Is My Dog a Wolf? How Your Pet Compares to Its Wild Cousin

I checked this book out after a neighbor of mine called and said "I have your wolf." My dog had gone off with another neighbor's dog to play and ended up at this neighbor's house. Granted, my dog is a husky and therefore resembles a wolf, but I thought it was hilarious that I recieved a phone call with someone telling me that they had my wolf.

This book, Is My Dog a Wolf?, is a great informational book for kids. I found it very accessible to even struggling readers. The language is conversational in style, and so it reads smoothly. Each section is only two pages long – on facing pages, so the child can see it all at once and not have to move back and forth. Each section has a large, bright, bold heading in unique fonts to draw attention to it. A child could easily flip through the book to get to the information he/she is looking for.

The photographs in the book are fantastic. The colors are vivid and bright. There are close up shots and distant shots. Each photograph captures the emotion of the animal. There are several great shots of dogs and wolves interacting in playful fighting. When the author explains the posture of frightened, scared, happy, worried, and submissive dogs, there are photos to match each description.

Each photo is important to the section being discussed – you don’t have to wonder why a photo was placed on a certain place. The language of the captions is also simple and conversational.

The author includes one of Aesop’s fables: A Dog & Wolf Fable. This incorporates fiction with nonfiction and allows a struggling reader more opportunity to understand the concept of the difference between wolves and dogs.

Long Night Moon

I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed the illustrations by Mark Siegel. Even though each page is dark and of the night (I'm afraid of the dark!), they were comforting illustrations. The moon shone so brightly and warmly, that even in the cold months you could sense its warmth. I think this book is a great way to get children to appreciate nighttime and not be so scared of being outside in the dark.

I've always been scared of the dark - but it wasn't that bad until I moved from the suburbs out into the country. My nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile down the street. So, at night, when I go outside it is dark, like I never knew dark could be! I can't imagine what that kind of darkness is for a child. In this book, the moon plays an important role in lighting the world for all the creatures - the young girl to the raccoon. Even though we don't always have full moons, I think this book would bring comfort to all children who are afraid of the nighttime. Just knowing that the moon is your friend and is up there for you.

I Had Seen Castles - Rylant

I have always enjoyed historical fiction because it brings to life the people of events. I love getting into the inner thoughts of characters who are going through what I so dryly learned about in a textbook.

I Had Seen Castles is a short but intense story about a 17 year old boy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He feels anger at the bombing of his own country and cannot wait for his 18th birthday so he can enlist. This is ironic because just before the bombing he and his friends had joked about running away into the forest to avoid the draft. But the bombing on Pearl Harbor changed all that.

The scene in which John retells the moment he heard about the bombing, brought to mind the moment I heard about the planes being flown into the Twin Towers. What an awful day. I was sitting in my first education course at LU, and the secretary of the education department walked in crying and asked to speak to our professor. The professor came in and told us to go back to our dorm rooms, turn on the T.V., and call our parents. He did not say what had happened, but we all turned white. Nausea rolled through me. We rushed back to our rooms and watched the horrible footage. While I read the scene in which John talks about the radio broadcast, the same sickness I felt on 9-11-01, I felt again thinking about Pearl Harbor.

I remember feeling the same anger and wanting war. Before 9-11, I had never been a person to want to fight. But I was angry and I wanted revenge. So, I understood John’s response. However, war is so different now. I watch the movies depicting war prior to our technical advancement and cannot believe the amount of lives lost in battle. So, I can understand Ginny’s objections to the war. So much loss; so much devastation. I know we still have loss and devastation today, but nothing like it was during WWII. I cannot imagine.

When John and Ginny argue about his registering for the war, John cannot put into words why he wants to join. He cannot seem to tell her that he wants to fight simply because he does not want to be a coward. He has heard about the death of his friend, and has come to realize, even though he does not admit it to himself, that this war is dangerous and that he may not come back from it. But as he and Ginny argue, he asserts that if living a life in this country is so important, then he must go fight and risk his life because everyone’s life in this country is at risk. Freedom is at risk.

