Moo Who?

Palatini, Margie. 2004. MOO WHO? Ill. by Keith Graves. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060001062 [Suggested Grade Levels PreK-3]

REVIEW
Due to a brief case of temporary amnesia, Hilda Mae Heifer, cow extraordinaire, tries to rediscover her identity. An unlucky hit in the head has resulted in her losing her soulful, sing song quality “moo,” consequently starting the fun for Hilda Mae as she quests to find herself again. With the encouragement of friendly animals, she tries to mimic all the animal sounds in the barnyard until she finds the one moo sound that feels just right.

The concept of this book is simple, but the humor and illustrations are modern and quirky and will keep the interest of older readers. MOO WHO? is written well with patterned language and structure. When Hilda Mae tries out the series of different animal sounds, each animal steps up tell Hilda Mae why she is not that particular animal. For example, when Hilda Mae tries to honk like a goose, the goose and the cow go through a question and answer session discussing why Hilda Mae is not a goose. He asks such questions as, “do you have webbed feet?, do you have two feet?, do you fly to Canada every year?” Hilda Mae always thoughtfully answers no. Children will have a blast making the animal noises along with the characters in the book. Readers will also enjoy the slightly rhythmic and sing song quality of the book, reminiscent of Hilda Mae’s moo.

CONNECTIONS
Hilda Mae Heifer and friends are portrayed as colorful, cartoon characters. Create a fun barnyard of your own by having each child draw or create an exaggerated barnyard animal. Draw on paper or make paper sack puppets of each animal. Discuss what sounds each animal in the barnyard makes.

Older children will enjoy the simple story of Hilda Mae Heifer that is told in an advanced and humorous way. Let students chose a simple topic and write their own amusing stories, complete with illustrations. Include rhyming or other patterned language such as words with the “ow” sound.

RELATED BOOKS
Other stories about cows:
Crebbin, June. COWS IN THE KITCHEN. ISBN 0763621293
Most, Bernard. COCK-A-DOODLE-MOO. ISBN 0152012524
Speed, Toby. TWO COOL COWS. ISBN 0698115996
Wheeler, Lisa. SAILOR MOO: COW AT SEA. ISBN 0689842198

By Lisa Erickson

Skateboard Mom

Odanaka, Barbara. 2004. SKATEBOARD MOM. Ill. by JoAnn Adinolfi. New York: Putnam. ISBN 0399238670 [Suggested Grade Levels K-5]

REVIEW
“You better ask your mom what surprises she has up her sleeve….” So states a cat on the back cover of this surprisingly energetic book about a mother who can’t contain her hidden talent any longer. Written by the founder of the International Society of Skateboarding Moms, this is the story of a boy who receives a skateboard for his birthday, only to have it confiscated by his mom. She’s not angry about it – she’s skateboard crazed! She was a champion skateboarder in her younger years, and she can’t resist the temptation to hop aboard and skate away from the birthday party. The son realizes how good his mom is on a skateboard, but he wants his board back. A surprise ending finds the family is full of awesome skateboarders!

The rhyming and rhythmic verse makes this title an enjoyable read-aloud. Bold colors and topsy-turvy perspectives of the full-spread illustrations enhance the feel of a skateboarder whizzing by. This is a charming piece that encourages kids to discover the interesting lives their parents may have led when they were younger.

CONNECTIONS
Readers can draw connections to the family in the story by interviewing their own older family members about extraordinary things they may have accomplished earlier in life.
Gather informative materials about skateboarding. Create a group montage of skateboarding pictures and facts.
Create a 3-D skateboarding mom. Don a large stuffed body form with a helmet, knee pads, tennis shoes, shorts, and a t-shirt. Pose the body atop an actual skateboard for a fun display in the library.

