A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

A Single Shard was written in 2001 and won the Newberry Award for that year. Written by Linda Sue Park, a Korean-American writer, the story takes place in 12th century Korea. The main character, Tree-Ear, is an orphan who lives with another homeless man named Crane-man. Dispite their many struggles the two form a sort of family that keeps them going. Tree-Ear becomes facinated with the art of pottery and starts to work for a talented old potter named Min. The real conflict comes when Tree-Ear must make a journey to the palace of Korea and show Min's pottery to the court. After being robbed, and all the pottery smashed to pieces, Tree-Ear continues on with a single shard of pottery to show for Min instead of accepting defeat. This shows what an honorable and trustworthy Tree-Ear really is. The story ends with Tree-Ear returning with news about the court, (which I won't tell because it will ruin the story) Tree-Ear's adoption by Min and his wife, and the unfortuante death of his friend, Crane-man. In the end, Tree-Ear has grown into a young man and learned about life and made something of himself. I think it sends a great message of determination to children and adults! I loved it!

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

This book is a Newberry Award winner and was written in 1976. It talks about the Logan family and this particular book is one of a series of books about this family. The background and family structure of the Logan's is loosely based on Taylor's own family. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is a work of historical fiction which is my family genre of children’s literature. I think the idea of writing a story based on historical events to teach children about a historical time period by writing it from the perspective of a child is wonderful. Children can relate much easier to another child. In the story, Cassie the only daughter of the family, is the narrator and we see everything through her eyes. The family is an African American family living in the south after reconstruction. They own their own land, which is very rare at that time, and causes them great strife with the white, racist people of the town. I felt a great deal of injustice and frustration throughout the novel because it is hard to imagine such things occurring in this country. My favorite part of the book was the children’s conflict with the bus. The white children of the town are allowed to ride a nice school bus to their school, while the black children must walk to their run down school. The children decide the dig a whole in the road and thus cause the bus to break down and all the white children to walk to school for a day. Although it is a brief victory, the children at least get some satisfaction from it! The Logan family is stable and steadfast and sticks together throughout the story and shows what family life should be like for children. Although their troubles are great, the parents still make it a priority to raise their children correctly and to be independent and honorable.

Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie

Peter Pan was first written as a play and was widely popular during Barrie’s lifetime. It is a story that most people still know today. Young children find themselves in another world where children never have to grow up and are lead by an interesting figure named Peter Pan. The stories themes range from family life, jealousy, maturity, and the conflict between children and adults. I was especially drawn to the theme of the child vs. the adult. It is such a confusing question for children. They want to be like adults, hardly ever agree with adults, and are in a constant power struggle with them. Barrie wrote the story for the Llewelyn-Davis boys who we became very close to. I read somewhere that the character of the father in Peter Pan, Mr. Darling who is selfish, immature and in competition with his children for his wife’s attention, is based on the boys’ father. Because Barrie was so much a part of the boys’ life, and used his fame and fortune to provide trips, gifts, attention, etc to them that their hard working poor father could not, there was always severe tension between them, as can be expected! At the time that Barrie wrote Peter Pan, it had been many years since the boys were young and always wanted to be around him. They were grown, had families of their own and had little time for their old friend and benefactor. Barrie wrote Peter Pan as a reminder to them of all the good playful times they shared when they were younger. As the story started as a play and was adapted into somewhat of a novel, though still containing stage directions, these side notes offer the most commentary on this subject by Barrie himself. The introduction and stage directions are full of inside jokes that make no sense to us and self depreciating and pitiful tones that give us the sense that Barrie is feeling very sorry for himself at the loss of his beloved boys. I remember reading versions of this tale and watching the movie when I was young, but I have a new appreciation for the story of Peter Pan after reading it as an adult and learning about the background of the story!

The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola and Weather by Seymour Simon

The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola

In this book, dePaola gives descriptions, illustrations and even other slang names commonly used with all different kinds of clouds. In the beginning he starts with the three main types: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. Tomie dePaola explains then what makes a cloud one of these types and where they are in the sky. The illustrations are fun and interesting, and I think kids would be able to find in the sky the main three types of clouds after reading this! The second part of the book consists of many other varieties of clouds that stem from the three main types. He briefly talks about how clouds are regarded in a few other cultures and in the past. There are a variety of sayings and idioms that farmers, travelers, villagers, sailor, etc and ones that we still use today like, “she has her head in the clouds.” In the end there is a silly story about a cloud coming into a room to show how clouds expand in an area and then a helpful index of the cloud types and page numbers!
Kindergarten-First Grade Level reading it aloud.

