Au revoir, Farewell!

 

So there you have it. My first ever Children's Literature journal! I started this project with an overload of names and titles of books that I wanted to include. As I progressed I realized there are far more genres than I had realized and I wanted to make sure I covered them all. I feel that I have compiled here a diverse list of books that cover various subjects, styles and purposes. Through my reflection on these works I have learned so much about the nature of children's literature as well as the exceeding impact it can have on me, as a reader. I looked at these books not so much as a "teacher-in-training" but as an individual that loves to read. It just so happened that I enjoyed so many aspects of many of these books that I couldn't find the time to write about all my feelings! I feel that my honesty and personality has come through in writing these journals and that I learned a fair bit about myself along the way. 

I know I will continue to read and love children's stories, and from now on I will take time to reflect on my feelings and connections, taking each special piece to heart.

I've decided to post some titles that I wish I could have included in my blog:

• The Cat Came Back by Fred Penner
• The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill
• For The Love of Autumn by Patricia Pollaco
• Hey Al by Arthur Yorinks
• What Do You Do With A Tail Like This by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
• Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill
• Bonz Inside and Out by Byron Glaser
• Coretta Scott Ntozake Shange
• The Big Elephant in the Room by Lane Smith
• Do Unto Otters- A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller

I hope you enjoyed reading, I know I sure did! :)

Babushka Baba Yaga by Patricia Polacco

    
     The traditional folktale of Baba Yaga recounts the frightful, monstrous and evil creature of the woods, Baba Yaga. In Patricia Pollaco’s version, she turns the tale into a touching and moral story that displays the true wishes and dreams of the Baba Yaga and describes how perceptions can so easily be deceived.
    I wanted to read this book because I had seen the name “Baba Yaga” so much in my shelving duties while working at the Curriculum Materials Centre. I became curious to find out who/what this Baba Yaga actually was. So when looking for books in the traditional literature genre, I decided now would be a great time to find out.
    After researching the traditional tale, I learned that Baba Yaga was an evil figure in Russian folklore, a witch and gruesome creature that was responsible for anything between kidnapping children to threatening to eat them. She is usually portrayed as a witch who lives in the woods in a cabin standing on chicken legs and flies through the air committing evil acts. In Pollaco’s story, this evil beast is reversed and her wishful and lonely characteristics are displayed in broad daylight. I loved  reading about this “evil creature” before reading Pollaco’s story; it made me appreciate the moral of the story even more which is: “Those who judge one another on what they hear or see, and not what they know of them in their hearts, are fools indeed!”
    The style of writing effectively creates a sense of connection to Baba Yaga, she is introduced in a manner that causes the reader to feel pity and sympathy for this misunderstood creature. I felt for her as I read that she longed to be a babushka but knew that it would never be. As I followed her journey, I felt happy for her as she began to find her place in the village. It was definitely Pollaco’s writing style that caused me to feel such connection to Baba Yaga, she described the events in such magical and light language that I was easily carried away.
    Not only is the story written beautifully, but the illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful as well. I have read a number of Patricia Pollaco’s books and the same bright, airy illustrations accompany the story and always add another element of magic. She uses soft, light lines to create images which give a sense of imagination to the story. The images tend to overlap and the colours mix to create detail in ever corner of the page. It is yet another book that needs multiple viewings in order to take in all of it’s artwork. On many of the pages there are small fairy-like creatures that accompany Baba Yaga on her journey in the village. The presence of these fairies indicate that her charisma is present when she is experiencing what she has longed for- to share her life with a grandchild. When I see the fairies, I am reminded of Baba Yaga’s magical nature.
    In total, the moral, the writing and the illustrations add up to create a beautiful, touching story that I enjoyed reading in every respect. I feel that the importance of  the moral is one that resonates in all walks of life. One needs to look beyond hear-say and legend in order to see the truth in everyone. I continue to learn that the simplistic form of a children’s picture book can have such a large impact on the reader. Throughout the story I felt a range of emotions including sad, sympathetic, hopeful, happy, excited and proud for Babushka Baba Yaga. I think that alone, stands for a great piece of literature.