The focus of the book is on the progression of John as a boy/man throughout the war experience. The events in the book are told bluntly and without any ‘fluff.’ John remembers the boy in Europe that was crying for his mom while he was walking around looking for his arms. I cannot imagine! Looking for your own arms! The horror. These descriptions make the reader understand how he says he was no longer a boy, but a ghost who did what the war demanded of him.

There are other stories going along with John’s story. Like the story of Emily, John’s sister. She feels pity for the boys who are going off to war and are so hungry to feel alive before they face their death. She ends up becoming officially engaged to two young men, and pregnant with a third’s baby. This baby, at first a shame for the family, ends up being a gift to the family. The baby takes her home in the nursery of Emily and John’s sibling who died when he (or she?) was only 2 months old. Emily has brought life back to the nursery and fills it with mischief and laughter. Emily is even respected as a war widow (even though she and the boy were never married). The boy died before his 20th birthday leaving behind a child he had never seen.

The ending of this book is not happy, but rather melancholy. John cannot bring himself to live in America, because he has suffered, and America has not. America cannot understand the changes he has undergone, cannot understand the misery he has lived through. I feel this must be true for all our veterans. What must life be like for them to come back to a country that seems to have not changed after they have seen so much horror? John cannot come back, even though his parents love him and he loves them. He cannot come back even though he loves Ginny and wants to be with her. He must stay away. He will always remember Ginny, because it was Ginny who saved his life. She told him he would live to be an old man, and it was those words that kept him going in his darkest days. And now, at the end of the book, he wants Ginny to know that he has lived to be an old man, and that he still loves her.

Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

Missing May was a terrific book. Rylant developed the characters so well that I felt like I could reach out and hug them. The book caught my attention right away with Summer being bounced from house to house. I have 2 sets of friends who have just adopted a child. One family adopted a 6 year old girl. The other family adopted a 7 year old boy. I thought that Summer’s thoughts about her mother showing her enough love so she would recognize it later in life was really deep. These children my friends have adopted are going through so much to adjust to family life. The boy pulls back at any physical contact and the girl flinches at any loud noise. These parents wanted desperately to share the love of a family with a child who had no love. I’m sure that Uncle Ob and Aunt May wanted to provide this same love. I was relieved when Summer described how she recognized love in an instant. I was glad that she did not absorb the emotional coldness she was treated with as a child being tossed about by relatives. I could not understand how uncles and aunts could do that to a child. I think about my own niece and nephews and know that I would gladly take all of them if need be. I don’t care what my situation in life is, family and love is first.
The love between Uncle Ob and Aunt May is something that I wish every child could witness. It reminded me of the stories I have heard about my husband’s granny and granddaddy. So many of my students have such troubled homes – one child told me his parents only speak to each other when they are yelling.
I thought the topics in the book (death, severe grief) were very mature for the intended audience. However, Rylant’s style made the topics very understandable and reachable for young readers. The reader does not become too attached to May because she died before the story began. However, the reader clearly sees how attached Uncle Ob and Summer were to May, which is what the reader needs to focus on.

The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant

When I went to pick up this book from the library, I admit that I stuck it on the bottom of my reading pile. The cover did not interest me, neither did the description of magic on the back. [I had the version with the painting on the cover – not the more interesting and contemporary cover that I have posted with this review] I am not a Van Gogh fan, nor am I a fan of magic. And I am a new reader of Cynthia Rylant, so this book was low on my interest.

Finally, I picked the book up, sighed and said to myself “Well, here it goes.” But I must stay, I am impressed. This book showed me why there is all this hype about Rylant’s use of words. I added so many “Wonderful Words” to my list. Actually, they really weren’t “wonderful words” but more like “wonderful phrases.” But, that’s more my style anyway. I have books full of phrases.

