If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

• About the Book

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Written by Laura Numeroff

Illustrated by Felicia Bond

Laura Geringer Books

Copyright 1985

What happens if you give a mouse a cookie?  I've been giving mice "cookies" in my garage and getting rid of the little guys.  BUT alas, in the creative world for children, a series of events happen that will intrigue the student reader while he/she is predicting the forthcoming events.  Numeroff creates such a simple, yet humorous story line that begs the adult reader to engage their students and/or child with questions about the future ("What do you think will happen next?") and discuss the cause and effect relationship elements on each page.


To be continued...

Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?)

 

• About the Book

Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?)

Written and illustrated by Lane Smith

Viking Penguin

Copyright 1991

Chosen as the 1995 Parents' Choice Award for Paperback Book, Lane Smith's Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?) is a quirky, smart, and creative take on the age-old "you need glasses" dilemma with children.  Personally, I remember getting my first pair in 6th grade, and by then, I was happier to know that I could see better and less concerned with appearance.  However, for kids ages 5-9, Smith's picture book puts a rather interesting spin on the worry of "looking a little different."

The book is written as a conversation between a young boy and his eccentric doctor.  Donned in a white lab coat, the doctor tries to convince the boy of all the "folks [who] wear glasses and "love 'em."  The problem is that the boy isn't so easily convinced, and when his doctor says "Why even entire planets wear glasses!" the boy is pretty certain that his doctor has lost his marbles.  However, along with the young boy's doubt, his imagination begins to take off.

"Do little green men wear glasses?"
"Do pink elephants?"
"Do Hong-Kong-Flu bugs?"

The boy's imagination for glasses wearers is just what the zany doctor ordered.  The doc responds:
"YES! YES! YES!"

At the end of the book, the boy is so frustrated with the doctor's insistence that all of these unbelievable things wear glasses, that he starts to leave the room.  Yet, before he is able to do so, the doctor places glasses on the boys eyes and to his amazement, all of the spectacle wearing people and creatures they have conjured up appear before his eyes!  In a state of rigid acceptance, the young boys finally complies: "The gold-wire rims will be just fine."

I have used the words quirky, zany, and eccentric to describe the character of the doctor and I will use the same adjectives to describe Lane Smith's illustrations.  They are not the typical blooming, whimsical children's picture book drawings that one might expect.  No, not at all.  Smith's illustrations are abstract, blurred, and distorted.  They are also imaginative, different, and help to create the young boy's feeling of torment at the prospect of altering his appearance and "looking like a dork." 

• I Spy from a Writing Perspective: What the Dialogue Creates

Author Lane Smith's conversational writing style is a positive feature of this book.  The personalities that develop from the voices of both the young boy and the doctor come so alive that their dialogue can easily be acted out by adult readers for young ears.  The dialogue reads quickly and fluidly from page to page, and the back and forth between the two characters is outlandishly amusing and entertaining.  The boy begins to play the macho "I-know-more-than-you" role of a child who does not want to be vulnerable to the idea of wearing the glasses.  The doctor can be described as one who would be found more in a science lab doing wacky experiments than in an eye doctor's office.  Yet, his voice is essential to the creative quirky elements that make Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?) unique and appealing.

• I Spy from a School Counseling/Educational Perspective: Helping Kids Gain Comfort with Change

Inevitably, children face many physical, emotional, and social changes as they grow and mature.  Many of those changes require adaptations in order for children to continue on successful paths.  Those changes can be as complex as modifying home and educational settings for a developed learning disability or simply, getting glasses for a vision issue.  Yet, no matter the level of change that may occur, it is helpful for children to learn and to know that they are not alone - that many of their peers also need tools and strategies to help them listen better, remember more, make better friends, and in the case of Glasses (Who Needs 'Em), to see clearer.  Moreover, explaining to a child that having the tools and the knowledge about what helps him or her at a young age is a gift for life.  In working with a child's peers, implementing lessons that involve learning about and understanding the differences of others can create an positive and supportive climate in the classroom.

It is also helpful for children to feel some sense of control over their changing situations.  In the case of getting glasses, giving a child the choice of frame style and color can help him feel like he has a stake in the decision-making process.  In working with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) students who are experiencing changes in the classroom, it is imperative that the tools they use are discussed and practiced one-on-one with them, whether they be a seating position in the classroom during independent work time, or a manipulative to help them maintain focus.  Change in any small form can feel like a BIG issue to children, so discussing the comfortable things in their lives that will remain the same may also ease any worry.  Remembering that children are individuals and thus, one child may feel excited about wearing glasses, while another one may feel apprehensive is helpful to keep in mind.  Glasses (Who Needs 'Em) may not convince your child to skip out of the doctor's office with a pair of specs, but it just might plant a seed of acceptance that if you water well, will grow.