Patricia Pollaco's website is full of great activities and information that will engage students in reading and comprehending all of her wonderful stories. Here is a link to some activities you can complete using Babushka Baba Yaga

Young Pele- Soccer’s First Star by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome

To start off, let me say that soccer was and still is my only true sport. I played it from the time I was 7 to present as an adult registered in ladies league. I played other sports like volleyball and basketball but I always knew that soccer was the only sport that truly interested me. That is not to say I was a star by any means. I played on “B” level teams and never made it to play in large national tournaments but, my passion for the game kept me addicted.    
    Young Pelé is a historical biography of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, worldly known as Pelé, one of the world’s greatest soccer players. He lead the Brazil team to victory at the ripe age of seventeen and became the youngest player to ever compete in a world cup. This story follows the life of Edson as a young boy; day dreaming in school, playing with his soccer ball made of rags in his village and gaining confidence and skill as an athlete.
    I found this biography to be very inspiring and relatable. Even though I have never dreamed about playing soccer for a living, I can understand what it means to think about, practice and dedicate yourself to something so much that all you need is for it to become a reality.  As cheesy as it is, I can really say that I daydream about having my own classroom full of youngsters looking up to me, ready to absorb life. During my observation days when the teacher would be conducting a lesson or reading a picture book to the class I was wishing that I could do it instead. I wanted to try it my way so badly. I can’t wait until I have that opportunity everyday. While reading Pelé’s story it made me feel excited and anxious for my dream to become a reality
    I loved the way that it seemed like there was no other option but for Pelé to follow his soccer dreams. It didn’t seem to a conscious choice, rather a necessary action for him. His lacking interest in classroom activities soon turned into skipping school to play soccer and then his team grew to a higher level- it was a whirlwind of events that finally led Pelé and Ameriquinha to the regional tournament. I noticed that the storyline developed and gained pace as Pele’s soccer ambitions and achievements did which added excitement to the text; by the end I strove to learn more about Pelé’s life.
    This is a read that challenges you to think about your dreams and what you see as obstacles blocking your way. I would recommend taking a few minutes to examine the hardships that young Edson faced but learned to overcome with the help of pure ambition and passion which lead him to unbelievable success.

Brothers and Sisters Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

This informational book about sibling relationships in the animal kingdom highlights the wondrous connection between the human and animal worlds. It highlights the natural characteristics of land and sea animals as well as insects who all have surprising ways of interacting with their fellow siblings. I was drawn to this book because of it’s title; I realized I had never really thought about animal interactions in that way… or even really considered that animals had brothers and sisters. As it turns out, their relationships are probably just as complicated!
    Most of all in this book, I loved (and I mean loved) learning about the different animals. I became engrossed in the book’s facts as soon as I started reading it. I made sure I spent enough time on each page in order to take everything in. The structure on each page is consistent with illustrations, a main index-style heading, then a short slogan to engage readers and finally the compiled facts are in one main paragraph. I would like to highlight some of my favourite facts just because I found them astonishing and I hope you will too:
1) Did you know that Nine-banded armadillos are always born as identical quadruplets?
2) Did you know that the entire species of New Mexico whiptail lizards are female? They reproduce without a male!
3) Did you know that a litter of ten European shrews are so small that all ten can fit comfortable into a teaspoon? Whoa!