The book starts right off with the magic of the Van Gogh Café. At the beginning, Marc starts writing and his café begins to prepare its own food. He doesn’t lift a finger and yet he has perfect meals every time. And this allows him to write. I couldn’t help but wish that it could happen at my house! I wish that the piles of laundry and dishes would take care of themselves; I wish the meals would prepare themselves; I wish the furniture would dust itself (Mostly, I wish the stacks of papers would grade themselves!). I want this magic of the Van Gogh Café so I can focus on my writing. But, alas, I do not live in a fantasy book… at least I can share with Marc his good fortune.

I enjoyed the character of Clara. She is very amusing. At one point she wishes to point out to her father that he is not the one cooking at the café, that it is the magic. But she is scared if she does that then there will be no lemon meringue pies and she is “so fond of lemon meringue pies.” Clara is also very insightful. She does not want to eat the magic muffin because her father tells her to wish before she eats it. She says she has read enough fairy tales to know that wishes can be a blessing and a curse. This reminded me of the short story I read with my students this year – A Monkey’s Paw. In this story, the family wishes upon a mummified monkey’s paw for enough money to pay off their home loan. The next day they find out their son died at a work accident and the company wants to show its condolences by giving them some money – the exact amount that the family had wished for. Then the mother wishes her son back alive, and the father realizes this will too not be a blessing but a curse – their son will alive but be mutilated and deformed. So the father wishes his son back dead.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the book was the transitions between the chapters:
“Perhaps when lightning strikes…”
“Lemon meringue pies can be lovely, but they’re nothing compared to magic muffins…”
Each chapter (except the last two) ends with an ellipsis teasing the reader to dare to read on.
I thought the “star” coming back to the Van Gogh Café (where he had performed when it was a theater) was the most enchanting part of the story. I did not find it sad when Marc and Clara find the old star dead the next morning clutching his photographs. Instead, I found it proper and serene.

Bridge to Terabithia - Movie ("After")

I went to see the Bridge to Terabithia on Monday, February 19th. I was pleased to find that all the science fiction aspects of the movie were there just to enhance Jess and Leslie’s imaginary adventures. I think that if they had the characters just imagine their adventures without showing the viewers what they were seeing, it would not have been very interesting.

I did not like the fact that the producers changed the setting to a more modern time. Perhaps they did this so more children would connect personally with the story, but I think we lost somethings with the change. And it also brought up some conflicts in the story - what female teacher in modern times would even THINK about taking a male child (or any child) alone in a car to an art museum on a weekend?? Unfortunately, the red flags would be up. Your job would be on the line, and news reporters at your door. Well, maybe not right away, but soon. And the modern setting also made us loose our beloved Bess the cow. I really got attached to Bess. Maybe it's because I grew up in suburbia that I long to live on a farm, but I imagined Bess very vividly and even "read" her thoughts.

I was also surprised at the casting of Annasophia Ross as Leslie. She was much to pretty to be mistaken as a boy. Sure, her hair was short, but she looked like a girl, dressed like a girl (maybe not very fashionable - but what boy wears tight shirts and arm warmers?), and acted like a girl.
* * *

The movie made me cry. I expected this, however, because the book made me cry. But I think I cried for different reasons this time. Not for Jess’ pain, but for the pain of my students. Our school suffered a tragic loss of life on Saturday. One of our 8th grade boys died and the effects have been school wide. This boy was imaginative and sweet like Leslie. He had a few close friends; Leslie had Jess. His friends have been changed forever. They have struggled daily since Saturday. As much as I try to imagine how they feel, I can’t. But I remember Jess on that movie screen. His denial. His tears. His rage. His questions about where Leslie will spend eternity. I imagine this is what our departed student’s friends are going through.

Bridge to Terabithia - The Movie ("Before")

I loved the book but after watching the movie trailer I was a little afraid and annoyed that the book was going to be more science fiction than realistic fiction. However, after reading the article entitled “Bridge to the Past” on the Burlington Free Press (http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007702110328), I was pleased to know that David Paterson (son of Katherine Paterson and the screen writer and producer of the movie) is “a little annoyed at the movie trailers, which play up the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’-like adventure of Terabithia.” He goes on to state that he understands the company has done this due to “the whole concept of 'selling yourself.”

