiding, missing her parents, and seeking refuge. As we like to see in books written for children, Hidden ends on a lighter note, with Dounia and her mother finding each other again as World War II ends, and Elsa, a young girl in present-day France, becomes closer to her grandmother, who after many, many years is now telling her story.
       With numerous positive reviews, Dauvillier's graphic novel, Hidden, really works with the historical fiction genre. The fact that the story is told in the form of a graphic novel, lends itself nicely to the child-friendly Holocaust story idea. The story relies heavily on dialogue between characters and images to drive the plot and give the reader information about emotions and settings. This book is written for readers that are a little bit older, I would say definitely no younger than 10-years-old. This book has a high level of visual appeal and recalls the details of a tragic historical time factually, without being too vivid. This book, with guidance and premising perhaps, would be a good introduction for a young reader to the Holocaust.

For another story of a child's perspective of the Holocaust, check out Louis Lowry's, Number of the Stars

Picture Source: http://us.macmillan.com/hiddenachildsstoryoftheholocaust/loicdauvillier

Aesop's Fables: By Beverly Naidoo

         Aesop's Fables are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived between 620 and 560 BCE. These fables have been transferred across cultures and generations and still exist today. In Aesop's Fables by Beverley Naidoo takes these classic tales and tells them for the first time using an African style and setting, using Piet Grobler's illustrations. Naidoo and Grobler were inspired to make use of an African style because Aesop himself is speculated to have possibly come from African descent. There are a total of 16 fables contained in this collection, each is told using a simple language style that makes them accessible to a target audience of younger readers. Stories range from a lion and warthog fighting over who gets the first drink, then realizing that being friends would be better, a farmer teaching his children that working hard is a true treasure, a little mouse saving the life of a great lion, and much more. At the end of each tale the moral of the story is written to help point it out and allow the readers to draw meaning from the creative writing, and learn about human values.
        Each fable is written in a white background and outlined with a watercolor frame that makes the text stand out from the busy African style images. Each of Grobler's illustrations are vivid and dynamic, helping to bring the fable to life and create visual interest on every page. The title of every story is a work of art in itself, written in a tribal-inspried font. The visual elements all come together nicely to turn the collection of well-told fables into a full package work of story and art.
        Aesop's Fables by Beverley Naidoo, received a Parents' Choice Silver Honor, meaning that the Parents' Choice Foundation praises the book with being designed to both entertain and help children develop universally ethical attitudes, and rigorous standards and skills. This collection containing 16 of Aesop's fables is brilliantly written and illustrated for children with a range of ages, possibly 5-11. This book works well because the stories make use of simple language, the moral is clearly pointed out, and the illustrations are dynamic and accessible. This book would be great for a study of cultures or of folktales and their origins. Teachers would enjoy reading these fables aloud just as much as students would enjoy reading them and studying the unique African style illustrations.

Classroom extension:
Teachers (or parents) could read this book aloud, then have students/children think-up, write, and illustrate their own Aesop-inspired fables using their own artistic styles.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Aesops-Fables-Beverley-Naidoo/dp/1847800076

After the Bell Rings: By Carol Diggory Shields

                                   

       "Finally...finally...finally...BRINNNNNG!" Reads the inside cover of After the Bell Rings by Carol Diggory Shields was published in 2015 by Dial Books for Young Readers. Of course everyone knows that a student's favorite sound is the ding of the school bell that means school is over. In this book of children's poems, poet Carol Diggory Shields and illustrator Paul Meisel have fully captured what kids love to do when that last bell rings. Some of the topics include: music practice, homework, eating snacks, busy schedules, and so much more!

       Shields begins by capturing how both teachers and students alike anticipate and wait anxiously for the last two "slowest of all" minutes of the day to pass. By the end of the book, the week has come to an end and Shields makes use of clever end rhyme to highlight the irony found in a Friday night sleepover, where "We call it sleeping over--That's not exactly true. We bring along our sleeping bags. But sleep? Not what we do." Each poem is unique and makes use of its own type of  rhyme and rhythm. 

       Each poem throughout the book is accompanied by one of Meisel's engaging, childlike, illustrations created using a mix of medias. The full-bleed illustrations, in which the text is placed into the background, help to highlight the child's perspective that Shields is using in her poems. Even the end papers add to the book, showing numerous backpacks strewn across the floor with their contents spilling everywhere. No matter whether the picture depicts one scene, several separate images all linked together, or the screen of a call phone, they help to bring the poems to life, creating an impressive amount of visual interest. 

