Final reflection, yes. end of blogging, NO!

Well, this blogging assignment has been one of my memorable engagements since entering the college of ed. When times were rough (and there were many of them this semester), there was one thing I always knew I could turn to...my blog! It was relaxing, fun and most of all, inspiring.

It was exceptionally refreshing to be able to write from my heart without having to worry about making silly grammatical errors. To be honest, having a blog motivated me to write better. Throughout the semester, I wrote sincere, thoughtful critiques about books while also focusing on grabbing the attention of readers. Additionally, my blog is a representation of my personality, whereas a piece of white paper with black letters is not. It forced me to truly evaluate the types of assignments we present students with. There is no point in making children do something that they won't get anything out of. Rather, we need to give them the opportunity to be creative and put their heart into something that reflects who they are as a person; it is in such an environment where their full potential will shine through.

I look forward to my continuation of blogging throughout the rest of my time in the College of Education and am excited to keep with it when I have a classroom of my own!

Madeline and the Bad Hat

Ah Madeline is fully recovered and back in action in this fun book! When the Spanish Ambassador moves in next door to the twelve little girls in two straight lines, they sat and marveled at the scene. He had a son Pepito, and all the girls are pleased except of course, Madeline. She quickly became aware of his unpleasant behavior and nicknamed him "the Bad Hat." She is fearless and not about to sit back and let Pepito get away with murder. She called him a "horrid brat" and said she was keeping an eye on him.

Lucky for us, there's 4 more Madeline books in the collection, all of which are entertaining and hilarious!

Mad About Madeline!!

There is only one thing that pops into my head when I think about being read to as a child...MADELINE! Actually, Madeline books are the only books that I remember from my childhood, besides for an occasional Dr. Seuss read-aloud here and there. My bookshelf at home in Wisconsin has become extremely boring to me after being in this class. It is full of my parents' old college textbooks and uninteresting adult novels...it's majorly lacking some great children's books! When I went home over spring break, I was on a mission to find some old picture books from my childhood tucked away in closets or in the basement. What I found was so depressing..there weren't any!! Even worse was when I discovered what happened to them. My Mother was pleased to tell me that they were sold in recent rummage sales. She thought it was great, all the "clutter" from around the house was gone, she said. My old picture books were CLUTTER?!! THEY WERE SOLD IN A RUMMAGE SALE?! AHHH! :( Well, I was still determined to find at least one straggler that got left behind.

Thankfully, after tearing apart the closet in my bedroom, I found an amazing surprise. Me and my sisters' "Mad About Madeline" anthology, complete with all 6 original Madeline stories. Words can't really describe how excited I was! It is in perfect condition, as if we just bought it yesterday! This goes to show how special it was to us. I know for a fact that my twin Ang and I did not treat our old books the best. We would scribble all over the pages, stain them with juice drippings, and probably tear out a page here or there. This has been mentioned in some of my other postings, but just as a reminder, we were DESTRUCTIVE! Anyways, my point is that we adored everything about Madeline and would have never done anything to scruff up our Madeline anthology.

I have to start with the first book in the collection, "Madeline," Ludwig Bemelman's work of art. I turned to the first page and there it was, that crooked old house that I loved so much. Then came the twelve little girls in two straight lines, along with their teacher, Miss Clavel. I used to get the biggest kick out of Miss Clavel, the way she is always running all over the place completely frantic. It goes without saying that Bemelman's poetic writing style immediately captures the attention of young and old readers alike. His short, beautiful lines keep the reader engaged and wanting more. His illustrations are bold and energetic. Madeline's character is completely brilliant; there has to be one little rascal among the twelve girls. Her mischievous personality is hilarious. If you look carefully at the pictures, you will most likely catch her doing something that would give her teacher a heart attack. Madeline coming down with appendicitis midway through the book was unexpected. It was a genius idea by Bemelman because it leaves the reader anxious for the next Madeline story in which we can see her back in action.

All in Just One Cookie By Susan Goodman

This book was included in my text set because of its creative appeal and successful incorporation of interesting information. Grandma sets out to make a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies, with her 2 sidekicks (her pet dog and cat) assisting her along the way. She puts the ingredients in the mixing bowl one by one, with an explanation of where each ingredient came from quickly following. It reminded me of making cookies with a little kid. Kids are extremely curious about every little thing and want to know exactly what you are putting in the bowl, why it's going in and why it's called what it is. I would love to buy this book and have it laying out on the counter the next time I go to make cookies with my little cousins or the little kids I babysit. They would absolutely love it!

Did I forget to mention that the cat and dog are the ones providing the info?! Isn't that clever?!

Tony's Bread by Tomie dePaola

Although this book is known to be a classic, I had never read it before. In fact, I didn't even know it existed until I was searching for books to include in my text set. Being almost full blooded Italian, it is not surprising that I fell in love with this book. An Italian Folktale about the creation of panettone?! How could I not love it! Every aspect of the book was pleasing, starting with dePaola's "Note About The Story." He included some history about the Italian bread "panettone" and gave a brief intro of the story. What I enjoyed most about the book was his incorporation of Italian vocabulary and the humorous gossiping "zie" (aunties). His skillful illustrations depicting the Piazza del Duomo in Milan enhanced my intense desire to take a trip to Italy!

