UPSIDE DOWN and BACKWARDS- By: Diane Bertrand

This was a fun book with many short reads that a child could pick up anytime. This would be an excellent book to read as a class, in groups, and then at home alone and with parents. All in one, this book offers so many opportunities for reading. My favorite story within the book was Diana's Party. Luis, the little boy, was staying with his aunt and was supposed to go to Diana's birthday party and had her movie gift certificate all ready to go. However, his aunt thought otherwise and thought he should wear a tie and take a powder puff that smelled "good" since little girls like things that smell good. This particular story reminded me of Jason from Made You Look because "girly" things (Jason's underwear turning pink) were being pressured on him and things were not going his way. In addition to all of the stories being funny, it was actually two books in one! One written in English, the other written in Spanish. This is a book that no matter what language a student reads, would all enjoy.

Clementine- By: Sara Pennypacker Pictures By: Marla Frazee

Clementine is a hilarious book that really speaks the mind of children! I love how Pennypacker would have Clementine say some outlandish thing, but then realize the reader could see through her embellishments and then would say "okay, fine" and tell the truth. I could relate to how Clementine felt she was the ONLY person paying attention at some points because I would always try to use this statement to my parents when I would get in trouble for something. Clementine faces the daily challenges that young children face each day: getting sent to the principal's office (and of course it was not her fault!), get in a fight with best friend and stop being friends for the week, and finally overhearing parents and misinterpreting what they say. However, through all of her difficulties, she is still able to save the day by figuring out how to move the pigeons away from the front door! Children would definitely be able to relate to this great book and most likely think it is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the pictures by Marla Frazee. Some of the funniest lines in the book is Clementine describing something and then saying " and here is a picture of that". I loved that! I really enjoyed this book because Clementine did face challenges but with the help of her parents, she was able to work through them. I will most likely read this book again and will be checking out the other Clementine books!

Book Review: I Went Walking

Williams, (Moose Eggs or Why Moose Have Flat Antlers, 2007) offers a beautiful children's story about a young boy who goes on a walk and names the animals he sees along the way and identifies their colors. As the boy encounters yet another animal, the previous animals follow him. The beautiful and vivid illustrations by Julie Vivas make the animals come alive for example the reader sees a snippet of the animal that is revealed on the following page and keeps the child curious. The use of repetition in the text ("I went walking. What did you see?) makes this book a perfect read aloud for young children because it keeps the children involved. Identification of animals, colors and connecting the words to the pictures makes the book one that every child should experience.

Made You Look- By: Diane Roberts

"Made You Look" is such a fun book that should be in every classroom. It is full of so many positive elements besides being something that children will truly enjoy. Jason, the main character, favorite tv game show is Masquerade Mania, and he will do just about anything to get on it! The only problem is, he is from Texas, and the show takes place in California. Then, his parents surprise him with the unimaginable...they are taking a family trip to California! Jason gets so excited about flying when his parents drop the news that they will be camping the whole way to California. It is not just any camper, but a camper that looks like a sardine! He also has other worries such as those pertaining to Amby Anderson, they copycat from school. He does not want Amby to find anything out about his trip. After several exciting adventures, they finally get to Masquerade Mania, Jason gets on the show, and he wins a trip to Hawaii and free movie tickets for the whole summer. The player he beats would be none other than Amby!

One element that really drew me into this book was all of the facts, particularly about Texas, that Freddie, Jason's best friend quizzed him about preparing him for the game show. There were also facts though about New Mexico, Arizona, and California. I also liked how the author stressed the importance of continuing to learn over the summer and how important it is for children. He did through the the mom preparing packets for the kids to answer questions about the state they were in as they were driving. She turned it into a competition and made it fun. The author also showed how Jason overcame his troubles. Those included having to drive, not fly, not having Amby copy him, his mother turning his underwear pink, his mother leaving his allosaurus head behind, having to travel with a younger and older sister who picked on you, etc. Jason faced all of the troubles a young boy would but was rewarded in the end for how well he handled each of those situations. Another important element this book had was it's use of modern technology. It talked about the internet, e-mailing, and i-m'ing people and the use of screen names. This is definitely something children these days can relate to.

This book is funny and I really enjoyed it. It kind of reminded me of the family vacation my family took to The Grand Canyon. Not only will kids really like this book, but it is one they will definitely be able to relate to. I loved it!

