THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX by Kate DiCamillo

This blog was done for a course at TWU.

Bibliography
DiCamillo, Kate. 2006. The Tale of Despereaux. Ill by Timothy Basil Ering. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Summary
The Tale of Despereaux is the story of a mouse that is tinnier than most. He is not like most mice; instead of eating books he likes to read them, he is not good at scurrying, his brothers and sisters finally give up on teaching him the ways of a mouse. The rest of the mouse community makes fun of him. Despereaux lives in a castle and one day found himself drawn to the sound of music. He found himself in the room of the princess and at the feet of the king. The king does not like seeing a mouse. His wife died after a rat, Roscuro, fell into her soup and he despises all mice and rats and even outlawed soup. Despereaux falls in love with the princess and tells her not to cry. He just broke one of the major rules for mice, don't speak to humans. The mice community finds out that Despereaux spoke to the princess and he is sentenced to the dungeon to be eaten by the rats. Roscuro the rat wants to get back at the king for banishing soup which is one of his favorite things, that is why he fell into the queen's soup. A new girl, Miggery Sow, starts bringing down food to the dungeon keeper. Roscuro talks to her and finds out that she wants to become a princess. He comes up with a plan to kidnap the princess and put Miggery in her place. This is what he tells Miggory but he really plans to keep them both in the dungeon. Despereaux over hears this and sneaks back into the castle on the empty tray. Roscuro and Miggery succeed in getting the princess to the dungeon. Desperaux comes to save the princess. All of the characters end up living happily ever after.

Analysis
DiCamillo does a wonderful job of making us see all of the characters like people. Even though some of the characters are mice and rats you think of them as people and not rodents throughout the story. The is established early on in the book when Despereaux's mom asks "Where are my babies?" This helps to establish a human quality about the mice. You would not normally think of mice as caring about where their babies are. I like the mix of having the people and the animals understand each other. I like the fact that in the end if the book DiCamillo talks about how Despereaux and the princess do not marry but do become friends. She says that, "Even in a world as strange as this one, a mouse and a princess cannot marry." With this DiCamillio states that the world that book is set in a strange place but that there are still certain rules that cannot be broken.

The plot of the story coincides with that of many traditional fairy tales. There is a king, queen and princess. There is good versus evil. This is shown with the difference between Roscuro and Despereaux. Roscuro tries to do his evil by taking the princess and Despereaux turns into the hero by saving her. Roscuro also tricks Miggery Sow into helping him with the promise that she can become a princess. It also concludes with the fact that they lived happily ever after.

The majority of the book is set in a castle. While there is not a definite description of the castle you still get a feel for it. You know that dungeon is a dark, dirty and scary place. Having Roscuro describe the castle and the dungeon with the difference of light and dark helps to portray the two settings well. You also know that banquet hall was a grand place. It is described as having "a most beautiful chandelier." The banquet room is also described as having, "so much laughing and singing and juggling." I really think that the difference descriptions between the dungeon and castle help to set the tone for two places.

I love the theme that little people can do big things. Or even if things seem a lot bigger than you, you can still accomplish so much. I think this is really important for young students to hear. If they hear the story of how a small mouse, even small by mouse standards, can rescue a princess and a servant in a maze of a dungeon full of rats then anything is possible! It helps to boost their self confidence just by hearing about somebody else that does great things through unbelievable odds.

I like the way that DiCamilio breaks the book up into four different books. It helps you to get invested into each character and goes more in depth about the story of each character. The first book is about Despereaux and follows him from birth to the time he is sent to the dungeon. The second book is about Chiaroscuro the rat. Instead of just talking about a rat that fell in the queen's soup you get to understand a little about him and why he did it. He just wanted some light. He loved soup and he loved the light of the castle and the light from the chandelier. Now instead of thinking he is just a dirty rat you know that he fell into the soup because he had such a strong longing for soup. The third book is about Miggery Sow. You get to see the story behind the servant girl at the castle. You get to see how she was sold by her dad and beaten by her owner. You understand why she would listen to the rat because after the way she was treated she really did want to be a princess. Without this back ground information you would not feel sorry or have understanding for Miggery Sow. The last book brings everyone back together for the end of the story. With the separation of books you have a better understand of each character and somewhat of an understanding of their actions.