Weather by Seymour Simon

This book goes into great detail about our atmosphere, what happens there, how we get different weather patterns and is at too high of a level for first grade, but I think I could still use this book because of its many amazing photographs of weather all over the world. I think that we could discuss, using simple language, what he is talking about in the text. He also includes some great new vocabulary that the children would not be very familiar with such as atmosphere, equator, South Pole, North Pole and continent that may help to learn in our unit on weather. There is also another book by the same author called Lightning that is much of the same kind of thing.
Fourth-Fifth Grade Reading Level

Classroom Management Poem

Here is a poem I wrote for another class about my experience with Classroom Management!!!!!

The important thing about rewards is to make them meaningful.
They are always positive.
Rewards come in many different sizes.
They can be as simple as a hug.
Of course, I must give them out occasionally.
Rewards should be given out spontaneously.
The important thing about rewards is to make them meaningful.


The important thing about personal conduct is to always be professional.
The way I dress is only part of it.
Actions always speak louder than words.
It is easy to forget after hours at the store.
Gossip or any form of it should not be in my vocabulary.
Personal conduct should be on my mind at all times.
The important thing about personal conduct is to always be professional.


The important thing about punishment is to be respectful.
It should never humiliate the student.
The punishment must fit the crime.
It must be meaningful for that individual child.
Punishment should be timely.
Praise in public, punish in private.
The important thing about punishment is to be respectful.


The important thing about the first day of class is to be prepared.
I will involve our community of learners in creating rules.
It is always necessary to clearly state expectations.
Show the respect that I expect for the year.
Organize the classroom in a student friendly way.
Use my enthusiasm to establish enthusiasm in my class.
The important thing about the first day of class is to be prepared.


The important thing about parent conferences is communication.
Make the relationship a partnership and joint effort.
Keep the conversation centered on their student.
Always have two positives for every negative.
Keep in mind that both parties have the child’s interest at heart.
Be respectful of differences in background and belief.
The important thing about parent conferences is communication.

My Belief/Action Statement

In one of my early childhood classes this sememster, we were prompted to write a belief statement and an action statement to guide what we want our mission to be as classroom teachers. I think that this was a very beneficial assignment for us because when you have an explicit goal in mind, it keeps you focused and on track. I have found that this is also true in life.

Here is my belief/action statement from class:

I believe that the ability to read will allow students to be successful in all other subject areas throughout their years in school.

Therefore, I will make it my top priority to make sure that my students make constant improvements in their reading skills.

Having enjoyed this assignment and seeing its obvious benefits for the creator, I decided today that I would write one for my own life:

I believe that I must first respect myself, love myself and care for myself before I can truly respect, love and care for others in my life.

Therefore, I will focus on my own ldaily life, business, and goals and look inward for answers.

Similarities Between the Stories

The similarities that these influential heroines share may be few, but important because of the lessons they teach to their audience. Neither of the characters appear timid in their situations, giving the sense that they will be capable of defeating their foes of the story. Ruby and Little Red also show an immense amount of cleverness, which permits them to solve their dilemmas and will continue to serve them well in future conflicts. Deciding on a course of action and following it through is an important characteristic, seen in both heroines, of a successful individual today, whether in be in the business world or in personal relationships. Both Ruby and Little Red Riding Hood are resourceful in using their wits to find a resolution in the end, which is essential for portraying the independent and accomplished characters, readers can admire and imitate. Having both of the heroines satisfied in the conclusion of their respected stories, gives a sense of hope to the audience. If the readers were to use Ruby and Little Red’s trials and triumphs as examples in their own lives, they would be victorious as well.

With so many different versions of the Little Red Riding Hood stories floating around today, it is important to choose versions that will have a positive effect on the young people of today. “Ruby” and “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” are two versions that are noticeably different in some aspects but that both boast heroines that are essential in building valuable character traits in the young people of today.

"Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf" by Roald Dahl

The character of Little Red Riding Hood in Dahl’s version “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” is bold, independent, and seems to have learned all of her lessons, at least in dealing with wolves, already. Directly following the terrifying threat the wolf, who is about to make her dinner, “the small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.” Little Red is unaffected by the ferocious beast before her. This quote portrays a young girl who does not appear to be afraid of anything. Little Red is also one gigantic step ahead of the poor wolf, who thinks he knows how the story will end; his second meal and the satisfaction of his hunger at last. Little Red has another ending in mind and has prepared herself for such an end. Bringing with her a means of killing the wolf, she intentionally provides the resources she needs to successfully fix her problematic situation. Little Red Riding Hood “whips as pistol from her knickers. She aims it at the creatures head and bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.” Maybe she always carries a pistol with her, but regardless, she is prepared. Little Red seems almost arrogant at the end of the poem, when coming upon another person, immediately states, “Hello, and please note my lovely furry WOLFSKIN COAT.” Blatantly pointing her new coat out in such a way, Little Red is revealing her pride in her accomplishments that were all brought about with no one to help her.