• I Spy, More!
• Lane Smith Books
• Lane Smith Interview
• Change is Strange: Personalized and non-personalized books on the changes of moving, new baby, first day of school, etc. for young children.
• My Travelin' Eye by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw - Picture book on the eye condition called strabismus.

Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night

• About the Book

Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night

by Jane O'Connor

Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (cover) 

and Carolyn Bracken (interior)
HarperFestival
Copyright 2010

In my quest to find a relatively inexpensive, teachable book, I give you Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night.  Nancy is an elementary-aged, spunky redhead with a imaginative personality and creative style (she wears flowers in her hair, flowers everywhere).  Illustrators Robin Preiss Glasser and Carolyn Bracken's detailed pictures are a feast for young eyes and will undoubtedly bring Nancy's world off the pages of this picture book and right into the imaginations of its readers.  Nancy is by all means, a girly-girl, which will appeal to girly-girl readers, however, it is the humor in Nancy's voice that author Jane O'Connor creates that will likely interest more than just one type of girl.

In this charming, witty, and clever story geared toward girls ages 3-7, Nancy is captivated by her equally fancy and girly neighbor, Mrs. Devine, and her life as a child living in Hollywood.  Mrs. Devine keeps a scrapbook of celebrity autographs which she gives Nancy special permission to take it home with her for one night.  Unfortunately, it is bedtime before Nancy even has a chance to investigate the scrapbook.  Against the instruction of her parents, and regardless of the spelling test she has the next day, Nancy sneaks the scrapbook under her covers and stays up way past bedtime to look at it.  The next day at school, Nancy is too tired to concentrate on her spelling test and makes many careless errors.  She returns the scrapbook to Mrs. Devine and realizes the consequences of her choices.  Nancy now knows that a good night's sleep is what is important to not have such a "terrible and exhausting day."

• I Spy from a Counseling/Educational Perspective: Vocabulary Development & Making Right Choices

There are two key highlights in Late, Late, LATE Night that I find appealing for young readers and listeners.  The first is that O'Connor utilizes Nancy's unique style and personality to introduce a broader vocabulary for children.  Nancy is constantly injecting French into her conversations and using "fancier" words.

Under the covers, I have concealed -
that's fancy for hidden -
a flashlight and a scrapbook.

On Saturday I wake up feeling glorious again.
(Glorious is fancy for wonderful.)

The second highlight is that the storyline includes a simple lesson about making right choices.  Children learn that Nancy's choice to not follow her parents rules by staying up late had the consequences of being tired, doing poorly on a spelling test, and not having fun at school.  It is important to start talking about and working with children on decision-making skills at a young age.  Initially, children in Pre-K-3 learn about choices and consequences through such areas as the following and breaking of rules, social behavior, and working in groups.  As children mature and become more independent, they can begin to predict what the outcomes of certain choices may be.  Older elementary-aged children (8-10) begin to think outside of themselves and begin to consider questions like:

1. What will my parents and people I respect say about my choice?
2. Will my choice hurt anyone, including myself?
3. What do my heart and conscience tell me?
4. How will I feel about myself later?

The staying-up-too-late lesson in Nancy's story is a stepping stone for discussion with children on the topic of making right choices.

O'Connor and Glasser's Fancy Nancy series is already a major hit among many young readers and their parents.  However, this 2010 release is the first Fancy Nancy book that have I have picked up and read, and it sparks my interest to read more.

• I Spy, More!

• The Fancy Nancy Books website - includes a fun application to "Become a Poet Extraordinaire: Create Your Own Word Lib" - a game of choosing nouns, plural nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
• Fancy Nancy's Read Together Activities (pdf) - includes a "fill-in-the-blank" creative vocabulary activity!
• The 3 R's of Growing Up Lesson for grades 5-9 (I have introduced the "Choose to Do the Right Thing" guidelines in 4th grade)

• { just a thought }

Children's books can be expensive!  For a family on a budget, it's hard to rationalize spending sixteen dollars on a book that your son or daughter seems to be drawn to in the store, but not so enthused with at home.  I find myself in book stores with my young daughter just struggling to look through the selections thoroughly due to the alternating levels of her patience barometer. Have you ever picked out a book, browsed it, purchased it, and got home to find that its catchy, captivating title didn't reflect its content?  That's me!  There is so much out there in the world of kid lit (the good, the bad, and the ugly), but sometimes the quantity of choices can be dizzying.  Word of mouth and reading blogs are great ways to learn about the books your child may choose to read over and over again.  After reviewing books for such a short time, I value the existence of school and local libraries so much more, as well as the ability to conduct online research in order to explore and discover the books that I want to invest in.

