Joey Pigza Loses Control

Bibliography
Gantos, Jack. 2000. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York: Farrar Straus, and Giroux. ISBN: 0374399891.

Plot Summary
In this sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey is taking medication for his attention deficit disorder and is much more in control of himself. In this book, Joey is going to spend his summer with his estranged father and is excited about getting to know his father. In the process of knowing his father Joey finds out that his father is an alcoholic and also as wired as he was. His father wants Joey to get rid of his medication believing that Joey is normal and does need any medication. Joey also wants so much to be part of his father’s life that he agrees to go without medication, but soon sees his old self coming out; Joey was getting out of control.

Critical Analysis
A very well told story written from the perspective of a person suffering from an attention deficit disorder. It is an interesting read as readers can see what is really going on in the head of a person with disability. Joey is a very loveable character, full of energy, and very mature too. Joey is fully aware of what is going on with him and with his new medication he has more self control. Jack Gantos has very nicely brought forth the vulnerability of Joey to get to know his father and his need to be loved by his father. Gantos has adeptly shown how Joey is torn between his mother and father and like any other normal child Joey secretly wishes for his separated parents to get together. The language in the story is very realistic and reflects the ways children usually talk and feel. The story deals with the typical facets of contemporary realism like need for acceptance, coping with disability, and coping with separation of parents. The story is very appealing and the plot is very fresh. Readers would never have thought that Joey’s father will force him to give up his medications and readers will want to know how Joey gets himself out of this situation. The story has a blend of humor, emotions, and excitement making it a very enjoyable book to read.

Children who loved Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key will also love this sequel.

The Penderwicks

Bibliography
Birdsall, Jeanne. 2005. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Foour Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9780375931437.

Plot Summary
The Penderwicks, father and four sisters, rent a cottage for the summer vacation and get more than what theyhad expected at this place. The Penderwick sisters – Rosalind, is 12 and the mother figure; Skye, 11, is adventurous and courageous; Jane, is 10 and is a creative writer and lives in her own fantasy world; Batty, is 4 and is a very shy person and likes to wear wings all the time – have lost their mother very early in their lives, but have a very supporting father who loves them immensely. The Penderwick sisters meet Jeffrey, the son of the cottage owner. Jeffrey’s mother is very mean and controlling person and the Penderwick girls always get into trouble with her. Through their summer adventures, Jeffrey becomes very good friends with the Penderwick girls. The Penderwick girls help Jeffrey speak up for himself and let his mother know what he really wants to do in his life.

Critical Analysis
The Penderwicks is a hilarious tale of friendship, standing up for each other, and being oneself. Each character is defined differently and has unique traits. The characters have many imperfections but are still lovable. They do many mistakes like any other child would but are still loved by their forgiving father. Birdsall has excellently shown the importance of family and how each character supports each member of the family. Friendship is valued in this story and the Penderwick girls would do anything to save their friend Jeffrey. Jeffrey also finds the fun and freedom he would love to have in the Penderwick sisters and reciprocates their friendship by saving the girls from many messy situations. The themes of finding ones own identity, friendship, blossoming romances, and learning from mistakes is all neatly packed into this story. The scenes are very funny allowing the readers to let their imaginations loose. Children will love this story as it will remind them of their own summer adventures. The characters are very natural and their experiences are very close to what children might experience. The language used in this book closely resembles how children of that age would talk and act. The plot is very engaging and will keep the readers glued to the book from the first page. The small town setting and the natural surroundings in the story gives that vacation home feeling where there is lot of fun adventures awaiting to be explored. The importance of family, friendship, and love is very subtly expressed through this story.

All in all it’s a very enjoyable story and readers will be laughing aloud as the read the comical escapades of the four Penderwick sisters, their friend Jeffrey, their dog Hound, the rabbits, and the bull!!

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal – Problems are solved and lessons learned in this wonderful, humorous book that features character whom readers will immediately love, as well as a superb writing style (www.Amazon.com).

Booklist – But what this family story does offer are four marvelously appealing sistes, true childhood behavior (disobeying, running away, a first crush), and a writing style that will draw readers close (Ilene Cooper, www.amazon.com).

Monumental Verses

Bibliography
Lewis, Patrick J. 2005. Monumental Verses. Washington D.C.: National Geographic. ISBN: 0792271394.

Plot Summary
Monumental Verses are poems that describe the 13 man made marvels of world. From the Empire State Building to the Eiffel Tower and from Great Pyramids of Egypt to Machu Picchu in Peru the poems pay homage to these wonders of the world.

Critical Analysis
J. Patrick Lewis has written remarkable poems that are just as breathtaking as the monuments he is describing. In addition to the 13 wonderful poems he has written an opening poem and also another poem admiring the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the back cover of the book. The poet has used the shape poem technique for some poems writing in the shape of the monument. The language of the poem is simple and easy to understand, yet the words strongly highlight the enormity of the structures. The rhythm and the sounds of the words in the poem are enjoyable. The poet has used some excellent photographs to display these monuments in the book.

The poems can be used in classrooms and by students to learn more about the wonders of the world. This book can also serve as a great connection while learning about different countries. Although this poetry book is intended for older readers, it is a small book and the poems are short, making it an easy reader even for younger children.

