Children's Book Reviews
- Lizardo Moreno
- Sep 5, 2018
- 10 min read
LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET
De La Peña, Matt. 2015. LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET. Ill. by Christian Robinson. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN 9780698173347
PLOT SUMMARY
In this story, CJ a young child and his grandmother leave church services. At first, CJ is sad because his friends don’t have to go on this trip, he wants a bicycle, an iPod wonders why they don’t have a car. Along the way, grandmother offers words of encouragements and with other characters such as the blind man and the guitar player on the bus, CJ begins to appreciate what the world has to offer. CJ and his grandmother end their trip at the soup kitchen where they are greeted by the regulars. In the end, CJ feels happy that he did make the trip with his grandmother as his eyes are open to the beauty of his community.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Robinson's illustrations are simple, colorful 2D graphics that effectively contrast a vibrant neighborhood from a crumbling one. While some illustrations show many colors, others such as the one where CJ and his grandmother on board the bus are monochromatic. Robinson captures a variety of characters such as a tattooed man, a guitar player, a blind person and his service dog, the man in the wheelchair that contribute effectively to the theme of a neighborhood in 2015. He effectively shows the realness of the people. When he illustrates the birds in the air, the graffiti on the buildings, he allows the viewer to enter into the story and mirrors real neighborhoods. A child could easily identify with this place.
This picture storybooks effectively weaves the text and the images to create the world of a mentor grandmother showing her grandson him the world around him. He positive words and affirmations of the people around them, the enjoyment of music, and helping out at a soup kitchen allows CJ to learn a lesson about finding beauty in everything and helping out those in need. It’s easy to see why De La Pena’s was honored as a Caldecott and Coretta Scot King awards as it effectively portrays people of color in its 2D style bus and neighborhood renditions.
I read the electronic version on Kindle, while it provides a similar reading experience to a physical book, it does not add anything more to the experience. There are no features that enhance multiple literacies or learning styles there are no easy medium or hard settings. The advantages that students can “flip” the pages back if they wanted to, they can also enlarge the text by clicking on it.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S) #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2015 A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of 2015
CONNECTIONS
The topics in the book include mentorship, neighborhood, and community, giving back, and finding beauty around you. Other books such as this one are:
Boelts, Maribeth. THOSE SHOES. ISBN 9780763691486 De La Peña, Matt. LOVE. ISBN 9781524740917 Lamothe, Matt. THIS IS HOW WE DO IT: ONE DAY IN THE LIVES OF SEVEN KIDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. ISBN 9781452150185 Zietlow, Pat. BE KIND. ISBN 1626723214
MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS
Robert McCloskey. 2001, 1941.MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS. New York, NY: Viking Press. Kindle Edition. eISBN 978-0-698-14399-9
PLOT AND SUMMARY Mr. and Mrs. Mallard look for a place to raise a family. Mrs. Mallard is avoiding places with foxes, turtles, bikes, traffic. The couple likes a small pond in Boston’s Public Garden, but it is too busy to hatch chicks. The coupled decide on an island by the river. After the ducklings hatch, Mr. Mallard leaves for the Public Garden entrusting Mrs. Mallard to raise and teach the children on her own. When the children have learned many skills, Mrs. Mallard decides to lead them to the public garden. Will they make it in Boston’s busy streets? With the help of several policemen who stop traffic, Mrs. Mallard safely makes it to the pond where they reunite with Mr. Mallard and make their home there.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The sketches in this picture book allow the reader to confirm the text. It adds the emotions such as when Mr. Mallard almost gets run over by the bike and when the family is in distress as it attempts to cross the heavily trafficked Boston streets. It captures the architecture of the time in Boston. We can appreciate the bridge and the highways. The images are created by the visual point of view of the Mallards. There are aerial views, as well as side views and close-ups that help the reader get a good sense of the setting.
