Culture 2 African American Lit. – Feathers

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2007. FEATHERS. New York, NY: The Penguin Group. ISBN-10: 0142415502 ISBN-13: 978-0-14-241550-4

PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of Frannie, her family, including her deaf older brother, and her friends. It is January 6, 1971 and everything is the same until the new boy walks into her classroom. Frannie is African American and so is everyone at her school, except the new boy who is white. Frannie is learning how to deal with her fears, hope and the changes that come with living. She must deal with her brother’s deafness and how people look at him differently, Trevor the classroom bully, her religious friend, her mother’s risky pregnancy and the new boy. Her teacher read a poem by Emily Dickinson about hope at the beginning of the story and Frannie will realize that hope is what binds people together regardless of their differences.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDLING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul,
And sings the tune – without the words,
And never stops at all
- Emily Dickinson
What young person doesn’t experience fear, prejudice, acceptance, friends, family, and hope? Frannie is no exception. Jacqueline Woodson blends these topics with awareness, kindness, strength and growth, which is hard to do when dealing with difference, prejudice, and coming of age. Her poetic overtones add the foundation for the hope and belonging that all of the characters are trying to achieve. The new kid, “Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow”, blends the shock of the new kid with poetry that allows us to see the kindness that is Frannie. She is forced to be older than her years with the love that she feels for her family and the issues that they deal with. Her older brother, Sean, is deaf and she feels very protective of him when the girls Sean’s age won’t be nice to him because he can’t speak with his mouth. Frannie knows that he speaks beautifully with his hands. Her mother’s pregnancy caused the whole family to be worried, because her mother has lost a baby before in a miscarriage. The new kid is a quandary, along with the bully Trevor, who really just wants to be like everyone else, and her friends.
Woodson blends all these characters together, explores their emotions, and brings them together with a gracious ending.

Racial segregation is a cultural marker that is still being dealt with in present time. Woodson did not dwell on this issue, but interjected it with subtle understanding and tact. I was impressed with the emotion of acceptance on both the character of Frannie and Jesus boy. The references to the Jackson Five and their music were definitely a cultural marker for the 70’s. The discussion of skin colors, curly hair, cornrows, Afro’s, using a pick, and hair smelling like coconut grease. “Jive talk” and other references to African American language: “say brother”, “You better know how to answer a soul brother when they be talking to you,” “boo” and many more were cultural markers as well. The neighborhoods were discussed - saying the houses could use some new paint, or windows, and the reference to spray painting on her apartment building are cultural markers. Religion is also very important to African Americans and there were many references to sermons, going to church, her friend having a preacher for a father, and Frannie feeling the pressure to attend her friend’s church.

The story comes together at the end with Frannie’s mother doing well with her pregnancy, Trevor (the bully) changing, Jesus boy being accepted by everyone and Frannie realizing that hope is alive. On page 116, “Ms. Johnson says each day holds its own memory – its own moments that we can write about later. She says we should always look for the moments and some of them might be perfect, filled with light and hope and laughter. Moments that stay with us forever and ever. Amen.” Hope is alive and we should all look for the positives and enjoy every moment.

This book should be in all libraries.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Looking forward" is the message that runs through Woodson's (The House You Pass on the Way) novel. Narrator Frannie is fascinated with Emily Dickinson's poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers/ that perches in the soul," and grapples with its meaning, especially after a white student joins Frannie's all-black sixth-grade classroom. Trevor, the classroom bully, promptly nicknames him "Jesus Boy," because he is "pale and his hair [is] long." Frannie's best friend, Samantha, a preacher's daughter, starts to believe that the new boy truly could be Jesus ("If there was a world for Jesus to need to walk back into, wouldn't this one be it?"). The Jesus Boy's sense of calm and its effect on her classmates make Frannie wonder if there is some truth to Samantha'a musings, but a climactic faceoff between him and Trevor bring the newcomer's human flaws to light. Frannie's keen perceptions allow readers to observe a ripple of changes. Because she has experienced so much sadness in her life (her brother's deafness, her mother's miscarriages) the heroine is able to see beyond it all—to look forward to a time when the pain subsides and life continues. Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War, giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a light and thoughtful touch. Ages 8-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 4–7—"Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow," notes sixth-grader Frannie, on the arrival of a pale, long-haired boy to her predominantly black middle school on a winter day in 1971. He is dubbed the Jesus Boy by the class rowdy, and the name seems to suit the newcomer's appearance and calm demeanor. Frannie is confused, not only by declarations that he's NOT white, but that her friend Samantha, daughter of a conservative Baptist minister, also seems to believe that he is Jesus. In light of this and other surprises in her life, Frannie questions her own faith and, most of all, the meaning of the Emily Dickinson poem that she is studying in class, "Hope is a thing with feathers/that perches in the soul/…." How does she maintain hope when her newly pregnant mother has lost three babies already? She also worries about her deaf older brother, Sean, who longs to be accepted in the hearing world. She sees the anger in the bully intensify as he targets Jesus Boy. With her usual talent for creating characters who confront, reflect, and grow into their own persons, Woodson creates in Frannie a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
There's a lot going on in this small, fast-moving novel that introduces big issues--faith, class, color, prejudice, family, disability, and friendship. Woodson tells her story with immediacy and realism through the stirring first-person narrative of a young girl, Frannie, growing up in 1971. The new boy in school is the only white kid in Frannie's sixth-grade class, and she wonders why he doesn't go to the white school across the highway. He's pleased when some of the kids call him Jesus Boy, and Frannie's devout friend, Samantha, thinks he may be the savior. A few of the boys harass him, especially bullying Trevor--who looks white himself. When the new kid turns out to be far from perfect, Frannie wonders: Was he God's child? Aren't we all? In her loving home, filled with light, hope, and laughter, a deaf older brother has always enriched her life, but Frannie realizes that she still has bridges of prejudice to cross. A good choice for discussion. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

