The Funny Little Woman Retold by Arlene Mosel Pictures by Blair Lent

I wasn't sure how the children would respond to The Funny Little Woman retold by Arlene Mosel pictures by Blair Lent because of some of the language used and the Japanese mythology that is so different from the stories they usually hear. But they loved it. They were all very engaged to the story and the pictures. I also enjoyed the book and will use it again in my classroom. I remember the pictures in this book from my elementary school librarian reading it to my class. It brought back good memories.

Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora

The children and I read Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora. The children liked it and we discussed the different instruments that were seen being played in the book by playing each one the same way that Ben plays his trumpet. I love this book. I love the story, but mostly I love the artistic style that is used. When I read this book and look at the pictures, I feel like I can hear jazz music. I think the book would be a great introduction to instruments, jazz music, and life in the United States in the early 20th century for some African American people.

Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale by Gerald McDermott

One of the 4 year old girls asked that I read to them Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermot. The children seemed to be okay with the story, but it was not as engaging as it could be. I think it was a little hard for them to follow, maybe it would be easier for older children. I like that the illustrations in the book are similar to the art style used by traditionally by puebloan people, however, I think the colors and the lines are a bit too harsh. It hurts my eyes to look at it. I would use the book again in the classroom or if we are studying mythology or folklore.

Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas

The next book we read was Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas. The book is fun and colorful and the children enjoyed it. I probably wouldn't use it in lesson planning, as it doesn't really have a lesson. The story is fun and the drawings are nice. I would have it in the classroom and have it available for children to read as they please, especially if we are doing a halloween theme. This is a book I would have enjoyed reading when I was younger because it has witches and magic and it's colorful and happy.

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

The children had already read A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon before my visit, but they liked it and wanted to read it again anyway. The children were all very engaged and liked the book. I think the book serves a purpose in the classroom and I will use it for social emotion development. The book teaches children that it's important to be yourself, even if other people are not like you. The pictures are also great. Very colorful.

Poetry!

When reading poems to the children I selected several poems from The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury selected by Jack Prelutsky illustrated by Meilo So and several fromDancing Teepees selected by Verginia Driving Hawk Sneve with art by Stephen Gammell. We read 4 poems from the poetry treasury. The children listened fairly intently, more so the older 3 children. I don't think they have had much experience with poems, I don't think they understood the format that they were like little stories. After reading 4 poems I asked if they wanted to keep reading poems or choose a book. They agreed on picking a new book. Later we read several stories from Dancing Teepees. The children listened and seemed to enjoy the art and the poems.

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster and Chris Raschka

The multicultural book I chose to read to the group of 5 children age 2-5 was The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster and Chris Raschka. This book features a family of different ethnicities. It was a pretty good story and the children liked it. They didn't seem to notice or care that the family members were of different races. It is a book that I would use in my classroom. I think it is important for all students to see literature with representation similar to their own family as well as other peoples families too. The artistic style used in the book is also very appealing and the children seemed to like looking at the pictures.