James Howe--Author Study

I have been a fan of James Howe's since I read Bunnicula in elementary school many years ago. As an adult, there have been times that I have had brief remembrances of the silly series: a crazy cat like Chester always makes me laugh, and bunny sucking vegetables white, you know. I was delighted to hear that he had written so many more books! While doing my research for the Author Study, I was amazed that he had written over 70 books! Looking at Simon & Schuster's website will give more information about these titles: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/James-Howe/20539048/books

Wow--Howe even managed to write in almost all of the children's literature sytles (picture, beginning reader, chapter, and young adult novel). You really could start as a small kiddo reading about Houndsley and Catina and continue on up to Joe and Bobby. Needless to say, I read a lot of great books and became an even bigger fan. One of the things I have always enjoyed about Howe's writing, is his playful use of language. Just thinking about the names of some of his characters: Bunnicula (Bunny + Dracula), Houndsley (a dog), Catina (a cat), etc. shows how creative he can be. His parents and family were supportive early on and writing seemed to come naturally. He credits countless nights up late, with his wife Deborah, watching vampire movies as the beginning of his Bunnicula empire.

A recurring theme of Howe's is his attention to friendship between characters. On the end jacket cover of the first Houndsley and Catina book, he said: "Hounsley and Catina grew out of my love for books like these [about best friends Frog and Toad, etc.] and my belief that friendship is worth far more than prizes or fame." I thought the two were adorable complementary characters. Far from being wild and crazy, these characters offer a soothing alternative.

The Bunnicula books are funny and keep your attention. Chester reminds me of a conspiracy theorist who wants something to be true badly and then goes to all sorts of lengths to prove it. (I think of people trying to prove the existence of UFOs and their homemade videos.) The imagery of a crazed cat running around with a towel tied around his neck like a cape and miming a vampire is hilarious! I think these books would be great for read alouds in classrooms--the silly antics of Chester and Harold would be very appealing to kids. I found a fun hangman game to play after reading at http://www.quia.com/hm/23758.html.

Not all of Howe's characters were as easily accepted as those mentioned above. As we discussed in class, many parents got very upset at the thought of "introducing" their children to homosexuality through the character of Joe in The Misfits. Having an informed opinion means looking at both sides and this article was helpful. After reading all of the good points experts have made in support of the themes, I have a lot of trouble understanding people that would wish to ban this book. http://educationwonk.blogspot.com/2006/01/no-name-calling-week-kudos-and.html

Whether dealing with hard issues or silly vampires, I had a great time reading and reconnecting with a beloved children's author. Being strong in your beliefs of the goodness of people can be shown by the caring relationships being portrayed. Hopefully a new generation of kids will be drawn to this incredibly talented author.

As an educator, we are often asked to reflect on teaching experiences. I took a class similar to this at Wartburg that was for Young Adult Literature. Since I ultimately wanted to teach younger children, I didn't necessarily get a strong sense of good literature for elementary aged kids. Through my research for books to comment on for my blog, I have reconnected with picture books. I like this class in that I feel little pressure about upcoming deadlines--doing the blog seems more cathartic than work. Often we read good children's books and have no one to talk about them with--lets face it, teachers are busy and don't spend all of our time talking about school stuff. Putting the comments in a blog format makes it feel more authentic--lessons we strive for our students in the classroom. As Jen has mentioned, there is a much larger audience now besides just her and we are a part of an educational community.

I have enjoyed being reconnected with good picture books, whether from my childhood or teaching years. I don't know why more people don't read them--they are very entertaining and often have a deeper meaning intended for older readers. Going to the library and looking more closely at illustrations and the text has been fun. I feel like I know more about what makes a picture book good now. I liked learning more about how books and illustrations are created--I now look for hidden gems in every book I read. I guess I always assumed that the author and illustrator worked more together to create a seamless merging of text and picture. As a reader, I have tended to focus on the text and now have rethought that position. As the class continues, I look forward to reading more books for my A/P/I Study--I have read a lot of James Howe's best books--starting with a childhood fav Bunnicula!

The All New Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book O' Fun 2 by Dav Pilkey

I didn't know what to expect from this graphic novel series beloved by elementary aged boys all over the country. I read a special edition, so there were lots of extras included: jokes, Mad Libs, mazes, a word find, and how-to-draws. With all of this extra stuff, there wasn't a whole lot of room for an actual story--which I was fine with.

I know that part of the appeal (and controversy) of this super hero is the gross potty talk, fart jokes, and boogers, but there wasn't a whole lot of depth to the character of Captain Underpants (surprise surprise!). Out of the entire story, he only makes an appearance at the end and has to actually be rescued from the Hairy Pottys by Diaper Baby and Diaper Dog.

I did think it was clever how the drawings look like a kid from your class could have drawn them. I also liked the Flip-O-Ramas--unexpected and kind of funny. Part of the controversy over these graphic novels has to do with the incorrect grammar and spelling. I think it is interesting how the story seems to be in revision mode--it doesn't seem ready for publication to me. Parents and others are upset about the books selling so well and being riddled with errors--reinforcing to kids that spelling and grammar are not important because this published author gets away with being incorrect...

I have to agree with parents and other educators here--the spelling, cross out marks, and incorrect grammar got on my nerves. I guess it is the perfectionist in me, because each spelling made me want to get out my green pen and help this student really say what he means--except he has made lots of money with these books and certainly doesn't want me to help "fix" them.

These books are a mainstay in almost any elementary school library. Students (especially boys) love them and can't get enough of them! I'm sure the appeal of a shorter book with lots of pictures and potty talk is very alluring for many young readers. As an educator, I would not use these books for read alouds because there just isn't a whole lot going on for discussions, etc. I don't mind them being in my classroom library (I mean they do get discouraged readers to enjoy reading) but would encourage those that tend to only read them to branch out to other genres and topics. Get used to seeing the round boy with white underpants and a red scarf--I think these books are here to stay.

The Misfits by James Howe

I grew up reading a lot and one of my favorite authors was James Howe. I'm sure I read Bunnicula and the other dog/cat/bunny vampire books several times each. The writing was very creative and made me laugh--hallmarks of a good book in my opinion.

I was surprised to hear years later that Howe actually wrote several young adult novels that didn't deal with animals as main characters. I recognized the same quick wit and humor in The Misfits as his previous works. One of the things I especially like about this book is how normal it seems--there aren't crazy events occurring every other second for sensationalist purposes. There are lots of "real" moments in each chapter that transport me back to junior high and high school years (and also bored moments working at a department store).

The name of the store Bobby works at, Awkworth and Ames, constantly comes out Akward and Aimless in my head as I am reading. The store is boring and Bobby is counting the hours until his shift is over. As a department store worker, I felt the same way at times and co-workers often had dual personalities according to their popularity with associates and attitudes towards the place. If someone like Skeezie, decked out in a leather coat, dirty, and greasy-headed came into that store, I can see managers all over the place making sure he didn't slip something into his coat pockets. After all, first impressions are everything, right?

The characters in this story are compelling because each of them is someone I know or am. We all feel like we are insecure adolescents at times and these kids are dealing with some tough issues: homosexuality, being overweight, being a smart girl, losing a parent, and not having a lot of money. All in all, these kids have all the reasons in the world to be bitter and destructive for the way they have been treated--their list of names they had been called was extensive! I tried to think of names I had been called as a youngster, but couldn't really think of anything specific. I guess we all get called some of the "all-purpose" ones growing up, much like the characters.

I thought it was especially interesting how Addie was so convinced that DuShawn, an African American student, has been oppressed--"Being a minority, you have certainly seen your share of injustice." The thing she is latching onto is the small town sentiments sometimes shared about non-whites. DuShawn quickly makes a great point that although his differences are on the outside for everyone to see, he is not the only minority. The platform of the Liberty Party was to speak on the behalf of the minority students of Paintbrush Falls Middle School and JoDan correctly points out that "there are all kinds of minorities."

My heart sank when Joe said, "What I want more than anything is to hold hands with someone I like." What an honest, thoughtful response for such a young man to make. I think we are all searching for connections with others, romantic or not. Being gay in a dominantly heterosexual culture as we are, would make it really hard for Joe to feel comfortable telling others about his feelings. When the word gay sometimes is used to mean stupid, weird, and dumb, who would want to describe themselves as gay?

Once the Gang of Five understands what they really want to do to help their school, they feel a sense of pride and empowerment. Having rules just to have rules doesn't help our students who don't feel a part of the "regular" population. The creativity of these kids is amazing and made me feel excited for them. It was hard for me to stop at Chapter 14 because they were just starting to figure things out.

Obviously the word gay, faggot, and homo tend to make people nervous. To me, they are just words and by making them "bad words," we give them power. By allowing others to use the word gay in a negative way, we are condoning and agreeing in a way, to the negative connotation. I know several homosexual people and would not be happy if they weren't a part of my life. Having a different sexual orientation does not make them a pervert or possible child-molester, etc. I think we should let people be who they are and stop trying to be "perfect" (what does that look like anyway?).

This is a very honest book that I think many students struggling with similar issues would really enjoy. I think it would depend on the school--principals can be great allies when starting a controversial topic in the classroom. I would hope this book would be allowed because of the great message it conveys. With a quick mini-lesson about being accepting of differing views, etc. this would be a great book for read alouds or literacy groups.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. I have been recycling and trying to help our environment since elementary school--I remember spending hours separating white and colored paper for recycling. There are so many great things about this story that makes it relevant to our eco-issues.

When first viewing this book, normal Dr. Seuss characteristics are evident--bright colors, crazy looking creatures, and a sing-song tone to the text. I like that this strives to make us think about what we are doing when we are "improving" life. For so long we have taken our earth for granted and our lives are being affected now in more tangible ways--extreme pollution, smog, and global warming. I was impressed that the box I read was printed on recycled paper, part of The Lorax Project.

The main controversy around this book is centered on the portrayal of the logging industry as wasteful, heartless, and money grubbing. The famous character of the Once-ler is only a pair of green arms and hands--we never see his face. When asked about his methods, the Once-ler replies, "I biggered my money, which everyone needs." This is sometimes how we feel when talking about industries making millions each year--they seem like a faceless entity with no concern for its actions.

A logging community in California had major concerns that the book showed its industry in a false and negative light. Interestingly enough, they countered with another book--The Truax. I understand having a problem with this book once it interferes with your ability to make a living, but it is obviously an extreme example of what could happen. If the logging industry felt creating a wasteland in the book was their fault, it could have served as a wake-up call--which I suspect Dr. Seuss intended. If one must cut down trees in one area, having a social conscious would mean to do something to help the earth in another way--replanting, more rigorous rules for waste and production, etc.

Dr. Seuss leaves the reader with no real solution, just as is there seems to be no good ecological and practical solution to our planet's plight. With so much at stake, it can seem hard to know where to start. I believe that using this book with young elementary age students can help raise an awareness without being "preachy." It is all well and good to tell students how important it is to recycle, reduce, and reuse, but until they really believe it, they won't make it a part of their everyday lives.

I would definitely have this book in my classroom library and use it for read alouds. I think that second graders on up would get more out of it, as the storyline is more involved than Dr. Seuss favorites like The Cat and the Hat and Hop on Pop. I'm pretty sure I did use this book in my third grade class after a discussion about recycling came up. The kids liked the illustrations and tone of the book. We were able to have a discussion about what was happening to the land in the book and create more internal connections.

Where I taught in North Carolina, people didn't recycle and my students hated using the backsides of their papers. I had one student who was especially adamant about using a clean sheet. To help emphasize my point about waste, we created two "landfills" filled with paper, plastic, cereal, pencils, and leaves. We watered and observed the flower pots for several months and then dug up what was left. There had been a straw in a plastic wrapper that was still as good as new and I shocked the students by opening the plastic and using the straw to drink water.

Obviously this experiment was not totally realistic, but it did raise awareness. I don't think I created a new Eco-Crusader that day, but I did give my students another viewpoint to consider. It starts with one person saying they are going to make a difference--just as the little boy is told when standing in the pile of stones marked "Unless."

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues."
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better."

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

I loved this book! I love that this book is based on the true lives of two incredible penguins living in the Central Park Zoo in New York. Only in New York, right? Wrong! These two penguins--Roy and Silo did what any other animal would do--look for a friend and then spend time together. I think we all possess an innate need for love and companionship. People, animals, and birds pair up together all of the time to help fulfill this need. Just looking at other books I have reviewed for this blog, you can see examples of inter-special relationships (a dog and elephant or tiger cubs and a dog).

I thought the watercolor paintings were very heartwarming and full of detail. I know from my own experiences, that it is hard to tell male and female penguins apart, so I wouldn't have probably even known that this unique pairing had occurred. I like how the authors made a point of talking about how Roy and Silo were such great friends that did everything together--when it came to raising a family, there was only one problem. No egg.

An astute zookeeper noticed the interesting tell-tale signs of preparing a nest for an egg and gave these boys a chance to hatch an abandoned egg. This lesson of animal adoption is a wonderful way of demonstrating nature's determination. Of course, when Tango was hatched--the product of two male penguin parents, a sensation was created. Tango--adorable and a lesson in love all rolled into one fluffy penguin baby girl.

I know that those opposing this book concentrate on what they would call an innappropriate message of homosexuality and the erosion of morals in our society. For me, I am on nature's side. I think that this is an amazing opportunity to share with our youth lessons from the wild kingdom. We can assume and hopefully agree that it is not the media or popular trends that are "forcing" these penguins into homosexuality. On the contrary, they have a natural bond with another creature that happens to be the same sex.

One of my favorite shows, Will and Grace, had an episode talking about two gay male penguins and how they were going to be separated. They spent all of their time together and were nothing but loving. There was media coverage, which sent the main characters to the zoo in support of the couple remaining together. This episode was probably slightly after Tango was born and a commentary of what we believe is right or not in our lives. I was happy that in the show, the couple was allowed to remain together.