"Ruby" by Michael Emberley

In the beginning of her story, Ruby, the main character of Emberley’s “Ruby,” presents herself as intelligent, naïve, and unprepared for the danger ahead of her. The audience can see the danger in store for Ruby, even before she realizes for herself, as the stranger who saves her smoothly says, “You know…a tender, er, pretty thing like you really shouldn’t be strolling the streets alone…allow me to escort you for the remainder of your journey today.” The audience, with the aid of the illustrations, immediately recognizes the stranger as a cat, the eternal enemy of mice everywhere. In the heart of the story, Ruby finally grasps the utter threat and remembers what she has been taught about strangers just in time. After cleverly making a call to the proper person, Mrs. Mastiff, she uses her resources to fix the situation, knowing she alone is helpless against the threat of the cat. Mrs. Mastiff commends her foreword thinking in phoning her when she says, “It was wise of you to call me instead of your granny.” Through the praise of Mrs. Mastiff, Ruby recognizes that she used her resources to solve the ominous predicament she had found herself in successfully.

My Discussion of Two Little Red Riding Hood Stories

There are numerous versions of the Little Red Riding Hood story circulating today; written anywhere from long ago into our century, but two have captured my attention. “Ruby” by Michael Emberley and “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” by Roald Dahl are two versions that are strikingly different in plot, scene and time period. Despite their differences, these two stories boast important female characters who share respectable qualities and maintain their own traits that are desirable to young people today. In my next couple of blogs I with share my findings and opinions of these two remarkable tales.

My Thoughts on Writing Now

As a writer, I think that I struggle in formal settings taking out my voice. I tend to type exactly how I think and speak. In a situation when my language needs to be more professional and straight forward, it is difficult for me to create a serious tone because I am not by nature a very serious person. This affects research papers that I have done, and currently my resume writing abilities, which is lacking in this area.

I believe that it is important, as with reading, to make writing fun. If I ask my Kindergarten students to journal, then I will be writing as well to show them that it is a meaningful task that even grown ups write! Of course the earlier you instill this idea of reading and writing for enjoyment into their minds, the more successful they will be in school and the more likely they will continue to read and write and progress throughout their lives. I don’t think that writing is as important as it used to be in our society. Instead of corresponding with ink and beautiful stationary, we send off a quick email, message on Facebook, or send a brief and abbreviated text message to family and friends, which does not seem to have the same nostalgic effect on the recipient. I love receiving cards (the three times throughout the year that I do!) and they always brighten my day and find their way to the refrigerator door before long.

Learning to Write

My favorite time of the day in fourth grade was our journaling time. The classroom would get slightly darker; we would listen to soft music and could think about what to write without any pressure. Sometimes we would be given prompts and other times, were simply told to write about whatever we were thinking.

One frustrating experience I had with writing in school occurred in fifth grade when were learning about poetry. I love poetry and can write a poem if given ample time to do so. But this day we had to rush for some reason and I got so stressed that I was running out of time that I could not even think of a topic! I remember my teacher saying that it was not a big deal, but to me it was. I will make sure that if I want my students to write something meaningful, then I will allot appropriate time to do so!

Again, being an education major, I do a lot of reflecting. Papers like these are a great way for us, taking all of this information in, to slow down and process our thoughts and create our own ideas for the future. As cheesy as that sounds, I enjoy the typical outcome that reflecting causes. I typically feel more confident with the material and have formed my own opinions about the topic. I would love to keep a journal now so that I can remember what I was like in college, but I can’t seem to find the time!

A blurb about my experience of writing in school.

My earliest memories of learning to write in school involve the keeping of a personal journal. At first I began by simply drawing pictures to tell a story, and then I slowly began drawing wavy lines to represent my words. My teacher would give us a sentence starter, a topic to write about, a specific set of words we needed to use in a word bank that were probably spelling words of the week. I also remember this kind of activity being used after we had read a story as a class. In order to be successful at our retelling of the story, my teacher would create a word bank that had key words that would help jog my memory of what occurred in the story. Our spelling words of the week were also related to each other through the special sound of the week. Sometime around first or second grade, I remember a fun activity that used the materials macaroni and cheerios to help us learn! We glued macaroni onto sample sentences where commas needed to go and cheerios where periods belonged!

My earliest memories of writing outside of school take place at home with my oversized crayons and pencils and huge Big Chief Indian Tablet! I would pretend to write my mother’s grocery lists or send notes with my dad to work that said nothing legible! These materials were available for me at home and at school to encourage me to explore writing on paper and drawing. I think that all of this exposure and practice made it easier for me to quickly learn to write.

