1 Childrens Literature EDEE 325-001/2

Annotated Bibliography

Presented to Donna-Lee Smith Written by Catherine Hughes-260519806

Wednesday October 30th, 2013 McGill University Montreal, Quebec

2 1. Austen, C. (2011). My cat isis. Egger, V. (Illus). Quebec, QC. Kids Can Press. Genre: Picture book/ Fiction Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 1, Reading: Grade 1 Main characters gender: Male Authors origin: From Quebec, she is Canadian. Themes: Egyptian traditions, Friendships, History Summary: Striking collage illustrations bring to life a boy's comparisons of his beloved cat to Isis, the goddess of Egyptian myth and the revered daughter of the earth and sky. The cat Isis is a family pet and he is just as special. This dazzling work of paper- and photo-collage, painting and pen-and-ink illustration is both an homage to a beloved feline and a journey into the realm of Ancient Egyptian myth. Through a series of lighthearted comparisons between his cat and its goddess namesake, the boy narrator reveals both similarities and differences between the two worlds. Special Attributes: The pictures in this book are absolutely breathtaking. An ideal book for pet lovers and lovers of ancient history alike! As many young students are, this will be a treasure to many, and it can teach them about Egyptian culture. The book can also reach out to any Egyptian students there may be in class. Use in the classroom: After reading this book to students, I would ask them what they have learned about the history of the Egyptian culture. I would identify an aspect of Egyptian culture in the story for them and have a discussion about it. I would also pull out a world map and show them where Egypt is located. 2. Bouchard, D. (2011). Fawn gets her spots. Lewis, F. (Illus.). Oakville, ON: Rubicon Publishing. Genre: Oral History, Traditional Story Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 1, Reading: Grade 1-2 This book is ideal for beginner readers. Main characters gender: Male Authors origin: Canadian/Aboriginal Themes: Wisdom, honesty, love, bravery, kindness, and aboriginal legends.

3 Summary: Fawn Gets Her Spots is a story about how different animals in the story, Bear, Wolf, Turtle, Deer and Fawn got the qualities and attributes, their strength, their fangs and so on, from Wakan Tanka, the Creator. In this retelling story, one animal, Deer, asks him for a special favor. In reading about Wakan Tankas response to this request, the children learn the importance of kindness and helping others. Special Attributes: This story honors the histories, cultures, worldviews, and knowledge of many Aboriginal peoples of Canada. First Nations, Mtis, and Inuit students will be filled with pride when seeing themselves, their cultures and their traditions reflected in this book. The memorable story and characters in this book will allow all students to connect to the text, encouraging them to respond by sharing their own stories and traditions with one another. Use in the classroom: After reading this book to a Grade one class, I would ask the class to identify what is special about each creature. "What is special about Bear, what is special about Wolf, what is special about Turtle, what is special about Deer and what is special about Fawn?" At the back of the book, there is a section called teachings from Turtle Island. Every book has a lesson. This book is about kindness. I would begin a discussion on the value of kindness. I would have the children talk about kindness in their lives. How is kindness important to the story? What do Deer and Fawn learn from Wakan Tankas kindness? Ask them to draw a picture of a time when they were kind to someone, a time when people were kind to them, and finally an opportunity in the future where they express kindness towards someone else. I would assign a homework project. The students would be asked to do a kind gesture, take a picture of you and the person, pet, sibling you did this kind gesture to. Lastly, they would be asked to write what they did that was kind. Finally I would dissect the story with my students. I would ask them "What happened in this story? What happened in the beginning, in the middle, and what happened at the end? ". 3. Cutting, R. (2011). Bear listens. Page, S. (Illus.). Don Mills, ON: Rubicon Publishing. Genre: Modern fiction

