Blog #25

You’re On Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt

Written by: Judith St. George

Illustrated by: Matt Faulkner

Philomel Books

2004

47 pages

            I chose this book because it is about President Teddy Roosevelt.  This is a nonfiction book about the childhood of Teddy, or also called Teedie, Roosevelt.  As a small boy Roosevelt battled asthma, wearing glasses, bad dreams, bullies, and moving constantly.  This book outlines his life from when he was a young boy until he moved away to attend Harvard college.  The book points out that Roosevelt had a love for animals and that he even started his own museum which was a collection of both living and dead animals.  Roosevelt also developed a love for the outdoors, camping, and hunting.  The book highlights how Roosevelt slowly obtained characteristics that led him to become the President of the United States.

            The artwork was created by Matt Faulkner.  Faulkner used what appears to be watercolors, acrylics, and pencils to create the illustrations.  The illustrator used both single page and double-page spreads throughout the book along with formal text placement.  The pictures are always drawn showing action from Teedie.  He is always depicted running, exploring, talking, taking notes, drawing pictures, hunting, etc.  I imagine that he was a child that never sat still and the illustrator catpured that in the book.  Faulkner used pale colors such as yellow, green, and brown to create a feel of calmness.

            This book is appropriate for students in second grade up until sixth grade.  Younger grades should be read to, but older grades from fourth grade on should be able to navigate the text.  I would use this book when talking about what it was like for a child to live in the late 1800s.  Also, this book would be great when studying about the different Presidents of the United States.  I would also use this book to talk with my class about how a young boy with dteremination grew up to be President of the United States by working hard and overcoming the obstacles in his way.  I like this book because of the story of young Roosevelt overcoming his weaknesses.

Blog #24

What to Do About Alice
Written by: Barbara Kerley

Illustrated by: Edwin Fotheringham

Scholastic, Inc.

2008

44 pages

            I chose this book from the library shelves because of the humorous illustrations and the true story about Alice Roosevelt.  This book is a nonfiction story about the life of a former President’s daughter: Alice.  Theodore Roosevelt was a beloved President who served two terms at the beginning of the twentieth century.  He was an iconic figure which all of America respected and loved.  His daughter Alice was named after his deceased wife, Alice Lee.  Everyone felt sorry for Alice because of her mother.  Even though Roosevelt remarried and had more children, Alice remained unconventional and played to the ‘beat of her own drum’ so to speak.  Even from a young age, Alice was known to find herself in mischief.  She jumped on the sofa, demanded piggyback rides to breakfast every morning, and found herself exploring the many large towns she moved to.  Roosevelt attempted to make her attend school, but Alice was unhappy and he let her come home.  Instead, she taught herself many things from her father’s library.  When Alice was seventeen, her father became President.  Alice then moved to the White House and continued to be unconventional.  She would stay out dancing all night, bet on horse races, and even travel the world.  Alice traveled to Asia and came back with a fiance.  She was a celebrity to the American public.  They loved her and she brought popularity to her father who won another election as President of the United States.

            The book is illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham.  It appears that he used watercolors, acrylics, and markers to render the artwork.  He uses bold colors of deep red, green, blue, and black throughout the text.  He uses both single page spread and double page spreads throughout the book.  He uses formal text placement throughout the book as well.  I love how Alice is portrayed throughout the book with that mischievous smile on her face.  I especially like the illustration showing Alice getting off the boat from her trip with all her boxes of ‘loot.’  Alice’s personality is shown through the illustrations.  The illustrations are high-quality because they enhance what the text says.

            I would use this book with students in third to sixth grade.  Older children will get the most benefit from this book due to the language used and the subject matter.  This book should be read aloud to third grade and possibly fourth grade students.  This book would be great to read to an older audience as well.  High school students who study about President Roosevelt could have this book read aloud to them to discuss the time period or the life of President Roosevelt.  Younger children relate to Alice in that they hate following rules that do not make sense.  A character education lesson could cover the importance of behaving and obeying, but also the silly things that we call strange.  Younger children can also read this book when talking about the Presidents of the United States what life was like for their families.  I like this book because Alice is a fun character and I would have loved to meet her back in her time period!