RELATED BOOKS
Another book by Barbara Odanaka:
SMASH! MASH! CRASH! THERE GOES THE TRASH. ISBN 068985160X
Books about skateboarding:
Werner, Doug. SKATEBOARDER’S START-UP. ISBN 0689820879
Eckart, Edana. I CAN SKATEBOARD. ISBN 0516243705

By Rebecca S. McKee

Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales

Noyes, Deborah ed. 2004. GOTHIC! TEN ORIGINAL DARK TALES. Cambridge. MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763622435 [Suggested Grade Levels 7-12]

REVIEW
Ten well-known young adult authors unite their creative talents to compile unique stories of gothic fiction tailored to teen readers. The strength of this compilation revolves around its broad interpretation of the gothic genre and the variety stories that the authors are able to concoct within this parameter. Vivian Vande Velde, M.T. Anderson and Gregory Maguire offer tales most like contemporary horror stories while Joan Aiken and Celia Rees write tales with a more classic feel. Barry Yourgrau’s and Neil Gaiman’s offerings are humorous and Garth Nix, Janni Lee Simer, and Caitlin Kiernan all incorporate a strong dose of fantasy into the mix. Each tale has a distinctly original feel while the common gothic theme runs throughout to make the work a cohesive whole.

An “About the Authors” section follows the stories and allows the reader a glimpse into not only the lives of the authors, but also their inspiration for the tales shared in this book. With stories ranging from adolescent vampires and werewolves to haunted house horrors, Noyes has assembled a collection that has something for every gothic fan.

CONNECTIONS
Split the young adults into groups and give each group a story. Allow them enough time to rehearse and then ask each group to present their story to everyone -- they may choose to act it out, or simply read it aloud.

After sharing the stories in the collection, ask the young adults to try writing their own gothic stories. Be sure to have shared a variety of the stories, if not the whole book, so that they are aware that their stories can be contemporary or classic, humorous or frightening, realistic or fantastic. When finished, the stories can be combined to create a new book of gothic tales. Also, allow volunteers to share their stories if they wish.

RELATED BOOKS
Other horror story anthologies:
Kulpa, Kathryn. WHITE KNUCKLES: THRILLERS AND OTHER STORIES. ISBN 1886427011
Pepper, Dennis. THE OXFORD BOOK OF SCARY TALES. ISBN 0192781103
Pines, Tonya. THIRTEEN. ISBN 0590452568

By Erin Miklauz

Hana in the Time of the Tulips

Noyes, Deborah. 2004. HANA IN THE TIME OF THE TULIPS. Ill. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763618756 [Suggested Grade Levels 2-5]

REVIEW
HANA IN THE TIME OF THE TULIPS is the story of a little Dutch girl whose father is caught up in the tulip craze of 1634-7 and her attempts to help console and comfort him. Ibatoulline’s incredible illustrations in the style of Rembrandt, with amazing control and use of color and light, and full color paintings on every facing page (with additional “sketches”) truly paint the picture of the times. Even the background of the text is faux parchment colored. One particularly stunning example shows Hana and her nursemaid looking at a firefly cupped in the nurse’s hands; the only light source is the glow from the trapped insect, which throws perfectly Rembrandt-like highlights onto the faces of Hana and Nurse.

This is a great introduction to the culture, the time, and the art of Rembrandt. The SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review of October 1, 2004, expands on the stunning illustrations: “The illustrations are a haunting homage to Rembrandt, who has a peripheral role in the story and whose art typifies the day. Ibatoulline’s paintings demonstrate the flexibility of his acrylic-gouache work, which so perfectly mimics Rembrandt’s oils, inks, and bistre washes, and which deftly incorporate the chiaroscuro that was central to the master’s work.”

CONNECTIONS
Research the Tulip Craze, and watch the video of CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER (the book by Gregory Maguire will be too advanced except for extremely gifted readers), which takes place during this time and also features a great painter. Discuss the different presentations of the historical facts of the time.

Rembrandt is noted for his use of light in painting, and Ibatoulline’s illustrations are carefully composed to mimic this technique. Compare several of Rembrandt’s paintings with the Ibatoulline illustrations, looking especially at night scenes and those where the light source is out of the picture frame but reflecting onto the faces included.

