The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry

            Children’s Novel—Science Fiction

            Grades 6-9

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: When Jonas is assigned to be the next receiver of memories in his community, he discovers a hidden world of feelings, colors, and experiences that everyone in society is sheltered from. After seeing the injustice in this way of life, Jonas and The Giver devise a plan for Jonas to escape and release the memories to the community.

            I have never been a huge fan of the science fiction genre. When I think science fiction, I often see images of outer space, robots, and futuristic technology. The Giver introduced an entirely new perspective to me in regards to this genre which I had previously overlooked. In many ways, Jonas is a person just like me…he has a family, he goes to school, he plays with friends. The twist in this novel is that Jonas exists in a community that has placed such tight restrictions on its members that Jonas and everyone he knows has been prohibited to lie, sense color, and feel. In many respects, they are forbidden to live in the way that we as humans are meant to live.

             One of the most intriguing elements of The Giver is Lowry’s construction of place. Many authors create an enhanced version of the world as we know it, often allowing us as the reader to experience something that is thrilling and magical when we dive into their stories. However, Lowry’s construction of place is a society which is deprived of the essential elements that make the real world what it is. This is what elicited an eerie feeling of emptiness for me as I made my way through the pages of The Giver. I cannot imagine living in a world that does not know the happiness of Christmas and family, or the delight of sledding down a snow-covered hill. Even pain is something that helps us make meaning out of life, but this is a feeling that Jonas experiences for the first time at age twelve and something that is foreign to the rest of the community. The inability to feel was a strange thing to witness, and this conception of a place with restrictions on such things is what ultimately set the mood for me in this story (Peterson & Eeds, p. 45).

            Time is another element which Lowry uses in a rather unconventional way. There is the normal passage of time through the months, but if you think about, the grander concept of time is very skewed for the members of the community. Jonas is able to experience memories of the past, almost as flashbacks, but the rest of society remains ignorant to their very own history. The idea that his parents had parents at one time is even a surprising revelation to Jonas, which shows how the idea of a past is just not relevant to how these people live. While time for them is passing, to the reader they almost seem to be standing still, living in the moment, because the minute someone is old enough to leave, they are gone and forgotten about. This idea is actually quite difficult to wrap my mind around, but maybe this is what Peterson and Eeds are referring to when they talk about time being “ordered psychologically” so that it seems to have stopped (p. 53). Overall, this is another aspect of the novel that contributes to the mood and feeling of uneasiness, which makes it an effective science fiction read.

            The ending was, for me, the climactic peak of tension that had been slowly building since Jonas and the Giver started meeting. As Jonas becomes more aware of the restrictions and injustice that the community imposes on its members, I felt that this caused a climbing tension as he becomes increasingly enraged with the lies that he had been told all his life. With his decision to escape, I felt a sense of victory over the inner conflict that Jonas experiences between the life he has known and the new experiences that the Giver has shown him. Jonas and Gabe battle some rough conditions in their escape, and even though the ending can be interpreted as the death of Jonas, I really don’t think he dies. I think that because he has arrived at the spot of his first pleasant memory that he received from the Giver, this must be the start of a new life as he sleds down the hill towards the house filled with music and light. 

Lilly's Big Day

Lilly’s Big Day, by Kevin Henkes

            Picture Book—Grades K-2

            Rating: 4 Stars

            Summary: Lilly’s teacher, Mr. Slinger, is getting married, and Lilly has her heart set on being the flower girl at his wedding. When she finds out that Mr. Slinger has asked his niece, Ginger, to be the flower girl, Lilly is disappointed and must be content with just assisting Ginger on the day of the wedding.

            I really enjoyed reading Lilly’s Big Day and learning about Lilly’s character through this story. Lilly’s dream is to be the flower girl at Mr. Slinger’s wedding, and I felt a surge of empathy for her when she learns that Ginger will be flower girl. I think this arousal of emotion that I experienced helps this story to shine as a great work of literature, as Tunnell and Jacobs say that well-written books “stir deep emotional responses in readers” (p. 18). I felt a connection with Lilly and found myself continuously wondering if her feelings of resentment toward Mr. Slinger would ever be resolved. This anticipation is what pushed me to keep reading as I was secretly pulling for Lilly and hoping that she would somehow find a way to shine at the wedding. In the end, the tension shifts as we learn that Ginger is too nervous to walk down the aisle and it is only with Lilly’s help that she is able to fulfill her role as flower girl.

