Animalia By Graeme Base- Fiction/Poetry/Animal Fantasy

Base, Graeme. Animalia. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 1993.

If you still tend to “judge a book by its cover” then I don’t think you’ll be able to pass up Animalia written and illustrated by Graeme Base. Animalia is an alphabet book but it offers much more than just teaching the letters in their appropriate order. Each page is dedicated to one of the 26 letters of the alphabet and it contains a phrase using only words that begin with the designated letter. One of the words on each page is the name of an animal that starts with the given letter, thus explaining the title: Animalia. Base has filled each letter’s page from top to bottom with objects that begin with the showcased letter. So although the phrase may consist of only a few words, nearly all illustrations complement the letter. Base’s artwork style is a mixture of representational and surrealistic art with a great use of vivid color and intense texture.

I think beyond the sheer enjoyment this book brings, is a great teaching and learning tool. Each phrase uses alliteration and encourages vocabulary exploration. Since alliteration is used, it can be difficult to find words that make sense but also start with the appropriate letter, so some of the words are not found in everyday language. The illustrations alone are a learning tool that make readers question the strategic placement of each object.

Overall , Animalia is a fun, informational book that will leave readers of all ages entertained for hours!

Julius The Baby of The World by Kevin Henkes

Henkes, Kevin. Julius The Baby of The World. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1990.

Julius The Baby of the World is told by a young mouse Lilly who is jealous of her innocent baby brother. She hoped that he would go away and did mean things to him such as yelling into his crib. This lasted until snobby Cousin Garland called her brother disgusting. Lilly then stood up for her brother and made her repeat “Julius is the baby of the world.”

Lilly is a very jealous little girl which really brings out the theme in the book, learning how to share. Not only sharing in the sense of toys but also sharing the attention from her parents. The art is a major aspect of the book with a representational style because of the realistic quality. As I first read it I forget the characters were mice because of how real the art seems. Watercolors are used as well as black ink to define the line outline of the mice to make them stand out as bold characters.

This book is very relevant to children in the sense that the theme is about how we must not get jealous when someone is receiving more attention than us. There are also many hidden messages that can show us the social relevancy of the story. For instance on the pages that are outside of the home where the family is interacting with other mice some of the mice are white and some brown. This shows that Henkes wanted to add the factor of race in to show everyone was getting along.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble By: William Steig

Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. New York: The Trumpet Club, 1969.

This clever book is an animal fantasy story about a donkey named Sylvester who comes across a magic pebble that grants any wishes he desires. One day he comes across a lion so he wishes to be turned into a rock to protect himself. Unfortunately he does not think this through because he is no longer holding the pebble and he is unable to change himself back. Time passes; seasons are shown through illustrations. His parents almost give up hope until they come across the rock that is their son. Sylvester’s mom finds the pebble and holds it in her hand and wishes her son were here. Magically Sylvester turns back into himself and everyone is very grateful.

The text and illustrations have a enhanced relationship; the illustrations add some qualities to the book that are not displayed by the text. The pictures are very bright and colorful with a lot of texture and detail, which really helps move the story along.

Although the pictures take up most of the space on the pages the text of the story has the most impact on the reader. It brings a very good message to the reader’s attention: although there is a lot of things we might wish for, we should not take for granted what we have because in the end those things are most important. In the end Sylvester was happy to be with his family that he missed for so long. Sometimes materialistic things are not needed when you have the love of the people around you. This story line is definitely age appropriate for any and all readers. It is a great story that ends with a great message.

The Hare and the Tortoise

Wildsmith, Brian. The Hare and the Tortoise. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1966.
The Genre of this book is Fantasy because animals can not talk in real life. This book is about a slow tortoise that challenges a quick hare to race. The hare is very arrogant and thinks he will win for sure, only to find that by being arrogant he will loose to the less appealing opponent. This story takes place in a field outside and is told by an omniscient narrative. The theme is that you should never give up and that looks can be very deceiving.
The media of this book includes watercolor for some of the illustrations and acrylic for many. The style of art is cartoon because the shapes are all very simplified and many of the characters are distorted. The placement on the page varies but generally takes up most of the space sometimes even extending over onto the next page. The author uses straight lines, to form different objects and also blends colors to give it a watercolor effect. The colors used are very bright and catch the reader's eye.

The author put the drawings and text together very well to create the story. The words were simple to encourage young readers and the pictures also helped. This book allows kids to know that they can do whatever they put their minds to. It was made for children from 4-8 years in age, the perfect time to begin teaching them life lessons.

Cinderella by Charles Perrault, illustrated by K.Y Craft

Perrault, Charles. Cinderella. New York: SeaStar Books. 2000.

Cinderella by Perrault is a fantasy story about a girl who has a mean stepmother with daughters to match. She meets her fairy godmother, and is able to go to the ball, and meet the prince. They end up marrying and living happily ever after.

A theme that could be applied to this tale would be good things come to those who wait. The point of view in the book is third person. In this particular book you’ll find that every other page, and in some cases two pages in a row there will be an illustration. The illustrations are very lavish and even to the point of embellishment. This book could be read by any age. There isn’t anything a parent might see as graphic or harmful for a young child to view. Cinderella is kind to her step sister’s and helps them regardless of how they treat her. In the end her stepsisters ask for forgiveness about how they treated her. A lovely story with wonderful illustrations.

Here’s some background on the story: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/history.html

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. New York City: Hyperion Books for Children, 2003.

The story begins right as we open the book. In the front end-pages, a cartoon pigeon dreams of driving a bus. On the title page, a bus driver introduces himself and asks us if we will watch his bus for a short while. He adds, in what would seem like an afterthought was it not the title of the book, “Oh, and remember: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” That simple task becomes all-consuming when we are confronted with the persistent pigeon. The pigeon asks to drive the bus. The pigeon begs to drive the bus. The pigeon attempts to trick us into letting it drive the bus. Finally, the pigeon throws a fit of frustration when we do not allow it to drive the bus. Though the bus driver returns to a pigeon-free bus, his return is not the end of the story because on the final pages the pigeon encounters a semi-truck, which, predictably, he dreams of driving.

Willems’ simple, creative and effective use of page space, beginning on that very first end-page, is exciting because of its interactive nature. The back cover of the book proclaims, “Finally, a book you can say ‘no’ to!”An emphatic “NO!” is just how young and old readers alike are likely to react to the pleading pigeon. While the elementary word choice and the naïve cartoon drawings make the text seem childlike, they portray a cunning (and very human) pigeon whose tactics and emotions are universally recognizable.

For more information about the book, the pigeon or the author, check out: http://www.mowillems.com