In the Night Kitchen

There are few books that both intrigue and perplex me at the same time. In the Night Kitchen (1970) by Maurice Sendak, an older book, still manages this after numerous years. It perplexed me in that I never understood why, or how, Mickey (the young boy and main character) fell out of his clothes. It also intrigued me because the bakers refer to Mickey as milk.

This controversial book is a rhyming story about Mickey, who has a dream. In his dream, Mickey falls out of his clothes and down into the Night Kitchen. In fact, he falls, naked, into a batch of cake batter. Three identical bakers mix him into the batter and try to cook him, thinking he is the milk for the batter. Mickey pops out of the cake, now dressed in batter, explains that he is not the milk, and sets off to retrieve milk for the bakers' cake. He loses his batter clothing in the bottle of milk. After climbing out of the bottle, he slides down the side until he lands safely back in his bed.

As stated previously, the text rhymes. The illustrations, created in Sendak's incredibly recognizable style, make incredible artwork that parallel the text being read. Together, the artwork and text create a kaleidoscopic cornucopia for the readers' senses.

Despite the image of Mickey naked, In the Night Kitchen could be a marvelous read and good teaching tool for teachers. Using the rhymes and during the second read, I would stop before each rhyming word and ask my kindergartners what word is next? What would make sense there? Afterwards, we might read it a third time and create an anchor chart showing the different rhymes used throughout the book.

Classroom library material? Perhaps. I'll leave that up to you. In the Night Kitchen has a great story, but it does have images of a young, naked child...

When Gorilla Goes Walking

When Gorilla Goes Walking (2007) by Nikki Grimes (illustrated by Shane Evans) is one of the most refreshing picture books I have read in quite some time! However, readers should be warned... Firstly, Gorilla is not an ape, but a cat. Secondly, if you don't like cats, you will after this book. If you do, you'll either cry or laugh by the end. Maybe both!

When Gorilla Goes Walking is a series of poems, not all the same, that tell the story of how Cecilia, the character and narrator, got her cat, Gorilla. After Cecilia's mom got the cat, the girl and the cat became best friends, though in the poem titled "Learning the Rules," we see who the boss really is! Cecilia and Gorilla have some misadventures, as well as some spats, but the story shows us that the girl and her cat are inseparable and how they comfort each other. The very last poem gives us a little reminder as to who the boss really is!

The illustrations seem simplistic at first glance. However, a second look shows that Gorilla is often illustrated toward the "front and center" of the page, with Cecilia off the side of the same page or next page. She is nearly always looking at Gorilla. Gorilla is often in a position of power, which parallels the message the texts sends us. When he's not, he is usually even on the page with Cecilia, implying a mutual closeness. The only exception is the very first page, where it's implied that Cecilia got Gorilla and she is with her best friend, whose name just happens to be Cecilia as well. All we see on that double page spread is the top of Gorilla's head and ears.

A fun read, When Gorilla Goes Walking could be used as a launch for all sorts of activities in our kindergarten classroom. I actually have five sets of students in my current class whose names rhyme. We could do a name walk around the class and try to pair them up. We would follow this up with an anchor chart and a rhyme walk through the book, looking for rhyming words. I would love to read this book in April (national poetry month) and go over the different types of poetry in the book, as well as try to create some poetry of our own.

You can't go wrong with Nikki Grimes and I would highly suggest adding When Gorilla Goes Walking to your own classroom library!

Seedfolks

Looking for a different kind of read? Seedfolks (1997) by Paul Fleischman has a large cast of
characters, drama and suspense. So what is it about? It's about a community garden that has been created in the middle of an urban area, and how that garden brings members of a community together to become a family.

The most interesting thing about Seedfolks is that it is a series of stories. While no two stories are directly related to one another, they're all interrelated in that each one is centered around a community garden in the inner city in Cleveland. Previously, the garden was a junk lot where people threw all sorts of trash, until someone got the idea to try to plant something there. All it took was one person with the idea to get the garden started.