My reading habits now:

Presently, I read for school and do so at every waking moment I have! Because of the classes I am enrolled in currently, the reading load is intense and almost impossible to keep up with. Luckily, this semester and the last, I have had Children’s Literature courses which allow me to at least partly enjoy the reading that I do! I would love to pick up a book for fun, but I have no time. I would say I’d give up T.V. or Internet time in order to read, but I don’t even have time for those things! I will definitely read once I graduate and get settled into my career because I think it is important to take time to loose yourself in a story and relax. I love American historical fiction, especially around the Civil War, and there are plenty of adventures out there for me to choose from!
I would like to do better as a reader in staying focused on texts that may not be the most interesting, but I must know what it is saying. I find myself quite often at the bottom of a page that I have been reading but have no idea what the text said, although I have decided what to eat for dinner!
I think the most important thing that a teacher can convey to a Kindergartener is that reading is fun and can be accomplished with patience. Once a student feels discouraged, it is difficult to get them motivated to progress with their reading skills. Kindergarten seems to be a great age (the very beginning of their education) to clarify that school, learning, and reading are fun things to know how to do and that they are capable of being successful at all three things.

How I learned to read.

I learned to read through a variety of activities and centers that made the learning tangible, which is how I like to learn. In Kindergarten, we talked about environmental print, where you see the symbols and what they mean. Letter people were my favorite things to play with and learn about. They each had a story and it always contained the letter sound heavily in the reading. We had a center of blow up letters that had been stuffed like a pillow to play with and a letter of the week that we thoroughly learned the name of, the sound it made, and how to draw it. Fingerpainting was a neat way we drew our letters and all of the students decorated letters hung about the room throughout the week. In first grade, as we progressed, instead of the letter of the week, we had the sound of the week and all of our activities revolved around words containing the sound of the week! For show and tell, the object we brought had to begin with our letter of the week (and fit in a paper bag) and we would draw the letter and create a picture out of it or around it.

I may have mentioned already a pleasant moment in school already, but another occurred in first grade when Mrs. Smith would choose two students at random to have the tree house all to themselves during reading time, because during any other center time, it was always too full, too fast to ever get up there. It was marvelous and I remember getting to go up there freely several times throughout the year and feeling so special.

I had a frustrating experience repeatedly throughout elementary school probably beginning in about third grade; especially third grade. Popcorn reading was my worst nightmare! I still to this day do not like reading out loud to peers. I would be so terrified that it would be my turn next and that I would mess up and every one would know that I probably did not even pay attention to the story. I most definitely will not be using popcorn reading in my classroom.

Reading in School

My earliest memories of reading in school are listening to a story read by our teacher and community volunteers or parents, keeping reading logs of class stories we had written, and going to the library to listen to interesting tales and watching the librarian perform puppet shows for us. I loved reading as a child and was even part of an after school program in the later grades of elementary school called Reading Robins. It was just a few students from my grade and we would meet with our sponsor (another teacher) and pick new chapter books to read and then discuss them as a group. It made reading fun and social, which it had not really been before, at least with friends.

My earliest memories of reading outside of school are reading with my Mom and Dad all the time! This is probably why I loved reading so much and was not as intimidated by it as other students were. We read after school, before bedtime and on the weekends. My younger sister had one particular book that she wanted to read everyday, but I wanted to read a new one each time. I had favorite authors that my parents would take me to meet and get them to sign my books and when I was younger I spotted environmental print and recognized them as words. My family also participated in a book drive, where I had to keep a log of all the books either my parents read to me or I read myself and after a certain number of hours Scholastic would donate books to our school library!

Lily's Appointment

Lily's Appointment

I wrote this short story about my puppy Lily and her appointment at the vet and turned it into a visual storytelling piece. I really enjoyed the experience and learned a ton of great technology in the process! I hope to do a project similar to this with my own class in the future! I could not upload the video so please enjoy the script!!!

The day arrived when Lily had to go.

She doesn’t like the veterinarian’s office. They always give her shots that hurt. But she feels so sick that she must go to her appointment.

On their way, Lily’s Mom and Grandma try to make her feel better with treats and bones, but there is no use.

Lily is scared.

Lily arrives at the veterinarian’s office and a nice lady named Bridget takes her to a little room.

To Lily’s surprise, the nice lady was her veterinarian! “Maybe this won’t be so bad,” Lily thought.

Dr. Bridget listens to Lily’s heart, checks her teeth, and weighs her on the scale.

“5 pounds exactly!” cheered Bridget, “Besides feeling sick you are a very healthy Chihuahua!”

“But we are going to have to give you a shot so that you will feel better soon.”

After the dreaded shot, Lily was ready to go home. She had been brave but needed some rest in her own bed.

Dr. Bridget walks Lily and her mom back to the front to say goodbye.

“See you next time Lily, you were such a brave girl today!” she said.

Lily was proud. No more would she be afraid of the veterinarian’s office. Lily had a friend there.

After Lily and her Mom arrived at home, Lily laid around with her family for several days before she began to feel better.

Even when they went places, Lily felt tired.

But soon Lily began to feel better, feel hungry and want to play with her friends again.

Now that her appointment was over, Lily knew she had been very brave and that she wouldn’t feel sick any longer!

