Ms. Tointigh's Book Blog

  Title:   Where the Wild Things are Genre:  Fantasy Author/Illustrator : Maurice Sendak Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : Kinder-3rd Summary This story follows a young boy named Max.  Max is running amok in his house and his other sends him off to his room because of it.  In his room Max cannot believe that his mom sent him to his room, so his walls turn into jungle and suddenly he is transported into a forest with wild monsters and huge trees.  Max then becomes the king of the wild things as they have all conceded that he is the wildest of them all.  They all begin to dance the whole night away when he remembers how much he misses his mom.  The monsters do not want their king to go however Max wants to return home to his mom.  So then he goes home and supper and his mom are both waiting. Evaluation This story is filled with the child-like imagination that all children have experienced.  I think this book could be used to ...

  Title:   This is Not my Hat Genre:  Fantasy Author/Illustrator : Jon Klassen Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : PreK-1st Summary This story follows a sneaky little fish who immediately fesses up to stealing a hat.  He stole this tiny hat from a giant fish while the giant fish was sleeping.  He is telling the readers about his "fool proof" plan as to how he will not get caught.  And with each step of the plan he is giving the illustration shows the big fish listening to the little fish and knowing what his next move will be.  This continues all the way to the end of the story where the giant fish follows the little fish into tall plants and then returns to swim home wearing his hat. Evaluation This story is really made with the illustrations... which would explain why it received the Caldecott medal!  I think how Klassen goes back and forth from the little fish who thinks he's pulling off the biggest heist to the gig fish knowing the...

  Title:   Grandfather's Journey Genre:  Historical Fiction Author/Illustrator : Allen Say Major Awards:  Caldecott Award Age group : 4th-6th Summary                                                                                                                                                This story loosely follows the journey of Say's own grandfather.  His grandfather was born and raised in Japan.  As a young man he journeyed to America where he took in so many sights such as the desert rocks, mountains and seas, the railroad cars, and diverse cultures.  The more he traveled the more he loved se...

  Title:   Beautiful Blackbird Genre:  Fiction Author/Illustrator : Ashley Bryan Major Awards:  Coretta Scott King Award Age group : 2rd-4th Summary This story is about the Blackbird and how beautiful and wonderful he is.  All the other birds are so colorful like the rainbow however when questioned which of the birds is the most beautiful of them all they all shout and sing that Blackbird is the most beautiful.  He is the only black bird and no one else has the any marks of black at all.  So the Ringdove asks the blackbird to paint him a black ring around his neck and the blackbird mixes up his brew in the medicine gourd and the next morning paints a ring around the ringdoves neck.  After seeing how beautiful the ringdove now looks every other bird begs to be painted with a black embellishment.  The black bird brew up an even bigger brew and the next morning happily obliges to paint and mark all the other birds.  All the birds cannot bel...

  Title:   George's Marvellous Medicine Genre:  Fantasy Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator : Quentin Blake  Age group : 3rd-5th Summary This story is about a young boy named George.  George's parent have left him alone with his grandmother, the only thing George had to remember was to give his grandmother her medicine at 11:00 o'clock sharp.  George's grandmother is terrible towards George especially when his parents are not around.  George waits on his grandma hand and foot and is really at his grandmother's beck and call.  So George takes matter into his own hands and decides to whip up a wicked concoction with shampoo and dish soap and so much more vile things that will substitute for his grandmother's medicine.  So the time comes for grandma to take his medicine and George is in for a wild surprise.  Grandma takes the medicine and begins to grow like a bubble, then she deflates.  Then she begins to grow super tall and starts breakin...

Title:   The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales Genre:  Fantasy Author : Jon Scieszka Illustrator: Lane Smith Major Awards:  Caldecott Award  & Texas Bluebonnet Age group : 2nd-4th Summary This picture story book is a collection of fairytales.  These are not just any ordinary fairytales though, these are the fractured fairytales.  This is a specific type of fairytale that has the same characters but is told differently.  Jack the narrator is just trying to write this story and some of the characters are being uncooperative like the giant or the red hen.  Jack just wants to tell everyone's fairly stupid stories.  These fractured fairy tales are not full of the morals that everyone's used to like how the ugly duckling grows up to be a handsome swan, in this story he just grows up to be an ugly duck. Evaluation The humor created by Scieszka is unmatched.  The way that he brings Jack's character to life as something more tha...

Title:   Julie of the Wolves Genre:  Fantasy Author: Jean Craighead George Illustrator: John Schoenherr Major Awards:  Newberry Award Age group : 5th-9th Summary This story is about Inuk girl named Miyax.  She lives in Alaska with her father raising her in the traditional way of the Inuits.  However, she is sent to live with her aunt Martha as her father must sail away for work and the journey would be too dangerous for the both of them.  Tragedy strikes when her fathers boat is found  in pieces and he is no where to be seen, presumed dead.  So this means that Miyax must stay with her Aunt Martha.  Her aunt Martha is verbally abusive to her and overall makes Miyax feel very unwelcomed.  At one point thirteen year old Miyax accepts a marriage proposal from an older village boy named Daniel.  This is so exciting for Miyax as she dreams about how much better her life would be once she no longer had to face the abuse of her aunt.  ...