           This collection of children's poems would be great for children ages 6-10. Each poem is kid-friendly and easily relatable. Shield's use of clever and sassy poetry, combined with Meisel's accessible and visually appealing illustrations work to create an engaging and humorous collection of poetry. This book would be a great addition to any young child's poetry collection.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/After-Bell-Rings-Poems-After-School/dp/0803738056

My Heart Glow: By Emily Arnold McCully

         With ever increasing diversity in our communities, the search and need for books that celebrate these unique individuals and their history is becoming more and more important for educators. My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet and the Birth of American Sign Language, written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, teaches readers about the history of American Sign Language through telling a narrative story. This book was published by Hyperion Books for Children. The story is told about Alice Cogswell, a young deaf girl who is both a curious and quick learner. But, unfortunately, in early nineteenth century America, no one had discovered techniques to teach deaf or hearing impaired children. However, thankfully for Alice, an equally curious man named Thomas Gallaudet, took an interest in her and noticed how smart she was. Gallaudet vowed to help Alice to learn. This vow took him across the Atlantic Ocean to study ways of teaching deaf children in Europe from experts in the subject. Alice worries Gallaudet will never come back to teach her, but just as he promised he does. He returns having learned many knew techniques to teach Alice. Inspired by Alice's story and the new knowledge he has gained, Gallaudet creates the nation's first school for the deaf, improving Alice's life and the lives of generations of young, deaf students to come.
           McCully tells about the birth of American Sign Language through a simple narrative story about Alice Cogswell and Thomas Gallaudet. The narrative uses a basic story structure with a beginning, middle and end. It also gives details about the characterization, plot and setting. Each page contains a watercolor illustration created by Emilly Arnold McCully herself, which extended the meaning of the text by depicting the scene on that page or spread of pages. The watercolors are done using a pallet of bright colors that bring the scenes to life and make them very visually appealing.
           In terms of an informational, nonfiction picture book, McCully does a great job of teaching about the birth of ASL using a story that is easy for young readers to understand. The familiar narrative format provides the readers with a type of story they are familiar with, while still giving them the right amount of factual information for them to actually learn about how American Sign Language came to be. Young readers will be able to relate to Alice's curiosity about the world and understand that she wants to learn new things from school and the world around her, just like they do.
          This book seeks to teach children about the history of American Sign Language through the use of a narrative story with friendly color illustrations. This book would be great for students in grades 2nd-4th, as the language is fairly simple, yet the content is factual and important. Teachers could use this picture book when teaching children about diversity, helping children to understand hearing impairments, and when teaching about different types of languages. This nonfiction, informational picture book is an great example of the genre.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/My-Heart-Glow-Cogswell-Gallaudet/dp/142310028X

