Module 14: A Curious Collection of Cats



A Curious Collection of Cats
by Betsy Franco



Book Summary:

A Curious Collection of Cats is a collection of 34 haikus, limerick, and free verse poems about felines paired with colorful, attention-grabbing illustrations. Franco details the peculiar behaviors of cats from pacing about to defending their territory. The cats in this book will remind you of your own furry friends, and the affectionate as well as destructive side of each one. Each poem is written as a dedication to a cat who has touched Franco’s life.

Franco, B., & Wertz, M. (2009). A curious collection of cats. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle

       Press.

My impressions:

This book of poems is a cat lover’s dream! Franco weaves her catty poetry into fun, creative, and humorous displays on each page. Each poem in this artistic collection of poems within a picture book is oozing with charm, and each selection is excellent for a read-aloud. Every poem takes on the shape of what it is describing, which can sometimes be a little confusing, but will likely delight young readers and keep them entertained. The colorful artwork of Michael Wertz adds a whimsical feel to the collection of poems.

Professional review:

Gr 3-6-- Franco understands the nuanced world of the fluffy, fractious, and faithful feline friend. Thirty-two unusual, concrete poems, one per page with a single exception, are matched by Wertz's monoprints. The words move in several directions and sometimes inhabit multiple objects. The poems are so embedded within the illustrations that it is hard to imagine them without the artwork; they are virtually inseparable. In a print of a cat licking its neck, its exceptionally long tongue is created out of words. Readers following the poem will find they are forced to turn the book to the side, and may crane their own necks, experiencing an odd identification with the activity of the cat. The poem "Princess" uses arrows as part of the illustrated content to keep readers on the language path as "Princess paces down and up" awaiting her supper. At times, the path isn't obvious, but youngsters delight in solving puzzles, and these are merely little challenges that prove fun to master. In "Hot Daze," a red devilish arrow points to the poem's beginning. Among the various subjects are fat cats, shy cats, a kitty who "sips from toilet bowl," and a polydactyl cat with "poofy fur" and "prissy looks." Cat lovers will recognize their felines stretching, purring, and napping. This collection would pair nicely with Sharon Creech's Hate That Cat (HarperCollins, 2008).

Pfeifer, T. (2009, April 1). [Review of the book A curious collection of cats,

       by B. Franco]. School Library Journal, 55(4), 147. Retrieved from

      http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com

Words and pictures blend in these concrete poems about cats, written in forms that include haiku, limerick, and free verse. Once kids get the feel of how to follow the lines— up and down or in curving jumps or around the page borders––they will have fun with the playful images. One poem is in the shape of a feline tail. Another describes Kabob the cat’s fall upside down, and not only do the pictures show his movement, but the words do, too. When felines fight, the position of the words mirrors their furious screeches, howls, pouncing, and biting. Cat lovers will recognize the standoffs with arching backs, the cozy touch of the “purrfect” scarf on their shoulders, and the tech-savvy cat who walks across the keyboard to add her own note to an e-mail to a friend.

Rockman, H. (2009, Mar 15). [Review of the book A curious collection of cats,

       by B. Franco]. Booklist,105(14), 62. Retrieved from

       http://www.booklistonline.com/

Library Uses:

This book is an excellent read-aloud for a poetry story time in the library. The poems are simplistic enough that young readers could volunteer to read them aloud to the class, and the pictures will activate the imaginations of all in attendance. After the poetry reading, invite students to draw their own cat pictures and jot down a line or two of prose within the picture, modeling the artistic style of the book. Another title that would pair well with this book of poems is Franco’s similar homage to dogs: A Dazzling Display of Dogs.

Module 13: Rapunzel's Revenge

Rapunzel's Revenge
by Shannon and Dean Hale

Book Summary:

Rapunzel has grown up in a luxurious villa with Mother Gothel, but she’s never been completely happy. She is plagued by a dream of a family she doesn’t know and wonders what is beyond the extraordinarily tall wall surrounding the villa. One day Rapunzel finds a way to see over the wall and is shocked by what she finds – a land completely destitute and barren and exactly the opposite of the lush surroundings she has known inside the villa. During her adventure Rapunzel discovers that Mother Gothel is not her real mother at all. Gothel stole her from her real parents, and her real mother is a slave in Gothel’s mines. When she confronts Gothel about it, Rapunzel is punished by being locked in a tree far away. For four years, she is a prisoner in that tree while her hair grows and grows and grows. Finally, Rapunzel uses her hair to break out of her prison. After her escape Rapunzel, Jack, her new friend, and Goldy the trusty goose, move around the countryside encountering one group after another persecuted by Mother Gothel.  Their travels take them back to beginning and Mother Gothel’s villa where Rapunzel fights giant snakes and brutal henchmen, only to lose her handy locks to Mother Gothel’s shears.  All is not lost however and the evil witch faces the wrath of Mother Nature as Rapunzel exacts her revenge, saves her mother, and restores peace and prosperity to all the land.