The Beauty of the Beast

Bibliography
Prelutsky, Jack. 1997. The Beauty of the Beast. Illustrated by Meilo So. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0679970584.

Plot Summary
This book is an anthology of poems selected by Jack Prelutsky about different types of animals. Animal lovers will find more than 200 poems about various insects, sea creatures, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and mammals. Every child can find poems about the animal he or she loves or hates.

Critical Analysis
The Beauty of the Beast is a very interesting topical anthology about animals. This book is especially helpful to teachers and librarians as they can use it as a thematic connection while teaching about animals in the classroom. Since the poems deal with variety of animals, children will be able to find poems that refer to their favorite animal or maybe a not so favorite animal too. Although some poems could be hard to comprehend there is something for all ages and levels of understanding in this book.

The water color illustrations enhance the richness of the beautiful poems. The title suits the book very well as some of the poems are truly touching bringing out the beauty of the beast. Prelutsky has also written short opening poems at the beginning of each section that describes the animal category very nicely. My personal favorites in this anthology are - “The Ants Crawl” by Eleanor Schick, “Bumble Bee” by Margaret Wise Brown, “Cocoon” by David McCord, “Fish” and “Frog” by Mary Ann Hoberman, “Mud Turtles” by Grace Taber Hallock, “Naming the Turtle” by Patricia Hubbell, “Woodpecker” by Ted Hughes and many more.

Jack Prelutsky has carefully collected a variety of interesting poems for this anthology so that children will surely find something they will enjoy.

Please Bury Me in the Library

Bibliography
Lewis, Patrick J. 2005. Please Bury Me in the Library. Illustrated by Kyle M. Stone. Gulliver Books. ISBN: 0152163875.

Plot Summary
Please Bury Me in the Library is a compilation of poems by Patrick J. Lewis. He writes about the magic of books, importance of libraries, and the joys of reading.

Critical Analysis
This book celebrates reading, books, and libraries. Anyone who likes to read books will find these poems amusing and anyone who doesn’t like reading may be enthused to read after reading Patrick Lewis’s poems. The dark, vibrant illustration’s provides a unique visual imagery to the poems. The poet has used a variety of poetry writing techniques like haiku, acrostic, rhyming couplets etc to deliver a wonderful blend of poems. The short yet meaningful poems will make the children wanting to read more. The poems also have a touch of humor like the first poem “What if Books had Different Names” that switches words in book titles making it sound funny to the readers.

It’s a nice concoction of poems that can be read aloud with your child.

The Neighborhood Mother Goose Rhymes

Bibliography
Crews, Nina. 2004. The Neighborhood Mother Goose Rhymes. GreenWillow Books. ISBN: 9780060515744.

Plot Summary
This book is a collection of some very familiar mother goose rhymes that children like to sing everyday. Children will find their favorites like “Hey Diddle Diddle”, “Jack and Jill”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and many other enjoyable rhymes.

Critical Analysis
Nina Crews has done an excellent work in collecting these poetic gems and creating photographic illustrations that are a real treat to the children. Nina Crew has picked rhymes that will not only entertain children but will also encourage them to sing and enact as they read. The illustration’s brings out the beauty in this book and makes it different from other Mother Goose Rhymes books. The illustrations have been inspired by Nina Crew’s Brooklyn neighborhood experiences. The pictures are a blend of real photographs with imaginative manipulations that brilliantly tell the story in each rhyme. For example, in the song “Hey Diddle Diddle” a cat is holding the violin and you can see a cow near the moon. In “Jack, Be Nimble” song, pictures have been manipulated such that you can see a child jumping over a candle lit on a cupcake. The illustrations just add to the joy of reading the rhymes.

The book surely is a delight for the young readers.

The Magic Gourd

Bibliography
Diakite, Baba Wague. 2003. The Magic Gourd. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439439602.

Plot Summary
While a rabbit is searching for food in a draught struck countryside, he finds a chameleon stuck in thorny bushes. Since the rabbit is helpful by nature he helps the chameleon. As a gift the chameleon gives the rabbit a magic gourd. With the magic gourd the rabbit not only feeds his family but also his friends and neighbors. The greedy king hears about this magic gourd and takes it away from the rabbit. The rabbit then gets another gift from the chameleon that helps him teach the king a lesson and get his magic gourd back.

Critical Analysis
Diakite retells a traditional folktale of good wins over evil from his native of Mali. The story like most traditional folktales involves magic and animals that talk and act like people. The values of helping others, kindness, friendship, and generosity are stressed in this story. Through this story Diakite introduces the rich culture of the native Mali. The beautiful ceramic art illustrations are bordered with traditional mud cloth designs that is a unique textile technique used in Mali. The illustrations are embossed on bright colored backgrounds making the illustrations stand out to the readers. The illustrations are ethnically authentic and give the readers an idea of African culture.

At the end Diakite presents a song of praise which is considered to be important in Mali. The authors note presents a background of himself and his inspiration to tell these rabbit stories. Diakite also gives a detailed description of the mud clothe pattern used in his illustrations. The author includes a glossary of words and meanings used in national language of Mali, Bambara. The author gives as interesting note about similar stories and their origins.

This book is winner of 2004 Aesop Prize winner for its folklore content and illustrations that accurately reflect the culture.