My first impression was who wrote this? The book seems to capture a moment in history when the woman main role in society was to raise children. Mr. Mallard only contribution to the family is procreation, he is absent from all family life. The book presents a strong female lead who has to tell the man, where and what to do domestically. It is unclear how else Mr. Mallard contributes to the family since he is not providing lunch or shelter. The book does capture male police officer compassion toward the mother and her children as they escort them to their new home. I don’t think that many women would appreciate this book as it limits the woman’s role in society to the household, something which is no longer true in 2018.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S) Awarded the Caldecott Medal as “The most distinguished American picture book for children” In the year of its publication.
"Robert McCloskey's unusual and stunning pictures have long been a delight for their fun as well as their spirit of place."—The Horn Book
Make Way for Ducklings has been described as "one of the merriest picture books ever" (The New York Times). Ideal for reading aloud, this book deserves a place of honor on every child's bookshelf. "This delightful picture book captures the humor and beauty of one special duckling family. ... McClosky's illustrations are brilliant and filled with humor.
The details of the ducklings, along with the popular sights of Boston, come across wonderfully. The image of the entire family proudly walking in line is a classic."—The Barnes & Noble Review
"The quaint story of the mallard family's search for the perfect place to hatch ducklings. ... For more than fifty years kids have been entertained by this warm and wonderful story."—Children's Literature
CONNECTIONS This book deals with the family unit, its safety and how to raise the young. It also illustrates the role of police officers as community helpers.
Moore, Eva. LUCKY DUCKLINGS. ISBN 9780439448611 Piper, Watty. THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD. ISBN 9781101549896 Schertle, Alice. LITTLE BLUE TRUCK. ISBN 9780152056612
GIGGLE, GIGGLE, QUACK
Doreen Cronin. 2002. GIGGLE, GIGGLE, QUACK. Ill. Betsy Lewin. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition. eISBN: 978-1- 4424-6094-2
POT AND SUMMARY
In this Picture storybook, Farmer Brown goes on vacation leaving his brother Bob in charge of the farm. Duck gets to work writing notes for Bob to do such as ordering pizza, giving the pigs a bath and drying them with Farmer Brown’s towels, and movie night for the animals. Bob is unaware the notes are coming from Duck and follows all the instruction. Will Bob realize that he has been duped by Duck? Farmer calls every day to check up them and realizes four days later that Duck has been mischievous, so he ends his vacation and returns.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS Betsy Lewin’s watercolor painting create the mellow mood in the story when animals are eating pizza and watching movies. The squiggly lines create movement and you can feel Duck laughing throughout the story as he gets away with all pranks. The contouring with different shades of the same color for each subject makes the subjects come alive. Lewin effectively uses shading to show twilight when the animals are eating pizza or show light being reflected from the t.v. onto the animals' faces.
This book captures the personality of a mischievous/prankster Duck effectively. It is in line with other books of Cronin’s Click, Clack series. Cronin continues to play off the tension that was established between farmer Brown and Duck since the original Click, Clack, Moo book where Duck is seemingly altruistic about getting the working conditions for other animals on the farm to be tolerable, all the while advocating for his own lightened workload. I am sure kids will get a laugh out of the book as they realize Duck got away with it once more.
The Kindle edition does not offer much more than a physical copy of the book. The text remains the same, as the author uses different fonts when Farmer Brown and speaks compared to when the animals speak, and a different font embedded in the illustration that shows something that Duck wrote.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S) Fans of the first book will delight in the details found in Lewin's chipper watercolor washes with a painted bold black line (the electric blankets originally demanded by the cows are put to good use, for example). This sitcom on the farm more than lives up to its title and demands repeat visits. – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This time, it's the power of a pencil and the now-infamous wit of one determined Duck that keeps the farm (and young readers) in stitches. – BARNES & NOBLE
CONNECTIONS
One of the main themes of this book is how we can be an influence over others. While told in a humorous way, it shows how others can follow along a great leader who tries to do what is best for his/her constituents.