Hale, S., Hale, D., & Hale, N. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge. New York, N.Y: Bloomsbury.

My impressions:

I enjoyed this graphic adaptation of one of my favorite fairy tales. I also appreciated that Rapunzel was a strong heroine, that didn’t need rescuing by a prince. Shannon and Dean Hale did an excellent job adapting the story to an exciting and adventurous tale, set in a quasi Wild West environment, with even the slightest hint of a love story at the end. The quick banter between Jack and “Punzie,” as he calls her, is entertaining and keeps the adventure light-hearted. The graphic novel format kept my attention and the illustrations added a great deal to the story, helping me envision every piece of action exactly as the author intended it. This graphic will also appeal to boys and girls alike, and girls especially will appreciate the way this strong heroine overcomes her restricting environment, saves the day, and is able to do it without “Prince Charming” coming along to rescue her, rather Rapunzel is often left to rescue the somewhat clumsy Jack. Fairy tale enthusiasts will appreciate how the Hale’s have interwoven Jack and the Giant Beanstalk and the Golden Goose’s story with Rapunzel’s tale.

Professional review:

Gr 5 Up-- This is the tale as you've never seen it before. After using her hair to free herself from her prison tower, this Rapunzel ignores the pompous prince and teams up with Jack (of Beanstalk fame) in an attempt to free her birth mother and an entire kingdom from the evil witch who once moonlighted as her "mother." Dogged by both the witch's henchman and Jack's outlaw past, the heroes travel across the map as they right wrongs, help the oppressed, and generally try to stay alive. Rapunzel is no damsel in distress-she wields her long braids as both rope and weapon-but she happily accepts Jack's teamwork and friendship. While the witch's castle is straight out of a fairy tale, the nearby mining camps and rugged surrounding countryside are a throwback to the Wild West and make sense in the world that the authors and illustrator have crafted. The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after.

von Wrangel Kinsey, C. (2008, Sep 1). [Review of the book Rapunzel's revenge, by S.
     Hale and D. Hale]. School Library Journal, 54(9). 215. Retrieved from
     http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

This graphic novel retelling of the fairy-tale classic, set in a swashbuckling Wild West, puts action first and features some serious girl power in its spunky and strong heroine. Young Rapunzel lives a lonely life, never knowing what lies beyond the high garden walls of her mother’s royal villa until one day she climbs the wall to see what’s on the other side. When she finds that the world outside is a dark place oppressed by her mother’s greed for power and uncovers the real secret of her own birth, she is imprisoned in a magic tree tower. In her years of captivity, she learns a lot about self-reliance and care for her exceptionally long hair, and eventually she is able to escape, vowing to bring down her mother’s cruel empire. Hale’s art matches the story well, yielding expressive characters and lending a wonderful sense of place to the fantasy landscape. Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers.

Coleman, T. (2008, Sep 1). [Review of the book Rapunzel’s revenge, by S. Hale and D. Hale].
     Booklist,105(1), 100. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com

Library Uses:
Rapunzel’s Revenge would be an excellent choice for a collaborative lesson on fairy tales. The librarian could promote the fairy tales through graphic novel depictions of the popular fairy tales the students have been learning about and reading in class. The graphic novel depictions could be displayed together and the librarian could promote each one and then invite the students to check them out and discover the difference in the original tale and the graphic novel version of the same story. Additional titles I recommend including in this collection are: Thumbelina: The Graphic Novel by Martin Powell, The Princess and the Pea: The Graphic Novel by Stephanie True Peters, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Graphic Revolve Series) by Blake A. Hoena, and Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel by Blake A. Hoena.