  Title:   Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus Genre:  Fantasy Author/Illustrator : Mo Willems Major Awards: Caldecott Honor Award Age group : PreK-2nd Summary This picture book begins with a request from the bus driver.  The bus driver asks the reader to watch his bus while he runs a few errands and leaves the reader with one rule: Don't let the pigeon drive the bus.  So then the bus driver leaves and the reader meets the pigeon.  The pigeon then proceeds to beg the readers to let him drive the bus. He attempts to bribe them or say things like "just once around the block."  Then after all his failed attempts the pigeon has a huge temper tantrum and pleads for the reader to let him drive and then the bus driver returns.  The bus driver thanks the reader and says "you didn't let the pigeon drive did you?" And then he drives off.  The reader then sees the pigeon look at a semi truck and start having a daydream about that and forget the bus. Eval...

  Title:   Charlotte's Web Genre:  Fantasy Author: E.B. White Illustrator : Garth Williams Major awards : Newberry Honor Award Age group : 3rd-5th Summary This story follows a special pig named Wilbur.  When Wilbur is born he is the runt of the litter and his fate is to be slaughtered.  With the convincing of a little girl named Fern her father decides to spare Wilbur.  From there Fern and Wilbur become best pals and do almost everything together.  After this Wilbur is moved to Fern's uncles farm to help Fern with the separation because when he is older his fate will still be being slaughtered.  At the farm Wilbur becomes very lonely and misses Fern more than anything.  Luckily after a few days of sulking Wilbur befriends the other animals on the farm.  One animal whom he is the fondest of is a spider named Charlotte. Wilbur soon over hears that winter that he will be slaughtered and in an effort to save Wilbur's life Charlotte agrees to...

  Title:   Zombie in Love Genre:  Science Fiction Author: Kelly DiPucchio Illustrator : Scott Campbell Age group : Kinder- 3rd Summary Zombie in Love is a short picture book that follows Mortimer.  Mortimer is a zombie and he wants to do all the things that live people do.  In  specific Mortimer wants to find love and a date to the sweethearts dance.  We see Mortimer go through his day and get ready and even try to ask a few girls out.  When he is shot down by all the girls Mortimer decides to go to the dance anway on his own.  After spending most of the night by himself watching everyone else dance Mortimer gets up to leave but just as he does Mildred appears.  Mildred is also a zombie!  The two of them finish the night on a drive and share a nice plate of brains right beside the candle light.  Then as the book ends the two zombies get married. Evaluation This book was a very cute read and it was nice to see that Mortimer actu...

  Title:   New Kid Genre:  Realistic fiction Author/Illustrator : Jerry Craft Major awards : Newberry Award & Coretta Scott King Award Age group : 4th-10th Summary This story is written in the format of a graphic novel, this is like comic book style.  It follows the life of student Jordan Banks as he attends a new prestigious school.  Jordan comes from an urban area in New York and has grown up this way his entire life.  At this new school diversity is slim to say the least.  On his journey Jordan wrestles with finding his fit because of how all his classmates were raised and how his race is highly misrepresented at the school.  He wants to make friends but no one talks to him or when they do stereotypes and microaggressions run amuck.  In the beginning Jordan does not even want to befriend the other black student in his grade because of how that ma be perceived to others. Through it all Jordan is able to be aware of the stereotypes but n...

  Title:   The War That Saved My Life Genre:  Historical Fiction Author/Illustrator : Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Major awards : Newberry Award Age group : 5th-8th Summary This story follows the life of a young girl named Ada.  She is living her everyday life in the time of World War II.  On top of that she also has a disability that impairs her mobile ability to walk.  Ada comes from an abusive home where her brother is the favorite and the only reason she is abused is because of her disability.  Through the novel we get to see Ada's growth that comes from escaping the abusive home and trusting in a stranger who maybe needed Ada more than Ada needed her.  An element that Ada always makes present is her kindness regardless of what her situation is the kindness that she shows to others and her perseverance to strive past the label of "disabled".  In the end Ada and her brother are taken in by a kind older woman where a symbiotic relationship is ...

  Title:  Wonder Genre:  Fiction Author/Illustrator : R.J. Palacio Major awards : #1 NY Times Bestseller & Texas Bluebonnet Award Age group : 4th-12th  Summary This book follows the life of August, a ten year old boy who's about to start middle school.  Augie is not like the other kids and he knows that.  He was born with a medical condition which caused him to have multiple facial surgeries that make him not look like a "normal" kid.  before starting school Augie goes on a guided tour of the school with three students who already have attended the school.  Here Augie gets his first taste of how he might be treated during school.  He is terrified but after talking with his parents he commits to going to school.  At school many events happen that help Augie formulate his opinion of the school.  These events include both the positive and the negative from dealing  with teachers to dealing with peers and social situations...