The Wizard

Author: Jack Prelutsky

Illustrator: Brandon Dorman

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

ISBN: 978-0-06-124076-8

Imagine that… a lonely old wizard finds his entertainment in casting despicable spells.  Idle hands are the work of the devil and this certainly holds true in The Wizard.   Jack Prelutsky takes us into the cold, dark, and damp lair of an old man who passes his time by using trickery on others.  On this day, the decrepit sorcerer finds an innocent bullfrog on the floor and decides to put him at his mercy to pass the time.  The Wizard waves his wand and points it at our slippery friend, sending the poor frog through an identity crises process I’m sure he never dreamed of living.  From insects to birds, birds to objects, and objects back to a frog.  The only time the transformations stop is to give a quick torturous zap from his wickedly majestic wand.  The book concludes with the angry old wizard peering out of his dungeon window, gazing onto a street filled with children - leaving us with the stark reminder that trouble is only a few steps around the corner.

The illustrations in this book are magical.  After I finished reading the story, I spotted a shiny gold circle on the cover.  Without hesitation I assumed that it was a Caldecott Award, but a closer look revealed a recognition from the Poetry Foundation, as he served as their Children's Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2008.  Needless to say, the poetry of the book is captivating.  During grade school, Prelutsky hated poetry as much as liver.  A few years later, Prelutsky created some artwork and wrote a short story for each.  When he met with a publisher he was told to keep up the stories but leave the artwork to someone else - Brandon Dorman was the perfect choice, having illustrated for numerous books and magazines.  One of his covers earned him a Newbery Honor.  Together, author and illustrator created an amazing book, which actually hit number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Poetry is a great tool for teachers especially those who teach early childhood education.  The rhythmic beat keeps the story exciting for children and usually does not overwhelm them with too much information at one time.  Poetry in children’s literature tends to be a few fun sentences, which are followed on the next page with a few more fun sentences that gradually build an exciting story.  It is not an easy task to keep young minds focused on a book.  The Wizard will definitely accomplish this task.

Even though we (most of us) do not live in a fantasy world of wizards, warlocks, and wonderful creatures, I do feel that I can still squeeze a lesson or two out of this book.  Earlier I mentioned idle hands.  Anyone who has been in the presence of a child knows what can happen if they are without entertainment for even a second.  I can show my class how the wizard uses his free time to do bad things and reinforce the importance of doing positive things with free time.  The second lesson that can be taught to children is that there are bad people in the world.  I feel that this was portrayed in the final pages of the book when the evil old man looked out his window onto a street full of children cheerfully playing.  The book was made to be fun but any chance a teacher gets to teach an important life lesson should be taken advantage of. 

Max Found Two Sticks

Author/Illustrator: Brian Pinkney

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

ISBN: 0-689-81593-x

Imagine that… a boy expressing himself through music.  This is an exciting story of a young boy who finds himself in a bit of a funk and just doesn’t feel like talking.  The mysterious-seeming reason for his mood was irrelevant because the wind was about to blow him a “pick-me-up”, literally.  A sudden gust of Brooklyn wind came, and knocked down two sticks from a nearby tree.  Max improvised these tools of nature by using them to start the rhythm of his day.  Acquiring objects throughout the day from friends and family, Max expressed himself through the beat of his growing drum set.  Author and Illustrator Brian Pinkney portrayed every page with a descriptive beat, which was so clear, that as I read I could almost hear each drum rhythm.  The sound of the drums was still in my head long after I put the book down… which inspired me to pick the book up again.

The story takes place in Brooklyn, New York.  As New Yorkers, we know that our city is one of the most culturally diverse - if not the most diverse – city in the world.  The most interesting way we get to learn about cultures is through their musical expression.  Max banging on a variety of objects in the story reminded me of street performers all over the city.  On any given day - in the subways, hotspots, and downtowns of the five boroughs, there is a great chance you’ll experience live musical culture - whether it’s the Scottish bagpiper in the subway, the Latin jazz band on a corner in Times Square, or the Caribbean calypso drummer in downtown Brooklyn.  New York is the heart of these amazing musical expressions.  Max fits into the city scene perfectly.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Pinkney had these performers in mind when he created this story.

