Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Hey Class,

My group chose Speak for our groups book choice. I feel as though I didn't quite give it the best representation in class. It really is a great read, coming from an adult! I know summer is approaching and you probably have your mind set on just the opposite of reading. Sooo, I wanted to recommend the movie. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in class. I rented it from Blockbuster Video, it's in the Drama section. It's only like $4.00. Speak the movie is almost an exact replica of the book. Some of you might recognize it as a Life Time movie. Rape is a very serious topic, however, the movie does a splendid job of adding some High School humor to the whole production. This movie/book is a very interesting take on this subject. I highly recommend you guys take the time to watch the movie ( 1 hour and 30 min.) or read the book (198 pages) this summer. I promise you will truly enjoy yourself! Good-luck and I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

-Megan

When Sophie Gets Angry - Really Really Angry by Molly Bang

Bang, Molly. When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry. New York: The Blue Sky Press, 1999.

When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry begins as Sophie, the main character of this realistic fictional picture book, gets angry as her sister tries to grab the toy that she is playing with from Sophie’s grip. Sophie becomes enraged as she trips over a toy truck when knocked off balance by her sister’s snatch. Sophie “kicks. She screams. She wants to smash the world into smithereens.” This book follows Sophie’s journey as she battles with her emotions and deals with her anger.
Sophie is a young girl who is used to bring about this theme by using a familiar occurrence in children’s lives: the sharing of a favorite toy. Molly Bang, the author and illustrator, tells a realistic story through simple text and cartoon art. The simplistic text helps children understand the theme that anger is a natural occurrence and there are constructive ways to manage it.
Bang does an excellent job at connecting the illustrations in perfect harmony with the text. The full-color pages are alive with intense purples, oranges and reds at the height of Sophie’s rage, but are later replaced with soothing blues and greens after she is calmed. Bang uses the effect of line throughout the story to show the intensity of her emotions. In the beginning of the story Sophie is outlined in a yellow, but as her anger grows it moves to a flaming red, then back down.
This is a well-written story with attention catching illustrations, and teaches a great lesson to children of all ages.


Another Source:

Cullinan, Bernice, and Lee Galda. Literature and the Child. 5th ed. Wadsworth, 2002

Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps

Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps. Illus. Sucie
Stevenson. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1991.

In her realistic fiction story, Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, Cynthia Rylant tells the story of a young boy named Henry and his dog Mudge as they travel to visit his grandmother out in the country. Henry worries that since Mudge is so big he will not be able to sleep inside the house with him and protect him during the night as he sleeps in this strange, unfamiliar house. As nighttime comes closer, Henry’s parents insist that Mudge sleep outside. Herny lay wide-awake in bed realizing that he cannot sleep without the company of his best friend Mudge. Instead of sleeping inside alone, Henry decides to sleep outside with the comfort of Mudge.
Rylant’s heart-warming story highlights the importance of friendship in times of distress. When Henry is scared, spending the night in this unfamiliar house, Mudge is there to comfort him. Henry also expresses concern for not only himself, but also for what will happen to Mudge alone outside. Stevenson’s illustrations accompany the text and the colors used reflect the feelings of Henry. When Henry is with Mudge, the colors are very soothing and light. However, when Henry thinks of being apart from Mudge, the colors shift to darker shades of purple, blue, and brown. The text is very simple and easy to understand as well as read. Children around the ages of seven to eight can enjoy reading this delightful tale of companionship.

When Sohie Gets Angry- Really, Really Angry... written and illustrated by Molly Bang

Bang, Molly. When Sopie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry… New York: Scholastic, 1999

Every child has to learn the life’s lesson of how to handle and deal with anger. The realistic fiction picture book in the third person point of view, When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry…, written and illustrated by Molly Bang, perfectly reveals Sophie’s remedy for her anger.

Sophie is happily playing when her sister snatches her toy gorilla away from her and boy does Sophie get angry! This book tells the story of her erupting anger and how she escapes to her happy place to relieve her anger. Her happy place is an old beech tree, which she climbs to see the sea and feel the breeze. She then feels happy again and returns home. This book discusses feelings and the lesson that it’s ok to get mad and that there are several ways to handle your anger. Raising the question : What do you do when you get angry?

The style is cartoon art, which looks as if the child who is telling the story created the illustrations as well, and the composition is gouache. Most importantly is Bangs vivid use of outlining colored lines to portray Sophie’s many emotions. When Sophie is happy and content the lines are yellow. As her mood changes to angry they darken to a red. These lines around her also mimic a volcano erupting or a mad monster. This concept flows throughout the entire book and plays an important role in the books illustrations and storyline.

Altogether a wonderful and fun read!

The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo; Illustrations by Paul Lee

Harjo, Joy. The Good Luck Cat. New York City: Harcourt Inc, 2000.

The Good Luck Cat is a first-person narrative by an unnamed Native American girl. Taking place in an urban neighborhood, her cat Woogie is said to bring good luck to anyone who pets him. Despite his good luck gifts, the child describes the various ways Woogie unluckily finds himself losing his nine lives. By the end of the book, Woogie proves to have more than nine lives and therefore proves that he truly is a good luck cat.

While the text implies how Woogie lost each of his nine lives, Lee’s use of full-color acrylic paintings creates extremely detailed and realistic illustrations of Woogie’s mishaps, which really extend the story further. The informal presentation of the text allows Lee to extend each life of Woogie over two pages, making the pictures the center of attention. Lee’s uses lines to portray movement, boldness, and danger in various situations. Lee’s use of shadowing, and dark colors further generate the sense of danger Woogie encounters throughout the book.

This book is also considered contemporary Native American fiction. The story itself is has been passed on through the generations. While touching on themes such as life, loss, and love, the book is also raved for its non-stereotypical presentation of Native Americans. Lee presents the Native American characters as everyday human beings, but still subtly manages to incorporate cultural items such as drums, beaded earrings, and the attending of a powwow. This book is intended for children but definitely can be enjoyed by everyone!

[I used the following source to aid me in my review:http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1NOQKHNJPMQV/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp]