Module 15: The Adventures of Captain Underpants

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• Book Summary: George and Harold are two good friends with big imaginations and lots of energy. They create a comic-book hero, Captain Underpants, that helps them pull all kinds of shenanigans! Unfortunately, the principal of their school does not approve of their pranks so Captain Underpants comes to life to save the day!

• APA Reference of Book: Pilkey, D. (1997). The adventures of Captain Underpants. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

• Impressions: The first thing that came to mind upon my initial reading of several titles in this series was the idea that this book could have been written by a 10 year-old boy. It was no surprise to me as I read about the author on his website that the idea for the series first came to him when he was in second grade. The popularity of this series clearly comes from the fact that the language used and the themes of the books are all completely relatable to its target audience. While critics have labeled the series as having crude language and promotion of disrespect to authority, reluctant readers are drawn to the series due to its comic book style of having short chapters and pages filled with more pictures than words. While this series does not contain the more common controversial issues of young adult literature, being well versed on the ALA’s statement on Intellectual Freedom will facilitate conversations with parents that may come up surrounding the circulation of this series. In addition, using the idea that positive learning can come from negative portrayals (Tunnel, Jacobs, Young, & Bryan, 2012, p.209), share with parents the scheduled lesson on character traits. Hopefully this will stop a complaint from turning into a challenge.

• Professional Review: Gr 2-4--Pilkey plays with words and pictures, providing great entertainment. The story is immediately engaging--two fourth-grade boys who write comic books and who love to pull pranks find themselves in big trouble. Mean Mr. Krupp, their principal, videotapes George and Harold setting up their stunts and threatens to expose them. The boys' luck changes when they send for a 3-D Hypno-Ring and hypnotize Krupp, turning him into Captain Underpants, their own superhero creation. Later, Pilkey includes several pages of flip-o-ramas that animate the action. The simple black-and-white illustrations on every page furnish comic-strip appeal. The cover features Captain Underpants, resplendent in white briefs, on top of a tall building. This book will fly off the shelves.

Hopf, M.M. (1997). [Review of the book The adventures of Captain Underpants, by D. Pilkey]. School library journal. 43(12). p.99.

• Library Uses: Engage students in a discussion of the qualities that define a superhero. Partner students up and provide each pair with a dictionary and a thesaurus. Have them draft up a list of character traits they feel would be essential for a superhero to possess. Using their list, have them invent an original superhero, assigning specific character traits to their superhero. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the character traits of Captain Underpants to the superhero they created. 

Reference:
Tunnell, M.O., Jacobs, J.S., Young, T.A., & Bryan, G.W. (2012). Children's literature, briefly. Boston, MA: Pearson, Education, Inc.

Module 14: Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature

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• Book Summary: Written in bold-text, simple verse, this story presents ways spirals might be encountered in our world. From a snuggling shape, to a growing shape, to a strong shape, spirals serve many purposes. The scratchboard style illustrations create beautiful scenes in nature where spirals occur.   

• APA Reference of Book: Sidman, J. (2011). Swirl by swirl: Spirals in nature. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

• Impressions: As an early childhood educator, I am always drawn to books that present information in a way that is both engaging as well as educational. This narrative poem title is a perfect example. While the youngest of listeners won’t realize the book is a style of poetry, teachers can add it to their collection to give exposure to a variety of literary styles. Children are in the process of developing an appreciation of poetry so the more they are exposed, the greater chance we have of nurturing a positive attitude towards it. With the short, simple sentences on each page, I can see my students encouraged to “hunt and seek” out the spirals being described within the illustrations. This book not only fits in the genre of Poetry, but also in the genres of Picture Book and Informational Book as well. The back of the book contains elaborations on each type of spiral introduced, which stretches the use of the book to older elementary students in addition to the younger students its simple design appeals to.

• Professional Review: “A spiral is a snuggling shape” is the somewhat homely observation that begins Sidman’s brief and graceful poem—she goes on to catalog and celebrate the ways that spirals manifest themselves in the physical and natural world in a way that will draw in the youngest listeners. Krommes’ dense and richly colored scratchboard illustrations, with their closely packed and neatly labeled creatures, plants and natural phenomena, create a feeling of abundance and profusion, with so many parts of the world nestled together in swirls and spirals—effectively demonstrating its fundamental nature. The author and illustrator examine spirals as coiled and protective (fiddlehead ferns, a curled hedgehog) as well as bold and releasing (curls on ocean waves, a spiral galaxy). They further offer observations on the ways that plants and animals use the spiral structure for strength or support (a monkey’s tail clinging to a branch, a spider’s web constructed between twigs). Two pages of notes at the end offer a definition (“Spiral: a shape that curls around a center point”), details that elaborate on the poem and explain some of the individual manifestations of spirals and a brief nod to the Fibonacci sequence. Exquisitely simple and memorable. (Informational picture book. 2-8

(2011). [Review of the book Swirl by swirl: Spirals in nature, by J. Sidman]. Kirkus review. Retrieved  from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joyce-sidman/swirl-swirl/

Library Uses: Use the book as a read-aloud for Prek-2. Describe a spiral. Trace one in the air with your finger. Locate spirals on the front and back covers of the book, then discuss where students have seen spirals. Set up a spiral-mobile art project to complete and display by hanging from the ceiling. 

Module 13: Rapunzel's Revenge

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• Book Summary: Rapunzel’s Revenge tells the story of the main character of fairy tale fame in graphic novel style, with a twist. Instead of being a forlorn, helpless girl waiting to be rescued, the protagonist in this story takes matters into her own hands and not only saves herself but goes on a quest for justice set against the backdrop of the wild west. Using her long hair as a lasso and at times, a weapon, Rapunzel becomes a hero as she fights off the dangers she and her companion Jack, of Beanstalk fame, encounter.   

• APA Reference of Book: Hale, S., & Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel’s revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

• Impressions: Although it took me awhile to get into the story, I eventually started recognizing characteristics that made this title a quality graphic novel. One example is how the sizes of the boxed pictures vary throughout the book. While some pages had many, smaller sized boxes, other pages had fewer, larger sized boxes. The visual sequence of the story included use of graphic art illustrations as well as use of onomatopoeia text. While this story did not deal with a controversial theme, some of the illustrations could be considered violent in nature and not appropriate for younger readers. Nathan Hale, the illustrator, adds diversity to the book by creating Hispanic, black and Asian characters, which is not commonly seen in “mainstream” comics.  

• Professional Review: Starred Review. Grade 5 Up–This is the tale as you've never seen it before. After using her hair to free herself from her prison tower, this Rapunzel ignores the pompous prince and teams up with Jack (of Beanstalk fame) in an attempt to free her birth mother and an entire kingdom from the evil witch who once moonlighted as her mother. Dogged by both the witch's henchman and Jack's outlaw past, the heroes travel across the map as they right wrongs, help the oppressed, and generally try to stay alive. Rapunzel is no damsel in distress–she wields her long braids as both rope and weapon–but she happily accepts Jack's teamwork and friendship. While the witch's castle is straight out of a fairy tale, the nearby mining camps and rugged surrounding countryside are a throwback to the Wild West and make sense in the world that the authors and illustrator have crafted. The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after.

Kinsey, C. vW. (2008). [Review of the book Rapunzel’s revenge, by S. Hale & D. Hale]. School library journal. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Rapunzels-Revenge-Shannon-Hale/dp/1599902885.

• Library Uses: With 5^th grade students, make a list of fairy tale characters they know. As a group, choose one to reinvent a story about. Divide students into groups and have one group design an alternate setting, another group create characters, and yet another group create the plot line. Over a series of meetings, create a new story complete with illustrations. 

Module 12: America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle

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• Book Summary: Gertrude Ederle, or Trudy as she was known, fell into a pond when she was seven years old and almost drowned. Her father was determined to teach her how to swim and as a result, swimming and being in the water became Trudy’s passion. By the time she was only nineteen years old, she had made the U.S. Olympic team, winning medals and setting U.S. and world records along the way. This bold-text picture book chronologies the events of Ederle’s journey to become the first woman to swim the English Channel, blazing a new trail for the way women were perceived in a male dominated era.

• APA Reference of Book: Adler, D. (2000). American’s champion swimmer: Gertrude Ederle. San Diego, CA: HMH Publishing.