The characters in the book had traditional gender roles. There was a king, queen and princess. The "villain", Roscuro, was male as well as the "hero", Despereaux. The traditional gender roles go even farther. The servant, Miggory, is a girl. The dungeon keeper was male. Even the mice show what we would consider as traditional roles. The mouse council was made up of all men. I think that this helps us to see the animal characters as real people and not mice.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal review - "With memorable characters, brief chapters, and inventive plot twists, this fast-paced romp is perfect for reading alone or sharing aloud."



Horn Book Magazine review - "Framing the book with the conventions of a Victorian novel ("Reader, do you believe that there is such a thing as happily ever after?"), DiCamillo tells an engaging tale."

Connections
I would like to use this book to help show my students that eve if you are little and the odds seem against you, you can still prevail. It brings to mind the two movies. One would be An American Tail and the other would be Rudy. Rudy is rated PG and would be shown to older students. I think it would get their attention and help to reinforce the theme from the story that even if your small you can do anything! I did not realize the The Tale if Despereaux was made into a movie into 2008. It might be a good idea to show that one so that the students can see how a book can become a movie. I think seeing the story in two different mediums is a great.

THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE by Karen Cushman

This blog was created for a TWU course.

Bibliography

Cushman, Karen. 1996. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple. New York: Clarion Books.

Summary
Lucy Whipple is actually California Morning Whipple. She is a young girl during the California Gold Rush. Her family, who lives in Massachusetts, has talked about going to California to find their fortunes. When her father and sibling Golden die of pneumonia Ma decides to move the family anyway. Arriving in Lucky Diggins, California they find a dusty dirty camp town. California decides she does not want a name that is "a place, a passion, a promise." She wants a new name. She decides on Lucy. She says, "It is a very Massachusetts name." Ma starts running a boarding house out of a tent. You meet a lot of interesting boarders throughout the book. Lucy starts selling pies and is saving the money to try and move back to Massachusetts with her grandparents. Hard times hit when Lucy's brother Butte dies and then Lucy Diggins catches fire. Some of the citizens decided to rebuild. Ma had married a tenant name Brother Clyde. They were moving to the Sandwich Islands so Brother Clyde could do missionary work. Lucy had made arrangements to go back east with a girl to take care of her baby. A lady named Mrs. Potterhouse moves into Lucky Diggins and talks about civilizing California and wanting to start a school in Lucky Diggins. Lucy tells her her dream of starting a lending library. She decided that, "home is where I am loved and safe and needed." So she decided to stay in Lucy Diggins.

Analysis
Cushman's writing is very easy to read and provides lots of sarcastic humor portrayed through the main character Lucy. The plot of the story is very typical of families during the California Gold Rush. Many families went west to find their fortune. That fact makes this story very believable. The story holds true to the fact that most families went to find nothing but a lot of hard work and worse conditions than they left at home.

Karen Cushman offers a great insight to life in a mining camp. Right away you can see a stark difference between the main character and her mother. Upon seeing the place they would call home, that is supposed to be littered with gold, Lucy says, "Surely Hell was not far away." Her mother said, "There's gold all around us if you just look." This helps you to understand how Lucy felt about where she was going to live. You get an even better insight into what the camp town of Lucky Diggins is like in Lucy's letters back home to her grandparents. She writes about working to hard, it being to hot and that she is "...a stranger in a land where they even speak a different language, full of derns and dings and have you a pick axe in your clothes." Cushman did include some language from the time frame in the book such as, "I reckon," "looks to be," and "feller." This type of language came mainly from the miners. Lucy and her family talked with more "proper" English. By doing this Cushman reinforced the difference between the mining camps and the lifestyle in Massachusetts.

While the family never does find their fortune and face many hardships along the way you see them grow and change. As you follow them through their journey you see them grow and form bonds with the miners. When Ma decides to marry Brother Clyde and move to the Sandwich Islands you feel happy for her and excited about where her next journey will take her. It is amazing to see Lucy who started as a grouchy little girl that wanted to be back home so bad grow into a young lady that has matured. She now knows that home isn't necessarily a place but a feeling. She decides to stay in Lucky Diggins because she says, "It seems to me home is where I am loved and safe and needed."

The end of the book includes and author's note that talks about how Cushman got he information for the book. There is a list of books that states helped her in her study of California during the gold rush.



Review Excerpts

School Library Journal review - "Cushman's heroine is a delightful character, and the historical setting is authentically portrayed."



Horn Book Magazine review- "What we get is balladic indeed, not just "the extraordinary doin's of ordinary folk" but equally the ordinary doings of extraordinary folk."

Connections

This book would be great to use when talking about the California Gold Rush. It is an excellent way to show the living conditions of the miners. I would read parts of the book and then let the students "pan for gold."

NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowry

This blog was created for a TWU course.



Bibliography

Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary
Number the Stars is a story about a girl named Annemarie and her family during Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark. Annemarie's best friend Ellen lives in the same apartment complex with her parents and they happen to be Jewish. Annemarie lives with her parents and younger sister. Her older sister Lise died in a car accident toward the beginning of the war. Annemarie later finds out that Lise was killed by Nazi soldiers because she was part of the Resistance that was helping and supporting the Jews. The Nazi soldiers get lists of the Jewish people and started searching for them. Ellen comes to stay with Annemarie and her family for a few days. One night the Nazi soldiers come by asking questions about Ellen's family. Annemarie's parents pretend that Ellen was their daughter Lise. Ellen's parents left before the soldiers came. The next day Annemarie, her mother, sister and Ellen leave to visit her uncle. While at their uncles they have a wake. The wake is actually fake but it is an excuse for a group of people to gather. The people that come are actually Jews including Ellen's parents. During the night the Jews are taken to Annemarie's uncle's boat where they will be smuggled to Sweden.

Analysis
Lois Lowry's account of the Nazi occupation of Denmark is truthful and honest. Lowry tells a very powerful and moving story with great ease and clarity. The chapter where the officers come to the house at night made me hold my breath the entire time like I was there in the room too. From when the soldiers knocked on the door to the time when he tore the picture in two and left. You could really feel the tension in the air and when the soldiers left and, "Annemarie relaxed her clenched finger..." you felt that you could breathe again.

The book starts off with schoolgirls racing on the way home from school. But when, "Annemarie looked up, panting just as she reached the corner. Her laughter stopped. Her heart seemed to skip a beat. "Halte!" the soldier ordered in a stern voice." With this Lowry makes us realize that these are not ordinary girls and they are not in an ordinary situation. This short paragraph helps to create the setting of fear that continues through the entire story. You get this sense again when on the train to her uncles Annmarie says, "Not here, on the train, too? They were everywhere." You feel too the fact they cannot escape the soldiers, they always have to be aware.

A major theme throughout the story is the courage of the Danish people. Many people risked their lives in order to help the Jewish people whether they knew them personally or not. Lowry states at the end of the book that the character Peter was based on an individual named Kim Malthe-Bruun. Bruun like Peter was part of the Resistance, got captured by the Nazis and was executed. In the story Peter sends a letter to Annemarie's' family the night before he is killed. At the end of the book there is part of the actual letter that Kim Malthe-Brunn wrote. Adding this part to the back of the book helps to bring the whole thing to life.

The event of smuggling Jews across borders was very typical of the time. This type of story has been heard an told many times throughout history. By following one family from the beginning to the end of their journey it is easy to see the struggles and fears that they encountered. I like the fact that Lowry included a younger sister that was chatty. You never knew if Kristi was going to say the wrong thing or not and this added to the suspense. An example of this is on the train on the way to Copenhagen when Kristi started talking to the soldiers and everyone held their breath because they thought she was going to tell them about Ellen. The story is very believable and one that needs to be told.

Review Excerpts

Horn Book Magazine review - "The noteworthy novel is scaled to the comprehension of elementary students without sacrificing elements of style."


School Library Journal review - "Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery."

Connections



A great book for the Holocaust! Kids have such a hard time grasping the Holocaust because it was such a harsh event. Most kids in the US are so sheltered and are taught kindness and equality. It is hard for them to imagine something like that even happening. Being able to hear and "see" this event through the eyes of someone their own age is a great way to start that understanding. Even though it is a very harsh part of reality I believe that it is something that my students need to know about. Anne Frank's Diary is another book that would relate to this time period. I heard that there was another diary that turned up but I do not know that it is in print.

THE ART OF KEEPING COOL by Janet Taylor Lisle

This blog was created for a TWU course.

Bibliography

Lisle, Janet T. 200o. The Art of Keeping Cool. New York: A Richard Jackson Book.

