Fly Away Home

Fly Away Home
by, Eve Bunting
Illustrated by, Ronald Himler

This is the story of a homeless father and his son, living at the airport. Written from the little boy's perspective, he shares what this experience is like for him, and how he and his dad work to remain invisible so that they don't get caught.

I truly got goose bumps as I read this story. I love that the author wrote such a heartfelt story about homelessness. It illustrates very well that the face of homelessness is not always what many people think. Children are homeless. Well dressed, professional looking fathers are homeless. So often, as a society, we think of homelessness as only impacting individuals who struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, older disheveled looking men pushing shopping carts, etc.

I struggle to think of this book as a controversial book. As adults, we sometimes want to shelter our children from the idea that some children really struggle in our world. Children cope with all sorts of issues, homelessness being among them. I believe that it is essential that children learn about lifestyles and situations outside of their own experiences. This story addresses the topic of homelessness in a sensitive, heartfelt way that children and adults can both learn from.

Walter the Farting Dog

Walter the Farting Dog
by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray
illustrated by, Audrey Colman

Ah-farting. Such controversy!

Seriously, I thought this book was hilarious. Adults can be so serious sometimes, and if anyone has spent time with children ages 7-11, you know that there isn't anything quite as funny as a fart joke. This book tells the story of Walter the dog, who is at risk of being sent back to the dog pound thanks to his farting problem. The family tries everything they can to change Walter's farting habits, but in the end, Walter is Walter, and the family learns to love him just as he is.

I think the only reason I might hesitate to use this book in a classroom setting would be from a classroom management perspective. I can imagine a room full of third graders losing complete control as I read this book. I understand that some people may find farting to be an offensive and rude behavior, but given that this book doesn't advocate children farting in inappropriate places- we are talking about a dog here- I think the world should be able to handle this little bit of "controversy."

Happy to Be Nappy

Happy to Be Nappy
by Bell Hooks
Illustrated by, Chris Raschka

This picture book poetically illustrates the joy and beauty of "nappy" hair. I enjoyed the poetic verse, and I thought the artwork in the book was cute, with bold colors and paint depicting young African American children with a variety of hair styles and looks. The text of the story appears in cursive writing, looking like it was written with a black crayon. This adds to the innocence of the book, and I think helps the author to evoke the sense of self-pride and confidence that she hopes children will feel regarding their own identity.

In my mind, the book by itself contains very little controversy. I think most people would agree that all children should feel confident and self assured in their appearance and their cultural identity. For an African American parent to read this book to his or her daughter probably will not spark to much controversy. However, if a white teacher is reading this book to her class, I can understand that some controversy might arise. The term "nappy hair" could be considered insulting when coming from an individual who is not a member of the African American culture. For this reason, I would be very cautious presenting this book in my own classroom (I am a white female). In my social studies methods course we discussed this book, and our instructor shared that a teacher was fired for reading this book to her class. As teachers, we strive include diverse perspectives and books with a wide range of cultural influences into our classroom. However, care must be taken not to inadvertently offend or use materials that could be misinterpreted. I think that this book has a great message for all kids- kids should should feel happy about their bodies, their hair, and themselves! However, I think the risk of misinterpretation would be great, and therefore I probably would steer away from this book in my elementary school classroom.

On the Day You Were Born

On the Day You Were Born
by, Debra Frasier

This is a beautifully written, poetic book that tells of the wonders of our planet earth, and the special welcoming of a new baby. The illustrations on each page hold bright contrasting colors, and each page seems worthy of framing.

Mostly, I love the poetic verse in this book, as well as the subtle messages of conservation and the importance of taking care of planet- for it takes care of us. The end of this book contains informational pages with expanded information about some of the terms mentioned in the books verses. There is information about migration, gravity, the sun, the moon, tides, atmosphere, etc.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will support an Environmental Learning Center in Florida's Indian River Lagoon. This book supports environmental efforts not only through the words that it shares, but financially as well. I love this book.

To Market, To Market

To Market,To Market
by,Anne Miranda
illustrated by, Janet Stevens

This is a crazy, wacky, brilliantly illustrated book based on the classic nursery rhyme. The old woman in this story goes to market to buy a fat pig (home again, home again jiggity jig). But, then when she returns to the market to by a fat hen, the pig gets loose and causes all sorts of chaos in her house. One by one, her groceries (the animals) cause trouble for the woman.

The illustrations in this story are incredibly creative. There is an enormous amount of detail on each page, and children will enjoy exploring the illustrations. Pieces of the illustrations are black and white, contrasted with vibrant colors that stand out against the black and white background. The illustrations in this book were done in acrylic, oil pastel, and colored pencil with photographic and fabric collage elements. I think the variety of methods used really adds to the depth of the illustrations.

Some Things Are Scary (No Matter How Old You Are)

Some Things Are Scary
(No Matter How Old You Are)
by, Florence Parry Heide
illustrated by, Jules Feiffer

This charming book explores things that are scary- both things that probably truly worry children, and very silly scary things. The book has a nice mix of serious with silly. I particularly enjoyed this book because my 6 year old son seems to worry a lot and have a lot of fears. His latest concern is that he doesn't want to move away from home when he is a grown up. The final page in this book says "knowing you're going to grow up to be a grownup is scary." How perfect for my son!

Kids can worry about so many things, and I love that this book addresses these issues. The illustrations are simply done in watercolor and felt-tip marker. The illustrator does a nice job of depicting looks of fear, worry and concern on the child's face in this book. This is a great book for gently addressing fears that children encounter.

To Be a Kid

To Be a Kid
by Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko

Let me start by saying that I truly get goose bumps when I read this book. It is a simple book, with simple words and very powerful accompanying photographs from around the world. The authors capture the common traits of childhood across cultures. The book opens with the line, "To be a kid means being carried by those who love you" and pictures children being carried by parents or big siblings in Senegal, Nepal, Japan and the United States. The photographs show that their are many different ways to carry young children, many different cultural clothes, different human expressions, but a common sense of caring. Each page in this book depicts a similar simple idea- spending time with family, playing ball, going to school, etc. I loved this book, and I think it is a great multi-cultural photo book that touches the heart.