The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye

After doing one of my book reviews and discovering the author Jane Yolen, an author of a previous book that I reviewed, I just had to find more of her books. The book that I found and am going to do a book review on is one of her books titled The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye, it is illustrated by Jim LaMarche. This is a really sad book that tells a story about a cat who says goodbye to everything and everyone that she knows and loves before her passing. This book is would be classified as an animal fantasy book. Characteristics that this book includes that puts it in this genre is the human like qualities and emotions that are given to the animal. That is a key characteristic that exist in an animal fantasy book (Cullian et al., 2010).

The pictures of this book are subtle, with soft soothing colors and lines that are smooth which convey peace and tranquility. The illustrations are able to show the reader the cat as she goes from people to animals to different things in nature such as trees and flowers and says her goodbyes. Most of the pictures are on the opposite page of the text. This shows the reader that the illustrations are just as important as the text. The combination of the actual picture, the technique used, and the colors that the illustrator used, come together to help the reader understand that this is not a sad time in the cat’s life, but a peaceful time that should be celebrated.

The setting of this book is not really described, as it is not a key element in the story. The main (and only) character in this story is the cat named Tiger Rose, who knows it is her time to pass. She isn’t given much qualities, however she is depicted as a cat who is grateful for the life she has had; however, she is accepting of the fact that it is time to leave her old and tired body. Although the cat is not given too much characterization, readers are still able to connect with her through animals that they may have had who have also passed away.

 A good reader response question for this book is to have children answer this question: Has there ever been a time where you or someone you know experience a passing of a pet? What were your thoughts after you found out about their passing? Do you feel different about it now that you have read this book, why or why not? This reader response question provides children with an opportunity to review and reflect their feelings to an unavoidable fact of life that everyone will experience. An activity that could be used with this book is to have children draw a picture of people and things in their life that are important to them. They can then share write a poem to these people about why mean so much to them. The teacher can then hang the drawings and poems on the wall to be displayed for everyone or allow them to take it home to share with their parents.  

This book really stood out to me because I have ever encountered a children’s book that not only talks about death, but does it in a way to is peaceful. It can help children understand that death is natural, and something that should not be feared because the animal/person still lives within the earth and through their loved ones. Death is not an easy topic to discuss, however, with this book it can serve as a good ice breaker to get the discussion going.

Cullian, B., Galda, L., Sipe, L. (2010). Literature and the child. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

LaMarche, J. & Yolen, J. (2011). The day tiger rose said goodbye. Random House Children’s Books: New York, NY.

Underground

I searched and searched for a really great historical fiction book for this book review. The book that I will review is titled Underground and it is written by Shane Evans. This book is about a family who is on the search of freedom and finally founds it when they discover the underground rail road that leads them to north and to freedom. This book falls under the historical fiction genre. This genre is characterized by a fictional story that contain possible real people, real events, or time periods that include culture of the past (Cullian et al., 2010). They key to a good historical fiction is factual information.

The illustrations of this story make up most of the story! Prior to reading this book, I never realized how much a picture alone can tell a story. The illustrations make up the entire book. As you flip the page, you realize that the images are actually telling you the story as each page only has one to five words on them. The readers are able to see how the family travels at night, and crawl and hide underground and outside. The readers can see as they sleep outside, and keep silent when the dogs walk past in search for them. The illustrator did an amazing job at illustrating this story.

The setting of this book is not specific, but takes place at night during the early 1800s when they underground railroad was formed. The setting is pivotal, because it is part of the story that makes the book a historical fiction; without the setting, the book would be meaningless. The characters of this book are not really given too many qualities, which means they do not contain much characterization. The author does not discuss the names or the relationships between the characters. The theme of this story is that freedom is something that we all take for granted every day, it is hard to imagine that only a short 150 years ago, African Americans were not given the freedom that we as human beings deserve.

After reading this book, children can discuss what freedom means to them, and how they are able to exercise their right of freedom every day. Another activity that can be used with this book is to have children do a project in which they have to research what the underground railroad was, and how it was used to free thousands of slaves. By doing this activity, children will learn about a sad but crucial point in our nation’s history that affected millions of people.

I recommend this book to any person looking to teach children about slavery, and the underground railroad. This book is a great way to begin a lesson about Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglas, and many other people who played a huge role in rescuing slaves. It is a book that can be understood most readers, although the meaning that they will pull from the book will differ depending on the age of the reader.

Cullian, B., Galda, L., Sipe, L. (2010). Literature and the child. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Evans, S. (2011). Underground. Roaring Book Press: New York, NY.

The Blacker the Berry

For my next literary blog I really wanted to look for a book that conveyed a deep message. The book that I chose is titled The Blacker the Berry and it is written by Joyce Carol Thomas and is illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This book is about helping children recognize that their skin is beautiful, and teaching them to love the skin they are in and the culture they are a part of. This book, is not like a typical story book—but a book full of poems that tells a tale from different African and African American children. I would classify this book as not only poetry, but a multicultural literature. My reasoning for classifying this book as a multicultural literature is because is describes the cultures, thoughts, and traditions of African American children and families.

The illustrations in this book are solely pictures of African-American children and families. I believe this is an important aspect, being that the poems of this book directly pertain to African American children and how they too are beautiful. I believe the illustrations in this book are just as vital as the words in the poems. They are a visual representation of the different forms that African Americans come in and how they are all the same in their own unique way. It really helps the reader to gain this sense of appreciation and really understand the message that the poems are trying to convey.

There is no setting, plot, or characters in the book. The poems are written as an unknown narrator who, in each poem, only describe what they look like and how it makes them beautiful. The theme of this book, however, is clear. The theme is that we are all beautiful just how we are, and it is our differences that make us beautiful.

An activity that can be used with this book is to have children write a poem about what makes them beautiful. They can include a picture of themselves or their family an attach it to the poem. Each student can then share their poems and their photos with one another. This activity aligns with Saint Leo University’s core value of respect because it teaches children to respect each other for their differences and appreciate the uniqueness that is within each and every one of them. Another activity that can be used with this book is to have the children write a reflection that would not be shared with anyone about something that may have once been insecure about and how they were able to get over that insecurity. They can then go on to write about advice they would give someone facing the same insecurity that they have faced. This activity to get children to reflect on themselves as a person help build their self-esteem and confidence.

The author of this book is extremely renowned who has won a national book award and multiple Coretta Scott King honors for books that she has written. After encountering this book, I plan to read some of her other pieces of work. She is an inspirational author who tries to teach children self-love. I would recommend anybody of any race, age, and religious background to read this book and others written by her.

Cooper, F. & Thomas, J. (2008). The blacker the berry. HarperCollins Publishers: New York, NY.