Rain!

Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator:   Christian Robinson
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Kirkus starred review

Summary:  A grumpy man who's mad about the rain lives next door to a boy who's excited about it. The engaging paint and collage illustrations use a dark palette for the man contrasted with a bright one for boy. The man hates his galoshes and overcoat while the boy is excited to don his rain gear. The two characters move through their days, interacting with those around them and spreading their moods to everyone. When they meet at a cafe, the boy's acts of kindness infect the man and his spread suddenly becomes bright too.

Classroom Ideas: The theme of the power of attitude is told subtly but can be understood by even the youngest reader.

Homer

Author & Illustrator:   Elisha Cooper
Publisher:  Greenwillow
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Kirkus Best Book, Booklist & Publisher's Weekly starred reviews

Summary:  The old dog Homer sits on the porch thinking about how he wants to spend his day. He doesn't want to run around the yard with the young dogs, explore the field, walk to the beach, swim, or run. He looks out out a beautiful landscape of ocean and yard, and soon everyone comes and joins him on the porch. As the sun sets, he heads into the house to relax with his family all around. The watercolors are beautiful and absolutely draw the reader into the mood of a dog who's content with his life.

Classroom Ideas: The theme here is one of contentment and old age. The book perfectly captures the mood of the old dog.

Boot & Shoe

   

Author & Illustrator:   Marla Frazee
Publisher:  Beach Lane Books
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Kirkus Best Book, Starred Reviews in School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, Booklist Editor’s Choice, Junior Library Guild Selection

Summary:  Boot & Shoe are pupies born into the same litter who do everything together except Boot spends time on the back porch and Shoe on the front. Then suddenly, a squirrel comes along to bother them and they chased it and chased it around the yard. They each end up on the wrong porch waiting there all night for the other.  They begin crying, but they meet at a  tree overjoyed to see each other! And they head off to bed together. I love Marla Frazee's illustrations so much!

Classroom Ideas: The tone here is poignant and sweet, and the theme is one of love and friendship. Boot & Shoe would make a great character study.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator:   Ray Cruz
Publisher:  Atheneum
Publication Year:   1972
Location: Personal collection

Awards:   ALA Notable, Reading Rainbow selection

Summary:  Alexander is having a bad day. Everything is going wrong- from waking up with gum in his hair to to messing up in school to fighting with his friends. He wants to move to Australia. His day gets worse and worse, until the lima beans for dinner and the hated railroad-train pajamas. At the end of it all, Alexander's mom reassures him that everybody has bad days, even in Australia. Cruz's realistic drawings showing Alexander's typical life in detail; and Viorst finds a way to make his compaints sympathetic rather than whiny. One of my childhood favorites!

Classroom Ideas: This book would work well as a mentor text as kids write about their worst day. It also has great mood, and Alexander's character would be an interesting one to discuss (Does he perhaps bring some of this bad day onto himself? Is he a reliable narrator?)  The refrain of moving to Australia could be an example of repetition.

Neville

Author: Norton Juster
Illustrator:   G. Brian Karas
Publisher:  schwartz & wade book
Publication Year:   2011
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   featured on "Calling Caldecott" blog, SLJ & Booklist starred reviews

Summary:  When a boy moves into a new neighborhood, he is worried about trying to make new friends. Then he stops and (strangely) calls out "Neville." Soon all the kids in the neighborhood come to join in. The illustrations start grey and uniform and soon turn to varied colors and fonts. All the kids want to know about Neville and are excited to learn more about him from the boy. The kids soon wander off and when the boy returns home the reader discovers that he himself is Neville.

Classroom Ideas: This book is a great one for problem and solution. The mood is very obvious in the illustrations as Neville becomes more hopeful about his new life. And, everyone will want to know what happens next, so a story about Neville's next day would be a perfect writing assignment.

The Wretched Stone

Author & Illustrator:   Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Company
Publication Year:   1991
Location: Personal library

Awards:   Starred reviews Horn Book & Kirkus

Summary:   Written in the form of captain's log, this story documents the effects of a mysterious glowing rock have on the crew of a ship. The whole crew turns into apes and gather around the strange rock. The ship is destroyed in a storm, and the captain discovers positive effects of reading and music on the crew. The men are rescued and after they are separated from the stone, they return t normal (mostly). As usual, Van Allsburg's drawings are lush and detailed and add to the fantasy.

Classroom Ideas: This is an introduction to the idea of a journal/ ship's log. The mood of the story is mysterious. The book could used to talk about mood, as it moves from a very serious to a mysterious tone. For older children, the metaphor of the glowing rock as a TV and the cure being music and reading could be introduced and discussed.

The Dark

Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher:  Little, Brown
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Starred reviews from Horn Book, School Library Journal, & Publisher's Weekly

Summary:  Laszlo (the perfect character name here!) was afraid of the dark. The dark invites Laszlo into the basement to see something. When he gets there, the dark offers him a night light which ends the book with a funny conclusion. Klassen's illustrations set the ominous mood perfectly with their muted palette.

Classroom Ideas: This whole book is an example of personification which my kids loved. There's also some great similes in here ("The voice of the dark was as creaky as the roof of the house, and as smooth and cold as the windows....") There's a page of narration which has caused controversary from a pacing point of view. I think this would make an amazing lesson for young writers to discuss editing decisions.

Grandfather's Journey

 

Author & Illustrator:  Allen Say
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Year:  1993
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:  Bulletin Blue Ribbon, Caldecott Medal, ALA Notable, Booklist Editors' Choice, Horn Book Award, School Library Journal Best Book, NYT Best Illustrated  

Summary: Through the story of his Grandfather's life in both America and Japan, Say tells the story of immigrants and immigration. His poignant words and beautiful watercolors explain the feelings of love for two different countries.

Classroom Ideas:This book could be used to teach mood through a discussion of both Grandfather and the narrator's feelings. It would also be a good example of point of view. I used it in my 5th grade classroom in our study of immigration as well as referring back to it when we talked about World War II.

Yo! Yes?

Author & Illustrator:  Chris Raschka
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Year:  1993
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards: Caldecott Honor

Summary:  With only 34 words, this is Rachka's story of friendship between a black and white boy who meet on the street. The use of typography styles help convey mood and tell the story along with the colorful very-90s illustrations.

Classroom Ideas:   This book could be used to teach mood or word choice. With only one word per page, Raschka had to choose just the perfect word to get his meaning across. There's a rhythm to the book that made it incredibly appealing to my nine year old daughter.