Detective LaRue-Letters from the Investigation: By Mark Teague

        Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation, written and illustrated by Mark Teague. Scholastic Press published this book in
2004. Teague has created a hilarious and clever fictional character in the local dog, Ike LaRue. Ike, or Detective LaRue as he is portrayed in this story, goes on many wild adventures. In this tale Ike finds himself wrongly accused of terrorizing the Hibbins’ cats and stealing their “strangely yummy cat treats”. He pleads his case to his owner, Mrs. LaRue in a series of misleading letters, who is vacationing in France, with very little luck. However, when an additional string of burglaries delays the Snort City Police department’s investigation into the allegations against Ike, revealing their poor crime-solving skills, Ike must examine the clues and solve the mystery on his own. Ike escapes from jail and makes it his mission to find out where the Hibbins' cats have disappeared to and what they are up to now.
        Teague uses letters written from Ike in simple language to make the reader completely believe that he, the dog, is actually writing the letters. There are also several “newspaper articles” shown in the book that help to give the setting and explain the circumstances of the plot. For example, towards the end there is a clipping from the Snort City Register/Gazette that tells about Ike being named an honorary detective. The combination of Ike’s letters, telling about his own part in the investigation and giving the story humor, and the newspaper clippings providing more serious plot information about the investigation and the humans' part in the story, gives the reader a chance to navigate various types of language and establishes visual interest on each page. The balance of formal language and narrative language makes the overall storytelling language very effective and gives young readers exposure to many critical language elements.
       Teague also uses the traditional theme of “the dog dislikes the cats” to help the reader see the humor in Ike trying to clear his name and lets younger students follow the action, because they understand the common cat vs. dog relationship from other movies and books. Teague also uses a good vs. evil theme typical of fictional stories about dogs and cats that further helps the readers to immerse themselves in the investigation. This relationship, while explained in the letters, is fully elaborated in the images that show the cats true colors.
      Perhaps the most valuable and intriguing part of this picture book are its extremely detailed, full-bleed illustrations. Teague uses his pictures to extremely extend beyond the text, showing the reader elements of both reality and fantasy. On most pages we see an image of Ike in color, depicting the reality of his investigation and his “jail time”, then we also see a picture in black and white, usually in a cloud or thought bubble, showing what Ike is saying that he is doing in his letters, the fantastical elements. For example on one page we see the postscript: "P.S. Imagine how I feel cooped up inside this loathsome dungeon!" is matched with a color illustration of Ike and a police officer playing a game of cards, as well as a black-and-white image of Ike being framed by the Hibbins' cats. The use of the two conflicting images lets the reader pick up on the fact that Ike is not actually doing what he says he is doing, like being trapped in jail or working hard to solve the case, but rather that he is having a great time playing games, ordering room service, and doing other fun and relaxing things. While many of the images are only partly consistent with what Ike’s letters say, the images and the text work together to create the sense of humor in the story, having the reader read one thing, and then look at the illustrations to see what the clever dog, Ike, is up to. In order for the story to be completely understood, the reader has to rely on the illustrations to get a lot of their information on the action. Despite the extent of Ike’s imagination, as a reader, we find the way the setting is depicted in the images to be authentic in detail and consistent with what information is given in the text.

         This book is recommended by the publisher, Scholastic, for children ages preK to 3rd grade; however, because Ike’s tale involves comedy and a level of suspense waiting on him to solve the crime, I found that it would be an enjoyable read aloud for older grades as well. The comical stories that Ike dreams up and sends in his letters to his owner will hold the interest of older students and had myself, laughing and enjoying the story as well. This book teaches students to read between lines and rely on the images to get the full story. Mark Teague's hilarious mystery makes for an excellent read aloud and would be a great addition to an elementary school classroom or library!

Check out the pre-quil-Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School

Picture Source: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/detective-larue#cart/cleanup

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night: By Joyce Sidman

       Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night was written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen. The book received a John Newbery Honor in 2011. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night is a book of poems written just for kids. Each poem is written from the perspective of an animal or other living thing's perspective, all centered around elements of nature at nighttime. The first poem "Welcome to the Night" invites the reader into the hidden world that is the night forest. We sense that Sidman understands her audience (grades 3-6) using language that is easy to understand, yet is vivid enough to create a clear picture of the nighttime forest. The poems, told from an animal's or living things perspective, are perfectly suited for younger readers as they introduce poetry in a pleasing way, not bogging the reader down with a need to analyze each sentence for hidden meaning. Each poem is accompanied by an informational paragraph about the element the poem discusses, letting the reader not only experience the beauty and mystery of the poem, but be able to learn about that living thing as well. The author also varies the way the text is displayed to add subtle visual elements to the pages, making the poems more engaging. For example, in the poem entitled "Dark Emperor", which is about the owl, we see that the spacing and placement of the text creates an owl. This is an easy but effective way the author draws the audience's attention to the text and helps the reader to understand what animal is being discussed.
         Illustrations by Rick Allen also help to engage the reader and add visual interest to the poems, allowing the reader to see what scenes and animals are being described by the poetic text. Rick Allen is a well known nature illustrator who is recognized for his unique printmaking style that uses linoleum cuts, wood engravings, broadsheets, and other printmaking techniques. The images in this book of poems used fairly muted tones and deep dark details made of solid black lines that help set the tone of a dark night for the reader. Allen's images seek to enhance the text by allowing the reader to see exactly what the imagery in the poem is describing.
        I believe that students in grades 3-6 would really enjoy reading this book of poems. The vivid images created by the text are further enhanced through the accompanying pictures, making this book the perfect way for young readers to be introduced to poetry. This book would also make for a good read-aloud because of its size and easy to view pictures. The educational value contained in the informational paragraphs also enhances the value of this book making it a great way for teachers to introduce nocturnal animals in nature.

For more books and information about nocturnal animals visit here: http://www.savvysource.com/parenting/11429-whos-not-sleeping-tonight-introducing-the-wonders-of-nighttime-animals 

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Emperor-Other-Poems-Night/dp/0547152280