Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belphré

Title:  Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belphré

Author:  Anika Aldamuy Denise

Illustrator:   Paola Escobar

Target Ages:  4 and up

Genre:  Picture Book Biography

Publisher Summary: 

Follow la vida y el legado of Pura Belphré, the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City.  When she came to America in 1921, Pura carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland.  Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistance, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land.  Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura’s legacy. 

First Lines:

It is 1921.

Pura Teresa Belphré leaves her home in San Juan

for a visit to Nueva York.

Words travel with her:

stories her abuela taught her.

Cuentos folklóricos Pura retold in the shade of a tamarind tree,

in Puerto Rico.

Memorable Moment:

The seeds she has planted,

the roots that grew shoots into

the open air of possibility,

have become a lush landscape

into which she steps, as though she has never left.

Evaluation:

Pura Belphré story is inspirational.  As an immigrant, she finds her own version of the American dream.  As a storyteller and writer, she encourages others to read, to imagine, and to soar.  As a woman, she is devoted to her husband and her passion. People of all ages will be moved by her story.

As a picture book biography, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belphré is exemplary.  Author Anika Aldamuy Denise's use of language and her story telling skills capture the imagination.  At no time did I feel I was reading a non-fiction biography.  Instead, I felt I was traveling along on Pura’s captivating journey. 

Paola Escobar’s illustrations are stunning. The colors, the energy, the details are perfect in every way. 

If you read one picture book biography, make it this one! 

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Literature:  Read Puerto Rican folktales from an anthology or picture book retellings.
• Figurative Language: Teach or review what a metaphor is. Discuss how the writer uses the extended metaphor of plants/planting.  Why do you think the author used that metaphor?  How does it add to the story?  What other metaphors might have worked?
• Dramatic Play:  Put on a puppet show using one of the Puerto Rican folktales or ones the children are familiar with.  
• Context Clues:  Use context clues to figure out the meaning of Spanish words used in place of English words.

For more great picture book suggestions, head over for the Perfect Picture Book Link Up.

Visit Kid Lit Frenzy for more Non-Fiction selections. 

Something Smells! (Blake Liliane Hellman)

Title:  Something Smells!

Author:  Blake Liliane Hellman

Illustrator:  Steven Henry

Target Ages:  3-7

Genre:   Humorous Realistic Fiction Picture Book

Publisher Summary:  There is a smell.  A most terrible smell!  Is it the dog?  Is it the baby?  Is it the trash?  Or could it be Grandma’s Gefartzenschnaffel?  Something smells.  And Elliot is determined to find out what that something is!

First Lines:  

Early one morning,

Elliot woke up

to a most terrible smell. 

He looked around his room

and frowned. 

Something smells, he thought.

Memorable Moment:

“Elliot was disappointed he had not solved the mystery of the terrible smell.”  Readers will solve it—with the picture clues!

Evaluation:

The title is intriguing!  I picked up this book because I wanted to know—What smells?!   Children are sure to be interested too!   Who doesn’t love a mystery?

The story is engaging!  As the curious protagonist goes through the house, he encounters all sorts of possible “terrible” smells.  Each smell is an opportunity to guess if he has found the “right” one.  

There is some subtle humor.  For instance, Elliot thinks it is “perfectly clean” under his bed, and he says his leftover snack from days earlier doesn’t smell—at least not much.   Children will laugh at grandma’s famous dish—Gefartzenschnaffer.  Whether they try to say it themselves or guess what might be in it, there are sure to be some giggles.  The funniest part:  Elliot is unable to figure out the source of the smell—even though it is right under his nose! 

The clever watercolor and gouache illustrations are wonderful.  The soft, muted colors and uncluttered layouts, vividly illustrate the text and add to it by providing clues to the mystery. 