The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline Ogburn

I picked this book up on my way into the Curriculum lab. It was featured in the "library use only" section and turned out to be a great read. As a matter of fact, it was so good that it made its way into my text set! The story was quite unique, as were the illustrations (take a look at the cover to see for yourself!). It had a freshness about it which was appealing; it was also quirky and humorous. Mainly, I enjoyed the fact that it was "different," which is also something children appreciate.

The story sets out describing an old woman, named Cora Lee Merriweather, who ran the best bake shop around. Her desserts were the best, from her layer cakes to her "glistening" fruit tarts. Then sadly, Cora Lee dies. She didn't' have any family members resulting in her bake shop being put up for sale. Pastry chef after Pastry bought, then quickly sold the little shop. The place was haunted by none other than Miss Cora Lee herself; she was determined to keep her prideful kitchen "chef free." But then, skillful pastry chef Annie Washington came along, and she was ready to take on Cora Lee. After much conflict and an extremely messy kitchen, Annie and Cora Lee become good friends.

I thought that the ending of this book took on a truly magnificent concept. What little kid doesn't find ghosts to be fascinating? Rather than run away in fear, Annie stuck around to do everything in her power to win Cora Lee over. It definitely took a lot of effort, but it was worth it in the end. Now, Annie has a wonderful role model constantly looking after her in the kitchen. Little do the customers know that there is a pinch of Cora Lee in all of their tasty desserts.

Controversial?

The book, "Happy To Be Nappy" by ( insert) is one that I think children would embrace, whether they are White, Black Asian etc. Because "nappy" is a term that has been used derogatorily over the years, I can see why people might view the title of this book as controversial. However, there is really nothing controversial about the book. The message is that we should embrace what god gave us and come to accept our natural beauty. I can remember admiring my older sister's long, beautiful chocolate brown hair when I was younger. It was always so silky and straight. Mine tended to be frizzy and all over the place. Once I reached junior high, I began sitting in my bathroom for hours with a curling iron trying to straighten my hair. Unfortunately, this was my only option since flat irons were non-existent at that time (or too expensive for me to know that they existed). Thank goodness for the day I decided that my curly hair was beautiful! It saved me so much time. This is such a common battle that young girl's go through. For this reason, a book like "Happy To Be Nappy" would be a great read for young children!

Take 2!

How could I read Sook Nyul Choi's first picture book, and then not pick up the second one about Yunmi and Halmoni? "Yunmi and Halmoni's Trip" was just as I expected...lovely story, powerful characters, and gorgeous illustrations. The illustrator, Karen Dugan, added a spectacular artistic feel to the book. She did a fine job of representing Asian culture in her illustrations...I was specifically intrigued with the small symbol-like images she had underneath or above the text and the fabulous borders she included around the illustrations which must be some sort of Korean design. It was her careful attention to fine detail that set this book apart from others.

I suppose I enjoyed this book more than the first one for a couple reasons. First, it was interesting being able to read about the different places Yunmi's cousins took her sightseeing in Korea. Second, this book exposes readers to some of the common Korean traditions and customs. Finally, the author did an amazing job representing the pure excitement an immigrant experiences after traveling back to their native country for the first time. Before my Nani (Great-Grandmother) passed away, she always told us stories about coming to the United States from Italy when she was a young girl. My Nana (Grandma), just recently told me about the time she and her sisters planned a special trip to Italy with Nani after her husband passed away. It was her first time returning to Italy and Nana said that Nani's reaction was absolutely indescribable. She said the that the trip was a lifesaver because it was the only thing that helped to lift Nani's spirits after Nanu's death. Apparently she was like a little kid in a candy store, and this is exactly the feeling that Halmoni experienced after returning to Korea for the first time.

Halmoni and the Picnic by Sook Nyul Choi

After reading "A Year of Impossible Goodbyes" I was curious to see if Sook Nyul Choi had written any picture books. After entering a search in the curriculum lab, I found this book! Halmoni is the Grandmother of Yunmi and had recently moved to New York City from Korea. Yunmi is extremely close with Halmoni, and worried about how lonely and unhappy she seems to be when Yunmi is away at school all day. When Yunmi's teacher announces that they will need a chaperon for their class picnic at central park, her 2 friends ask if Halmoni can come. The 3 girls think it will be exactly what Halmoni needs.

The story is quite predictable and lacks energy at certain points. However, I thought it was satisfying and genuine. And, as far as I know, it is not very common to come across picture books that tell the tale of an elderly Korean woman's immigrant experience. It is important to present children with literature that has differing perspectives. With this one being from the Korean-American perspective, it would be the perfect book to have on a classroom book shelf. It is tremendously rich in culture, from the clothes Halmoni wears to the "kimbap" and barley tea she prepares for the picnic. The incorporation of Korean vocabulary nicely distributed throughout the book is a great touch.

Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport

This book, which is newly published, is a fantastic read! When I was passing through the Curriculum lab one day, I saw it featured in the "new" section. I spotted it because of the dramatic cover, which consists of an illustrated portrait of Eleanor. It didn't have any words written on the cover, just the illustration. Rappaport definitely got her point across with this tactic; she was making a powerful statement and went about it in a successful way. With the fantastic illustrations and awe-inspiring quotes that fill every single page, it was impossible to put the book down. There was a perfect amount of text which nicely complimented the illustrations and quotes. This book was so impressive that I am going to be on the look out for other works by Rappaport!

Here are two of the quotes from Eleanor that I found to be the most captivating:

"Do something everyday that scares you."

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right--for you'll be criticized anyway."

Simply put..but great advice!