Stellaluna

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, is a wonderful story book for children to learn the important lesson that we are all different and unique but can live together and be friends. As cheesy as this sounds I think that the whole world needs to read this book! Stellaluna gets lost from her mother bat and finds herself living in a nest with baby birds her same age. They find out the many differences between their species but all realize in the end that their differences should keep them from being friends. I plan on using this book in my future classroom in the very beginning of the year, the middle and the end. In the beginning we will discuss as a class what makes the bats and birds different, whats makes us as individuals different and how we can still work together and be friends, despite our differences. The middle of the year reading will serve as a reminder and refresher to help with any problems that may have arose in the first semester. The end reading will serve as a demonstration of hopefully, how far we have come as a class and a group of people that are working together despite differences and what lessons we have learned through this process. I think this book can make a huge difference in the classroom environment at any school and will hopefully continue to help the children who find themselves in my class throughout their schooling. I hope that they can remember the story and apply it to whatever they are facing. Not many stories I think have this much of a broad impact and potential for children today and I think teachers, parents and the community can utilize this book for a great purpose. I apologize if I seem overly excited about this story, but my mother who is a teacher uses this book every year for the same purpose and I have seen the impact it can have. It is much easier for students to learn lessons through the difficulties of a character and apply them to his situation, than to have to learn them himself, alone.

Ramona and Her Father

Ramona and Her Father by Beverley Cleary was a favorite story of mine as a kid but I couldn't remember even the basic story line, only that I had loved it. I decided to read it again over Spring Break as one of my 10 outside reading books and it really had an impact on me. Ramona in the book, tries and tries to control and fix her family and their problems that are too large for a young child like her to fix. She learns through a lot of trial and error that some troubles fix themselves and some you just have to let someone else fix for you because they are too much for you at the time. Among the many smaller problems the family members face in the story, the most important troubles are with her Dad, hence the title of the book! In the beginning her father looses his job and so they are tight on money. Her father also smokes and begin to smoke heavily because of the loss of his job. These two problems give Ramona a lot of trouble because as hard as she may try, she can not fix them. As a child, I also tried to fix problems that were out of my league and she to even now try to take on too much at once. Take for instance this semester, my course load, working, my dog, my friends, roommate issues, being involved in 4 student organizations and holding a position in my sorority have given me a run for my money keeping up with everything and on top of all of this my sister is getting into trouble as a freshman in college and my great grandma is very sick. Try as I may, I can not fix these problems and it does not a bit of good to stress over them, but I still do. I understand Ramona and feel that I can stand to learn a lesson or to from her and her trials before mine get out of hand! I really enjoyed this story and I definitely think that it is relevant to all!

The author Beverley Cleary, who continues to write in the 21st century, strives to bring characters to children who are just like them and that they can learn from. As a child in Oregon, Beverley searched the school libraries for stories she could relate to and characters she would love but was left empty handed at the time. One teacher commented to her in 7th grade that she should just write the stories she wishes to read and become a children's book author. Beverley took the idea and ran with it, never doubting what she would become and thankfully for this, children today have tons of tales of characters such as Ramona, to get to know, learn from and understand to help them get through their own childhoods!

The Birthday Present

The Birthday Present by Maria Edgeworth is a simple, didactic, and vividly written story about a young girl who must learn the tough lessons of modesty and generosity. Rosamond the main character has her friend, Bell's birthday party coming up and to make herself look better, she tries to make a show of her generosity but ends up making a fool of herself. Rosamond's sister Laura is not concerned with making a show and keeps her money until their is a person in need of it, which turns out to shine a lovely light on how generous and kind Laura really is. Rosamond has to learn a tough lesson that I think a lot of young people would appreciate reading about. Many adults I know need to learn this lesson! Because of the broad and universal lesson set in motion by this story I think that it is still relevant to people today and should be shared.

The author's name was Maria Edgeworth was lived and worked int he 19th century. She was a spinster who lived at home with her beloved father and took care of his 21 children he had through several marriages. His last wife, who out lived him, was the same age as Louisa and actually became her best friend. Maria's father was extremely influential in her writing, even controlling in the beginning, not allowing anything to be published until her approved of it. I believe that this story was one of Maria's first ventures into publishing in her name, by herself, without the assistance of her father. They published several parenting volumes together on their beliefs and studies of all the children in the house including, "Parent's Assistant" in which this story first appeared. They primary belief about raising children was that parent must be present in their children's lives and not leave them to be cared for by the nursemaids, as the character Bell was. Rosamond was a common character in Maria's writing, using the young girl as a bad example who learns a lesson in the end. The story falls under domestic fiction which was incredibly popular at the time, although Maria did not choose this genre for this reason, she simply wrote about what she knew. I really enjoyed reading this book and I think that it can certainly be relevant in today's world.