AWARDS/HONORS
Newbery Honor Medal

CONNECTIONS
Jacqueline Woodson offers several questions for discussion at the end of this book. All of them will make for wonderful discussions. For example: Feathers is set in the 1970’s. Although the civil rights movement has already happened, there still seems to be a deep divide between blacks and whites in the story. In what ways have times changed from the seventies to today? How have they stayed the same? There are 8 more discussion questions that will encourage and engage into looking into how we still need to be working toward being a nation of one and not divided into groups. We can still have our cultural heritages, are individuals but realize we are all humans and should respect each other for which we are and live together harmoniously.

This site offers a short reading of Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/mg.shtml#feathers
Visit Jacqueline Woodson’s website for information about her, her books and a section on things you probably didn’t know about me. Fun site!
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

Culture 2 African American Lit. – Beautiful Blackbird

BIBLIOGRAPHYBryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
ISBN-10: 0689847319 ISBN-13: 978-0689847318

PLOT SUMMARY
This is an adaption of a Zambian tale from the lla-speaking people. All the birds of Africa were brightly colored expect Blackbird. He was voted the most beautiful bird by his peers. Ringdove asks Blackbird to color her black also because her neck is plain. Blackbird mixes up his brew in the medicine gourd and gives Ringdove a ring around her neck. All the other birds want some blacking on them also. The fun begins with songs, dancing and painting black trim, dots and lines on the other birds. Lots of fun!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDLING CULTURAL MARKERS)
The theme of this story is “Black is Beautiful”. Ringdove coos to all the birds, “Who of all is the most beautiful?”(Bryan, p. 7) The birds sing their response:
“Blackbird stands out best of all.
Blackbird is the most beautiful.
His feathers gleam all colors in the sun.
Blackbird is the most beautiful one.”
(Bryan, p. 7)
Ringdove wants some of Blackbird’s beauty and asks him to color her black also. Blackbird delivers the message of the book that beauty is not on the outside, but what is on the inside. This is an excellent teaching moment using these beautiful pictures of birds to reinforce how everyone is beautiful regardless of how you look.

I did not see many cultural markers with the features of the birds except for the array of colors and there only being one blackbird. The black markings added to each bird by Blackbird are indications of African tribal art. The other cultural marker was when Blackbird’s message of “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside. You don’t act like me. You don’t eat like me. You don’t get down in the groove and move your feet like me.”, showing a difference between him and the other birds. I know that the theme is “Black is Beautiful” which is shown in the other birds wanting to be the most beautiful and are willing to change who they were to be like Blackbird. The message the folktale is conveying is to be proud of who you are and where you are from. This is so important for all cultures to embrace and embody their heritage, while respecting other cultures. Beauty is not what you look like on the outside, but who you are on the inside.