100 Days and 99 Nights

 

• About the Book 

100 Days and 99 Nights

by Alan Madison
Little, Brown and Company
Copyright 2008

Set in northern Virginia, Alan Madison's 100 Days and 99 Nights is the fictional story of Esmerelda Swishback McCarther's journey and growth during the modern day, wartime deployment of her father, Sgt. August McCarther.  Through interviews with kids whose fathers were deployed, Madison achieves a resonating and uplifting peek into the changes that this second grader goes through over 100 days and 99 nights.

The changes that Esme confronts when her dad leaves for his tour of duty are many.  The blissfulness and contentment she felt while making the top-secret McCarther Family "Top-Dog Tasty Pancakes" on Saturday mornings is replaced by chaos and disorder - they just can't seem to perform their tasks the same, for her father held the pancake cooking team together.  The routines she depended on so much are altered.  The morning routine of getting ready for school with her younger brother, Ike, is markedly different without her father to help maintain order.  The rules that Esme and Ike felt so comfortable following get broken.  At school, Ike gets into a fight on the playground and breaks their father's important playground rule of "the first person to hit is the first person to run out of good ideas."  The jokes that her father made that would have Esme nearly fall off her chair with laughter are absent, like the way he made the word "spatula" sound so funny: "Spaaatulllaaa, spa-chew-la, sssspit-u-laaa."  The family members' roles and responsibilities are switched and flipped, especially for Esme.  She must take on more of a lead role in her house, especially when it comes to the care of her younger brother, who in turn, is resistant to the change.

Things just aren't the same without Dad.  Yet, in her wish for the 100 days and 99 nights to fly swiftly by, Esme takes on another role.  She begins to actively support the troops.  Even through minor setbacks, she rallies her class to help the troops after learning about what the "home front" did during World War II.  She organizes a scrap metal drive to donate to the Army for the production of safety gear for the soldiers.  As a result, Esme gets a story in the paper that reaches her father's proud eyes, and especially his soldiers in the desert.  Morale is lifted as they thank and congratulate Sgt. McCarther for his daughter's contribution.

• I Spy from a Writing Perspective: Esme's Voice

Esme's sincere, reflective, and often times, humorous voice is relatable and drives the story of the military family's sacrifice home for kids.  It is an honest portrayal of a child's resiliency in the midst of confusion, being "mad-sad," frustration, and fear at the question of why her father's duty is country first, family second, and whether or not he will come home safely.  The character of Esme is wonderfully built through personal thoughts, discourse, and interaction between family members.  Also, in each chapter introduction the reader learns more about Esme as she tells the stories behind her more than twenty-six stuffed animals that make up her A to Z animal collection.  She is the true military brat: devoted to her family, respectful, honest, worldly, and insightful.  Children from all types of families are bound to walk away from this story thinking about many of her positive qualities.

• I Spy from a Counseling/Educational Perspective: Deployment Tips for Families

Today, families in all branches of service are enduring deployments that run anywhere from three months to a year with multiple tours.  Many schools with large populations of military families offer support groups for children whose parents are actively deployed during the school year.  If you are a parent or legal guardian of a child whose has an immediate family member deployed, inquire with your classroom teacher and/or grade level guidance counselor on the outreach services that may be helpful to them.  Even if it's just a non-deployment related friendship or lunch group that provides an outlet for support.  It is important for families with temporarily absent mothers and fathers to maintain as much of their regular daily schedules as possible, while discussing the new parts of the routines with children.  It may also be helpful to post the new routine so children can refer to it.  For example, a parent may write:

• Morning Routine

1. 7:00AM - Wake up (SAME)
2. 7: 05AM - Get dressed, brush teeth, and comb hair (SAME)
3. 7:20AM - Eat breakfast at the kitchen table (SAME)
4. 7:35AM - Help mom make your lunches (DIFFERENT - Dad used to make lunches so Mom could get ready to drive you to school.)
5. 7:45AM - Check your backpacks for homework and books (DIFFERENT - A responsibility that helps mom out.)
6. 8:00AM - Get in the car to leave for school (SAME)

Another tip may be to have a weekly time to discuss thoughts, feelings, and questions with your child.  The parent or caregiver could name this time something fun like "The (Enter Surname) Family Huddle" or another name to make the time significant and give it special meaning.  It doesn't necessarily have to be weekly.  Perhaps this meeting time only occurs when the parent feels that the child is in need of discussion/reflection time (struggling at home, in school, with friends, or having difficulty coping with certain feelings, etc.).

Veteran military families who have done many deployments have loads of great ideas for helping children get through a difficult time.  Letters, emails, video-making, and pictures are great activities to keep communication as current as possible.  Countdown calenders and milestone events can also be a great way to celebrate getting closer to homecoming.  Crossing off weeks or days on a calendar can be part of a new, night time routine.  Many families celebrate special holidays that the deployed parent missed when they arrive home.  Christmas in the summer can be fun!  Birthdays are also celebrated past their official days.  Even more, planning activities that have nothing to do with deployment are important as well.  Simply, kids need to be kids.  Therefore, watching the adult maintain an overall, positive attitude is key for children.

Lastly, literature and books are great resources, just like Alan Madison's 100 Days and 99 Nights.  Many kids will be able to identify with one or more of the feelings and obstacles that a character like Esme Swishback McCarther is facing.  It is important to reiterate that Madison's book was created after interviewing kids whose parents were serving a three month tour of duty.  Sometimes, it helps to just to know that other people are going through the same issues, too.

• I Spy, More!

•  100 Days and 99 Nights by Alan Madison on Amazon.com
• Author Alan Madison's website
• Children Deployment Books on Amazon.com
• Sesame Workshop's Talk, Listen Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes, Grief - *Resourceful videos available for kids that deal with everything from the loss of a family member to preparing for deployment.* 
• Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund (non-profit) website - founded in October 2003 as a means of providing College Grants and Financial Assistance to surviving children and spouses of our U.S. military service members who have lost their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Ish

• About the Book    

Ish

Written and illustrated by Peter Reynolds

Candlewick Press

Copyright 2004

If you're looking for a book to ease the self-doubt of your struggling young artist, storyteller, dancer, or creator of any kind, then Ish (Candlewick Press, 2004) by acclaimed author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds may just be your golden ticket.

Ish follows the creative endeavors of a young boy, Ramon.  He is an incessant drawer - no place is off limits for him to draw - not even on the toilet seat.  Yet, his brother, Leon, injects doubt into Ramon's depiction of a vase of flowers when he laughs and asks, "WHAT is THAT?"  The ease at which Ramon once drew disappears.  For months, he just can't get it "right," and one day he declares, "I'm done."  However, Ramon has a fan he doesn't know exists - his younger sister, Marisol.  Ramon discovers all of his crumpled artwork displayed on the walls of her room.  They stand together and look at the drawing of the vase of flowers that Leon had ridiculed.  Ramon laments, "It doesn't even look like [a vase]."  Marisol exclaims, "Well, it looks vase-ISH!"

And he's back!  "ISH" becomes Ramon's artistic mantra.  He begins to draw ish objects, ish feelings, and ish poems without reservation.  Ramon understands that his work doesn't have to be perfect, and that he doesn't have to try so hard to make it "right," but just make it his own.  Reynold's book illustrates that in the world of creative expression, what is not popular to one person (Leon), may be popular to another (Marisol).

• I Spy from a Counseling/Educational Perspective: Working with Feelings of Self-doubt

Self-doubt and frustration are common feelings when children take on a new task, learn a skill, or attempt to reach goals that require work and commitment.  It is helpful for children who feel unsure to discover different ways to approach a task, practice a skill, or reach a goal.  A child's confidence can also increase by talking through scenarios, planning steps, creating positive self-talk statements, and receiving positive reinforcement in the form of specific verbal praise ("You use the color red so nicely in that picture."  Rather than, "That picture is great!").  Self-doubt creeps into our minds across the life span, not just as a growing child.  As we age, having a positive internal dialogue does come in handy.   

Ish is the sequel to Peter H. Reynold's award-winning book, The Dot, in which main character, Vashti, believes she cannot draw until her art teacher encourages her to "make a mark and see where it takes you."  Reynold's website states that he will be writing a third book for what he calls his "creatrilogy."  It will be interesting to see what obstacle the next character faces.  Ramon could definitely help.

• I Spy, More!