I would definitely use this book in almost any age elementary classroom setting. I think children of all ages would be interested in such a unique occurance. I would buy a copy and place it into my classroom library. I think it would be an interesting book for a read aloud helping to reinforce the importance of accepting others for who they are--be it a gay penguin, a boy in ballet, or a girl who plays football. Having an open attitude as a teacher can help lead to a great discussion where students can hear differing viewpoints (in a nonderogatory way, of course). Even though kids might not truly understand what gay means, they still tend to have an opinion--based on peers, parents, and their environment. Our families and society is constantly changing, so we need to keep up by being aware of the topics being discussed in children's literature because they are usually topics kids are talking about themselves. In keeping with inquiry learning, this book would help shape opinions and views about a true occurance in the Big Apple.

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

I might be completely unpopular for saying this, but I didn't like this story at all. I have read several of Sendak's works in the past and have been a fan (I mean hello, Where the Wild Things Are is awesome). There isn't a whole lot in this story that made sense to me--the whole basis is to be an explanation on why we have cake every morning? I don't know where this little Mickey lives, but there isn't cake at my house every morning (or sadly, even once a week).

I thought it was interesting how Sendak's Jewish heritage played a role in his portrayals of the Hitleresk bakers baking Mickey in an oven--a subtle reference to the autrocities of the Holocaust. As a casual reader, I never would have made such a serious connection in a "dream" book like this. Reading about the sources of controversy definitely pointed this out to me upon further investigation. Besides this, controversy around the book is partly due to Mickey "falling out" of his clothes and continuing to be naked for everyone to see for the rest of the book.

Having the young child naked the rest of the book, with his manhood on display, could be disturbing to some readers. I personally didn't find this offensive, but a bit odd and surprising. I had looked at a list of controversial books online and was aware before opening it the cloud surrounding the book. Walking into Barnes and Noble, I wouldn't expect frontal nudity from a picture book being prominently displayed with other Maurice Sendak books. The book won the Best Illustrated Children's Book from the New York Times in 1970--an interesting time period to be sure. It also won the Caldecott Award for outstanding illustrations--interesting. I did feel like the book flowed in a trippy, stream of consciousness way--possibly a side affect of the 70's culture.

I wouldn't buy this book to be in my classroom library, but wouldn't mind if it was included. I think that kids are curious about things like this and can see the same kind of thing if they look at a science book about the human body in much more detail. I don't think that kids need to be sheltered from things like this because then we create a sense of dirtiness to something as elemental as the human body. We are body conscious enough, we don't need to teach our very young children that their bodies should be a source of embarrassment. Of course we don't want kids on the playground getting naked to show their stuff, but natural curiousity is always going to be there. I would not be uncomfortable with this book, but probably wouldn't make a big deal about it. I wouldn't use it in book talks, read alouds, or literacy circles for young elementary students, but would be OK as a part of my library collection. There is a wide variety of literature available and some kids might not even care. Sometimes we get offended about issues that are unimportant to the actual people it could affect.

Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman

This story had a good message that families are all about love. I liked that there was no judgment about what a family "should" be because they all look different. Obviously, growing up in Iowa, my family probably looks different from someone living in a large urban environment. Growing up, my family unit consisted of my mom, dad, twin brother, younger sister, me, and dog. There really weren't too many around this area with different kinds of families that I was aware of.

As my life experiences have shaped who I am now as an adult, I feel that families really can be tailor made to individual needs-- having a loving family is the most important thing, not who all makes it up. I have been very blessed to have a supportive family that I can depend on in any situation. I liked that this book demonstrated how the different children in the classroom interpreted family. No one was judged for not "fitting the mold" or for being different. I have always tried to emphasize how important it is to be accepting of everyone because we are all special. Kids can be very receptive to this when taught young.

I remember an incident where my third graders were telling each other something was "gay." I asked them what they thought that meant and we had a very frank discussion about how words can be given power when we attach negative meanings to them. By giving gay a negative connotation in its usage, they were conveying a belief that being gay is a bad thing. I told them about a good friend of mine that I care about. I asked that if they thought being gay was bad, then was my friend bad? I talked about how we played tennis together, went out to eat, studied, and went to amusement parks--all fun things I do with gay and straight friends. Putting this into a positive context helped us have an interesting exchange of ideas (quite unexpectedly) that day.

I don't think this book is trying to force children to believe in one thing, but is instead helping reinforce the idea that we should keep an open mind. By keeping the illustrations simple and in pencil, the story and words remain the most important part of the page. I read the 10th anniversary printing, which was altered a bit from the original text. The author removed a section that didn't affect the outcome of the story that was causing a stir. I'm not sure what exactly was included, but I know the section was about conception and many deemed it to be too explicit. Having not seen the actual text, I can not speak to whether or not I would deem it acceptable or not (if it was informative and correct, I'd probably be ok with it). I would be happy to include this book in a classroom library and it could definitely be used for talking about accepting others and our differences. Words do have power, so let's give kids information so that they can use them correctly and with respect.