Ashley Bryan is not only a talented writer, but an accomplished illustrator. The illustrations are rendered in paper collage. The author notes that the scissors shown on the endpapers are the scissors that his mother used in her sewing and embroidery and that he, in turn, used in cutting the paper for the collages in this book. A wonderful tribute to his mother as she also became a part of her son’s book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
Storyteller Bryan's (What a Wonderful World) singular voice provides rhythm and sound effects throughout this musical adaptation of a Zambian tale. When gray Ringdove calls the other monotone birds together and asks, "Who of all is the most beautiful?" they all reply, "Blackbird." They then encircle Blackbird, dancing and singing, "Beak to beak, peck, peck, peck,/ Spread your wings, stretch your neck./ Black is beautiful, uh-huh!/ Black is beautiful, uh-huh!" At the birds' request, Blackbird agrees to paint black markings on them (with the blackening brew in his medicine gourd), but he warns Ringdove that it's not the color black that will make them beautiful. "Color on the outside is not what's on the inside..... Whatever I do/ I'll be me and you'll be you." The message about inner beauty and identity becomes somewhat diluted by the closing song, in which the birds triumphantly sing, "Our colors sport a brand-new look,/ A touch of black was all it took./ Oh beautiful black, uh-huh, uh-huh/ Black is beautiful, UH-HUH!" But if the ending creates a bit of confusion, Bryan's collages make up for it with their exhibition of colorful splendor and composition. Scenes of the rainbow of wings are outdone only by a lakeside view of their colors intricately "mirrored in the waters." And Bryan's lilting and magical language is infectious. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Because they haven't got a spot of black on their bodies, the colorful birds of Africa envy Blackbird. They extol his feathers that "gleam all colors in the sun" in their songs and dances. And although he assures them that "Color on the outside is not what's on the inside," he generously shares the blackening brew in his gourd. First he adds a necklace of midnight to Ringdove, then markings of black to every feathered creature large and small, causing them to finally sing, "Oh beautiful black, uh-huh, uh-huh/Black is beautiful, UH-HUH!" Adapted from an Ila tale from Zambia, this story delivers a somewhat contradictory message. Blackbird frequently affirms that it's what's inside that counts but his avian friends are certainly fixated on adding some black to their feathered finery. The story line is simple and the rhythmic chants of the flock frequently interspersed throughout the text add drama and a rapper's cadence. The cut-paper silhouettes are colorful but static, effectuating a stylized formality. The endpapers include an image of the scissors used to create the collages and reinforce the physical process behind the art. This unusual and little-known pourquoi tale may supplement larger collections and serves as a thoughtful and entertaining addition to units on self-esteem.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 2. In this simple adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia, the message is clear: "Black is beautiful." Once upon a time, Blackbird was the only bird of Africa who wasn't brightly colored. When Ringdove asks who is the most beautiful bird, the other birds name Blackbird. At Ringdove's request, Blackbird brings blackening from his medicine gourd to decorate Ringdove's colored neck; the other birds also want trimming, so Blackbird paints dots and brushes lines and arcs until his gourd is empty. Using a more vivid palette than usual, Bryan employs boldly colored, cut-paper artwork to dramatize the action. The overlapping collage images fill the pages with energy as the songlike responses of the birds tap out a rhythm punctuated with "uh-huhs." In an author's note, Bryan explains that the scissors pictured on the endpapers, which Bryan used to create the collages, were once also used by his mother. Ready-made for participative storytelling. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

AWARDS/HONORS
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

CONNECTIONS
This is a great introduction to folktales and discussing how they all tell a message. Using a map the children will locate Zambia, Africa. Learning about the children and their culture and comparing it to the cultures in America. What are the differences and how are we alike. The children will take a cutout bird and design it for how they feel while adding something about their cultural heritage. Each child will then add a message they would like their classmates to know about their picture. All the pictures will then be combined to form a classroom book.

Other books by Ashley Bryan
The Ox of the Wonderful Horns and Other African Folktales. New York: Atheneum, 1971.
The Adventures of Aku; or, How it Came About that We Shall Always See Okra the Cat Lying on a Velvet Cushion while Okraman the Dog Sleeps Among the Ashes. New York: Atheneum, 1976.
The Dancing Granny. New York: Macmillan, 1977.
Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum. New York: Atheneum, 1980.
The Cat’s Purr. New York: Atheneum, 1985.
Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales. New York: Atheneum, 1986.
All Night, All Day. New York: Atheneum, 1988.
Ashley Bryan’s African Tales. Uh-Huh. New York: Atheneum, 1998.

African Folklore Stories
Sneeds, B. Beaks. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2002.
Sayre. April Pulley. Hungry Hummingbird. Millbrook Press, 2001.
Morgan, Sally. Ducks and Other Birds. Chrysalis Education, 2001.
Tveten, John L. Birds of Texas. Shearer Publishing, 1993.