     I also loved the balance between the straight, factual information against the easy-going collage style illustrations. When I was a child I remember liking illustrated pictures in informational books better than actual photographs (and I’m not really sure why) but I still find myself attracted to books that are illustrated artistically.  The bright colours used to depict the animals are eye-catching and draw you into the page to learn more about them. Also, I believe the illustrator, Steve Jenkins, did a fabulous job at capturing the emotions and natural animosity or friendliness between the siblings. For example, in the picture of the grizzly bear brothers you can see the tension between the two as they practice fighting, while the family of beavers are clearly represented to show their team-work characteristics.
    The book also contains a section at the back which has facts on each animal species discussed in the book. Readers can learn where these animals live, their diets and their average size and population. I think this is a great addition and I certainly made use of to find out more about the European shrew, I just can’t believe how small they are.. 2 ½ inches!
    I have an older sister so when I was reading this book I began relating the animals’ characteristics to those of my family. I think I have decided that myself and my sister are most like two cheetah cubs. Young cheetahs play fight together in order to learn and gain experience for when they leave their mother’s care. I can relate to this, as my sister and I did have some arguments growing up (as most sisters do) but they were really quite minor and only caused us to learn how to compromise and communicate.
    Also, when I was reading about male wild turkeys, who stick together throughout life and help each other attract mates, I couldn’t help but relate this scenario to many of my male friends- plus, they really can be turkeys (my family’s saying for foolish people) sometimes.

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

The Devil's Arithmetic is a juvenile novel about the horrifying and historic events of The Holocaust during World War II. The fictional plot follows a young girl by the name of Hannah in the modern day. Hannah seems to be tired of going to her family's Passover traditions; she is bored of her Grandfather telling the same stories, she is bored of her family not taking any interest in her and she is bored of doing the same rituals time and time again. Suddenly, Hannah is transported (whether by way of dream or hallucination, the reader is unsure) to a house of a Jewish family in the 1940's. As she experiences events as Chaya in her "dream", her "real" life as Hannah becomes more and more disillusioned- the terrifying and horrific events of The Holocaust cloud Hannah's memory as they give her a true, personal perspective of the genocide monstrosity that was World War II.
I have always enjoyed reading novels about The Holocaust and this one was no different. I think I've always liked stories that I knew were based on real-life events told from a fictional point of view. I loved Someone Named Eva, by Joan M. Wolf and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry for example. These stories captivated my attention as a child and even now as an adult. I think I enjoy putting myself in someone else's shoes in order to understand (to the best of my ability) what it was like to live during times of fear and destruction. This is because I, myself have never really had to live with those extreme emotions. I have been fortunate enough to lead a safe and happy life surrounded by confident friends and family. Because I've never experienced events even remotely similar to the events depicted in these types of stories, I can use them to help me gain understanding and empathy. If I had never been introduced to novels about The Holocaust I believe that I would not have fully grasped the destruction and anguish during that time. There is definitely a difference between reading about the events in a history text book and seeing the events through the eyes of a character. Fiction has the ability to transport us to a different time and place, it has the power to alter our perceptions of the world, it has the fortitude to make us understand.
One of the major factors that caused me to really enjoy reading this book is the character development. Hannah starts off as a young girl who is fed up with her family and their Passover rituals. She is jealous of her friend who gets to celebrate Easter with chocolate and candy, and she is annoyed by her younger brothers excitement for "boring" activities. She knows the reasons behind the traditions of the Seder but it is obvious she does not have a true understanding or respect for them or her Grandfather's stories about the war. When Hannah is transported everything changes. She begins to learn about the ways people lived in the past including the importance of family and the importance of herself to others. She learns that she is vital to her own survival and that the terrifying stories told by her Grandfather are even worse that she could have imagined. The development of this character is amazing and exciting to watch. I was on the edge of my seat near the end of the novel hoping that she would be reunited with her present-day family and showcase her new found respect for past experiences. Character development played a large part in my affection for this book and that is obvious to me due to my increasing anticipation throughout the story.

I had a feeling when I read the synopsis of this book that I would thoroughly enjoy it- and did I ever! It translated the importance of remembering and having respect for the past as well as captivating my attention through well developed storyline and characters. I would recommend this novel to anyone who either enjoys Holocaust stories (like me); who is looking for a clearer understanding of the anguish experienced by innocent citizens or simply, to anyone that enjoys a insightful and moving read. I would love to take a deeper look into this book as I believe there are endless lessons to be learned from Hannah's experiences. It would be an excellent addition to any teachers' collection who has a wish to expand understanding and to develop a sense of empathy in their students.