4 Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 1, Reading: Grade 1 This book is ideal for beginner readers. Main characters gender: Male Authors origin: Robert Cutting has a Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) ancestry; he weaves these content areas into his storytelling, writing and presentations in order to give a unique perspective on everyday life. Themes: Wisdom, bravery, honesty and love. Summary: In this story, Bear shows wisdom as he listens to the world around him. The simplicity of the story serves to emphasize the importance of the lessons to be learned from the sun, water, trees, mother earth and the moon. These aspects of nature are personified to make what they have to teach more concrete. The connections between listening and learning, and the resulting path to wisdom, are made explicit in Bear Listens. Special Attributes: What I truly enjoyed about this book is that it features animals with human-like qualities. Any child, boy or girl can relate to Bears feelings. Bears are often depicted characters in Aboriginal stories. They represent bravery and strength. Some Aboriginal peoples, such as the Lakota, tell stories where the bear is a symbol of wisdom. Use in the classroom: In Bear Listens, Bear pays attention to the many things in the world around him. They are simple, but important. He learns from all of them. I would ask the children to talk about what it really means to listen. Have them then think about bears and other animals. Encourage them to speculate whether animals like bears are good listeners. Ask them what might bears be listening to as they walk through the forest. I would ask the children how they learn by observing the world around them and how listening is different from hearing. I would make arrangements to take the students on a small nature walk in a nearby wooded area. Throughout the walk , I would ask them at various moments, to stop in their tracks, close their eyes and listen to the surrounding sounds, the wind rushing through the trees, leaves rustling, maybe water running nearby and maybe birds chirping. And then I would ask them if they thought Bear would have heard the same thing.

5 Upon returning in class, I would then ask the students to draw a picture of something that Bear was grateful for in the story and something that they too are grateful for. They might draw the Sun, Moon, Trees, Water, Mother Earth. 4. Elwin, R. Plause, M. (1990). Ashas mums. Lee, D. (Illus). Toronto, ON. Women's Press. Genre: Fiction Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 2, Reading: Grade 1-2 Main characters gender: Female Authors origin: Rosamund Elwin was described as one of the most prolific African authors for Womens Press in the eighties and nineties was. Themes: School, field trips, Lesbians-Fiction, Mothers and daughters. Summary: Ashas class is taking a trip to the Science Center, and everyone, of course, is very excited. Her teacher, however, tells her that she cant go on the trip unless she gets her permission slip filled out correctly. Her teacher means with the signature of her mother and father, since Asha cant have two mums. This provokes Ashas mothers to go to school to have a talk with her teacher, but most importantly, it is Asha herself who teaches her classmates about her family. When a girl in her class tells Asha that her father said its bad to have two mothers, Asha responds with confidence, Its not bad. My mummies said were a family because we live together and love each other. That phrase is characteristic of the simple sweetness with which the book is written. The children in the illustrations appear to be from all different backgrounds (though for some reason there appears to be only one boy in the class). The happy ending to Ashas dilemma may not always be replicated in the real world, but her manner of handling prejudice can be a great way to begin a discussion about the issue of sexual orientation with a young child. Special Attributes: I personally liked the message conveyed in this book, that it is okay to have two mothers. Though I found the story slightly contrived, as though getting their message across was the authors' sole purpose. The ending of the story is positive, with Asha's classmates full of curiosity and Asha full of happiness.

6 Dawn Lee's illustrations are not very appealing or expressive. The text mentions in detail a "favourite red sweat suit and yellow and white sneakers with hearts on the side", yet in the accompanying illustration of Asha there is no colour, no sweat suit and no patterned sneakers. Consequently, there is no connection and no reinforcement from text to illustration. This book could be useful with the right resource person discussing it, since there are so few books about non-heterosexual relationships for this age group. Use in the classroom: I would talk about role-plays about the exclusion of children from different areas of the classroom or activities based upon their gender. For example, "No boys allowed in the kitchen center!" or "No girls allowed in our fort this is for boys only!" Use common scenarios that students can identify with or those that may have occurred in your classroom. Ask students to identify the problem and the rule being used to exclude other children. After a class discussion, I would write the word "sexism" on the blackboard and explain that it is when people assume only boys can do some things and girls cannot (and vice-versa). It is when we exclude someone or a group of people just because they are girls or boys. I would also present examples from the past such as when women were discouraged from becoming doctors, lawyers, truck drivers and men did not stay at home to look after the kids. Explain how people's duties are sometimes restricted because of their gender. I would then talk about another common assumption we tend to have towards the idealistic married couple. The objective would be to develop students' awareness and knowledge of families with more than one parent of the same gender. If teaching in a catholic school, I would certainly examine the Family Life curriculum to ensure that this book could be presented. 5. Joosse, B. M. (2005). Papa do you love me? Lavallee, B. (Illus). San Fransisco, CA. Chronicle Books. Genre: Picture book, fiction Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 2, Reading: Grade 2 Main characters gender: Male