While growing up, the author looked on as his father, illustrator Jerry Pinkney, created his art.  Using materials and supplies his father handed down to him, Brian started his own projects based on what he learned from simply observing his father in action.  Brian later pursued his love of art and obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree.  Brian Pinkney uses a unique style of art known as “scratchboard”.  Scratchboard art is created using a blade instead of a paintbrush.  With the blade, the artist cuts into a piece of clay.  This results in a black and white sketch, which can then be colored with oil paints.  Pinkney finds scratching very rhythmical, and the sound it makes aides him in creating his masterpieces.  Brian Pinkney has received a Caldecott Award for his artwork as well as a Coretta Scott King Award.  Most of his work is in African American culture but he has collaborated with other authors to do books celebrating various other cultures.  Many of his recent books were done with his wife, children’s book author, Andrea Davis Pinkney.  Max Found Two Sticks is Pinkney’s first self-illustrated book, which is inspired by his love for the drums and set in the town in which he and his family reside.  The page that stands out to me the most is the one in which Max’s father is seen conducting the train.  In the background is New York City with the Twin Towers standing tall in the skyline.

I particularly enjoyed the way Max expressed himself and his mood through music and rhythm. I remember the powerful role music played in my high school years. I found being a teenager challenging, but when I came home from school I found solace in my guitar, which I would play for hours at a time. The importance and value of teaching children self-expression is priceless. This has now become one of my new favorite books. 


* Please see "scratchboard" video below.

JOHN LENNON SCRATCHBOARD

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock

Author: Retold by Eric A. Kimmel

Illustrator: Janet Stevens
Publisher: Holiday House

ISBN: 0-8234-0798-5

Imagine that… there is a life lesson to be learned from a silly children’s book.  Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a story about a spider that coaxes his friends to go into the woods to visit a magical moss-covered rock.  The magic of the rock is that if you say the magic phrase, “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock!” in front of the rock you will pass out for an hour.  Anansi makes this discovery on his own and then, because he is too lazy to gather his own food, uses this trickery on his friends.  When his friends pass out in front of the rock, Anansi goes back to their homes and takes their food.  All the while he is being watched by another friend, Little Bush Deer who eventually outwits Anansi at his own game and all the food is returned to its various owners.

The characters in the book are exotic animals, which children are always fascinated by.  The story also has a catchy and repetitive style that is perfect for a teacher who wants to keep all eyes and ears on the book.  Janet Stevens has this way of drawing animals to make them endearingly strange.  I would recommend this book to other teachers to share and enjoy with their students.

As we all know, once the drama, tragedy, and humor of a children’s book such as this one flies away into fantasyland, we are left with the moral of the story.  The author uses the tale to turn a world of make believe into a small piece of reality.  Eric A. Kimmel, through his version of the story, shows children that you can end up working harder scheming, as opposed to just doing the work.  This is great advice for people of all ages and it’s never too early to teach the importance of hard, honest work.  The book also shows that if you trick your friends enough, one of them just might get back at you.  You certainly won’t like the joke played on you.  

I could have used this lesson when I was younger.  One Halloween I was trick-or-treating with my brothers who often left me unattended.  I was being particularly lazy, which you might think would be uncommon for a girl roaming the neighborhood in a Wonder Woman costume.  During the house-to-house visits, one homeowner left the candy out on the steps.  I don’t know why that person would think that children would respect the honor system but maybe they assumed parents would be chaperoning.  With my five sticky fingers I picked up the plastic orange jack-o‘-lantern filled with treats by its black handle.  I decided to make that my last stop of the evening and quickly walked down the block away from the scene of the crime.  To my dismay, when I got home I realized that the bucket was mostly chocolate.  I do not like chocolate.  I loathe chocolate.  I got to watch my brothers eat all the good stuff they earned from going door to door... and they were never good at sharing.  Every Halloween since, I gladly went to each house just so I could reap the sweet benefits of a hard day's work. 