• Impressions: This book could be placed into several different biography categories; sports personality, explorers/adventurers, people who overcame tremendous odds, and other interesting people. Adler did a great job bringing “life and meaning into people and events that are dead and gone” (Tunnell, Jacobs, Young & Bryan, 2012, p. 161). It is an authentic biography that can be used as a read-aloud for younger readers as well as a resource for information for older readers doing research. As I read the book, I could truly see the determination Ederle had as she did whatever it took to achieve her goal of swimming the English Channel. After reading the story, I wanted to know more about Ederle so I was excited to see that the book included a “Notes from the author” page with details of Ederle’s life after her accomplishment. The large illustrations added excitement to the story. Not only does this book do a great job of informing the reader with factual information as a biography, it also serves as an inspirational story with an empowering message, particularly for girls.      

• Professional Review:  K-Gr 4-This picture-book biography covers the life of Gertrude Ederle, highlighting her world-record breaking, long-distance swims. In 1926, women were thought to be the weaker sex, but this indomitable young athlete broke the men's record by two hours when she swam the English Channel. Fascinating tidbits about her 21-mile swim will entice readers: "She floated on her back and ate chicken and drank beef broth." For her victory, she was rewarded with a ticker-tape parade and a letter from President Coolidge calling her "America's Best Girl." More information about her life is appended. In the acrylic paintings, characters with large bodies and small heads, suggesting Depression era art, are set on impressionistic backgrounds. The pictures of the swirling, rough water add fluidity and motion, and the perspectives that show the small figure of the swimmer in the vast sea capture the immensity of Ederle's endeavor. Attractive formatting and large type make this story of achievement as effective and as inspiring to read aloud as this team's Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (1997) and The Babe 6 I (1999, both Gulliver). 

Gaffney, J. (2000). [Review of the book America’s champion swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, by D. Adler]. School library journal, 46(6), p.128.

• Library Uses: Make a list of the most important events identified in the story. Using ipads, put students in groups and have them use an app such as Timeline Maker to create a chronological timeline of the events in Gertrude Ederle’s life.  

Reference: 
Tunnell, M.O., Jacobs, J.S., Young, T.A, & Bryan, G.W. (2012). Children’s literature, briefly. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. 

Module 11: George Washington's Teeth

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• Book Summary: Written in rollicking rhyme, this story dispels the myth that George Washington had a set of wooden teeth. From the time Washington was twenty-four years old, he started losing his teeth at an average of one a year. Based on actual letters and Washington's diaries, including an annotated timeline, readers learn the measures he took to hide his rotting teeth and the relentless pain he endured. 

• APA Reference of Book: Chandra, D., & Comora, M. (2003). George Washington's teeth.  New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux. 

• Impressions: This book was entertaining from beginning to end. What a delightful way to learn historical facts. With the author's use of rhyming verse, the reader is captivated by the story of what initially sounds like an uninteresting theme. This book would be great as a read-aloud for younger readers and older readers can use the annotated timeline in the back for research purposes. While informational books are not traditionally used for pleasure reading (Tunnell, Jacobs, Young, & Bryan, 2012), this book truly is a pleasure. As a picture book, the watercolor illustrations add humor to the story all the while giving historical depictions of  several events during the Revolutionary War. In an otherwise "boring", unappealing genre, the author's of this story hit a home-run with their creation. 

• Professional Review: Now It Can Be Told: that severe, square-jawed look that the Father of Our Country flashes in his portraits reveals not only strength of character, but also his struggle to hide the fact that he was nearly (entirely, later in life) toothless by keeping a succession of spring-loaded false teeth in place. Drawing information from Washington’s own writings, the authors deliver a double account of his dental tribulations: first in sprightly rhyme—Martha “fed him mush and pickled tripe, / But when guests came to dine, / He sneaked one of his favorite nuts. / Then he had only nine”—followed by a detailed, annotated timeline. Cole’s (Larky Mavis, 2001, etc.) freely drawn, rumpled-looking watercolors document the countdown as well, with scenes of the unhappy statesman at war and at home, surrounded by family, attendants (including dark-skinned ones), and would-be dentists, all in authentic 18th-century dress. Contrary to popular belief, Washington’s false teeth were made not of wood, but of real teeth and hippo ivory; a photo of his last set closes this breezy, sympathetic, carefully-researched vignette on a note that will have readers feeling the great man’s pain—and never looking at his painted visage the same way again. (source notes) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)

(2002) [Review of the book George Washington's teeth, by D. Chandra & M. Comora]. Kirkus review. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/deborah-chandra/george-washingtons-teeth/.