Culture 2 African American Lit. – John Henry

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lester, Julius. 1994. John Henry. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York, NY. Dell Books. ISBN-10: 0140566228 ISBN-13: 978-0140566222

PLOT SUMMARY
The legend of John Henry is a tall tale of an African American folk hero. The story begins with his birth and rapid growth into a giant man with the strength of ten men. He has many adventures including running faster than a horse, using two twenty pound hammers to whittle a boulder into a road and ending with man against machine racing a steam engine through a mountain. John Henry is a big man with a giant heart.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDLING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Julius Lester has written another version of John Henry, putting some modern touches to an age old tall tale. The use of an indoor pool and a jacutzis (Jacuzzi) I thought was a bit out of character for a classic tale.

The story is set in the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia. The preface points out that the truth behind the legend is hard to find. There probably was an ex-slave on whom the stories are based; however, no one knows for sure, because in the book it states, “My great-grandaddy’s brother’s cousin’s sister-in-law’s uncle’s aunt was there that morning” (Lester, p. 9) as John Henry outran Ferret-Faced Freddy’s big white horse in a race.

Lester included the animals from the Alleghany, except for the unicorn, to add realism to the setting of John Henry’s birthplace. Set in the 1800’s the clothing depicts the era perfectly, with the men wearing white long sleeved cotton shirts (rolled to the elbows), vests, long pants, bandana and hats, showing hard working men. The women, in their long sleeved blouses and long skirts also depict the hardness of mountain life. The city folks showed the African Americans to be in work clothes, while the white women had on nice dresses, hats with flowers, carrying umbrellas. The men are dressed the same as John Henry, with the exception of suspenders and plaid shirts. The hair, facial features and eyes of all the people were captured in perfect detail by illustrator Jerry Pinkney.

The author captures the language with phrase like sho’ nuf, I got some work to do, soda mom (for a carbonated drink) and “a mountain as big as a hurt feelings”. There is also some vocabulary that allows the reader to learn some new words like pulverized, flabbergasted, steam engine, parapets and smack-dab.

Pinkney’s illustrations of the mountains, animals, people, scenery, houses, railroad, steam engine perfectly captured the 1800’s era and wonderfully complemented the wonderful tall tale of John Henry. The readers will be able to feel as if they are standing in the crowd watching the story unfold with each page, while experiencing the adventures of John Henry’s feats.

John Henry embodies a good hard working man with a heart of gold. He sees every challenge as an adventure to be tackled with confidence and enthusiasm. The message I feel this story portrays is Hope. Especially with the rainbow that encircles John Henry throughout this story and his song:
I got a rainbow
RINGGGG! RINGGGG!
Tied round my shoulder
RINGGGG! RINGGGG!
It ain’t gon’ rain,
No, it ain’t gon’ rain.
RINGGGG! RINGGGG!
(Lester, p. 17)
This is an excellent tall tale that children will enjoy reading.

This was Jerry Pinkney and Julius Lesters first collaboration on a book. They make a perfect team with Lester’s excellent writing and Pinkey’s eye for capturing details. The full-color artwork was prepared using pencil, colored pencils and watercolor.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling filled with glorious, detailed watercolors. From his momentous birth, when all the animals come to see him and the sun won't go to bed, John Henry works wonders. As a child he helps his father by adding "a wing onto the house with an indoor swimming pool and one of them jacutzis"-and that's just before lunch. Other episodes trace the growth of his generous spirit. His greatest feat is, of course, in his battle against the steam drill, as he races the machine to cut through "a mountain as big as hurt feelings." He dies ("he had hammered so hard and so fast and so long that his big heart had burst"), but the onlookers understand that "dying ain't important.... What matters is how well you do your living." This carefully crafted updating begs to be read aloud for its rich, rhythmic storytelling flow, and the suitably oversize illustrations amplify the text. As only one example, the animal witnesses of his birth reappear throughout, most notably to watch John Henry's funeral train pass by. This may not supplant more traditional retellings, such as Terry Small's The Legend of John Henry, but it is a triumph of collaboration from the creators of the noted Uncle Remus retellings. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 5-Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus (Dial, 1987) fame. Based on several well-known versions of an African American folk ballad, Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times. Told with just a trace of dialect, the story moves along briskly toward the climax. Its moral message of the importance of a well-lived life is clearly stated, and the ending is uplifting. Pinkney's marvelous watercolors, abundantly rich in detail, convey both the superior strength and the warm sense of humanity that make John Henry perhaps a more down-to-earth character than some other tall-tale figures. The paintings' muted earth tones add a realistic touch to the text, bringing this John Henry alive. When viewed from a distance, however, figures and details sometimes blend together, making the book better suited to independent reading that group sharing. It will appeal to an older audience than Ezra Jack Keats's John Henry (Knopf, 1987) and is a fine addition to any folklore collection.
Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Ages 4 and up. Based on the popular black folk ballad about the contest between John Henry and the steam drill, this picture-book version is a tall tale and a heroic myth, a celebration of the human spirit. Like Lester's great collections of the Uncle Remus tales, also illustrated by Pinkney, the story is told with rhythm and wit, humor and exaggeration, and with a heart-catching immediacy that connects the human and the natural world. ("This was no ordinary boulder. It was as hard as anger . . . a mountain as big as hurt feelings"). The dramatic climax of the story is set at the time of the building of the railroad through the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, but Lester begins with the hero's birth, when all the birds and animals come to see the baby and the sun is so excited it forgets to go to bed. Pinkney's dappled pencil-and-watercolor illustrations capture the individuality of the great working man, who is part of the human community and who has the strength of rock and wind. John Henry swings his hammer so fast, he makes a rainbow around his shoulders, and the pictures show that light everywhere, "shining and shimmering in the dust and grit like hope that never dies." Hazel Rochman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