Module 12: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Phillip Hoose

Book Summary:

Most people are familiar with the historical event of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s which sparked the Montgomery bus boycotts and gave great momentum to the fight for equal rights for all people across the United States. However, this biography tells the story of a young girl who came before Rosa Parks, a young girl who was the first one to take a stand against the injustices of the Jim Crow laws in the South. Claudette Colvin, only 15 at the time, decided she’d had enough of unequal treatment. Claudette had survived many tragedies already in her short life, including the loss of her younger sister, Delphine, to polio and watching the injustices of the world around her as a school mate was sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman, whom he had never even met. Enraged by this injustice and empowered by a recent conversation in her English class, Claudette refused to move from her seat on a bus so that a white woman could have the entire row to herself on the afternoon of March 2, 1955. Although she was only fifteen at the time and acted passively by only refusing to give up her seat, Claudette was dragged from the bus, handcuffed, arrested, and placed in an adult cell in the city jail.

Although Claudette sparked the movement associated with the famous bus boycott in Montgomery, which led to her working with both Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it was decided that Claudette was not a suitable spring board for action. By the time of her trial, Claudette was a pregnant teenager, and it was thought that she would not present a positive image for the Civil Rights Movement. It is alluded to in the biography that Colvin was impregnated through the rape of a white man, just another tragedy in this young woman’s life.

On December 2, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for the same actions as Claudette Colvin, and this time African American leaders in Montgomery decided it was time to take action, leading to the famous bus boycotts in Montgomery. The biography of Claudette Colvin’s life details this period in time through the eyes of a teenager and young mother, and includes numerous first-hand accounts from Claudette. Hoose explains in detail the intricacies of the segregation and bus laws of Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s as well as describing the social tension of the day. Eventually Claudette was a plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, a lawsuit claiming that Montgomery and the state of Alabama’s segregation laws regarding public transportation were unconstitutional. Claudette recalls the joy she felt in this victory, and then the fear she lived with as the backlash of this ruling were made evident all throughout the South.

Hoose, P. M. (2009). Claudette Colvin: Twice toward justice. New York, NY: Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.

My impressions:

This was an excellent biography, which kept my attention from the very beginning. I have learned about the Civil Rights Movement numerous times throughout school and in History classes, but I had never heard of Claudette Colvin. Her story was hugely inspiring, and I believe her bravery and refusal to accept something that she knew was wrong, even at a young age, could really motivate a young person. Hoose did an excellent job of explaining the laws and culture of the time period in a way that students who have not lived in a time where everyone wasn’t treated equally could really understand. Numerous pictures spread throughout the book add to the appeal of the book, and help the reader visualize the circumstances of the time.The bibliography and list of articles and websites at the end of the book also provide an excellent springboard for further research.

Professional review:

Gr 6 Up-- In Montgomery, AL, in March 1955, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested, and although she received some help from local civil rights leaders, they decided that the sometimes-volatile teen was not suitable to be the public face of a mass protest. Later that year, Rosa Parks sparked the famous bus boycott. Colvin was left with a police record and soon faced the additional problems of an unwed pregnancy and expulsion from school. In spite of those troubles, she consented to be named as a plaintiff in the court case that eventually integrated Montgomery's buses. Thus Colvin played a central role in the city's civil rights drama, but her story has been largely lost to history. Hoose, who had been curious about the often-unidentified teen who first defied bus segregation, persuaded her to tell her story. His book puts Colvin back into the historical record, combining her reminiscences with narrative about her life and the tumultuous events of the boycott. He includes background about segregated Montgomery and places Colvin's story into the context of the larger Civil Rights Movement. The text is supplemented with black-and-white photos, reproductions of period newspapers and documents, and sidebars. While virtually all students know Rosa Parks's story, this well-written and engaging book will introduce them to a teen who also fought for racial justice and give them a new perspective on the era, making it an outstanding choice for most collections.

Mueller, M. (2009, Feb 1). [Review of the book Claudette Colvin: Twice toward justice, by P.
     Hoose]. School Library Journal, 55(2), 120. Retrieved from
     http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/.

Nine months before Rosa Parks’ history-making protest on a city bus, Claudette Colvin, a 15-yearold Montgomery, Alabama, high-school student, was arrested and jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Hoose draws from numerous personal interviews with Colvin in this exceptional title that is part historical account, part memoir. Hoose’s lucid explanations of background figures and events alternate with lengthy passages in Colvin’s own words, and the mix of voices creates a comprehensive view of the Montgomery bus boycott and the landmark court case, Browder v. Gayle, that grew from it. At the center of the headline-grabbing turmoil is Colvin, who became pregnant during the boycott; and her frank, candid words about both her personal and political experiences will galvanize young readers. On each attractively designed spread, text boxes and archival images, including photos and reproduced documents, extend the gripping story. As in Hoose’s We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History (2001), this inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single young person can make, even as it demonstrates the multitude of interconnected lives that create and sustain a political movement. Thorough chapter notes and suggestions for further reading close this title, which will find an avid readership beyond the classroom.