7 Authors origin: American. Themes: Love, Father/Son relationships, Trust, African traditions and people. Summary: When a Maasai father in Africa answers his curious son's questions, the boy learns that his father's love for him is unconditional. Special Attributes: Barbara M. Jossees childrens picture book Papa, Do You Love Me? is truly a delight. Like her childrens picture book Mama, Do You Love Me? This book features the watercolors of artist Barbara Lavallee. Through a story about a Maasai father and son in Africa, Joosse focuses on a fathers love for his son. The father gently and carefully makes it clear that in his love for his son, he sees himself as the boys guide, teacher, and supporter, and that his love for him is unconditional and never ending. The fact that the story is set in Africa in the Maasai culture make the boys questions and the fathers answers particularly intriguing to children. For example, one of the boys questions is What if a lion prowled in our camp, swished his tail and rumbled for foodand I was his food? This story, in an asset to my class library, because it reaches out to a different culture then our own. Use in the classroom: Step One: 1. I would divide the class into small groups (2-5). Tell students, "today I am going to read them a special book, Papa, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse and illustrated by Barbara Lavallee that is about a son named Tender Heart and his father who loves him. The story takes place in Africa in the Serengeti. It is about a tribe of people called Maasai". 2. Ask students introduction questions. - Today we are going to learn about a tribe of people and a culture called Maasai. Does anyone know what a tribe is? -We are going to learn about life in Africa. Does anyone know where Africa is? I would point Africa out on a world map -What are some of the animals that can be found in Africa? -Do you know what Africans eat? 3. List the responses on the board or on a sheet of paper so they can see them.

8 Step Two: Ask the students simple questions, in order to assess what they have learned from this book a. Who are the Maasai people? b. Describe the Serengeti, what is the Serengeti? c. What is an "enkang" and what does it look like? d. What foods do the Maasai people eat? Go back to the story with them and find foods eaten by Maasai people I would then conclude the lesson by asking the students Critical Thinking Questions such as: 1. What is love? How do we know when someone loves us? What do we do when we love someone? 2. Do you think there is anything that Tender Heart could do that would make his father stop loving him? 6. Jules, J. (2009). Duck for turkey day. Mitter, K. (Illus). Washington, D.C. Albert Whitman & Company. Genre: Picture book/ Fiction Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 1, Reading: Grade 1-3 Main characters gender: Female Authors origin: American. Themes: Traditions, acceptance of others Summary: It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner - not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving - what will her teacher and the other kids think? To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy Thanksgiving dinner anyhow - and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but they all had something in common They had their Thanksgiving dinner with their family!

9 Special Attributes: Seeing that Thanksgiving has just recently past, I think this book would be good for a multicultural class. Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about "the right way" to celebrate a Canadian holiday. Use in the classroom: After reading this book to my class, I would ask them to draw out what they had for Thanksgiving dinner. I would also mention that it is not set in stone that you eat turkey for Thanksgiving. I would also mention a little bit about the traditions and celebrations we dont celebrate as much in society but are on the calendar and are celebrated by many. Such as Chinese New Years, Eid, Hanukah, etc. 7. Kamkwamba, W. (2009). The boy who harnessed the wind: Young Readers Edition. Zunon, E. (Illus). HarperCollins Publisher. Genre: Modern Fiction Grade levels: Interest: Grade 1-4, Reading: Grade 2-4 Ideal read for more advanced readers. Main characters gender: Male Authors origin: William Kamkwamba, was born in Malawi, Africa. Themes: Poverty, African traditions, Inspiring, Science. Summary: When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library, eventually figuring out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind. Special Attributes: Inspiring and refreshing as the wind, wonderfully illustrated with paper collage, this story will inspire many as it shows how even in the worst of times, a great idea and a lot of hard work can still rock the world. Use in the classroom: After reading this book to my class, I would show my students Africa on a map. I would then discuss with them some of the new vocabulary learned from this book; crops, drought, windmill. I would explain and

10 show them what these were and they would be part of our popcorn words (a word bank system commonly used in grade one classes) I would then expect them to use these words in sentences that they wrote. I would also have a discussion about how lucky we are to live in a country like Canada where going to school does not cost money. 8. Mosel, A. (1968). Tikki tikki tembo. Lent, B. (Illus). New York, N.Y Holtzbrinck Publishers. Originally printed in China. Genre: Fictional picture book Grade levels: Interest: Grade 1-4, Reading: Grade 2-4 Ideal for advanced readers or to be read to the class. Main characters gender: Male Authors origin: Chinese. Themes: Chinese traditions and folktale, Chinese legends. Summary: The book tells the story of a Chinese boy with a long name who fell into a well. It is a sort of an origin to a myth about why Chinese names are so short today. The book is somewhat controversial because it appears to retell a Japanese story and because it does not portray Chinese culture accurately. Special Attributes: I truly enjoyed reading this book, it is a classic re-creation of an ancient Chinese folktale that has hooked multitudes of children, teachers, and parents, who return, generation after generation, to learn about the danger of having such an honorable name as Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchipip peri pembo. Use in the classroom: Children will learn about Chinese culture, Children will explore family relationships; Children will enjoy a well-known Chinese folktale. Read the book Tikki Tikki Tembo to your students. Then ask: How do you think Tikki Tikki Tembo and his brother Chang felt about one another? How can you tell? Talk with children about Chinese culture. Show your students where China is on a