The clip that is being played in the trailer is of trees coming to life and chasing Jess and Leslie. This scene must be from one of their many imaginary adventures in Terabithia. From David Paterson’s statement, I do not believe that he has turned Terabithia into a magic world where the trees truly are alive; the trees only move because that is what the kids are imagining they are doing.

At least, that is my predication. I hope it is true. I hate it when a movie ruins a perfectly good book.

I was also glad to find out that David Paterson refused to produce a movie that had a "happy ending." He would not simply allow Leslie to break a leg or be put into a coma as so many movie companies wanted to do. He wanted, needed, to stay true to the novel. Not only for his mother, but for the honor of his childhood friend Lisa Hill, whom the character of Leslie was based.

[I will update you on the movie after I see it on Monday, February 19th.]

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I never read the book for pleasure, nor was I ever assigned the book to read as an assignment. That is, until my Literature for Elementary Students class this semester.

When I saw Bridge to Terabithia on the list, I was excited. I remember seeing Bridge to Terabithia on one of my teachers’ selves when I was growing up and wanting to read the book. I never read it because there was so much being said about it being a “bad” book. There was talk about it being banned in our district. I was an avid reader and read whatever I could. But I was also a “teacher’s pet” and never wanted to do, or even read, anything considered “bad.” So, I did not read it that year, and it was forgotten. When I came across it years later in high school, I did not have the time to read a “child’s book” and again put off reading the Newbery Award Winning book.

The book starts off as a story of a unique friendship between a young boy and a young girl. I found myself identifying with these characters and caring about them. I felt sorry for Jess when his mother treated him harshly and never let him relax. She would let his sisters watch television for hours and would then complain that only his oldest sister cared about her. I sympathized with Leslie being the new kid at school. I was changed schools four times in elementary school and once in high school. I know what it feels like to be “new” and not fit in. Kids can be cruel to each other and Paterson did a wonderful job of portraying their cruelty and harshness.

Even with all the talk of Bridge to Terabithia being “bad” when I was young, I never knew why parents and teachers considered it to be “bad.” That is why I was so shocked by the tragedy at the end of the novel. I could not have predicted Leslie’s death no matter how much time I spent analyzing the novel. The suddenness of Leslie’s death hit me hard. I could not believe it. I wanted to yell, “No! You can’t take her away from him!” I was riding in the truck with my husband on the way home from the mountains and I must have audibly gasped or flinched when I read that section because he looked over at me and asked me what was wrong. I just stared at him and slowly shook my head. How could I tell him how unfair life was to this boy? How could I express the anger and sadness I felt welling up inside of me? After all, it was just a book. Right? Wrong. It’s not just a book. It’s a portrait of pain. It was written for each person that has ever loved and lost. I felt as if it had been written for me.

After reading the book, I watched and read transcripts of several interviews with Katherine Patterson. Paterson wrote the book in response to the tragedy her son faced when he was only eight years old. He had a young friend who suddenly and tragically died from a bolt of lightening. They had only been friends a short time, as Jess and Leslie had. Contrary to what most people would think, she did not write the book for her son’s emotional healing process; she wrote it to help her make sense of the tragedy and to help her heal. Writing is a powerful tool for those who have lived through life’s tough lessons. And how grateful we should be when they share their experiences with us and let us learn and grow from them.

Christmas in the Country - Rylant/Goode

Christmas in the Country
Written by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Diane Goode

I chose Christmas in the Country as my first Cynthia Rylant book because of the title and cover illustration. The look of joy on the dogs face as he jumps around in the snow made me smile. I thought of my own puppy at home and her first snow this year. I could hear her barking and see her jumping and ‘attacking’ the snow.

I felt that I must read Christmas in the Country because I grew up in the city and suburbs of California and now I live in a rural part of Virginia. Christmas in the country is a new experience for me as an adult and I wanted to view it from a child’s eyes. I plan on having children one day and hoped to learn some of the great things about Christmas in the country that I will be able to provide them from this book.

