Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies by Shel Silverstein

I went out on a limb today and picked out a poetry picture book. In Don't Bump the Glump he describes each "so called animal" in a section of poetry. Some are very short for example the page about The Terrible Feezus: "There is a terrible twenty-foot Feezus. Shhh...I don't think he sees us," and others take up two pages. What I think is, how in the world does he come up with this stuff? A Slithergadee, Pointy-Peaked Pavarius, and Long-Necked Preposterous...wow it's incredible and also keeps the reader engaged throughout the whole book.

I think Shel Silverstein books are excellent for children: poetry, fiction, and of course the pictures that he uses. It gives children and students an opportunity to be creative and use their imagination. It shows them that writing isn't just about spelling and grammar but it's about having fun and letting their mind wander.

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

This book is about a little boy who lives with his grandma and he wants one pair of shoes that everyone has! But the problem is they don't have enough money for two pairs of shoes only new boots for winter. When his shoes fall apart on the playground Mr. Alfrey gives him some blue shoes with a little animal on them and everyone laughs at them except for Antonio. One day him and his grandmother go to a thrift store and by the shoes with his own money. They are not his size but he buys them anyway so he can fit in. On the playground he sees that Antonio, the boy who didn't laugh at his blue animal shoes, has tape holding his own shoes together. After seeing his shoes he realized that Antonio needed those new black shoes that everyone had more than he did.

I really enjoy this book because it goes away from the "typical" children's book I have been reading. For example the Henry and Mudge series where mom is at home while dad works and they live in a nice house with a white fence that says: middle-class. This book also teaches children about how some people may not have the same benefits as they do. It shows them the importance of friendship but also realizing that someone out there has it worse off than you do. It's a great way to encourage and incorporate service learning or community service projects in your classroom as well. Because there are people who need specific things in life, like shoes.

Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer

Once I found this book I thought it would be a great idea for a graphic novel. I believe descriptions and details of pictures can explain a specific time period better than any words. My favorite parts of the book is in the front when he lays out a map of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863 and also where Gettysburg is in Pennsylvania. It gives a reader an image in their mind of where this is taking place and also to realize that this did happen in the United States not too far from where they life. Another very crutial piece of this graphic novel is the cast of characters right directly after the map. I think this cast of characters helped the reader understand who was talking and in pictures at specific time periods. The one downfall about this is that there are so many pictures and it is very hard to distinguish them throughout the book.

The beginning of the book was difficult for me to follow. Every time the day changed it seemed like there were so many different things going on at once and it was hard for me to totally understand what was happening. I beleive the most important thing in the book was the Gettysburg Address from President Lincoln. The battle was important but there needed to be a way to generate a better understanding for the reader. If the book was more similar to the ending and Lincoln's speech I think the reader could have a better view of Gettysburg.

Tuesday by David Wiesner

Tuesday is one of the most creative books I have ever read. This book is the epitome of wordless books. It doesn't need any words to explain what is going on in the book. I believe if there were words in this book it would ruin the inventiveness and expression of David Wiesner's created in the pictures of this book. Tuesday is about the imagination and things that happen at times when people are unaware. Like what crazy things happen after every one goes to bed? It's about how ever Tuesday around 8:00 the frogs get on their Lilly pad and fly in the sky.

My favorite picture is where all the frogs are floating in grandmas living room while she is sleeping and watching TV. In this picture all the frogs do not look the same. Some are intrigued, others scared, and some not paying attention to the T.V. The detail and thought put into these pictures is phenomenal. For example the page where the detectives are examining the Lilly pads it incorporates the previous pictures: the man being interviewed that was eating cereal and the cat from the grandmothers living room. This is one of the best picture books I have read and would recommend it to anyone.

Once Upon a Banana by Jennifer Armstrong

I really enjoy this wordless picture book by Jennifer Armstrong. This book doesn't start from a specific page but it starts on the front cover where the monkey is a part of the jugglers show. Like most books there is a book cover, a page for the tile and copyright, but this book starts differently and should be read more than once before it is really understood by the reader. The last page and the back of the book are also used in unique ways. The last page is used for a map of where the monkey traveled and the back of the book is usually plain with the bar code at the bottom of the page. In this book the bar code is used creatively and is being carried up to a billboard.

She did a fantastic job of keeping the reader engaged throughout each scene and page. There are so many different things going on in each page so that the reader can understand what is going on in the book. Once I read this book three times I also noticed a little poem going on with the signs in the book. For example: One-Way Street, No Bare Feet, City Hall, Shopping Mall. These words describe where the crazy monkey is headed but it's formulated into a poem that can be unnoticed unless read multiple times.

Benny and Penny in Just Pretend a Toon Book by Geoffrey Hayes

I really enjoy this book as a comic strip. I believe it enhances the quality of the book overall. It's a great book for little kids who have a little sibling who bugs the older sibling to play with them all the time. Benny just wants to play pretend and be a pirate. His little sister is not able to play with him because pirates are brave and Penny is not brave enough. In the end he plays with Penny because he realized that he does love her she is brave he was just pretending that he didn't.

The main part that I like is that the layout of the pictures are different on every page. They sometimes over lap, are surrounded by a box, are not surrounded by a box and looks like a selection of picture shots. The font and style of words in the book are also used in many different ways. The talking is put into little bubble forms, ideas and imaginations are put into clouds, words of sound are in a larger font with different colors. It's a very creative way to enhance words throughout the book and let children understand their importance.

Wave by Suzy Lee

Wave is a picture book with no words and needs no words. I chose this particular picture book because it was shaped differently and I was wondering why. This book very long and narrow because it has a wonderful detail of the ocean and the perception of how big it is compared to the little girl on the beach.

I love the expression that is created by Suzy Lee in each aspect of the book. The girl is playing with the waves and when she walks away the wave follows. The girl scares the water and it creeps back into the ocean. Then she jumps in and is having fun when a little wave starts to creep up and get bigger and bigger all of a sudden she is running away from the wave and gets soaked, but leaves her presents from the sea. She starts picking up all these beautiful sea shells.

My favorite part of the book are the sea gulls that are on the front cover. They are basically playing monkey-see-monkey-do with the little girl and when she shows an expression to the water the sea gulls follow her lead. Another part of the book I enjoy is how in the beginning the only color was the ocean but after the wave soaked the little girl the sea shells, little girls dress, and sky were also blue. It made these parts stand out in the book.