            This story would be a great addition to any classroom library, as Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse is already an adored favorite of many children. The lessons that Henkes shows through Lilly are endless, and I think it is through his characterization of her that students can benefit from reading this and other stories about Lilly. She embodies the self-centered nature that we all possess when we're young, so students will find it easy to relate to her. For example, I am sure that many of us have experienced a time when we wanted to be in the spotlight and have all of the attention, similar to the way Lilly feels as she desires to walk down the aisle as the flower girl. However, Lilly shows us in her own fun way that we should ultimately respect what others want and sometimes we may be surprised by what comes our way in the end. For this reason, I might suggest this book to students who have a hard time recognizing the needs of their peers. Lilly’s Big Day would also be a good choice for a read-aloud just to get students laughing and engaged with a character that they are likely familiar with and can relate to.

Not a Box

Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis

            Picture Book

            Grades PreK-K

            Rating: 4 Stars

            Summary: A defiant little bunny rabbit proves that the square next to him is indeed not a box, and demonstrates how the imagination can transform this simple object into a racecar, a mountain, a building, a spaceship, a hot-air balloon, and many other things.

           

            Not a Box is a story that I wish had been around when I was younger. It is so much fun to flip through the pages and see how the bunny has transformed the box into a new adventure simply by using his imagination. This innocent sense of creativity reminded me of the forts that my brother and I would build out of blankets and pillows. These forts would become a castle, an army bunker, or a space ship, and we would entertain ourselves in these blanket structures for the entire day. Like the bunny in the story, as children most of us dream up the wildest situations and use our imaginations to make these places come alive, and as adults I think we lose this sense of creativity. This book serves as a great reminder for me now as an adult that imagination can transform daily life into something a bit more magical. The same is required while reading this book—a willingness to let go of what “makes sense” in the real world and experience the simple drawing of a box in the same adventurous way as the bunny.

            Overall, I think kids would be thrilled to read this story as a class read-aloud. It is such an authentic expression of the imagination, and creativity is something that comes much easier when children are young and not embarrassed by the crazy things they come up with. In a class of younger students, I would love to use this story as inspiration for them to either write about or draw something that is a little out of the ordinary. I think it would be fun to pass out pieces of paper with boxes drawn on them and have each student draw their own interpretation of what the box really is, just like the bunny demonstrates in the story. Children have such a unique way of thinking and constructing meaning, so it would definitely be fun to see what they can come up with. 

The Friend

The Friend, by Sarah Stewart, ill. by David Small

            Picture Book—Realistic Fiction/Rhyme

            Grades 1-3

            Rating: 4 Stars

            Summary: Belle’s wealthy parents have no time for her, but she takes comfort in the companionship of her nanny, Bea. Belle and Bea spend every day together doing chores and then relaxing by the sea.

            The Friend is such an endearing story that really caused me to step back and appreciate the family that I have. I truly felt sorry as I began to read this story and realized that Belle’s parents are so absent from her life. Stewart’s rhythmic rhyming text does a good job of chronicling the bond between Belle and her nanny, Bea, but it is really Small’s illustrations that show the reader the extent of Bea’s love for the child and the overall significance that Belle finds in her relationship with Bea. I especially enjoyed the double-page spreads of wordless pictures, as I feel that this served the special purpose of allowing the reader time to reflect on the characters’ relationship. A casual and serene mood is created by these spreads and by the rhyming text, but this is disrupted when Belle wanders to the sea by herself and finds her life endangered by the waves. This sudden rise in tension and Bea’s quick move to save Belle helps us to construct a deeper meaning from the story as we realize that Bea’s love for Belle is far greater than we imagined (Peterson & Eeds, p. 37).

            This story is likely to raise some provocative questions among students, specifically pertaining to the distant relationship between Belle and her parents and then the complicated relationship between Belle and her caregiver, Bea. I think there are some racial nuances to this story that young Belle herself did not understand, and so I would not expect younger students to analyze this book any deeper than surface-level. However, I do think that on the surface, it would a relatable read for students who may be experiencing a home life similar to Belle’s, as Peterson and Eeds have determined that we can have a richer experience with literature when we are able to identify with the characters (p. 40). 

Once Upon a Banana

Once Upon a Banana, by Jennifer Armstrong, ill. by David Small

            Picture Book—Wordless

            Grades PreK-3

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: A monkey runs away from his juggler owner towards a fruit stand full of bananas, and from there a chaotic chain of events takes place as the juggler chases down the monkey.