Other award-winning books by Doreen Cronin are: Click Clack, Moo Cows that Type – Caldecott Honor Book Dooby Dooby Moo Duck for President The Trouble with Chickens. Diary of a Worm
THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT
Beatrix Potter. 1902. 2002. 2010. THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. UK: Fredrick Warne & Co. Kindle Edition. ISBN 978-0-723-26560-3
PLOT AND SUMMARY Beatrix Potter created a new fairy tale that resembles other fables and folklore when she created Peter Rabbit. In this original picture storybook, Peter’s mom gives the children instruction to go into the field and down the lane and stay out of trouble. The children went fetch berries for their meal while she went to the store. Mother rabbit warned them to stay away from the McGregor garden or meet the same unfortunate fate as their father who turned into a pie. Peter mischievously heads straight to the garden and enjoys his fill of lettuces, French beans, and radishes. His stomach aches so he looks for a household remedy, parsley. He walks straight into the gardener’s line of sight who immediately chases him. Does Peter get away with it or his he turned into rabbit stew? In his fright and flight, Peter forgets where the exit is. He gets tangled up in a gooseberry net and realizes he must let go of his coat and shoes if he is to escape. Eventually, Peter finds his way out and returns home, where he does not tell his mother what happened to his clothes or why he has a terrible stomach ache. In the end, he is not able to enjoy supper with the family.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS I am happy to see the original illustrations by Beatrix Potter restored very closely to their original version as was forwarded in the publisher’s note. A reader can appreciate how small the pictures would have been in a small book easy enough to be hand-held by a child. The illustrations themselves have very vivid blue and reads. The sketching of the rabbit features is portraying very real physical characteristics such as ears face and body shape. Potter personifies the rabbit family visually by drawing them in an upright walking position and covering them with dress, petticoats, and jackets. Potter illustrates Peter in his more natural form once he loses his clothes and seeks a way to escape from the gardener who is trying to capture him. Potter effectively captures the realness and modern art from over 100 years in the illustrations of Peter knocking over the clay pots, Peter observing a cat from a distance, and Peter and his siblings having supper.
I loved the parallels that can be drawn between Little Red Riding Hood and Peter Rabbit, such as mother rabbit wearing her Red Hood and carrying a basket through the woods. The children gathered food in the woods except for Peter. Peter like any rebellious child did as he pleased. He had fun not following directions until he got in trouble. It was interesting to see the gardener illustrated wearing a rabbit hat. It morbidly reinforced what Peter mother’s had told him about not going to the garden because they could meet their same fate. This book could now be seen as a period piece, not only because of the character’s wardrobe, but also because of the language such as “Peter was most dreadfully frightened” “… who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.” “Peter sneezed –‘Kertyschoo!’” “It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight!” This last sentence also shows how naughty Peter is and also explains why had his coat was rather new. It is obvious that despite the mischief Peter gets into, his mother is forgiving and ensures Peter needs are met.
In the Kindle edition, it is difficult to see the illustration at the same time as the text. Each page seems to have been uploaded individually. It does not allow the reader to appreciate the text and the illustrations at the same time, as I would imagine a physical copy would.
REVIEW EXCERPTS Beatrix Potter's classic story has been lovingly placed at the center of this creative effort, and David Jorgensen has given Peter and his family wonderfully droll and expressive character and charm in his illustrations. – BARNES AND NOBLE
Potter wanted her books to be small enough for little hands to hold. Hague's book is almost twice as large. Potter's book has softly colored spot illustrations, homing in beautifully on the drama or emotions of the facing pages of text. Hague's art is overblown with extraneous details that threaten to overwhelm the plot. – SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Parents need to know that children today still love this classic story. Sensitive kids may be alarmed when Peter's mother mentions that Mr. McGregor put Peter's father in a pie. –COMMON SENSE MEDIA
Potter never wrote down to children. The size is perfect for little ones to hold and pour over the detailed illustrations. – Natalie
Forever classic. – Rose Marie Moore
CONNECTIONS As we talk to our children about staying in our line of sight, how to be safe, and stay out of trouble. The Tale of Peter Rabbit illustrates a timeless truth of children who do not follow their parent’s directions. Other books by Beatrix Potter include: The Tale of Jeremy Fisher. ISBN 0723247765 The Tale of Tom Kitten. ISBN 0723247773 The Tale of Puddle-duck. ISBN 0723247781 Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales. ISBN 9780723268123