Raccoon's Last Race

Module 3

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. 2004. Raccoon's last race. Ill. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

In this retelling of a Native American tale, Azban or Raccoon is the fastest runner of all the animals. Unfortunately, his pride in his ability leads him to taunt the other animals until finally many of them stop speaking to him. One day he challenged Big Rock to race him. Big Rock didn't want to travel but Azban, so sure of himself, pushed Big Rock off the hill. Big Rock had never moved before and didn't know how to stop: he rolls over Azban and flattens him. In desperation Azban calls for help, but the only animals who will help him are the ants. He tells them he will be their friend if they will help stretch him back into shape. Before they finish the job, he returns to his selfish ways and like many other tricksters, gets what he really deserves. The illustrations help tell the story using pen and ink, gouache (painting with opaque watercolors), and pastel. They show the movements of the animals they try to race Azban. The animal characters faces are shown with expression. Even Big Rock has personality. The book has done a great job of remaining true to the traditional Abenaki Azban the Raccoon tales and is recommended for grades K-4.

Mightier than the Sword

Module 3

Yolen, Jane. 2003. Mightier than the sword: World folktales for strong boys. Ill. by Raul Colon. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

Yolen has collected fourteen folktales from all over the world and retold them with her own special expertise. Dedicating the book to her sons and grandsons, her goal is to show how boys can be strong without using their fists or brute strength, but rather their intelligence, courage and generosity. She has succeeded masterfully in this diverse compilation of tales which include magic and enchantment, trickery and humor. We start out with a story from China called The Magic Brocade in which a son risks everything to make his mother happy. In the end, he not only makes her happy, but himself as well. Another, such as Mighty Mikko from Finland tells the magical story of how a kind heart, bravery and faith (along with the help of a friend who happens to be a bit of a trickster) help a young man find his good fortune. Other tales from all over the world, Angola to Russia, emphasize the theme of succeeding without using violence. The black and white illustrations, rendered in pen and ink, are done with expression and detail. They are reminiscent of the types of illustrations found in older fairy tale books. this excellent collection is recommended for grades 4-8.

Move Over Rover

Beaumont, Karen. 2006. Move over Rover. Ill. by Jane Dyer. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

Rover is in the doghouse alone, but not for long. When a thunderstorm pops up he suddenly has a lot of company. As other animals join him it becomes very crowded -- until skunk shows up! The cover of this book is irresistible with a picture of Rover and his mouse friend to draw children into the book. This perfect for storytime book uses watercolor and liquid acrylic on hot press watercolor paper to create delicious illustrations which help tell the story. As the children listen to the story which uses repeating phrases, they can visualize how crowded the dog house becomes. This humourous story will delight children and adults. It's recommended for ages 3-7.

The Name Jar

Choi, Yangsook, 2001. The name jar. New York: Afred A. Knopf.

Unhei is from Korea, but has moved to the United States. On her first day of school the other kids tease her about her name and she decides to choose an American name. Her family thinks she should be proud of her name; her classmates give her a jar filled with names, so that she can choose her favorite. But it's so hard to choose. Eventually, she makes her decision, a surprising one. This heartwarming story shows the courage of a child who wants to be accepted, but also wants to be herself. This book is creatively illustrated at the beginning and end with a Chinese name stamp and slips of paper with some of the names from Unhei's name jar. The painterly illustrations throughout the book are bright and expressive but a little stereotypical (especially the Asian characters). This book is recommended for K-2nd grade, but it might work will with slightly older children.

I Am too Absolutely Small for School

Child, Lauren. 2004. I am too absolutely small for school. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press

Lola can think of all kinds of reasons why she doesn't want to go to school for the first time: she's too small, she doesn't have time, she doesn't really need to learn to count or learn to read. Her older brother finally is able to help Lola see the advantages of going to school. After all, she might need to be able to "read to an ogre, count up elephants or send notes to the North Pole". And most of all, she might need to go so her invisible friend, Soren Lorenson won't be all by himself. This is a wonderful mixed media illustrated picture book. Child uses photographs, drawings and fabric to create a treat for children's eyes. The illustrations are as creative as the excuses Lola uses for not wanting to go to school. Using different type fonts, sometimes setting sentences in circles, the books shows the creative skill of this well-known author/illustrator. This book is recommended for PreK to 2nd grade.

Ella Sarah Gets Dressed

Chodos-Irvine, Margaret. 2003. Ella Sarah gets dressed. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc.

Ella Sarah has her own ideas about what she wants to wear. Her mother, father and big sister all have other ideas, but Ella Sarah doesn't care what everyone else says - she has her own sense of style, including a red hat! Any child who likes to play dress-up can relate. The vibrantly colored, visually appealing illustrations were created with several printmaking techniques. The warm oranges, pinks and reds emphasize Ella Sarah's favorite colors. In the first part of the story, we only see the face of Ella Sarah: the faces of the other characters are missing as they try to get Ellas Sarah to wear what they have chosen for her. This puts the emphasis on Ella and the fact that she can make her own choices. At the end of the story we see the faces of her friends as they all come to tea in outfits of their own choice. This Caldecott Honor book is recommended for PreK-1st grade.

Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Lin, Grace. 2004. Fortune cookie fortunes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Opening fortune cookies with her family in a Chinese restaurant makes one little girl curious about whether the fortunes come true. Her sister doesn't think so but over the next few days it appears that they do some true, in some amazing ways. She begins to see the world through the fortunes she finds when she cracks open the cookies. Inside this bright colorful book are painterly illustrations, done in pen and watercolor. The theme is made dominant throughout with fortune cookies on the front and back covers. Fortunes are sprinked throughout the book (as if we have just been given an entire platter to open up all at once) and help us, as as the girl discovers, to "see the world in a different way". This delightful book also provides some history about the fortune cookie at the end. It would fit well in a multicultural collection and is recommended for children in PreK-3rd grade.