AWARDS/HONORS
A Caldecott Honor Book
Winner of the Society of Illustrators' Gold Medal
An ALA Notable Book
An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
The Horn Book Fanfare List
A Parents Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
Winner of the Aesop Prize

CONNECTIONS
This is a wonderful opportunity for children to explore the elements of legends and tall tales. They can learn about the legend of John Henry. Explore the meaning of strength and courage. They can learn about life in the 1800’s.
John Henry
Children's Song Lyrics and Sound Clip
Performed by Two of a Kind
http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/johnhenry.php

Other Tall Tale Books
Kellogg, Steven. 1985. Paul Bunyan. ISBN-10: 0688058000 ISBN: -13: 9780688058005
Osborne, Mary Pope. 1991. American Tall Tales. ISBN-13: 9780679800897

Culture 1 International Lit: Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Argueta, Jorge. 2010. Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem. Ill. Fernando Vilela. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books; Bilingual edition. ISBN-10: 088899981X ISBN-13: 978-0888999818

PLOT SUMMARY
Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem is a book that provides step by step instructions for making this decadent desert. This is a Hispanic recipe that is shared through the eyes and voice of a young boy. The joy he feels while making this pudding is conveyed in the poetic description of his preparation of this desert. Rice pudding has never been experienced with such emotional joy. Every step from going to the market, preparing the ingredients and the finished product has the reader feeling that they are in the kitchen with the young boy. His excitement in preparing his favorite dish and the anticipation of sharing it with his family is contagious. Read the book, make the recipe and be sure to prepare it with the same passion as the boy in the book. Enjoy the results!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Jorge Argueta’s cooking poem has many cultural markers that exemplify the Mexican-American culture. The market vendor, clothing, skin color, hair color and their home portray the Hispanic culture. The story is told in Spanish and English concurrent on the pages. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn some words in Spanish. It is also great for students to hear the poem in its original form.
* indicates where supervision of an adult is required.
Fernando Vilela illustrated this book. He captured the Hispanic home and family with his unique style of ink drawings.

Poem Excerpt
I like all kinds of rice.
I like white rice,
brown rice,
fried rice,
stewed rice,
watery rice,
chicken and rice,
beans and rice.
I guess I like rice with anything.
But what I like best and love the most
is rice pudding.
(Jorge Argueta, p. 1)

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3 ;A boy goes to the market to buy ingredients for rice pudding. What ensues is a poetic journey of making the sweet treat, step by step. The bilingual text is not a straightforward recipe, but could be followed to make the traditional dish. With his mom in the background, the boy adds rice to the pot and soon "the kitchen is raining little white grain drops." Parent supervision or participation is required for parts of the story, as indicated by an asterisk, as when it's time to "take the salt cellar and dance around." The remarkable illustrations are the perfect complement to Argueta's lush language. Vilela uses a printmaking technique to bring to life the simple action and turn it into something quite extraordinary. A first purchase for schools and libraries. ;Shannon Dye, Peoria Public Library, Peoria, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* A lyrical, lovely bilingual ode to rice pudding? Well, lovers of that creamy confection won’t be surprised at the emotion it engenders. After first telling readers how he likes all kinds of rice—white, brown, fried, stewed—award-winning poet Argueta proceeds, making every step in preparing the dish sound like a great adventure. When you sprinkle the rice, it doesn’t just hit the pot: little white grains “rain music and sing / as they fall.” The flames on the stove are “rainbow hands,” and as the rice cooks, “foamy waves and clouds turn the pot / into sea and sky.” While the words are evocative and dreamy, Vilela’s ink drawings, incorporating collage, rubber stamps, and digital elements, are not only polished and attractive; they put the focus on the fun, including the way the boy dances around the kitchen as the steam from the pot expels white birds. A similarly lyrical Spanish translation appears alongside the English text, making this a wonderful book to use across cultures. One quibble: an actual appended recipe would have been nice. You’ll want rice pudding after this. Grades 3-5. --Ilene Cooper

Awards/Honors
2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books
2011-2012 Tejas Star Book Award

CONNECTIONS
This book is an excellent choice for cultural awareness. After reading this wonderful story, the class will make and enjoy Arroz con leche. This would be an opportunity for each student to share a family recipe. A classroom cookbook would be fun with the recipe and a story as to why it is important in their home. Great Christmas gift or end of the year book.