Little Women

The story of Little Women is one that I have enjoyed for much of my life. My sister and I have watched the movie version with Winona Ryder so many times that I could quote the majority of the movie still to this day! However well I thought that I knew the story from knowing the movie version by heart, does not compare to the love I have for it now after reading the novel. I also thought it even more intriguing after researching the author a little more in depth. Louisa May Alcott, the author, actually loosely based her main character of Jo March on herself. The character of Jo is interesting to me because of the way she feels an outsider in her own world. It is almost as if she must have been adopted into the family. This sense of separation from what is expected of a girl in her station and what is considered proper is plainly seen in the text through the descriptions of her actions and her thoughts on her life. All of the sisters suffer from an extreme amount of longing for better things and wishing for more, expect Beth, who I would consider as Jo's opposite. Beth never complains and always seems to behave in the correct way and be the perfect, polite, though shy, girl that was the ideal then. Jo having married the mysterious professor in the end is the only truly visible difference between her character and Louisa's personal life. Louisa never married but seemed determined not to ever marry, having multiple offers over her lifetime. It is a wonderful tale about a typical middle class family of the time and I definitely think that all of the discreet morals in the story still heavily apply today. I would recommend this story to anyone!

Goodnight Moon

This first time I remember reading this book, I was babysitting my neighbor, John, who I had been watching since he was only a few months old. He was mesmerized with the pictures, rhyming and finding all of the items that the story talks about in the room. It was a kind of searching game that we played that really didn't relax him for bed at all, but it was his favorite. This book was written in 1947 and it is interesting to me the use of color pages and strictly black and white as well. That is only seen occasionally even now and it gives it a real sense of television when you read through it. It is as though you see the stage/set of the show in the paintings of the room. Then they pan into the scene to highlight an object of importance, then pan back to see the whole room and for you to search with you eyes the item of importance. The pages are also very informal and comfortable with the position of the text usually inside the picture, floating in space. The room paintings, not being framed on the page, give it a really relaxed feel, like a home would be like, where as the panned in pages of black and white are more formal with the framing, the text outside the frame and the absence of color. The bright use of color is definitely ahead of its time, and confuses me in the way it is used. Why use such vibrant colors in a children book about going to bed. I supposed the only explanation is that as the images dim with the little mouse’s night light, it is easier to see the change throughout the book if the beginning colors are brighter and more vibrant to begin with. Overall, I think that this book is a great addition to any classroom or family library and obviously has some merit and credibility having been a classic for so many years.

When Bluebell Sang by Lisa Campbell Ernst

When Bluebell Sang, is a story that I grew up with along with many other tales by Lisa Campbell Ernst. Her illustrations and clever dialogue between characters made reading so much fun for me. The reason I decided to write about this story today is because it has a similar theme as Ella Enchanted woven into it. This theme many not be the author's most important or intended message, but it stood out to me and can be applied to my life. Previously, I talked about how, in Ella Enchanted, I could see myself in her through her struggle to make her own choices and not always simply obey what she is told. This same theme is present in the story about Bluebell, the cow, who can sing beautifully and is taken advantage of by a mean and bossy agent out to make himself rich. Bluebell, and her farmer Swenson, learn not to trust Big Eddie, the agent, or his motives and to make the decision to go back home by themselves by cleverly tricking the agent in the end.

In my life, as I have mentioned before, I have trouble telling people no and standing up for myself. These ideas may seem completely different than the themes of the books, but the connection I am making lies in the reasons why I never say no or stand up for myself. I have to learn not to always obey or take what someone else says for truth and to make my own decisions. I also can see this connection in how college students change their views slowly throughout school. I have never been one to constantly question things, but I find that now more than ever, the professor must prove or argue why something is so. It seems that I am beginning to move away from obedience and more towards thinking independently for myself, and I believe this is part of growing up.

Ella Enchanted = Amazing

I was one of those people who raised their hand timidly in class because I read the book from cover to cover in a very short amount of time, despite our equally spaced chapter reading assignments. If I could have I would have read and read until it was finished after the first few chapters. Unfortunately my daily life got in the way of my reading and I had to stop and restart several times before I was finished. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was published in 1997 and is a contemporary version of the Cinderella tale we all know. I found the story intriguing because of Ella character and the situations she gets herself unintentionally into. For me, I related to Ella at a symbolic level. Ella's curse of always obeying represents how I felt growing up until I left home for college several years ago. It was not that I was ever forced to obey physically, like Ella, but I wanted to please my parents and teachers so much that their disapproval of anything I did or said was enough to teach me a lesson. Being a people pleasure is something that I struggle with even now, with the apparent inability to say no and to stand up for myself when I really need to. I accomplish small feats of defiance now occasionally, but I struggle to completely disregard someone else's wishes, even when they are not my own. Ella can not disobey an order because of the curse, but I rarely can to someone close to me without a guilty conscience weighing me down until I given in.