11 world map. Use the school library and the Internet for references and photographs. Invite a Chinese guest to come and share his/her customs and traditions with the class. Later, have children investigate Chinese New Year's celebrations. Introduce the Chinese calendar to students showing them which year they were born in and how it may be different from the year you were born in. Then have a Chinese New Year's celebration in your classroom. 9. Wheeler ,J. (2009). Just a walk. Auchter, C. (Illus). Penticton, B. C. Theytus Books. Genre: Picture book/ Fiction Grade levels: Interest: Kindergarten-Grade 1, Reading: Grade 1 Main characters gender: Male Authors origin: Jordan Wheeler (Cree, Ojibwa, Assiniboine, Irish, English, Scottish) Known to be one of the most successful Indigenous Canadian writers and working in film and television in Canada, today. Themes: Inuit/ Aboriginal legends and folktales, science. Summary: In Just a Walk, a young boy named Chuck goes for a simple walk that turns into a day of crazy adventure. Chuck encounters animals, fish and birds that lead him on a wild journey through their various habitats. Special Attributes: I really enjoyed the art in this book, the pictures were very well done and fitting for the text. I also liked the authors unique way of teaching about different animals habitats. Use in the classroom: After the children have finished reading the book, I would have them summarize the story orally in their own words. The children should recall the events in the story sequentially. As an alternative, the children may also retell the story through pictures, or role- playing. Finally to get at their creative and artistic abilities, I would ask them to draw one place Chuck went to on his walk. I would encourage students to draw different features of the walk. I would also get them to incorporate in that drawing the animal that lives in that habitat. I would post all the pictures on a wall and call it Just a walk.

12 10. White, E.B. (1952). Charlottes web. Williams, G. (Illus.). New York, N.Y: Harper Collins. Genre: Children's literature, Speculative fiction Grade levels: Interest: Grade 1-4, Reading: Grade 2-4 This book is ideal for more advanced readers. Main characters gender: Male (Wilbur the pig), Female (Charlotte, the barn spider). Authors origin: Elwyn Brooks White was a leading American essayist, author, humorist, poet and literary stylist and author. Themes: Friendships, the individual, loyalty, farm life, determination, life, death and time passing. Summary: The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. Wilbur, the pig, is truly discouraged when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend Charlotte decides to help him. She writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live. Special Attributes: Charlottes Web is a classic novel that should be continued to be read in schools. The story has well-rounded characters; important themes and lessons for children to take away and it also has many elements of imagination, which is important in childrens lives. I have chosen this novel because it is a great story to exercise reading comprehension, including identifying different characters, story sequencing and themes, all while being an interesting and fun read for students. I believe the students will enjoy the story and begin to realize that reading can be fun. The study of this novel will certainly capture students interest make reading comprehension more exciting. In reading Charlottes Web, I want my students to experience pleasure in reading, I want to let them the imagine various parts of the story, and I also want them to take away lessons they can use in their everyday lives. Also, I want students to be able to think beyond the text and really imagine the world of the story.

13 Use in the classroom: After reading the book to my grade one class, over several days, we will engage in a classroom discussion on various components of the story. We might for example imagine what the farm would look like, setting, time and place. We would then examine the main characters, their personalities and their relationships with each other. We might then look at how the story tells us about the characters; for example geese is very chatty and how she repeats words many times. As a culminating task, students will build Wilburs farm house using recycled materials brought from home. The task will include a planning session where students will collectively decide on the structures to be built, materials required and the task of working together as a class. Each will be assigned a section of the Farm. The project will take place over several days, with students working on the farm, cutting, pasting, gluing individually and in groups. The farm will serve as a backdrop to talk about the story. Final Product: A class product is created Wilburs farm in the classroom, including correct setting, characters with labels. After have completing the activity, I would ask them some more reflective questions, and get students to think about: What kind of place would the world be without friendship? How would life be different if animals could talk? How does Charlottes Web prove that every thing has a place and value in society?