While this hasn't been one of my favorite reads, Seedfolks shares some interesting insights in human behavior, as well as teaches us things about ourselves that isn't always pleasant or pretty. For example, in the chapter about Amir, the character runs into another character in his store, and she called him a "dirty foreigner." He runs into her again in the garden and asks her if she remembers that day. She apologized over and over, telling him "'Back then, I didn't know it was you...'"

While my younger students wouldn't understand the story, third through fifth-graders should. I would enjoy doing a character study with them. I would have students broken up into different groups. Each group would take one character and research that character's background. Then, we would come back together with our findings so each group could tell the class what they discovered about each character. I would also like to pair this with a gardening activity of our own, having the classroom work on a small garden together.

While I'm still unsure about the book, I will admit that it makes you stop and think, and not just about yourself. It makes you think about others. It makes you think about how well we know the people that we see, but don't necessarily interact with daily.

Tar Beach

Tar Beach (1991) by Faith Ringgold is about a young girl who dreams she can fly. She likes to fly above her Harlem home, where she claims all she sees for herself and her family. The story, in fact, is based on a family quilt that the author made. The story quilt is also called Tar Beach and has the story sewn into the quilt itself.

The story itself is a mixture of autobiography, fictional narrative, painting and  quilt making. The title, Tar Beach, refers to the rooftop of the building, where the author and her family would get together on hot summer nights. They would go up there to spend time together and eat, both parents and children alike.

The young girl in the story (the author) called the George Washington Bridge "hers" due to the fact that it had been part of her view for her entire life. In fact, the author claimed that anything she flew over, she claimed as being "hers."

Tar Beach, however, also speaks of the social injustices of the time period. In the story, the young girl's father, a construction worker, isn't able to join the union due to the fact that he's "colored or a half-breed Indian." However, the author wants to right this injustice by flying over the building, claiming it as her own, and giving it to her father.

I found this story unique because the author used her own paintings to illustrate the story. Also, the author uses images of the actual quilt to frame the bottom edges of the pages. Additionally, the text is printed on a seeming textured material -- the same visual texture as it's printed on upon the quilt. Each of the images seems to look down on all the characters, as the reader is in the sky flying along with the author.

While my kindergartners would not be able to understand the social injustices of the story, they would be able to understand what is happening. I think this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to make their own "story quilts." They would be able to draw their own pictures for the center, then create a "quilt" of scrap pieces of paper to surround the story picture. Then the students would tell the story so someone could help them by writing it on the back of each individual quilt.

An award winning book, Tar Beach is a must have title for any teacher's personal classroom library!

Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space (2006) by Theresa Heine and illustrated by Victor Tavares is a delightful, most imaginative romp through the solar system that I have ever read. Written by German Heine, this poetic journey through the solar system touches on myths and legends behind the planets names, as well as facts about each of the planets.

Heine dedicates a single quatrain to each feature (whether constellation or planet) that rhymes the second and fourth line. Her fresh, clean style makes Star Seeker an incredibly fun read, though it includes facts about each feature as well. The poem is written in first person narrative, with the author telling us what she'd do to that planet or constellation.

The illustrator deserves kudos as well. All of the illustrations from cover to cover grab the readers imagination as much as the text does. One of my favorite images is that of a young boy using a giant spoon to stir Venus' volcanoes until they start to boil. He portrays Mercury as a planet being hurtled through space by the Greek god of the same name. None of the pictures are framed, which is fast becoming one of my favorite types of illustrating style. Some easily stretch from the edge of one page to the edge of the other!

What makes this book even better is the information at the end of the story. The author explains a little history of astronomy and includes a solar system picture glossary. Then the author tells you the planets in order from the closest to the sun to the furthest, giving a brief explanation of each one.

Instead of using this text for a lesson, I would actually use it to launch a week long unit on outer space. The information in the back of Star Seeker makes a great reference for the students to refer back to as we make our own play dough planets, marshmallow constellations and moon phase moonpies.