In my adult life, I make it a habit to follow the "Golden Rule" I learned in kindergarten, "Treat others the way you would like to be treated".

llama llama misses mama

Author/Illustrator: Anna Dewdney

Publisher: Viking

ISBN: 978-0-670-06198-3

Imagine that… a child having a hard time adjusting to school.  Major life transitions are tough… especially for a child!  As adults, I am sure most of us can look back to that time when we were children and faced a similar situation.  Llama’s reaction is a very common one. 

Like most children, Llama has a smile on his face as his mother helps him prepare for the day.  Then the reality of going the whole day without her sets in as Mama drives off, and he is left alone in school with a lot of “new”.  When Llama secludes himself from classroom activities, the teacher knows just how to turn his frown upside down.  With the help of the class, the teacher assures Llama that every day his mama will come back to get him.  Finally he lets loose, and settles into the daily routine of school.

I clearly remember my first day of preschool.  The second my mom tried to leave, I cried as loud as I could and latched onto her.  It seemed so scary at the time, so much “new” all at once!  I can definitely relate to Llama, and to children I teach in my preschool class who experience separation anxiety.  llama llama misses mama has helped a great deal with these children, and the children who are well-adjusted really enjoy the book as well. 

llama llama misses mama is a wonderful book for children for many reasons.  The rhyme, rhythm and repetition of the story keep the children’s ears wide open as we flip through the pages of Llama’s emotional day.  To complement the literature, Dewdney illustrates every page with vivid depictions to match the text.  The proof is in the pudding.  I have read the book to my students several times and each time it was a hit.

David Goes To School.

Author/Illustrator: David Shannon

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-545-29251-1

Imagine that... an elementary school student is having a tough time staying out of trouble in class.  We all know the list of rules that are expected to be followed in the classroom; not to mention how exhausting it can be to follow every single one!  In the book David Goes to School, David reminds us just how much easier it is to pass time when you have a little fun.  Unfortunately for David, this must be done at the expense of constant reminders to settle down and ultimately... detention.


Throughout his school day, David finds himself being admonished for his tardiness, his inability to be patient, and a handful of other childish acts.  David appears to be nothing more than a distraction for the rest of the class.  At the end of the day the teacher still gives David a pat on the head and rewards him with a star- a positive reinforcement that, as a teacher, I know well.  Simply because a child is a bit misbehaved does not mean they are not trying.


Before reading this book, the illustration on the cover implied mischief to me and instantly reminded me of myself in elementary school.  While reading the story beyond the cover, each page continued to be a flashback to my days in P.S.45.


I would not describe myself as being a bad kid, but my name was frequently on the “bad” list along with the other regulars.  I rarely made it to the “good” list, with it's set of regulars. Each day one of the “good” children was chosen to be the monitor and write the list.  I especially remember this clearly from the fourth grade where my teacher, Mrs. Friedman, eventually assigned me a seat that was off to the side, isolated from the rest of the class.


I remember my teachers constantly telling me to pay attention; many reports of parent teacher conferences were about my talking and daydreaming in class.  It seems like David and I have many things in common.  This is one of the numerous reasons why I enjoy this book and love to share it with my students.


From cover to cover there is no wonder why author/ illustrator David Shannon received a Caldecott Honor.  Each page is a timeless portrait of any classroom, on any day, in any school in America. In many of the pages I can see myself in David’s place being politely scolded for my excited behavior. With seasonal decorations, a globe, and a poster board of the alphabet, it is also a tiring reminder of how much effort we teachers put into the decorating of our own classrooms.