Banned Book #3: Cactus Soup by:Eric A. Kimmel

Title: Cactus Soup
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Date: 2004
IBSN: 2003009110

Summary: This was the time of the Mexican Revolution. A group of soldiers come into a town looking for food, the townspeople wanted there food hidden. They made it look like they were poor. The soldiers do not believe it, and they end up tricking the townspeople to make a soup with water and a cactus thorn.

Evaluation: This book is interesting because the story line is definitely unusual, and strange. The idea of the topic of the story involving war, soldiers, trickery, and the townspeople depicting themselves as poor is a very big concept, and to little kids, I am not so sure how that is appropriate. I think the pictures, and the colors are vivid and nice to look at, but the story itself is not something I would choose to have in my classroom. 

Banned book #2: And Tango makes 3 by: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Title: And Tango Makes 3
Authors: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Publisher: Simon and Shuster 2005
IBSN: 978-1-4814-4994-6

Summary: This book is about two penguins in the Central park zoo who are unique and different from the other penguins. They are two male penguins named Roy, and Silo who want a baby penguin of there own. 

Evaluation: This story, while it is similar to King, and King in terms of the topic is a story that is a little bit friendlier in terms of the characters chosen which are two penguins. I think the layout of the story is good with its illustrations. The text is very straightforward, and it is something I think older elementary students/children would read rather than younger children. The text vocab is simple, but it is a fair amount of text on each page. I think this book is one that needs to be thought about before reading just because it is very straightforward with the story, and its words. I personally probably would not have this particular book in my classroom library, but If I knew one of my students could relate to it, I would recommend it for them.

Banned Book #1: King and King by: Linda De Hann

Title: King and King
Author: Linda De Hann
Publisher: Tricycle Press
IBSN: 1-58426-061-2

Summary: The story King and King is about a young prince who's mother is insisting he marry. She lines up all these young princesses to get to know the prince, but the prince was not interested. Eventually when one princess comes with her brother, something unexpected occurs. 

Evaluation: The story is definitely controversial, and to some people it is not the appropriate book to read as well as teachers reading it in the classroom. Even though the topic is not the most common topic in the classroom, or in the home setting, there are children who will relate the idea of having two dad, or two moms, and it will be normal to them. The book does go about the topic in an appropriate, and mindful way, and the illustrations, and text are intriguing. I think this books would be good for children who can relate to this story, and give a fairy tale twist that they can connect to.

 

Picture Book 3: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Title: Stellaluna
Author: Janell Cannon
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
IBSN: 978-0152062873

Summary: Stellaluna is about a baby fruit bat named Stellaluna who gets knocked out of her mothers embrace by an owl. She lands into a strange nest that is occupied by a mother bird and her babies. She is then taken into there family, and Stellaluna has to adapt to the lifestyle of the birds herself even though that is not who she is, or who she wants to be. 

Evaluation: This a story has a great moral. It is a story that has a great plot, and it is filled with detailed pictures. The story itself is written very well, and the idea of a cute fruit bat is adorable. I remember personally reading this book when I was little, and I from that point on loved bats, I also remember the two additional pages in the end of actual facts of bats. I think that was a great addition to the book, and I think it is a great story to read. I highly recommend this book. 

Picture Book 2: The Polar Express By: Chris Van Allsburg

Title: The Polar Express
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher:Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
IBSN: 9780395389492

Summary: The Polar Express is a beloved popular book that shows readers the true magic behind the Holiday Season. A boy Christmas Eve hears a strange noise coming from outside his house. He finds a train stopped outside his home. He is then given the choice to board the Polar Express. He chooses to go on, and the magical journey to the North Pole begins to see who will receive the first gift of Christmas from Santa himself. 

Evaluation: The book has been a huge hit for the Christmas season, and has even been transformed into a movie. The story is beautifully written, and gives such a strong fulfilling meaning that adults, and children can relate to. The pictures are beautifully illustrated, and give great detail that pair with the story itself. Van Allsburg wrote this story very well, and he gives such vivid images with each word he wrote on each page. This would be a great story to read aloud, and to have children view the pictures. 

Picture Book 1: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Title: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Author: William Steig
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
IBSN: 0-671-66269-4

Summary: Sylvester and Magic Pebble is a cute story about a cute donkey named Sylvester Duncan. He loves to collect cool pebbles for his collection. One day he finds an unusual pebble, and realizes it grants wishes when you hold it. On his way home to show his mother and father, he runs into a lion and in fear wishes he were a rock. He can no longer hold the pebble, and he is in fear he will be a rock forever. His parents search, and feel sad for fear they will never see his son again. They end up many months after find the pebble, and place it on the rock during a picnic, and they both along with Sylvester the rock wish they could see there son again, and he turns back into a donkey. 