• Library Use: Use the story with elementary aged students to introduce a lesson on non-fiction versus fiction. Make one list of information students have heard about George Washington. Have them do some quick research and then using a two column chart, divide the list into two categories, writing the non-fiction information on one side and the fiction statements on the other.

Reference: 

Tunnell, M.O., Jacobs, J.S., Young, T. A., & Bryan, G.W. (2012). Children's literature, briefly (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Module 10: The Book Thief

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• Book Summary: Liesel Meminger is a nine year old girl growing up with her adoptive family during World War II in Nazi occupied Germany. The story, narrated by Death, paints a picture of both the tragedies and the beauty Liesel endures as she comes of age in a world where things are not always as they seem. Liesel learns that fighting for what you believe in sometimes comes at a very high price but in the end, it's all that really matters

• APA Reference of Book: Zusak, M. (2005). The book thief. New York, NY: Knopf Publishing.

• Impressions: Although I found this book a "slow start", once I finished it, I was fascinated with the depth of the content. There were several dualities in the book. One being on the power of words. Between Liesel's lack of reading ability at the beginning of the story, and being made fun of for it, to how she later used her reading ability to comfort people. Another being the duality between kindness and cruelty. Liesel's adoptive father dislikes the regime and is harboring a Jew for protection, yet scolds Liesel publicly when she expresses the same disdain. The author's use of details, such as when he describes the march of the Jews through the town, gives readers a good depiction of what the historical period was like. While this book is suggested reading for 9th grade and up, I feel it would be best received by 11th and 12th graders. The true messages of the book may not be picked up on by younger readers without deep discussion and analyzation of the themes.   

• Professional Review: Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA 

Goldsmith, F. (2005). [Review of the book The book thief, by M. Zusak]. Amazon.com. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209?ie=UTF8&isInIframe=1&n=283155&redirect=true&ref_=dp_proddesc_0&s=books.

• Library Use: Use the story to have a class discussion on Literacy, past and present. The novel places an importance on literacy and on what a powerful tool it is. Ask students if they can remember the first book they owned. What was their favorite book as a child and did it have a profound impact on them? In today's society, literacy is being used as a communication tool in emails and texts. Discuss how literacy has changed in the 21st century. Is it taken for granted? Do the students think we disrespect language when we text and write emails with slang and/or poor grammar?  

Module 9: Chasing Vermeer

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• Book Summary: Petra and Calder, the main characters in this title, begin the story as strangers but soon become friends drawn together by the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a famous work of art. As the duo manuever through a series of discovering clues and solving puzzles, and as they get closer to solving the mystery, their lives become more in danger. Their courage and strong desire to solve the crime keeps them focused and along the way, the two must decide which clues are relevant and which events are just mere coincidences. The suspense builds all the way to the surprise ending that will leave readers pondering whether coincidences mean anything and wanting to study the art of Vermeer more closely.   

• APA Reference of Book: Balliett, B. (2004). Chasing vermeer. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

• Impressions: This story is definitely a good choice for bright children that have higher level thinking skills. With the inclusion of the code hidden in the pages of the book, the reader is encouraged to solve the code alongside the main characters solving the mystery of the crime. While this title encourages reasoning and problem solving, two characteristics of a good mystery, it also has many characteristics of an adventure story. The characters are multidimensional and lifelike. Calder is an only child that wishes his parents gave him more freedom. Petra is shy, and like Calder, is intelligent and pays attention to detail. The plot is fast-moving and with two protagonists, one being male and one female, boys and girls alike can appreciate and enjoy this story. 

• Professional Review: Art, intrigue, and plenty of twists and turns make this art mystery a great read. Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay set out to find the connection between their teacher (a freewheeling constructivist teacher), the eccentric woman in their neighborhood, the bookstore owner, and an international art thief. Balliett intersperses fascinating information about Johannes Vermeer and his paintings throughout the two friends’ quest to solve the mystery—a mystery layered with pentominoes (a mathematical tool consisting of 12 pieces), puzzling clues, and suspicious strangers. Helquist’s detailed black-and-white chapter illustrations hold hidden messages, clues related to the pentominoes, and more puzzles. Fans of E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game will find equal pleasure in this debut by a talented writer. (Fiction. 11-14)

(2004). [Review of the book Chasing vermeer, by B. Balliett]. Kirkus review. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/blue-balliett/chasing-vermeer/.

• Library Use: Have students get into groups and solve pentomino puzzles together. Using a labeling scheme, have students create their own for other groups to solve.