Module 2 The Book of Three

Bibliographic Citation

Alexander, L. (1964). The book of three. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Summary

This book is the first in a series of five books that takes place in the Land of Prydain.  It is an imaginary land where Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, sets out on a search to find a pig named Hen Wen who escaped from her pen.  Along the way Taran meets Prince Gwydion and they are both captured by Achren and imprisoned in Spiral Castle.  Taran manages to escape with the help of a girl named Eilonwy and they are joined by Gurgi, Melyngar, Flewddur Fflam, and Doli on another mission to warn the people of Caer Dathyl of the attacks being made by the Horned King.  They arrive there just in time after a few mishaps along the way.  The Horned King is killed with the help of a gwythaint and Hen Wen, who was found.  All the heros are rewarded by Prince Gwydion, who was not dead. Then all of Taran's new friends return home with him.

Impressions

I was not sure I was going to like this book when I started reading it.  Immediately I recognized the characters which were from The Black Cauldron book.  It was a story of making new friendships, helping one another, and finding adventures while on a mission to help others.  It reminded me of The Lord of the Rings because both books have a mission or a task to complete.  The main characters are joined by their friends to help each other along the way to complete what they set out to do.  The story continues in the series with new adventures for these same characters in their imaginary lands.

Suggestions For Use in a Library

1. Draw a picture map while doing a read aloud to use as a review since the whole book could not be read aloud at one time.
2. Character pictures or design puppets since there are no illustrations

Reviews

Taran is an assistant pig keeper, looking after a pig called Hen Wen.  One day, Hen Wen runs off and Taran sets off to find her. Teamed up with a princess, a creature, a bard, and a dwarf, Taran must find the pig and save the country of Prydain from Arawn, the king of Annuvin.  I would recommend this book to adventure lovers and seekers. It's a book filled with magic, learning and understanding. Trust me, once you pick it up, you won't put it down!

Kapil, Shalini. (2007). The book of three. Storyworks, 15(3), 7.


Prydain is an imagined territory, somewhat like Wales and peopled with characters whose genealogy stretches back to Welsh legend. The Book of Three takes up Prydain's history during a wonderfully uncertain time -- perhaps at the end of the Dark and the start of the Middle Ages. Mankind was still in the process of "becoming" in Prydain then. For instance, there are two characters here who begin to cross the line into humanity -- Gurgi, a near animal, comic in his cowardice and irresponsibility, who begins the change by responding to kindness through serving with no ulterior motive for once; Doli, a dwarf who left his enchanted underground world behind because he had forgotten the trick of making himself invisible. In fact, the people of the time were forgetting, too. There were still those who could control occult power, but the methods of invoking it were not being systematically handed down; some was lost and some hoarded for evil ends. Taran, young boy, dubbed "Assistant Pig Keeper" to satisfy his dreams of glory, is the central character. A ward of the wizard, Dallben, he is in charge of an oracular pig, Hen Wen. His search for her after a raid by the horrible Horned King brings him to such strong fantasy characters as: Gwydion, a prince who teaches him the first principle of leadership -- self control; Eilonwy, a runaway junior witch, and Fflewddur, an incompetent bard. If these characters don't suggest T.H. White's treatment of the Arthurian legends, they should. The author draw his figures with the same touches of irritability, doltishness and contrariness that leavens with high good humor the high fantasy. The major theme is good against evil-- black magic against white -- but (give thanks for creative restraint) only to a draw. Hopefully, Prydain's history will be continued.

The book of three. (1964).  Kirkus Reviews Issue.

Model 2 The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

Bibliographic Citation

Daniziger, P. (1974) The cat ate my gymsuit. Maine: Thorndike Press.

Summary

Marcy Lewis is in ninth grade and does not have a very good self image.  She never wants to participate in gym class because she does not like her chunky body.  A new English teacher comes to her school who becomes very popular with the kids.  She is a teacher with new ideas, new teaching methods, and dresses different from the other teachers.  She helps to get the students thinking about communication and sharing their feelings.  The students really like and respect her. The principal does not like this new teacher and tries to have the teacher fired. Marcy decides to try and help her teacher along with other students. Marcy has a mother and a little brother and a verbal abusive father.  Her father is not in agreement with Marcy in her efforts to help her English teacher.  At the same time Marcy learns that she has friends who like her for being herself and she goes out on her first date. 

Impressions

Even though this book was published over 30 years ago, it could still be a book about today's teenagers.  It identifies with the struggles girls have with their faces and their bodies. It is a book about a girl's first love. More importantly, the book has the underlying problem of what students might deal with in their home situations. In particular the book has a verbal abusive and controlling father figure.  The family has fights every day and the mother is caught in the middle.  Also the girl is struggling to find her independence about who she is as a person and dealing with what she percieves others think of her.

Suggestions For Use in a Library

1.  Under the display for this book, have children add excuses that have used for missing homework.
2.  After read aloud over several visits, discuss common problems as a today teen versus the problems identified from this book since it was written from the 1970's.

Reviews

Gr 4-7-- Misunderstood, overweight, and convinced that she'll never get a date, Marcy Lewis wants nothing more than to be "normal." Her admiration and defense of Ms. Finney, an outspoken English teachers with the courage of her convictions, provides a way for Marcy to reexamine what's important to her and to stand up for what she believes. First published in 1974, Paula Danziger's compassionate and accurate portrayal of a young girl struggling to find her own voice rings as true today as it did 30 years ago. A full cast brings this modern American classic of teenage angst to life with humor and pathos. In an afterword, Danziger explains how she came to write this novel.

