Module 6: Picture Books

Book Cover:







Book Summary:
This book is told through pictures of a girl who finds a red item (crayon? marker?) and draws things in the picture to make something happen which makes something else happen until finally at the end she helps a bird escape a cage who ends up helping her.

APA Reference of Book:

Becker, A (2014). Journey. London: Walker Books.


Impressions: 
This reminded me a lot of Flotsam or Tuesday by Weisner and Harold and the Purple Crayon combined together.  While the pictures are good I didn't like them as much as Weisner's art. The pictures were not as clear or crisp which is probably deliberate because it looks a lot like a dream. I like the idea of the girl using the red drawing to advance the story and it worked for the most part.

Professional Review:

School Library Journal July 2013
Gr 1-4-In this auspicious debut picture book, a lonely girl escapes the boredom of a sepia-toned world by drawing a doorway to a magical realm. Harkening back to Crockett Johnson's Harold, this child uses a red crayon and a lot of imagination to venture across a Venice-like kingdom, fly among a fleet of steampunk airships, and take off on a magic carpet ride. When an act of compassion and bravery lands the heroine in a cage, it's her magic crayon and a bit of help from a new friend that save the day. This captivating wordless story has all the elements of a classic adventure: unknown lands, death-defying stunts, and a plucky lead. Finely detailed pen-and-ink line drawings combine with luminous washes of watercolor to create a rich and enchanting setting. Becker builds a sense of suspense by varying colorful full-page spreads with smaller vignettes that feature the girl and her red crayon surrounded by ample white space. The final page shows the youngster and her new friend riding a tandem bicycle pointing onward. Endpapers spotlight all manner of transportation: ships, trains, cars, and even space shuttles. The strong visual narrative makes this an appealing choice for a wide range of ages. By the turn of the last page, children will immediately begin imagining the next adventure.–Kiera Parrott, Darien Library, CT

Library Uses:
I would use this for writing a story or story telling. You could also have the students draw a picture and add their own own red drawn item and girl.  

My Rating: ***

Skid and the Too Tiny Tunnel

** I recieved this book through NetGalley review**

Title: Skid & the Too Tiny Tunnel
SubTitle: A story of courage based on Deuteronomy 31:6
Publisher: Warner Press
Imprint: Warner Press Kids
Pub Date: 01/01/2009
 ISBN: 9781593173555
Author: Jeffery Stoddard
Genre: Fantasy (talking machines)
Reading level: grades 3-5
Interest level: grades 1-5

I have never read anything by this author before so when I saw it I thought this would be a great book to read first on NetGalley. It seemed like a book I could use to teach character. I was a little wary about the reference to Deuteronomy and the Bible because I teach in a public school and usually religion references are frowned upon even though most of my students talk about going to church at some point in the year. But after reading it was not really discussed at all except on the cover. So I shouldn't have a problem having this in my  classroom. Things I liked:

• The  illustrations are nice and simple with color being done in crayon.
• Vocabulary is great, lots of unusual words that students need to be exposed to like massive, belching, careeening, and chuckled. 
• The moral of the story was great. The story talked about having fear of doing something and doing it anyway and not sit and complain it. Also about even the smallest person can make a big difference. Great for character lessons as I thought!

Things I didn't like or readers may have difficulty with:

• The vocabulary can be difficult to read for lower readers but this can be fixed by reading first in a read aloud or with a partner who has a higher reading level.
• At the end of the story with Pillar there was a section where Skid first comes upon Pillar that was a little awkward. I think more showing rather than telling would have worked better. Seeing as this was the only thing I didn't like it is really only a minor thing.

Overall I really liked this book and would purchase it for my classroom. The story had a great message and I think students will identify themselves in Skid. It reminded me a lot of the story of the Little Engine that Could.

Rating:****