• "Creative Play Helps Children Grow" by Marilyn Lopes
• Creative Child Magazine: Helping Parents Nurture Their Child's Creativity

Tokyo Friends: Tokyo No Tomadachi

• About the Book

Tokyo Friends: Tokyo No Tomadachi

Written and illustrated by Betty Reynolds

Tuttle Publishing

Copyright 1999

In author and illustrator Betty Reynold's Tokyo Friends, the Japanese language and culture come alive for children.  Reynold's spent seven years in Japan and her background gives Tokyo No Tomadachi (translation: Tokyo Friends) its stilts.  Katie, an American girl, befriends Keiko and her brother, Kenji in Tokyo.  Together, the three friends discover the differences between American and Japanese cultures.  They explore greetings, eating customs, transportation, school, sleeping arrangements, celebrations, festivals, and more.  It is a fascinating book for young children who are interested in learning about life in other parts of the world, for parents/teachers/caregivers who would like to teach them about unique cultures, and for families who are fortunate to travel to Japan.

Each page introduces a new Japanese custom, frequently using short, rhyming couplets that read fluidly and entice children to listen while increasing the opportunity for memory retention.  The illustrations are truly one of the highlights of this informative picture book.  Reynold's art is colorful and detailed without being overwhelming.  English words and their Japanese translations and pronunciations caption the people, places, events, and objects depicted. 

• I Spy from a Counseling/Educational Perspective: Cultural Awareness & Foreign Language Skills

The format of the book calls for discussion and interaction between reader and child.  Even for advanced child readers, help will be needed to pronounce many of the Japanese words.  A hallmark of Reynold's book is the communication it inspires between parent/teacher/caregiver and child.  Not to mention that it's a benefit for the adult learner, too!

Empathy grows and an appreciation and understanding for how others live is instilled when a child learns about the differences in the traditions, customs, and cultures of other people.  It is a great gift to children's literature when a child's knowledge of the world is expanded through a wonderfully illustrated and rhythmically written book like Tokyo Friends.

• I Spy, More!

• Look inside Tokyo Friends on Amazon!
• More titles by Betty Reynolds
• Yokoso! Japan (Welcome!)
• Japan National Tourism Association
• Japan's Official Travel Website
• Kids Web Japan

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

• About the Book

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

by Patty Lovell

Illustrated by David Catrow

Putnam Juvenile

Copyright 2001

In their book, Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, author Patty Lovell and illustrator David Catrow create a fantastical story about a tiny little girl who balances penny's on her teeth, and achieve a realistic message about pursuing a positive self-concept and handling teasing.  In Molly Lou's case, a positive self-concept and combating teasing go hand-in-hand.

It just so happens that Molly Lou Melon has a funny voice, buck teeth, and a very, very short stature.  Yet, she has one person in her life who tells her to embrace those characteristics, to put them into action, and display them for others to look up to.  That person is her grandmother.  As the book demonstrates, Molly Lou's quest for self-expression and her ability to "stand tall" greatly influences those around her.  She takes the advice of her grandmother and utilizes her characteristics in a multitude of successful ways.  She is outwardly unaffected by Ronald Durkin's persistent verbal jabs as a result of her daily achievements.  Simply, Molly Lou is too busy making touchdowns and beautiful art to let Ronald get in the way.

• I Spy from a Counseling/Educational Perspective: Does Ignoring Work?

To ignore teasing is one strategy for children to use when confronted with this type of bullying by another student.  It is a difficult method for many young children to consistently implement over time, especially if the teasing is frequent and becomes threatening.  In that case, the child being teased must know how to report the bullying incidents in order to receive help from a higher level authority.  It is important for the adults surrounding that child to be aware of change in behavior, school performance, and other cues that may indicate being victimized.  It is imperative for parents to develop a home environment and for teachers to create a classroom community where children feel safe and heard.  The art of ignoring (and I call it "art" because it is a skill that can be taught through role-play and practice) can be effective in deterring the frequency of teasing.  However, other methods must be used to deal with the effects of teasing on a child like supportive group of adults, family, and friends that are emotionally present to listen and help.  Molly Lou has her grandmother (a key figure of resiliency) and her classmates who consistently give her positive reinforcement.

At the end of the book, Ronald's teasing ceases and he makes an attempt to befriend her.  After getting to know Molly Lou Melon's personality in this picture book, the reader foresees that Ronald's attempt to be friends just may, in fact, be accepted.

• I Spy, More!

• Check out scholastic.com for an early elementary lesson plan which can be implemented at home and in the classroom using Patty Lovell's Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon as its framework.

• Visit Stop Bullying Now! for information on bullying prevention, strategies, and working with children who are being bullied, as well as those who bully, and more.