Evaluation: The story has a bunch of emotions that really capture all readers young, and old. The story is well written, and the layout of the book is perfect for readers because it does not have too much text on each page, and the illustrations are colorful, big, and detailed. The plot is perfect, and it is a very cute story. Both adults, and children can relate to the story of the Duncan family, I highly recommend having this in your school, or home library because it is a great story that has great elements to it. 

Decodable 3: The Sad Cat

Title: The Sad Cat
Author: Bobby Lynn Maslen
Publisher: Scholastic
IBSN: 0-439-14509

Summary: A cat was sad that a rat had a hat, and a car, and the cat watched the rat have fun and the cat grew sad. The rat later had the cat join in on his fun, and they were happy.

Evaluation: The Sad Cat adds more short vowels to the same sounds. It is a very quick, simple story that again does not really have a plot line other than the cat was sad, and then gets happy It does get the vowel sounds, and words involved in a text format which does help.

Decodable 2: Sox the Fox

Title: Sox the Fox
Author: Bobby Lynn Maslen
Publisher: Scholastic
IBSN: 0-439-14504-X

Summary: Sox the Fox wanted the hen, the hen ran and told the rat to run and it went in an order from the rat to the cat to the dog to the pig to "run." 

Evaluation: The short vowels were used again only adding a few more words to each vowel sound that was in the Fun in The Sun book. It was a bit more intriguing the story with a bit more interest to it, but it does help with short vowels. 

Decodables (Bob Books): 1: Fun in The Sun

Title: Fun in The Sun

Author: Bobby Lynn Maslen
Publisher: Scholastic
IBSN: 0-439-14499-X

Summary: Family is at the beach, and they tell there activities at the beach.

Evaluation: This and the other two I chose were about the short vowels. The Short vowels that were chosen were Aa, Ee, Oo, Uu, and sight. They had the different words which consisted of 22. It was a pretty boring, and simple story, but it does help with the short vowels. There does not seem to be any real rhyming or rhythm to the book which would definitely help, but it does help with the sounds within the words. 

Sector 7 By: David Wiesner

Title: Sector 7
Author: David Weisner
Publication/Date: Clarion Books, 1999
IBSN: 0-395-74656-6

Summary: Sector 7 is about a boy who on a school trip to New York City, specifically the Empire State Building, comes across a friendly cloud that takes him to a place known as Sector 7. He finds out there how clouds are formed, shaped, and channeled.

Evaluation/Rating: The book is beautifully illustrated, and from the beginning to end, you get a feel for the story even though there are no words in the entire book. Wiesner does a fantastic job depicting the details of the clouds, and the scenery. The colors used are brilliant, and for that I give it a 4.

Tuesday By: David Wiesner

Title: Tuesday

Author: David Wiesner

Publisher/Date: Clarion Books, 1991

IBSN: 0-395-55113-7

Summary: Tuesday by: David Wiesner is a wordless picture book about frogs who while the world peacefully sleeps, explore houses, and float through the air on there lilly pads. It is a fun fictional story that lets the imagination soar. 

Evaluation/Rating: Tuesday seems to be a fun book, that has magnificent illustrations, and they are big with vibrant colors. Wiesner does a fantastic job with the beautiful pictures of the frogs, and the lilly pads as well as the scenery around town on that Tuesday evening. The pictures fill up the whole page which is great for children that way they can see better. I would give this book a 4 because it is very detailed with its pictures, and it is a very creative story. 

The Snowman by: Raymond Briggs

Title: The Snowman

Author: Raymond Briggs

Publisher/Date: Puffin; New Ed Edition (October 30, 2008)

IBSN: 978-0241141038

Summary: The Snowman is a beautiful book filled with vivid pictures and of course no words. The story is about a boy who makes a snowman one day and later that night discovers it comes to life. The story continues with the adventures the two have throughout the night. The Snowman is a great book. 

Evaluation/Rating: My evaluation of The Snowman goes back from personal experience because this story was one of the many favorites in the Bagnasco Household. The Snowman, consisting of all pictures really give a vivid, solid story without the need for words, and that is a great quality for parent to child reading or even teacher to student reading. I also have the DVD which is also without commentary. It is a great story to either show or read, and the best part about the film adaptation is that the author speaks in the beginning of that day he built the Snowman before the story begins. This book is great, and I definitely want this book to be key in my classroom around winter time not just because its a fun book, but it does have some key  points in the story too about feelings, happiness, and loss. I would highly recommend this book, and I give this book a 4.