Culture 1 International Lit: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 2008. HELLO BABY. ill. Helen Oxenbury. New York, NY: Harcourt Children’s Books. ISBN-10: 0152060057X ISBN-13: 978-0-15-206057-2

PLOT SUMMARY
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes is a beautiful poem picture book about two babies born on the opposite sides of the world. Just as the title states each baby shares the same quality of ten fingers and ten toes. The story continues with two more babies from different parts of the world who also share having ten fingers and ten toes, while the other babies are watching. This trip around the world shows babies from all cultures laughing and having fun. Young children will enjoy the rhythmic, rhyming text and will be repeating with the reader, they had ten little fingers and ten little toes. This book shows the love of babies and their mothers love, ending with the new baby having ten fingers and ten toes and three kisses on the tip of its nose. This is a great poem picture book to be read anytime, but especially at bedtime.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Mem Fox has written a simple story, full of love about babies. No matter where in the world the baby is born, girl or boy, they all have ten fingers and ten toes. The cultural markers are evident in the babies and the places from around the world. The cultural differences are apparent in the pictures but the message conveys that even from different cultures they are all the same – children with ten fingers and ten toes. The babies depict the cultural markers with their clothing, eye shapes, skin colors and hair. The multicultural influence is present, but what I love about children of this age and through kindergarten is that they don’t see colors; all they see are their friends.
Helen Oxenbury illustrated this picture book capturing the cultures of the babies in the details allowing the reader to identify the baby’s ethnic background. The babies are the story. The white background allows the details of the babies to capture the reader. The pictures of the town, landscapes, icy terrain, desert, etc. are all simplistic and recognizable. Oxenbury has worked her magic again with her beautiful artistic talent in this picture book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreS—"There was one little baby/who was born far away./And another who was born/on the very next day./And both of these babies,/as everyone knows,/had ten little fingers/and ten little toes." So opens this nearly perfect picture book. Fox's simple text lists a variety of pairs of babies, all with the refrain listing the requisite number of digits, and finally ending with the narrator's baby, who is "truly divine" and has fingers, toes, "and three little kisses/on the tip of its nose." Oxenbury's signature multicultural babies people the pages, gathering together and increasing by twos as each pair is introduced. They are distinctive in dress and personality and appear on primarily white backgrounds. The single misstep appears in the picture of the baby who was "born on the ice." The child, who looks to be from Northern Asia or perhaps an Inuit, stands next to a penguin. However, this minor jarring placement does not detract enough from the otherwise ideal marriage of text and artwork to prevent the book from being a first purchase. Whether shared one-on-one or in storytimes, where the large trim size and big, clear images will carry perfectly, this selection is sure to be a hit.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* A standout for its beautiful simplicity, this picture-book collaboration between Fox and Oxenbury aims a message of diversity and tolerance at very young children. The first lines set up the text’s repetition and rhythm: “There was one little baby who was born far away. And another who was born on the very next day. And both of these babies, as everyone knows, had ten little fingers and ten little toes.” The subsequent spreads follow the same theme in similarly bouncing, rhyming lines: babies around the world may be different (one baby is born near ice, another in a desert tent), but the refrain of each baby’s 10 fingers and toes reminds us of what we all share. Oxenbury’s spare pencil-and-watercolor pictures, set against pure white pages, zero in on pudgy little hands and feet, offering many interactive opportunities for young viewers to point and count. Clusters of adorable multicultural babies from around the world toddle across the pages until just one child receives three kisses on the nose from her loving mom, a sweet gesture that parents will want to act out with their own children. A gentle, joyous offering. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Gillian Engberg

Starred Review. PreS—"There was one little baby/who was born far away./And another who was born/on the very next day./And both of these babies,/as everyone knows,/had ten little fingers/and ten little toes." So opens this nearly perfect picture book. Fox's simple text lists a variety of pairs of babies, all with the refrain listing the requisite number of digits, and finally ending with the narrator's baby, who is "truly divine" and has fingers, toes, "and three little kisses/on the tip of its nose." Oxenbury's signature multicultural babies people the pages, gathering together and increasing by twos as each pair is introduced. They are distinctive in dress and personality and appear on primarily white backgrounds. The single misstep appears in the picture of the baby who was "born on the ice." The child, who looks multicultural babies from around the world toddle across the pages until just one child receives three kisses on the nose from her loving mom, a sweet gesture that parents will want to act out with their own children. A gentle, joyous offering. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Gillian Engberg

CONNECTIONS
This picture book is a wonderful introduction into cultures around the world for Prek-Kindergarten students. It also depicts happiness and friendship.