Engberg, G. (2009, Feb 1). [Review of the book Claudette Colvin: Twice toward justice, by P.
     Hoose]. Booklist,105(11), 49. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/.

Library Uses:

This book would be an excellent introductory piece on a Civil Rights research project. The librarian could introduce students to this book along with several other biographies about lesser known Civil Rights heroes and then guide the students to conduct research using the additional resources provided in the back of the book(s). Many of the articles and websites can be accessed through the school library’s subscription databases.

Module 11: An Egg is Quiet

An Egg is Quiet
by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long

Book Summary:

An Egg Is Quiet is an attractively illustrated informational book that describes the life cycle of eggs as well as the various shapes, textures, and colors that eggs can take. The reader is introduced to over sixty types of eggs and multiple animals that produce offspring through eggs, in addition to an assortment of egg facts.

Aston, D. H., & Long, S. (2006). An egg is quiet. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

My impressions:

This informative book would be an excellent addition for an elementary library, but seems too juvenile for a middle school or high school audience. The level of information given was appropriate for younger readers, with more emphasis given on the pictures and examples, than the actual text. The pictures were excellent, and I could imagine the different types of eggs in their natural habitats remarkably well based on the illustrations coupled with the labels and descriptions provided. I especially enjoyed the “An egg is colorful” page that include labeled pictures of approximately 38 different eggs and the last page showing labeled illustrations of many different egg-laying animals including insects, birds, fish, and reptiles.

Professional review:

K-Gr 2-- An exceptionally handsome book on eggs, from the delicate ova of the green lacewing to the rosy roe of the Atlantic salmon to the mammoth bulk of an ostrich egg. Aston's simple, readable text celebrates their marvelous diversity, commenting on size, shape, coloration, and where they might be found. The author occasionally attributes sensibilities to eggs ("An egg is clever," for example). Still, her quiet descriptions of egg engineering and embryo development (no mention of mating) are on the mark, and are beautifully supported by Long's splendid watercolor depictions of a wide variety of eggs. (One teeny carp--Steller's jays are not spelled with an "ar," though they are stellar performers when wheedling for your lunch at a campsite!) A beautiful guide to the unexpected panoply of "the egg."

Manning, P. (2006, June 1). [Review of the book An egg is quiet, by D. Aston
       & S. Long]. School Library Journal, 52(6), 104. Retrieved from
       http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com

Like the subject matter it describes, this book packages with understated elegance the substantive matter found within it. "An egg is quiet. It sits there, under its mother's feathers… on top of its father's feet… buried beneath the sand," Aston (When You Were Born) begins, as spot illustrations zero in on a hummingbird, emperor penguin and sea turtle, respectively. The narrative then launches into a kind of survey about the characteristics of eggs, which follows a simple format. In most spreads, different adjectives (colorful, shapely, textured, etc.) complete the sentence, "An egg is.…" This repetitive rhythm contrasts with the visual variety of the illustrations. Long's (Sylvia Long's Mother Goose) skilled use of contrast and compositional balance prevent monotony. For example, a border that resembles a color test pattern runs down the outer edges of a spread of nearly 40 carefully placed "colorful" examples, set against a white background, which dazzle the eye. The main text appears in large, flowery cursive, while a smaller printed typeface serves as labels and brief factual captions. "An egg is clever," in fancy script, for instance, sits alongside examples of camouflage: "An egg might be speckled to resemble the rocks around it." The letters' dramatic curlicues mimic curvy grasses and vines dappled with tiny insect eggs. Long introduces breathtaking color into the final spreads, as a concluding scene "hatches from" this peacefulness, reminding readers of an egg's purpose. This attractive volume pleases on both an aesthetic and intellectual level. Ages 5-10.

[Review of the book An egg is quiet, by D. Aston & S. Long]. (2006, March 6).
       Publisher’s Weekly, 253(10), 74. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/

Library Uses:

This book would tie in nicely with the living science exhibit that is available for checkout from Region 20 (and most likely other Education Service Center Regions throughout Texas). I would recommend reading this book in the library as a story time introduction to the living science exhibit on display in the library and then allowing students to see the different types of eggs that are on display in the exhibit as well as the different types of egg-laying animals that are a part of the exhibit.