Something Smells is one thing you need to add to your class or home library this year.  This amusing and mysterious read is sure to charm your little ones.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Predicting Skills:  Ask the children to predict:  What do you think the terrible smell is?   How do you think Elliot will try to figure out the smell?
• Math:  Narrow to the top 5 predictions of the terrible smell.  Children can pick their best guess with a show of hands.  Make a bar graph to show how the class voted.
• Problem Solving:  Discuss how Elliot worked to solve the terrible smell mystery.  Connect this book with problem solving activities related to Math, Games, or Other Activities. 
• Context Clues:  After reading, go back to discover the context clues.  For instance, the smell is something that follows him wherever he goes, his mom tells him he can’t wear his costume one more day, and he doesn’t want to take it off—ever (implying he has worn it a long time).
• Five Senses:  Gather items with different smells—pleasant and unpleasant.  Blindfold one or more children.  Allow them to guess the smells.  Also discuss which smells are the best and which are the worst. 
• Writing:  Pick one smell from the Five Senses activity.  Children can describe the smell using a simple sentence like:  “__________ smells like __________ and ___________.”    
• Similes:  Teach about similes.  Point out examples in the book, such as “Digsy smelled like bacon” and “Lucy smelled like maple syrup.” Then, allow the children to write their own similes about the smell.  “Elliot’s costume is as stinky as a _______.“ 

Fairy Tale Friday: The Bully Goat Grim (by Willy Claflin)

It is Fairy Tale Friday!  You may link up your fairy tale themed posts here.  Also, visit my co-host Literary Transgressions.  My post this week is on a brand new fractured fairy tale by Willy Claflin:  The Bully Goat Grim.

Story Summary:

Every full moon, the forest creatures gather together and listen as Maynard Moose shares a tale:  Once upon a time…Bully Goat Grim used his enormous size to frighten the other forest animals.  Whenever he saw a cute, little furry animal, he loved to lower his large, boney head as he charged ahead: “Gaddump, gaddump, gaddump, POW!” Over the tops of the trees the creatures flew and fell to the ground.  Bruised, battered, and broken, the animals all stayed hidden.  Under a foot bridge lived a family of trolls—the mommy (a three headed troll), the daddy (a two-headed troll), and baby (one-headed troll).   This happy family enjoyed being together—wallowing in the mud, visiting the dump, staying up late, and having rude noises contests.  After their late night activities, they slept late each morning.  On one particular day, Bully Goat Grim came trip-trapping across the bridge, which woke up the daddy troll first.  He yelled, “Who’s that trip-trapping on my bridge?”  The goat replied, “Beware, beware, the Bully Goat Grim!  Nobody better not mess with him!”  The daddy troll tried to come up with a solution, but he was not able to. The next day, the same thing happened with the mommy troll.  Finally, the baby troll comes up with a creative idea for dealing with the Bully Goat Grim which not only prevents him from bullying her family but also all the other forest creatures. 

Evaluation:

I am an English teacher and editor, so I am particular about grammar and vocabulary.  When I first tried to read this book, I stumbled over the author-created vocabulary and improper grammar (double negatives & superlatives).  Fortunately, there is an audio CD included that has a reading of the book.  After listening to it, I had a greater appreciation of the book.  I would recommend if you plan to read it out loud, you should listen to the CD first.  It is an enormous asset for catching the rhythm and appreciating the unusual vocabulary.  Of course, the improper grammar usage provides a teaching opportunity--formal or informal--and it is part of the characterization.

There are several noteworthy features of this creative narrative.  First, the author defies stereotypes.  The traditionally cute, fluffy billy goat becomes the aggressor while the typical mean trolls are a loving family.   Next, the youngest troll is the one who is able to solve the problem.  I like this aspect because it does empower children, but at the same time, youngsters need to be reassured that parents/adults can be wonderful resources to help with problem solving.  Finally, the main theme of the book is related to bullying.  While the solution in the story could not be replicated in real life, the idea of it could be.  When one person stood up to Bully Goat Grim, it gave the other victims courage to also stand tall and defuse the “power” he had over them. 