On Mem Fox’s website she has a section called “How to Read Aloud”. She demonstrates by reading the examples herself.
http://www.memfox.com/reading-magic-intro
Hear Mem Fox read Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
http://www.memfox.com/mem-reads-aloud
Hear Mem Fox sing Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
http://www.memfox.com/mem-sings-a-book.html

Other books by Mem Fox:
Hello Baby! ISBN-10: 1416985131 ISBN-13: 978-1416985136
POSSUM MAGIC. ISBN-10: 0152632247 ISBN-13: 978-1862910959
Koala Lou ISBN-10: 0152000763 ISBN-13: 978-0152000769

Culture 1 International Lit – The Thief Lord

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Funke, Cornelia. 2000. THE THIEF LORD. Ill. by Author. Hamburg, Germany: Cecilie Dressler Verlag. ISBN: 0-439-42089-X

2003 BATCHELDER AWARD WINNER

PLOT SUMMARYThe Thief Lord is about two brothers, Prosper and Bo. After their mother dies, they run away from a mean aunt to Venice, Italy, the city their mother loved. There they meet Scipio, the thief lord, who lives in an abandoned movie theater with a gang of street kids. Prosper and Bo join Scipio and his band of orphans robbing the rich to support themselves. The Thief Lord has a secret, which begins to unfold when the detective hired by their aunt looks into the band of thieves and exposes Scipio’s secret. The final burglary begins an adventure that leads them to a magical merry-go-round that changes the destiny of all involved. Adventure, mystery, and magical fun!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (Including Cultural Markers)
The Thief Lord is set in Venice, Italy which offers many cultural makers in the characters, language, setting and historical landmarks. Several of the character’s names are in Italian and Italian words used in the story are in italics. A glossary of Italian words used in The Thief Lord is located in the back of the book. There is a map of Venice at the beginning of the book which allows the reader to follow the adventures of the characters.

The characters of Scipio, Prosper, Bo, Hornet, Riccio, and Mosca provide vivid imagery of who they are. The book begins by introducing and developing the characters while building on their strengths and weaknesses. Cornelia Funke builds these characters allowing the reader to visualize, sympathize or despise them, while pulling the reader along on the adventure.

The predominate theme of the story that affects all the characters is belonging. This is evident in how Prosper feels about his little brother Bo. Scipio, as the leader, is truly concerned for the orphaned children and does what he can for their survival including stealing from his wealthy father. The detective and the photographer also get caught up in the street children’s plight and do what they can to help. Everyone is looking for a sense of security and each character offers insight to this characteristic throughout the story with the ending resulting in success for all. Funke also includes the need for friends and the importance of one’s actions, including the repercussions of these actions. Children will identify with these characters as they develop friendships and find the security they are looking for.

The story alludes to the fountain of youth and the adventure culminates with a magical merry-go-round that will let you move backwards or forward in time. This seemed to be an afterthought to me considering the story was realistic up to that point; however, choices were made, lives were changed and everyone received what they were looking for.

Corneila Funke illustrated the drawings at the beginning of each chapter using pen and ink depicting Italian architecture or landmarks discussed in that chapter. Cover illustration was done by Christian Birmingham. Venice map by Lothar Meier.