If you don't have Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space, I strongly suggest you get it. In fact, get more than one! You'll want one in your classroom, one in your personal library, one for your own kids and...

Tony Baloney

Tony Baloney (2011) by Pam Munoz Ryan (illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham) is a fun picturebook that tells a story about a macaroni penguin. Throughout the book, Ryan peppers the story with words one wouldn't expect in a picturebook. Bothersome, parmesan, exasperating and duffel are some of the words included. Some are explained by the pictures, but some are not.

One can't help but almost feel sorry for Tony, who is the middle penguin in his family. Tony suffers the wrath of Big Sister Baloney and has to tolerate the Bothersome Babies Baloney. Tony Baloney tells us about a day in the life of Tony who seems to fall into as much trouble as he causes. In the story, Tony deals with his feelings by confiding in Dandelion, his stuffed animal buddy. Through Dandelion, Tony finally makes a good choice, only to fall in trouble with Big Sister Baloney
yet again!

The illustrations for the story are quite unique. Every page in the Tony Baloney is decorated with either circles, squares or both. Many pages use colorful circles as frames for the illustrations themselves. As for the characters, the illustrator uses offer for each, having them looking at one another. Except for Dandelion, who is drawn almost always using demand. It's as if Dandelion is keeping tabs on your reaction to the story, asking you what you think about what is happening.

The alliteration that Ryan uses throughout the book, stressing the letter B, gives the text a cadence and makes it easy to read. In places, that rhythm almost overwhelms the text, but Ryan always manages to pull it back in time.

My kindergartners and I would first take a picture walk through the book with me asking them what's happening on each page. I would note their comments on sticky notes to see how close they are when we read the story. Then, we would take a word walk, so to speak. I would ask them about certain words and have them guess the meaning. After we get the correct definitions, we would reread once again, noting the words, where and how they are used.

While not phenomenal, and certainly not what I expected from Pam Munoz Ryan, Tony Baloney is definitely worth a read. Should it go in your own classroom library? I'll let you be the judge of that one...

14 Cows for America

14 Cows for America (2009) by Carman Agra Deedy (illustrated by Thomas Gonzales) is a most inspirational and incredible story. Based on actual events, the story depicts how people sometimes come together over tragic events to help each other out.

In the story, the Maasai people of Kenya, Africa, have a person who has gone to the United States in order to become a doctor. While Kimeli was in New York, he witnessed the tragic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center buildings. The attack, he says, "...burned a hole in his heart." Kimeli was moved to give his greatest possession, a cow, to the US, since cows are nearly sacred to the Maasai people.

He tells the elders of his people his intentions. The elders agree and bless the cow and 13 others to offer as a comfort to the American people. These 14 cows are now considered to be "sacred, healing cows," which can never be slaughtered. They are well cared for and "continue to be a symbol of hope from the Maasai to their brothers and sisters in America."

While the story is factual and straightforward, the unframed, colorful images that span from edge to edge draw the reader into the story. Kimeli is often illustrated surrounded by his people, who welcome and embrace him warmly. The illustrator uses demand to show the Maasai people's welcoming caring nature. The illustrator uses demand yet again to show the darkened reaction of the Maasai people learning of the tragedy that took place across the ocean. The use of demand on the last page with the close up of Kimeli's eye somehow shows what he's seen and gets across the depth of his feeling for the atrocity and suffering that he had to witness.

Though 14 Cows for America is a picturebook, I don't feel it is intended for kindergartners. The story is deep and deals with the tragedy of the attack on the World Trade Center. Also, kindergartners may not understand the meaning of offering of the cows and what they symbolize.

However, I would have third through fifth-graders research different uses of symbolism in different cultures. 14 Cows for America would be a great sticky note book, placing questions on each page about which students have questions. Then, we could either individually, or in small groups, pick a note to research and write about and then give a brief report on that aspect of the book to the rest of the class.

I would definitely recommend 14 Cows for America for any teacher's classroom library.