Blog #23

Suzette and the Puppy: A Story About Mary Cassatt

Written by: Joan Sweeney

Illustrated by: Jennifer Heyd Wharton

Baron’s Educational Series, Inc.

2000

27 pages

            I chose this book because it was a neat example of historical fiction.  This book is based upon a painting called Little Girl in a Blue Armchair from 1878.  This book was painted by famous American impressionist artist Mary Cassatt.  The book is a fictional account of how the little girl named Suzette, the dog named Nipper, and Mary Cassatt originally met and how the portrait was painted.  The book tells a story of a little girl and her nursemaid’s visits to the park.  One day in the park  Suzette ran into a tall woman and her dog, Nipper.  The little girl immediately falls in love with the dog.  Later on, she sees the dog again on a rainy day and he is wearing a raincoat and boots!  Then one day the little dog jumped into the pond to chase a ball.  He caused everyone to be splashed and they were all wet.  Then, the tall woman shows up at Suzette’s home.  The tall women is Mary Cassatt and she painted Suzette’s picture with Nippers!  The historical facts from the book are that Mary Cassatt was a real artist who drew that portrait in 1878.

            The illustrator of this book is Jeniffer Heyd Wharton.  She used watercolor to render the artwork in this book.  The artwork’s colors remind me of the original painting by Mary Cassatt.  There are many shades of blues and greens, making the book have a calming effect while it is being read.  The illustrator used both single and double-page spreads along with formal text placement.  I love the illustrations about the little dog, Nipper.  There are a few scenes depicted where he is jumping to the pool at the park and splashing everyone.  I like the use of moments throughout the series of illustrations.

            This book is appropriate for children in kindergarten until third third grade.  This story is about an animal so younger children will be very attentive to a read aloud of this book.  I would use this book in my classroom to discuss portraits, the late 1800 time period, or to discuss the genre of historical fiction.  Teaching about art is necessary for children and this would be a fun way for an art teacher to discuss history works of art.  Also, it is sometimes hard for young thinkers to imagine a time period from the past.  Books like this help explain the dress, social formalities, and cultures.  Also, this would be a great book to use as an example of historical fiction.  The real elements are used to make up a fictional story.

Blog #22

9-11: Artists Respond Volume One

Jeremiah 17, 7-9

Written and Illustrated by: Mira Friedmann

Written by: Many artists

Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

2002

            This book is an interesting piece of literature.  This book is a collection of graphic novels that fall into the category of historical fiction.  All if these pieces are based upon the real event of the 9-11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City in 2001.  This book is an compilation of their response to that day.  Since there are over two hundred different entries into this volume, it is hard to pinpoint one piece, but I would like to talk about an entry by Mira Friedmann called Jeremiah 17, 7-9.  This graphic novel spans two pages of the book, but it is unique and profound to me.  It shows the story of a firefighter who is working to clean up the debris from the fallen Twin Towers.  He is eating an apple.  He throws the eaten core onto the ground and it eventually yields a small plant, then a small bush, and then an apple tree.  The words of Jeremiah 17, 7-9 say: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

            Mira Fiedmann also illustrated this graphic novel.  It appears that she used acrylics and markers.  She used the graphic novel layout with the line of text above the illustrations.  That is formal text placement.  Fiedmann used a bold line to differentiate between objects in her illustrations.  She also used many grays, deep blues, and greens.  Those colors represent the scene of New York.  The dust and debris covered the sky those awful, dreary colors.  I especially love the illustrations of the debris.  That scene is a historical picture of what New York was portrayed as for the next few years as they cleaned up the remains of the Twin Towers.  Also, the tree in the end is a fantastic representation of the hope that the nation had to find after the entire disaster and how we had to move on after the traumatic experience.

            I would use this book with older children in higher grades.  Graphic novels are better for older children because they are able to follow the text and comprehend with more understanding.  I would use this book with older children to help them better see how Americans reacted to 9-11 in 2001.  This would also be a great book to read aloud on September 11^th to start conversation about that day and how it impacted the students lives’ as well.  Other entries into this book bring out specifics about that day and what followed such as airline security measures, scared citizens, a damaged city, war, and loss of life.