For this reason, I was intrigued by the character of Ella because of her innate defiance against something she can not control. She inspires me to pump up my defiance against what I am always asked and to decide what the best choice is for me, Erin. At the very end of the book, Ella is fighting against the curse one last time, after countless trials of trying and failing to break it. Finally, she breaks the curse and realizes that she can choose to do anything she wants! She repeats such lines as, “Myself unto myself. One. Me.” She must repeat these phases several times in the process of realizing the full meaning of the complete absence of the curse permanently. (228) I hope that I can have a moment such as this, when I realize it is okay to say no and that I can not always make every one happy!

The Acrostic: Erin Marie Hays

Excellent at patiently listening.
Ready to take on the rest of her life.
It will be a moment of pure pride to see her Aggie Ring glistening.
No she will probably not be the perfect wife.

Making people laugh makes her world go around.
Absolutely in love with her dog Lily.
Resolutely will cherish the colors mode and brown.
It pains her to find the weather so chilly.
Expects to live peacefully outside of town.

Has a great love for her traditions.
A smile her friends always can bring to her face.
You may have met her under many different conditions.
Spend time knowing her and a loving hug you will embrace.

Owl Moon

Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen, is the story of a young child who is finally taken owling in the woods by his or her father. For the sake of discussion, I am assuming the main character is a young boy. The activity of owling involves hiking in the snow into the woods during the dead of night to call, sear for and find an owl. The boy has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and has watched his brothers go again and again on this adventure to bond with their father and it is finally his turn! The experience proves to be just as amazing as he anticipated and seems almost reverent in the author’s portrayal of the adventure. Once they find an owl, the both stand awestruck with the mysterious and majestic qualities the owl has.

From the illustrations, I gathered that the little boy models his father's behaviors perfectly and consistently repeats to himself the things his father has told him about owling; to be silent, brave and hopeful during the search. I think that after reflecting on this remarkable adventure experienced by the small boy, I think that his father takes his children on these trips at an older age so that the knowledge they gain is more that simply how to find an owl. At an older age, children would be able to learn that patience, persistence, hopefulness and respect for nature is very important to their family and that after following these values through, the goal, or finding an owl, can be accomplished! These were simply my first thoughts, but I believe that the almost non-existent character of the father is more of an influence on all other aspects of the story than any other character. The little boy’s character is more of a reflective aid to help us see the wonderful and wise man the father really is.

I would highly recommend this story for any classroom throughout the elementary school and in upper grade English classrooms for reflection and analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the beautiful illustrations.

Elizabeth George Speare

Born in Massachusetts on November 21, 1908, Elizabeth George loved to read and tell stories from a very young age. As she grew older, among the rich history of New England, she also gained a great knowledge and passion for the past, but it would not be until she had married Alden Speare in 1936, move to Connecticut and raise two children into their teen years that Speare would finally begin to bring her two passions together into writing. Her first works actually had nothing to do with history, but of home and family life in the form of articles in newspapers and magazines. Once, she felt a sense of confidence in her abilities, Speare began to consider writing something larger. Around this time Speare stumbled upon a true story from New England history about a fascinating woman, who she believed would make the perfect heroine for a historical novel. And so the story of The Witch of Blackbird Pond was born! From the first accidental premise, Speare developed a complex story plot and in depth characters appropriate for any audience.

She believed the novel to be quite an accomplishment for a housewife and accidental writer and apparently many others did as well. In 1959, Speare won the Newbery Medal for The Witch of Blackbird Pond and later in 1962, won another for her next novel, The Bronze Bow. Speare also won a Newbery Honor Award in 1983 and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1989. With all of these amazing accomplishments under her belt, her story is quite amazing to me. It just proves that, unfortunately for all those with fancy degrees in this area, talent in writing is really something that a fortunate few are just simply born with and comes naturally to them. Elizabeth George Speare is just such a person and is a great role model for many people that may not have much experience now in writing, but have wonderful ideas, for any sort of writing, to get their imaginations in gear and create something!

Information gathered from the following websites:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/authordetail.cfm?authorID=4099
http://www.edupaperback.org/showauth.cfm?authid=85
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/speare.htm

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, is an amazing book that has a lot of potential for teaching may different subjects in the classroom to a variety of age and reading skill levels! I first read this book when I was in about the fifth grade during the summer for pleasure. At the time I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and learning about the time period through the characters' experiences. At this age, the story would be very beneficial to students who need to be read aloud to, learn to enjoy the act of reading or practice their understanding of plot, since the plot of the story is very complex. I read it again in middle school for an English class and had my interest in historical fiction renewed after looking at it from a different perspective. At this age, I remember my teacher trying to teach us to read between the lines and gain information and understanding through what the authors implied through the actions of the characters, such as Kit or Hannah. Again in reading this weekend, I was more aware of the life lessons present in what the characters learn throughout the book. I was completely unaware in the 5th grade that I was being taught a lesson of standing up for what you believe in and not being afraid to be yourself. These are fairly common themes of children's stories, but in this case, the lessons are presented in what appears to be a true story in its historical context. Cleverly, the author sends her message through the plot of the story. I think at a young age students can benefit from learning of a historical time and enjoying the suspense of the story, but in my opinion more is to be learned at a slightly older age, even in college years, about life and the sticky situations we are faced with at times!