Artist James Stimson brilliantly utilizes his illustrations to capture and to extend the narrative.  Bully Goat Grim is white with black spots and exaggerated horns on his head.  These choices are significant.  First, the horns (the symbol of torture/bullying) are overstated because to the victims, the fists or person can seem larger than life.   Also, by making the goat mostly white (the color of purity and innocence), Stimson is again resisting stereotypes, revealing that outward appearances can often be incomplete or inaccurate.  Many of the scenes are colored in neutrals and greys, indicating a gloomy mood during the pinnacle of his bullying influence.  Once the animals are free of the oppression, the scenes are bright and cheerful. 

The Bully Goat Grim is a complex and interesting read, ripe with opportunities to extend and to discuss.  I recommend this book for ages 7 and up.  This title will not be released until August 16, 2012, but you can pre-order here soon..  

Teaching Opportunities:

• Literature:  compare and contrast with a traditional telling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and/or other modern tellings
• Character Education:  use as a springboard for discussing bullying--causes, solutions, and other aspects
• Grammar:  read as you begin teaching or reviewing double negatives or superlatives (more, most)
• Vocabulary/Word Meaning:  evaluate the author-created words; identify word parts that are comparable to familiar words to the student to help predict word meaning (context clues can also be used to help)
• Language:  create your own word(s) using word parts and meanings of 2-3 words; then, write a sentence(s) showing the word(s) in context
• Writing:  write an original version of the story or an alternate ending as a class, in groups, or individually
• Social Studies:  examine the map of the forest together (such as how are landmarks and geographical features depicted); teach grade-appropriate map skills and/or allow students to create their own maps of a fictional or a real place
• Visit my Pinterest page with links to dozens of fairy tale-related activities around the web

You can link up below for Fairy Tale Friday.

Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. 

Picture Book Lesson Plan: The Cat's Pajamas by Wallace Edwards

I have had a copy of The Cat's Pajamas sitting around for weeks.   I finally picked it up today to find it was the perfect day to read it!  It just so happened that in my children's daily grammar review, they had to identify the meanings of idioms.  Wallace Edwards' book, The Cat's Pajamas, is a collection of idioms.   The book begins with a definition of these fun figures of speech.  Each page has a single sentence with an idiom included.  An elaborate and vivid illustration depicts the literal meaning of the idiom.  The context clues help to identify the figurative meaning of it (if the child is not already familiar with it).  There is a list at the back of the book of all the idioms and their meanings which I found helpful since there were a few I was not familiar with already.  I used this book in a simple way to teach about idioms.  It is an easy lesson for parents or teachers to impliment.  No advance preparation is needed aside from having a copy of the book.

First, I read and briefly discussed the definition provided in the book.
Second, I read the sentence out loud on the first page.  I pointed out how the picture shows the literal meaning of the figure of speech.  In this case, a mouse is "hanging" on to the cloth he is sewing. 
Third, I identified the idiom "getting the hang of." 
Fourth, we discussed the meaning.
Finally, we went through the remaining pages.  Each time, I asked my children to identify the idiom.  Then, they guessed what they thought it meant based on previous knowledge and/or context clues. 

Extension activities or assessment opportunities are plentiful.  For instance, provide each student or group of students with an idiom.  Instruct them to illustrate it and/or write a sentence using the idiom.   In addition, you can provide a list of other idioms within sentences to practice context clues and to identify the meanings.  Finally, give the students a list of idioms to use to write a funny story.  They can have the idiom use the literal or figurative meaning.   Ameilia Bedelia books are great examples of this technique. 

Lesson Plans and Activities for Idioms on the Internet

Idiom Lesson Plan

Idiom Lesson Plan (Grades 4-6)
What are Idioms?  Uses More Parts book by Tedd Arnold.
Idioms for Dummies
Idiom Activities
Idiom Lesson Plan (Grade 7)
Eat Up Idioms

Also Check Out:
You Are What You Eat and Other Mealtime Hazards by Serge Bloch
Using sketch drawings and color pictures (primarily of food items), idioms are humorously illustrated and properly used in sentences.  Use as a follow up to The Cat's Pajamas.