When I Heard The Learn'd Astronomer- By: Walt Whitman

This is a very unique book and there are so few words that the illustrations do a beautiful job of telling the story. I think this is an imporant book for children because it is all about dreaming big and imagination. I love the quote by Albert Einstein at the end of the book and really summarizes the whole book. I think this would be an excellent book to have for a read aloud, and talk about their dreams and imagination but I do not really see kids choosing this book as their number one favorite book because I think adults can relate more to it. Overall, I do like this book because I think it very beautiful and delivers a wonderful message would be apprehensive to say children would really like it. I still would plan to have it in my classroom though.

Los Gatos Black on Halloween- By: Marisa Montes

Although Los Gatos Black on Halloween is not my favorite book I've read for this class, I do think it is a fun book that could be very beneficial to young students in a classroom. It approaches a much loved holiday by children, Halloween, from a totoally different standpoint that many students may be accustomed to. The Mexican culture celebrates "Day of the Dead" and this book is about monsters who throw a ball in the Haunted Hall. Once again, this book brings Spanish words into the text and offers a glossary at the end. I think what is important to realize in relation to this book is that "Day of the Dead" is a real celebration that people take part in and it is celebrated with honor and respect. This is not done just for fun, but to actually honor the dead. I think the book is tastefully done and not any scarier than other books that have monsters and ghosts, etc. I love the artwork and the fact that the story is written in a poem format takes away the edge of being too scary. I think children would really get into this book and would show once again that there is more than one way to celebrate Halloween.

I Love Saturdays y domingos- By: Alma Flor Ada

The way Alma Flor Ada brings together two different cultures in I Love Saturday y domingos is brilliant. There are so many children that come from mixed cultures and it is so important to be able to celebrate the heritage of both. The things I particularly like about this book is it discusses the differences and the special bond she has with each of her grandparents. Even for children who come from families of the same culture, they are going to have a different relationship with each family member. This book shows how wonderful it is to celebrate the differences. I also love how parts of the book are written in Spanish to really bring the language to life and how she would really talk to her grandparents. I was able to connect to the way the grandparents told their family history through stories to her as all of my grandparents have done the same. I feel like my students will be able to have the same connection. I think it will be important for me to stress to the children who do not come from culturally different backgrounds to think about their own family and the different relationships they have within their own family. This will help everyone understand that each family is unique, even their own. This will definitely be an important book to have in my classroom!

The Name Jar- By: Yangsook Choi

I feel like The Name Jar is an important book in helping children understand that names are special and even though they are different, they are very important. In this story, a girl by the name of Unhei realizes her Korean name is different than the other American children's names when they are unable to pronounce it correctly. They agree to help her come up with an American name by putting ideas in "the name jar" and allowing her to choose whichever one she wants.

My favorite line in the story is "You are different, Unhei. That's a good thing!" Her mother is trying to express the fact that being different is okay. This is important for Unhei to understand so she will be proud of her name and the reasons why she was named Unhei and not worry about changing it to satisfy others. I also loved how she in the end was proud of her name and the meaning behind it which was "Grace". To all the children's surprise, they found out that both American and Korean's childrens names can have some special meaning behind them! This broke the barrier of anyone thinking that her name was weird or out of place, but helped them all realize that their names were all unique and acceptable. They even went a step futher to each student wanting a Korean nickname.

This is a touching story about young children learning acceptance and individuality and that being different is okay. I think this is an excellent book and plan to definitely use this in my classroom.

I Went Walking, By: Sue Williams

I Went Walking is a fun, interactive book that can be read to young children. As a young boy takes a walk, he identifies animals of different colors. The book is interactive because the children can say "What did you see?" after the reader says " I went walking". Ideas brought up in class were that either the color words or the names of the animals, or the actual animals could be covered up allowing the students to say either the animal or read the words. This is a very useful book for the classroom and I think fun for both the teacher and students. The illustrations are also beautiful! I really enjoyed I Went Walking.

My Name is Maria Isabel

I really enjoyed this book and thought it had a strong message that a name is powerful and meaningful and not just something we call people. In Maria Isabel's case, her name represented all the important people in her life such as her granmothers and grandfather who all influenced her as well as her family. Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez was a name she was proud of and felt like a strong person when called that. I think in this fast paced world, we tend to focus on what will make OUR days easier for us and not take in to account the other persons feelings. In Maria Isabel's case, her teacher decided to call her Mary Lopez as it would help the teacher out since there were already two Marias in the class. The teacher did not know, but she had actually made Maria Isabel "wilt" much like the character Chrysanthemum in the book by Kevin Henkes. Maria Isabel was not able to "bloom" until she was able to express her feelings through her writing about her greatest wish which of course was to be called Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez! I love how in the end she is able to get the courage to express why she feels so strongly about her name, and wishes to be called by it.