Summary
After his father leaves for the war Robert, his mom and sister leave their farm in Ohio to move to his father's hometown in Rhode Island. They move into the house next door to Robert's grandparents. His aunt, uncle and cousin Elliot live with his grandparents. Robert and Elliot are the same age. Robert discovers that Elliot can draw better than anyone he has ever seen but he keeps it a secret. Robert starts to notice there are a lot of secrets at his grandparents house. The biggest one being that his father's name is never mentioned. Elliot meets and befriends a German painter by the name of Abel Hoffman. Elliot keeps his new friend a secret at the house also. The US is at war with Germany and a lot of the townspeople dislike Abel. When the naval base on the island test their big guns Robert sneaks on base to watch. Abel Hoffman is there too and ends up getting chased by some soldiers. Robert tells some soldiers that come to his house what he saw concerning Abel. The town now thinks that he is a German spy and they end up burning down his makeshift house in the woods. This greatly upsets Elliot and withdrawls himself from most people including Robert. The book ends with Robert finding out that his grandfather shot his father in the leg after an argument. That is why his dad left and never came back. The story then flashes forward to Elliot in art school and Robert going to medical school.


Analysis

This book is set in New England in the 1940s during WWII. Lisle does a very good job of describing this to us by talking about gas rationing, food rationing and kids selling war bonds. Another good example that helps to describe that time is the fact that Robert's grandfather gets so upset about the women going to work. That is something that was very out of the ordinary until the war. A lot of the older generations held on to their beliefs that women should not work.

The plot of the story is interesting because it seems to have two different stories. Although Robert is the main character there is the story of Elliot and his painting and the story of why Robert's dad is never mentioned. You get to see Elliot go from hiding his talent to sharing it with Robert and Abel to becoming a real artist that sells his work. Then you get to see Robert throughout the book trying to find out why no one will talk about his father. You can feel his struggle as he wants to learn about his father as a boy, especially since he is gone, but not being able to do this. Little by little his aunt and uncle and even grandmother start talking about him but only when his grandfather is not around. Finally Elliot draws him a picture to tell him the story. By not saying it, it reinforces the impact the grandfather has on the family.

There are many unique characters in this story. One of my favorites is the grandfather, not him as a person but the way the character is written. You can feel his presence in the story even when he is not there. He has such a hold of fear on the family. This is shown by statements such as, "Everyone felt relieved when he wasn't at the table." and "She shook her finger at Uncle Jake and glanced back over her shoulder as if Grandpa's glowering face were about to appear." I love Elliot's quirkiness. The way he still keeps his bird egg collection under his bed even in college.

There were two themes that stuck out to me personally in the book. One was Elliot saying, "Don't let it bother you." This was the "trick" he used not let his grandfather or other family members bother him. He was telling this to Robert when he was getting worked up over the situation about his dad. I think it tells a lot about Elliot. He did not let things bother him that he could not change. He just moved on. That is a great way to live life. There is no need to dawdle and fret over things that you have no control of. The other actually came from Abel Hoffman. Abel told Elliot to paint with "less perfectness, more you-ness." It took Elliot awhile to find his "you-ness" but eventually he did. Again what a great way to live life. Nobody is perfect but everyone can be themselves. These are not things I would have expected to take from this book before I read it, but I am glad I did.

Lisle did not include an afterward that helped the reader to verify his authenticity. However we know from other accounts of history about that time period. About the rationing of gas, food and the selling of war bonds. The attitudes about women going back to work is also very authentic. Overall I feel that the book was authentic and is a good representation of a family living in New England during the WWII.

Review Excerpts

Horn Book Magazine review -"In building the plot to this climactic revelation, Lisle develops an unforgettable cast of characters placed against a fully realized setting."

School Library Journal review - "Despite a misleading title (the word "cool" does not conjure up the 1940s), this is a well-drawn story that is part coming-of-age, part mystery."


Connections
I would love to use this book to help my students learn about what life was like for civilians during the war. I think the fact that we are at war now and the economy is not great would be a good time to discuss this. I do not want to scare my children but I think in this day and age it is important for students to know some of the things that their parents and grandparents went through so that they could be where they are today. I would like to do a rationing experiment in my class. For a week I would like to ration certain things like pencils, papers, books and see how the students can handle it.

THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET by Kathleen Krull

This blog was created for a TWU course.



Bibliography

Krull, Kathleen. 2004. The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Suess. Ill by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York: Random House.


Summary

This book is about how Ted Geisel came to be Dr. Suess. The book starts out with Ted as a young boy living on Fairfield Street. Krull talked about how Ted did not get along with most kids his age. He felt that he did not fit in at home either. Ted did not have the same interest as most of his peers or his family. He liked to spend his time doodling strange and odd characters. These characters would become some of the famous characters in his Dr. Suess books. Ted's art did not exactly "follow the rules" and was not well received. Ted only ever took one art class and did not like going school. He went to college but ended up dropping out. He got a job drawing cartoons for a newspaper. The story ends with Ted moving to New York.