The story begins with the young girl describing all that she looks forward to in each season, but her favorite season is winter. Winter has Christmas. Everyone loves Christmas.

I think it is the simple language of the book that gives it a genuine feel, as if a little girl was actually telling this story. No lyrical sounds, no big words, just simple conversation. The little girl describes each tradition that she and her grandparents do to prepare for Christmas. There is the smell of the mothballs as she and her grandmother take out the old ornaments as her grandfather cuts down a tree that is “either too wide or too tall.”

The watercolor illustrations in the book are bright and cheerful. Despite the bare trees, the illustrator still makes the outdoors cheerful and bright. The house is full of color and cheer. The illustrator pays close attention to detail – signed Christmas cards hung on the wall, garland above portraits and on the mantel, ornaments scattered on the floor where the dog is playing. There are animals in every illustration, showing the illustrators understanding of Rylant’s love for all things furry.

The text appears only on the left pages, framed in by a double boarder. Each text page has a simple illustration to unite the page with the illustrations on the right. One text page shows a simple berry branch, another shows a sleeping kitten, and another shows a box of ornaments. I like the format the author and illustrator chose to use. It allows a child to pay attention to the words with a simple illustration to brighten up the page. It also gives a feeling of simplicity that a Christmas in the country should portray.

Although the text never really mentions what the girl thinks of her grandparents, it is evident that the girl shares a close and loving relationship with her grandparents. The illustrator did a fantastic job showing the love of the family by the expressions on the faces of the girl and her grandparents. I smiled just “watching” them interact with each other. It is not clear as to why the girl is living with her grandparents. However, I did not contemplate why the girl is not with her parents, until I started writing this blog. The illustrations portray her to be happy and there is no reason to feel that she is missing out on anything.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth, by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss

I am new to this whole picture book world. I teach middle school students and I have no children of my own (yet!). I wasn’t read to much as a young child, so when I started becoming interested in reading, I was “too big” for picture books and went straight into chapter books. After reading this book, I don’t think anyone is “too big” for picture books!

As I began this book, I tried to put myself in the mindset of a 6 year old (an easier task than I’d like to admit!). The first words captivated my attention – “I have a secret.” I could almost hear the little black haired child whisper them to me as we get on the bus together. How important is a secret at the age of six!?! And how special does a child feel when that secret shared with them!?! My anticipation soared with the very first page (something that I am not used to after reading so many middle school novels).

The book is about a sweet, naïve little first grade girl that believes the stories of an older second grader. (Oh, how easily children are convinced of crazy things simply because a “bigger kid” told them it was so!) She has been told that her new teacher is really a “three-hundred-year-old alien with a purple tongue” who steals baby teeth in order to live. And what is our first grader’s secret? She has a loose tooth! But she is determined not to let the purple tongued alien get her tooth and loose her chance with the tooth fairy! I won’t spoil the book for those of you who haven’t read it, but it is a great story. A perfect story for any child feeling nervous about the first day of school – or loosing their first tooth!

The format of this story was unique – at least from my limited experience with picture books. Although it incorporated “traditional” text format, most of the story took on a comic book feel with quotation and thought bubbles. This allowed the reader to get a better sense at what each character was going through.

The illustrations in this book were one of the best features. I can tell the illustrator had parents and teachers in mind when he drew the pictures. Some of the pictures contained humor that was definitely above a 6 year-old, like the label on the girl’s drink read “Vegan King.” But most of the humor was not above a child’s level, but might take the keen eye of a loving adult to point out. There were “stories” taking place in the background of the illustrations – a young brother annoying his sister in one scene; his sister duct taping his mouth and hands in the next; then the boy peeling the tape off and sticking his tongue out; and finally the sister dumping the boy’s backpack out when they leave the bus. There is also a pet cat that has definite attitude – and we can enjoy it even more thanks to the thought bubbles. I can imagine sitting with a young child and pointing out these other “stories” and giggling over them.

This book is going on my list for books to read to my “future” children.