The Thief Lord is classified as international literature. The book’s original title was Herr der Diebe , published in German and was translated by Oliver Latsch into English. Since then the book has been translated into 53 languages in 49 countries. This book, though set in Italy, could be about characters and places anywhere in the world, thus appealing to all children and adults around the world.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
Wacky characters bring energy to this translation of an entertaining German novel about thieving children, a disguise-obsessed detective and a magical merry-go-round. After their mother dies, 12-year-old Prosper and his brother, Bo, five, flee from Hamburg to Venice (an awful aunt plans to adopt only Bo). They live in an abandoned movie theater with several other street children under the care of the Thief Lord, a cocky youth who claims to rob "the city's most elegant houses." A mysterious man hires the Thief Lord to steal a wooden wing, which the kids later learn has broken off a long-lost merry-go-round said to make "adults out of children and children out of adults," but the plan alters when Victor, the detective Aunt Esther hired to track the brothers, discovers their camp and reveals that the Thief Lord is actually from a wealthy family. There are a lot of story lines to follow, and the pacing is sometimes off (readers may feel that Funke spends too little time on what happens when the children find the carousel, and too much on the ruse they pull on Prosper's aunt). But between kindhearted Victor and his collection of fake beards, the Thief Lord in his mask and high-heeled boots, and a rascally street kid who loves to steal, Prosper's new world abounds with colorful characters. The Venetian setting is ripe for mystery and the city's alleys and canals ratchet up the suspense in the chase scenes. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-A popular German author makes a strong English-language debut with this tale of a group of orphaned and fugitive children trying to eke out a furtive existence on the watery "streets" of modern Venice. Funke brings together a large but not indigestible array of adults and children, several of whom, thanks to a bit of magic near the end, switch roles. To keep from being separated after their parents' death, young Prosper spirits his little brother Boniface to fabled Venice, which their mother had always described as a magical place. Quickly falling in with a trio of other orphans, presided over by Scipio, a masked lad who styles himself a master thief, the children become embroiled in a complex set of captures, escapes, squabbles, revelations, and subplots. At the end, they find not only an agreeable new home, but also literal proof of their city's magical reputation, for on a nearby island, an ancient, fragile carousel is found that can spin old people young, and vice versa. Funke delineates her characters and the changing textures of their relationships with masterful subtlety, as well as sometimes-puckish humor. It's a compelling tale, rich in ingenious twists, with a setting and cast that will linger in readers' memories.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. There are shards of wonderful stories in this ambitious narrative, but they don't quite cohere into a shimmering whole. That said, this is still a pretty nifty adventure set as brilliantly in its Venetian setting as a baroque pearl. Twelve-year-old Prosper and five-year-old Boniface cling to the stories their mother told them of Venice, with its winged lions and rooftop angels. After her death, they run away from Hamburg and their pinch-faced relatives to Venice, where a motley crew of children, living in an abandoned movie theatre, takes them in. The leader is Scipio, the Thief Lord, who directs the petty thievery and acts as older brother to the group. Victor, a gentle detective, has been hired to find the brothers, and he does so quickly, but is bemused by their ragtag family and is loathe to hand them over to the aunt. Funke beguiles young readers as she paints the city of Venice in exquisite strokes; the affection between the brothers is sweetly rendered. However, a fantasy element surfaces barely 100 pages from the end where it startles and distracts. It fits with the Venetian setting but not with the structure of the story. This German import is a popular choice in Europe. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Awards
2003 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Outstanding Translated Book
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
Parenting Magazine Book of the Year
Zurich Children's Book Award
Book Award from the Vienna House of Literature
Swiss Youth Literature Award
New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book
USA Today Bestseller
Book Sense Book of the Year Award
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
ALA Notable Children's Book
NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Art
Winner of the 2005 Young Readers Choice Award (Senior Division)

CONNECTIONS
Ask students to write their own creative stories entitled "A Ride on the Magical Merry-Go-Round." Would they choose to be younger again, or to be older? Ask them to imagine what life would be like for them if they were suddenly younger or older. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of their new age? Would they become a different age if they knew there was no changing back?

Other Cornelia Funke novels:
Funke, Cornelia.2005.DRAGON RIDER. ISBN10: 9781904442486 ISBN13: 978-1905294022
Funke, Cornelia.2005. INKHEART. ISBN10: 9780439709101 ISBN13: 978-0439709101

Other Stories About Children in Fantastical Circumstances
Snicket, Lemony.1999.A Series of Unfortunate Events. ISBN10: 006075589X ISBN13: 978-0064407663
Levine, Gail Carson.2004.Ella Enchanted. ISBN10: 0060558865 ISBN13: 978-060558864
Colfer,Eoin.2009.Artemis Fowl. ISBN10: 9781423124528 ISBN13: 978-1423124528

Web sites
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (video clip interview). Bookstream Inc./Bookwrap. http://a1110.g.akamai.net/7/1110/5507/v002/bookstream.download.akamai.com/5507/bw/bs/0439531640/b1/default_wm.htm (accessed on May 26, 2004). "Talking with Cornelia Funke: Cornelia Funke Interview." AudioFile

http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/features/A1222.html (accessed on May 27, 2004). Wyss, Trudy. "Hey American Kids, Meet Cornelia Funke: A Beloved German Children's Author Makes Her U.S. Debut." Borders Books.

http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=funke (accessed on May 27, 2004).

Read more: Cornelia Funke Biography - life, children, name, story, history, school, young, book, old, information, born, college http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ca-Ge/Funke-Cornelia.html#ixzz1OhKnGh6p