The Bard's Books

In my Children's Literature course this semester, I was required to read an additional 50 books from various lists and write annotated bibliographies for each of 5 categories. I've used google docs to create these bibliographies as it is the easiest way to create a document that can be edited and used for future interactions with parents who are looking for certain types of books for their children. To see my annotated bibliography, click on the link below.  Annotated Bibliography

This post is going to be very, very long. This is the warning for any non MLS student readers who may be checking out my blog.  The Children's Literature course that I've been taking this semester from SHSU has several large final projects that I've been working on throughout the semester, with this blog post being one. This blog post is the accumulation of reviews that I've been keeping as I've read through the required books for the class. I've really enjoyed most of the books I've read this semester and I hope that you'll find something in this list to add to your Christmas break reading list! Appelt, K. (2008).  The underneath . NY: Simon and Schuster. Set in the bayous of Western Louisiana at the border with Texas, The Underneath is a moving story about love and family. A calico cat finds an unlikely friend in a hound dog named Ranger who is chained to a run down house owned by the antagonist, Gar Face. A second story is woven into the pl

Wonderstruck will appeal to readers who are drawn to graphic novels but also to those who like historical fiction. Set in both 1977 and 1927, the stories of Rose and Ben wind around each other as they come to their mutual conclusion. The beautiful illustrations interspersed with a riveting story would be a huge draw to many readers. The illustrations captivate as does the puzzle style of storytelling that Selznick uses to advance the plot. Brian Selznick's other books include the hugely popular Caldecott winner The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Houdini Box, and The Robot King . The Invention of Huge Cabret is similar in style and scope. The Houdini Box is also a historical fiction with illustrations, though it is less involved than Hugo or Wonderstruck . The Robot King also features beautiful illustrations, but the story is a more fragmented realistic novel without the trappings of history that surround the other three books. Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck . New York:

Historical Fiction - Textbook Assignment #4 Curtis, C. P. (1995).  The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 . New York: Delacorte Press. The Watson family is weird. That's how Kenny sees it and he would know, since he is one. At 10 years old, Kenny is the middle child in a family of five. His big brother Byron does what he can to make Kenny's life pretty miserable. As By's bullying and general miscreant behavior escalates, Momma and Dad decide the best thing to do is send him away to live with Grandma in Alabama for the summer. While they are visiting, a tragedy strikes Grandma Sands' church and Kenny's eyes are opened to the terrible truth of extreme racism. Injustice, hatred, and how people react in the face of terrible knowledge all intertwine in this book set against the backdrop of real events from 1963. Kenny's eye opening experiences will resonate with readers who struggle with bullying and the way he deals with the trauma of the horrendous acts in the

Style & Plot Told from the point of view of Leigh Botts, Dear Mr. Henshaw follows the boy through his later elementary years as he writes letters to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. The story is told through a series of letters that Leigh writes both to Mr. Henshaw and in a diary that the author suggests he keeps. This style of storytelling draws the reader into Leigh’s innermost thoughts and emotions giving a true picture of his character in a unique way. The plot develops as Leigh ages and becomes a better writer, beginning with his first attempts to write misspelled and simple letters to his story submission for a school collection of short stories. The plot reveals pieces of Leigh’s life gradually, including memories of his family before his parents’ divorce and, through Leigh’s letters, a picture of the other characters that surround him. The ending of the novel is hopeful, as Leigh discovers that he is, in fact, a developing author. Style & Plot Timmy Failure’s uniq

My second assignment for Children's Lit is to examine the evaluation criteria for informational books. I don't often read this genre of books so it was nice to have a reason to explore some really great ones.  I especially enjoyed Balloons Over Broadway, since I'm a huge puppeteer and Jim Henson fan. To learn more about it,  click here.

For assignment #1, I read and evaluated several children's books, focusing on visual elements and evaluation criteria. I really enjoy a class where the assignment is to read, especially if it includes a picture book by Jon Klassen. Click here to check it out!

Watch out! The Book Banshee is back! I just started my Master's program at SHSU in Library Science with the end goal being a career change from music teacher to school librarian in the somewhat near future. For my degree, I have to maintain a blog about books. This cued a faint memory of blogging about books for a brief period years ago. Lo and behold, the blog still exists. Today, I am restarting this blog with the intention of continuing it for far long than the first time. If you still get notifications from posting, your mailbox is about to get busier and more fun!