            First of all, I absolutely love the idea of wordless picture books. They allow every reader to create their own story from the illustrations, and I definitely had a blast navigating the scenes of Once Upon a Banana and figuring out what was going on in my version of this story. Despite the lack of text, all of the literary elements are present, including characters, tension, mood, place—you name it. The precious expressions on the face of the monkey are hysterical. As the reader, I know that he is quite a mischievous little guy, but yet he still thinks he’s innocent. David Small gives us a birdseye view on most pages, which allows you to notice a lot of background details that add an entirely new perspective to the story. For example, I loved noticing the people that were not immediately involved in the action, as their faces are usually frozen in awe and bewilderment at what is happening down the street from them. I often found myself spending an extended amount of time on each page taking in these small details, and yet the pictures omit energy so that at the same time, I could not wait to move on and see what would happen next.

            I love how the illustrations, and really the story, start on the inside cover and continue through the title and dedication pages so that the “first page” of the story is actually the third or fourth illustration and a lot of action has already taken place. This is a neat feature to point out to young readers who may not have seen a book that does this. In the classroom, this book would also be an excellent resource for a discussion on cause and effect. In fact, I think it would be more valuable to use illustrations to talk about the basics of cause and effect rather than using a text. Finally, wordless picture books are often a great way to inspire reluctant writers by having them write the text to accompany the illustrations. This story would definitely be a good choice for this purpose because it offers so much action and detail to write about, but also because it’s a tale that I think younger students would especially enjoy interacting with. 

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

            Picture Book—Fantasy/Adventure

            Grades PreK-3

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: When Max is sent to bed without dinner, he sails off to a distant land where he becomes king of the wild things. They all play and cause a ruckus together until Max becomes lonely and decides to return home.

            Where the Wild Things Are is a classic, but I don’t remember reading it when I was younger, although I’m sure someone must have read it to me at some point. I love how Max’s experience is something that almost every kid can relate to—being sent to your room and escaping the moment by dashing off into a wild fantasy world. Playing with my Barbie dolls as a kid was a way for me to escape similar to how Max did in the story. His imagination is so playful and child-like that it is nearly impossible not to smile at the way that he tames the wild things and then proceeds to play with them freely as he chooses. This expression of choice and control is an essential piece to understanding Max, as it shows how he copes with being reprimanded by his mother for causing mischief and adds depth to his character (Peterson & Eeds, p. 40). I think the ending is very fitting as Max realizes that despite his role as king of the wild things, he is still lonely. When a warm dinner is waiting for him upon his return home, I experienced a feeling of belonging and contentment in the fact that like Max’s mother, our parents will love us even when we act crazy. Finally, this Caldecott Medal winner is worth the read just for its amazingly intricate illustrations.

            I would love to use this book as a classroom read-aloud, although it is one that a lot of children will probably have already read or heard. It could be a great conversation starter to get kids to think about the tension that Max experiences and how this helps us to better understand the emotions that he is experiencing, especially as the tension shifts toward the end of the story (Peterson & Eeds, p. 36-37). I would be interested to hear students talk about their own similar experiences, as I’m sure that kids all relate to Max on some level. Instead of reading this book to the entire class, it would also be a great recommendation to make for individual students who are into fantasy and adventure stories and will benefit from this simple read, or those who have wild imaginations and would enjoy Max’s own created world. 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault, ill. by Lois Ehlert

            Picture Book—Alphabet & Rhyme

            Grades PreK-K

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: The rhyme/chant style of text relates what happens when the entire alphabet tries to climb to the top of a coconut tree.

            Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was one of my favorite stories when I was growing up—I used to beg for my mom and dad to read it to me. Reading it again now, I am still enamored by its rhythms and beats that just beg to be chanted out loud. The vibrant colors immediately draw you in as the reader, and complement the interesting cut-out graphics. I feel like the simplicity of this book’s design perfectly relates to its intended message—learning the ABCs in a funky way. I remember as a child being intrigued by the unique circumstances of each individual letter. This certainly helps you as the reader to remember the letters in relation to what their ailment is after falling from the tree. For instance, I know that as a kid I distinguished the letter “f” based on his band-aid and the letter “p” was obviously the one with the black eye! The authors also present the upper-case letters as the “mamas and papas and uncles and aunts” of the lower-case letters, which grants a sense of familiarity in an otherwise foreign concept for children just beginning to learn about letters. Peterson and Eeds describe “problems and circumstances that are authentically human” in the characters of quality literature (p. 40).  Letters are obviously not people, but I think this personification is an effective method of making the concept accessible to young children.

            I know from personal experience that Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an extremely fun and engaging book when we are learning to become familiar with the alphabet. Many alphabet books tend to focus on words that begin with each letter, but this story describes the letters as elements of literacy that simply interact with each other. I think this departure from the traditional is what makes the story particularly special and one that I would use with students. In addition, the personification that I’ve discussed as a vehicle to engage students is so important in order for them to both enjoy the reading experience and to construct deeper meaning from the story.