RELATED BOOKS
Another historical fiction book for this age group:
Paterson, Katherine. BLUEBERRIES FOR THE QUEEN. ISBN 0066239427

By Julie Brinker

Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices

Myers, Walter Dean. 2004. HERE IN HARLEM: POEMS IN MANY WORKS. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823418537 [Suggested Grade Levels 7-12]

REVIEW
HERE IN HARLEM is reminiscent of SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY. That work recreated through story poems a mythical Midwestern community. The book is divided into five sections each “introduced” by a Harlem woman named Clara Brown. Her sections are called “testimony” and have the feeling of her being interviewed by some non-native reporter who is trying to get a sense of why Harlem casts such a huge shadow in the hearts of Black America. The poems that follow either complement her words or provide a counterpoint to them. Section one’s testimony has Clara saying “I love the people … all of them. Because one by one they may not be that much…. All together, they’re Harlem, and you can’t ask for more than that.” There is a wickedly funny story told by a Nanny named Eleanor who works without seeming relief from her Miss Ann employer. The riff of misery ends with her happily chortling how she hopes Little Miss Ann never lets her mom know the places in Harlem they visit. Eleanor’s alibi is “I’m going to say she got it from the television.”

Throughout all these sections there are black and white photographs mainly from the 1930s-1940s of people, places, and events in Harlem. Some shots are of the famous such as Duke Ellington and a young teenage Dorothy Dandridge. Others are more anonymous such as a dandily dressed young man next to a poem called “Sam DuPree, hustler.” Both the variety of people’s lives and the photos have a sense of showing that because this area is so concentrated with Black people in this section of New York City the good and the bad stand out so strongly. There is a one page people, places, and terms defined list to put a context to the lives mentioned that may be unfamiliar to young adults.

CONNECTIONS
Provide photographs from a local history collection. Students could try to imagine the story behind those photos or individuals with their own “Here in” poems.

RELATED BOOKS
Other fiction and nonfiction titles about growing up in Harlem:
Giovanni, Nikki. SHIMMY SHIMMY SHIMMY LIKE MY SISTER KATE.
Haskins, Jim. BLACK STARS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE.

By Andrea L. Williams

Antarctica: Journeys to the South Pole

Myers, Walter Dean. 2004. ANTARCTICA: JOURNEYS TO THE SOUTH POLE. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0439220017 [Suggested Grade Levels 5 and up]

REVIEW
After reading ANTARCTICA the lengths to which men will go to explore geographic wildernesses becomes apparent. Antarctica is in part a history of the exploration of a foreboding place and what drives men to explore. Myers begins with his remembrance of himself as a young sailor traveling all the way to a base within the Arctic Circle. The first explorer described is James Cole in the 18th century and the book ends with post World War II explorations. Throughout this work is one page or less subject summarizations which cover subjects relevant to survival in the Arctic. Examples include scurvy, latitude and longitude among others. One of the most interesting chapters concerns a bullying naval officer named Charles Weeks.

Myers story telling ability is most interesting when the human beings portrayed appear to be warts and all vs. a relatively dry recitation of linear events. Concluding sections are a timeline from 1773 to 1959 and a bibliography of sources used in the writing of this book. An index ends this work. While this work may not appeal to a wide audience, those readers curious about why physical danger appeals to some people throughout various times may find this book interesting.

CONNECTIONS
Post a bulletin board with newspaper and magazine articles on real world survival stories in a number of settings. Have children read a variety of survival tales and then discuss do they now believe these stories have a strong basis in reality and could actually take place. Discuss whether characters who survive in one fictional setting could survive in another? Create posters with survival tips covering a variety of situations.

RELATED BOOKS
Fiction and nonfiction titles on how to survive in hostile environments:
Hobbs, Will. WILD MAN ISLAND. ISBN 0688174736
Mayhar, Ardath. MEDICINE WALK. ISBN 0395618258
Tolhurst, Marilyn. THE EXPLORER’S HANDBOOK: HOW TO BECOME AN INTREPID VOYAGER. ISBN 0525652620
Weaver, Will. MEMORY BOY: A NOVEL. ISBN 006440854X

By Andrea L. Williams