Analysis

While this is a biography of Dr. Suess it has the feel of a story. It gives you the facts and background of Ted Geisel in a very logical order. The first sentence of the book helps to draw you in also, "Once upon a time, there lived a boy who feasted on books and was wild about animals." The once upon a time reminds you of a fairy tale and gets kids attention. The illustrations help you to see Dr. Suess as a kid named Ted while he grows up. There are some of Dr. Suess' own drawing on each page. This helps to connect the story you are reading to the Dr. Suess that we all know.

Review Excerpts

Booklist review - "Krull’s pithy text is extended by full page
paintings that glow with the memory of yesteryear and
capture the mix of humor and poignancy that comes with
trying to fit in."


Hornbook Magazine review- "Krull does a good job of linking such early propensities with what turned up later, visually and thematically, in Geisel's books,..."


School Library Journal review- "This picture-book biography is a winner."

Connections
I think I would use this book mainly for character and self esteem. I think it is great that it shows someone that most kids know and have grown up with to be someone that didn't fit in as a kid. The book shows that he did not fit in and that his artwork did not "follow the rules." Yet he still did what he loved and turned out to be really successful. I would group this book with books of people that have similar stories. I think it is very important for kids to understand that you don't have to fit in or conform to everybody else's rules.

AN AMERICAN PLAGUE by Jim Murphy

Bibliography
Murphy, Jim. 2003. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books.


Summary
This book tells the story of the yellow fever epidemic that happened in Philadelphia in 1793. The book talks about how the fever quietly snuck up on the city. It talks about how the people were effected when they realized that it was an epidemic. A lot of people fled the city which caused major problems because shops were not open and there was no one to care for the sick. The book also showed us some of the medical practices from that time period. When everyone left there were two men that stayed behind to help organize and care for the sick people. The African American women ended up being nurses and caring for the sick. They even had instances of a type of price gauging but from the sick people wanting to hire the nurses.


Analysis
This book had a lot of historic facts and information. While being a nonfiction book it still told the story of what happened in Philadelphia in 1973. The author did a good job of taking us through the entire journey, from the beginning when "No One Noticed" through the epidemic and then when it had passed. The pictures in the book help to take you back to that time period. The author puts lots of quotes and artifacts that come straight from the people in the book. One example is the poem "Pestilence" by Philip Freneau. He also did this by including parts of newspaper articles.


Review Excerpts

School Library Journal review - "The author masterfully weaves facts and fascinating stories in describing the course of the disease and the heroic roles played by a few doctors and the free African-American citizens of the city."


Horn Book Magazine review - "With his customary care, Murphy culls from a number of historical records the story of the yellow fever epidemic that swept Philadelphia in 1793, skillfully drawing out from these sources the fear and drama of the time and making them immediate to modern readers."

Connections
This book would be great to use in social studies. Although with younger students I would need to just take excerpts from the book to use in a lesson. It is a lot of information to take in and my students would get bored if they had listen to or read the book on their own. I think it is a great source of historic information though.

ANIMALS IN FLIGHT by Steve Jenkins

This blog was created for a course at TWU.

Bibliography

Jenkins, Steve &Page, Robin, 2001. Animals in Flight. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary

This book describes how and why birds and insects fly. It has great pictures and great descriptions. It has one main tidbit of information on each page and one main picture. Under the main picture is more information on that specific picture. Then there are smaller pictures on the page with even more information. There is information on birds, insects, dinosaurs and bats. The last part of the book is about humans in flight. The author shows a little bit of the history of man in flight. He starts with early flying inventions and goes to the Blackbird spy plane which is the "fastest plane."


Analysis

The beginning of the book talks about imagining to fly. What kid has not done that? That is a great way to peak interest in the rest of the book. They layout of the book is great. The book has one main picture on each page with a small paragraph with information on that picture. It is a good attention grabber. There are smaller pictures with more information on each page. There is also one large sentence with information on flying. These "headlines" could be read by themselves as a story. The book can be read in small bits as well as all at once. The large pictures really help to draw you in and then want to look at the smaller pictures.


Review Excerpts

School Library Journal review- "With their creamy colors and sharp outlines, these tiny pictures are lovely as well as informative. The text is brief."

Connections
I would defiantly use this book on a unit of birds or insects. I would like to a KWL with my students over birds or insects that fly. I think bringing questions that they wonder about to the forefront will help them to focus more on the book.