Lombardo, C., & Mandell, P. (2005). The cat ate my gymsuit. School Library Journal, 51(5), 67.

Gr 7-9-Marcy, who is 13 years old and in the ninth grade, hates her father, school, and being fat.  Ms. Finney, the new young English teacher, helps Marcy to gain more self-confidence and to stand up for her convictions, although this antagonizes her domineering father.  When Finney's unconventional teaching methods and her refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance result in her dismissal, Marcy and the rest of her class fight for her reinstatement.  The issues of teacher independence and student protest are topical, and Marcy, an intelligent and enjoyable adolescent, is anticlimactic and unsatisfying (Finney resigns her regained position) and some of the characters like Marcy's bullying father are stereotypes.

Coyle, C. S., Gerhardt, L. N., Pollack, P. D., Abramson, J., & Stenson, L. (1974). The cat ate my gymsuit. School Library Journal, 21(3), 62.

Module 1 Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't)

Bibliographic Citation

Bottner, B. (2010). Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don't). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Summary

Miss Brooks is a young librarian who is eager to excite her students about books.  She shares her books all year long dressing up in costumes.  One student does not think she will ever love a book.  Finally it is Book Week.  After much reading at home with her mother, the student finally finds a book she loves to share.  Both agree that there is a book in the library for everyone.

Impressions

Miss Brooks reminds me of Mrs. Frizzell from The Magic Schoolbus books because she is excited about books and dresses up in costumes.  The girl student looks like a kindergartener or a first grader at a beginning reading level looking for a book that they want to read.  But Miss Brooks is patient and gives the girl time to grow and listen to many good books until she finds her favorite.

Suggestions For Use in a Library

1.  Celebrate Book Week at your own library similar to the story.  Children pick a favorite story to share and dress up in costume.  This book could be read prior to the book week to get the children excited about celebrating.
2.  What kind of librarian is Miss Brooks?  Tell how the illustrator help to portray her as a person who loved books.

Reviews

 A first grader finds her school librarian's passion for books "vexing," to say the least. The free-spirited Miss Brooks communicates her love for books by dressing up in costumes ranging from a Wild Thing to Abe Lincoln, but while the rest of the class participates enthusiastically, the little girl remains unmoved. She also dismisses her classmates' book choices: "Too flowery"; "Too clickety." But when her mother brings out a book about an ogre with warts -- William Steig's Shrek! -- she finally meets a book she can love. In Emberley's ebullient pencil and watercolor pictures, Miss Brooks's engaging personality shines through in her colorful clothes and her wild hair, while the little girl's stubbornness is reflected in her wearing the same outfit day after day. This celebration of books and the need for kids to find the right book will make a great story to read during Children's Book Week -- and every week

Lempke, S. (2010). Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don't). Horn Book Magazine, 86(3), 62-63.


 PreS-Gr 2 -- All children need a librarian like Miss Brooks. Her love for reading flows from every fiber of her lanky, quirky self. When not happily immersed in one of the colorful choices from the mountains of books surrounding her, she is dressed as Babar, a Chinese dragon, or a groundhog-her puppet-clad arm popping through a hole on the page. She shares stories with a diverse group of young people, and all are captivated-except for one. This first-grade narrator believes Miss Brooks is a little too enthusiastic-to the point of being "vexing." During Book Week's student presentations, the overall-clad girl with large, round spectacles and a woolen beanie finds the other kids' books "too flowery. Too furry. Too clickety. Too yippity." When her mother observes that she is as "stubborn as a wart," interest is aroused, Shrek is discovered in the pile supplied by the librarian, and the transformation begins. An ogre costume and stick-on warts for the whole class complete the conversion to bibliophile. Children will delight in Emberley's spirited watercolor and ink renderings of literary favorites from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to a Wild Thing. Bottner's deadpan humor and delicious prose combine with Emberley's droll caricatures to create a story sure to please those who celebrate books-and one that may give pause to those who don't (or who work with the latter).

Lukehart, W. (2010). Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don't). School Library Journal, 56(2), 76.

Guaranteed to be warmly welcomed by librarians everywhere, this paean to the joys of reading will find an enthusiastic audience among kids and parents as well. The first-grade narrator is clearly an iconoclast--and a curmudgeon. She wears the same scruffy overalls and striped hat (pulled down to her eyes) throughout, turns away from reading circle to pursue her own interests and doesn't even bother with a Halloween costume. She looks askance at Miss Brooks, the tall, lanky (and, in her opinion, overenthusiastic) librarian who dresses up for storytime and urges her listeners to share their favorites with the group. After the narrator rejects her classmates' picks, Miss Brooks sends yet another pile home, with similar results. When her remarkably patient mother opines that she is "as stubborn as a wart," however, a seed is planted. A book with warts (Shrek) is found, loved and shared with great success. Bottner's deadpan delivery is hilarious, while Emberley's exaggerated illustrations, executed in watercolor and pencil by way of computer, bring her charmingly quirky characters perfectly to life. In a word: lovable. (Picture book. 5-8)

Miss Brooks loves books! (and I don't). (2010). Kirkus Reviews, 78(4), 138.