Because I am going to be a teacher, and have taken many education courses so far, I now automatically think about lesson writing and how to incorporate ANYTHING into my future classroom! So, my thought on this books are as follows:

The story itself, as a whole, is too lengthy and confusing to be used in early elementary classrooms, such as 1st and 2nd, but sections of the book, where Kit gets herself in comical situations could be used for story starters, discussions about the historical time Kit and Hannah live in and even some discussion of lessons learned if I were to paraphrase the story so that the students could understand the lessons the author has tried to portray. I also think that the younger grades would enjoy drawing scenes of the story from descriptive passages about Hannah's house or the ship, the Dolphin. This would greatly improve their listening abilities and planning abilities in thinking about the described place and putting it on paper!

This book would be great to use with younger grades, possibly 3rd and 4th, for a read aloud or partner reading to learn about the historical time period that the book takes place in. The students could compile a list of all the new things they learned from reading this story about the daily lives of the early Americans. As a class we could briefly research the Salem witch trials and talk about how the lessons that are present in the story would have effected the events of the time, if the citizens of the colonies had followed them.

In the older grades in middle school and possibly high school, students could do extensive work in researching on aspect of colonial life that appears in the book. Although this would be an easier read for many high school students, the book would be a great, quick starter on a colonial unit. This kind of unit could be done in either an English class or History class. This kind of great literature can be used in many different areas of learning.

This has been a wonderful story at many different parts of my life and I would highly recommend reading it to anyone, especially teachers in their classrooms with their students!!!

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

Most people who have had some experience reading with children have probably read or heard of the book, The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola. Although the bluebonnet legend that dePaola tells is a great example of a legend for children, the story of the Indian paintbrush is not only a great legend for children but is inspiring and discusses, subtly, the differences and uniqueness we all have. In the story, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, dePaola uses the character of Little Gopher to allow children to identify with this story. Little Gopher is a small child, much like the readers of the book, who feels different and isolated from his peers. I don't know of a child who doesn't know what that feels like at some point in their lives! Little Gopher perseveres through his confusion, trusting what he believes is his "calling" and in the end is recognized by his people for his contribution to their tribe and remembered through the appearance of the Indian Paintbrush flower every spring from then on. The legend teaches children that your talents, dreams or self image may not always fit into society neatly at the time, but, as corny as it sounds, if you stay true to yourself and accept who you are as an individual in the world, then you will find peace in your life and will be recognized in some fashion for your character.

As I write this, I know that this has a strong message for the older crowds as well. I know a woman who is in a same sex relationship currently. The two have been a couple for many years and I consider them to be married in many ways. I respect my friend for knowing who she is, and not letting a society like ours tell her what is and is not acceptable.

Another thought that crossed my mind in reading this story, was that people who see morally wrong actions happen and do the right thing by turning them in to the proper authorities. Take Enron for example. I do not know hardly anything about this scandal, but I do know that someone had to tell. In a business world that revolves around simply making money and stopping at nothing to keep it rolling in, an honest Joe who sees something dishonest happening and sees beyond his own earning potential to tell the truth is incredible.

Children who are going up in today's society need to have stories like these that send subtle messages and that will help them cope with life. Even if they do not need these lessons yet in their young lives, they will most definitely be of great use in their rough teen years!!! I think that this story should subsequently be read to every child, especially if an educated college student can gain some insight into life from this legend!

Outside Reading List

Book 1: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
Author: Tomie dePaola (retold and illustrated)
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: 1-24-2008

Book 2: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: 1-27-2008

Book 3: Owl Moon
Author: Jane Yolen
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: 1-29-2008

Book 4: When Bluebell Sang
Author: Lisa Campbell Ernst
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: 2-6-2008

Book 5: Goodnight Moon
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: 2-15-2008

Book 6: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: March 20, 2008

Book 7: The Birthday Present
Author: Maria Edgeworth
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: March 21, 2008

Book 8: Ramona and Her Father
Author: Beverley Cleary
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: March 22, 2008

Book 9: Stellaluna
Author: Janell Cannon
Picture Book? Yes
Posting Date: March 24, 2008

Book 10: Peter Pan
Author: James Matthew Barrie
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: April 24, 2008

Book 11: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: April 25, 2008

Book 12: A Single Shard
Author: Linda Sue Park
Picture Book? No
Posting Date: April 26, 2008