An Exploration of Children Literature

  Tales Our Abuelitas Told, F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Felipe Davalos, Vivi Escriva, Susan Guevara, and Leyla Torres. A theneum Books for Young Readers, Sept 2006. 128 pages, $19.99, 9780689825835.       Tales Our Abuelitas Told is a collection of twelve Hispanic folktales whose origins span the globe and have many roots connected to Indigenous, African, Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish cultures. The author includes stories they heard, told, or discovered. The “Welcome” section provides a historical context to the collection and introduces the importance of cultural heritage. Campoy and Ada talk about the connections between Latin America, Spain, other European countries, and Africa causing stories to be shared and altered throughout the generations. This section also introduces the format for the collection. “After each story, we tell you a little about its origin—and in some cases about our relationship with the story—so that you may learn a bit more about the peop

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse. Dutton Children’s Books , March 2010. 32 pages, $17.99, 97805  9780525479017.    In the back matter in Mirror Mirror , Marilyn Singer explains her thought process of creating and using reverso to tell two sides of one story. In this new poetry technique, the order of the words are inverted. ​​The reader will read the poem on the left from top to bottom. The poem on the right has the same words, but Singer writes in reverse with slightly different punctuation. This clever world play allows Singer to tell a different story, showcase multiple perspectives, and provide different ways to view a situation. In this book, she primarily show different sides in classic fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Robinhood, Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Jack And the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three bears, Hansel and Gretel, Rumplestiltskin, the Princess and the Frog , and Beaut

  Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, written by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley, and Marjory Wentworth, illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick, March 2017. 56 pages, $16.99, 9780763680947.     Out of Wonder is written by Kwane Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth. In the preface, Kwame Alexander explains his love for books and poetry. Alexander, Colderley, and Wentworth want to introduce and celebrate twenty poets who inspired them with their words and lives. Essentially, this trio of authors will offer tribute and gratitude to twenty poets by adopting the poet’s style and expanding on their ideas. There were only two requirements for choosing a poet: “First, they had to be interesting people, and second, we had to be passionately in love with their poetry.” The trio also hopes that their poetry can connect to readers and inspire others to write their poetry, as well.       The Table of Contents lists a preface, three topical groupings called “Got Style?, In Y

  My Chinatown: One Year in Poems, Kam Mak. HarperCollins Children's Books, 2002. 32 pages, $8.99, 9780064437325.      In My Chinatown: One Year in Poems , Kam Max describes his experiences as a Chinese boy who immigrated from Hong Kong to Chinatown, New York. The poems show his struggles, homesickness, nostalgia, and thoughts about the move. At first, Chinatown is not home. He feels his first year will not be good because he is “thousands of miles away from” Hong Kong, where he left behind “a country/ a language/ a grandmother.” Throughout the year, he grew to love his new home, people, celebrations, and food in Chinatown. Mak did not include an introduction or opening section to his poems.       Kam Mak wrote fifteen poems and drew illustrations about his first year in Chinatown, New York. He divides the fifteen poems into four seasonal groups. They are organized chronologically from one Chinese New Year to the Next. The first poem starts shortly after the Chinese New Year in win

Going Down Home with Daddy by Daniel Minter and illustrated by Kelly Starling Lyons. Peachtree, April 2019. 32 pages, $17.99, 9781561459384.     Going Down Home with Daddy shows the importance of family, reunions, and the familial bonds that connect people across the generation. The narrative begins before dawn with Lil’ Alan and his family leaving for Granny’s farm. However, he cannot sleep because he does not know what he will do to pay tribute to his family history. They arrive at the farm his father grew up in, meet his family, and listen to his father’s stories about the lands and his family. Throughout all this, he finally realizes what he will show to celebrate his family during the anniversary celebration.       The illustrations, with its acrylic washes, takes on a dreamlike quality. The primary colors are soothing reds, oranges, greens, and yellow. They are used primarily for the land. Blue-black washes dominate familial scenes. Granny’s favorite color is blue, further tying

  Dreamers, Yuyi Morales. Neal Porter Books, Sept 2018. 40 pages, $18.99, 9780823440559.      Dreamers, written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales, showcase the immigration story between a mother and her child, who find themselves in an unfamiliar country, facing misunderstanding due to their lack of knowledge of the American rules and language. The story also stress the importance of public libraries in helping immigrants learn English and connect to a new world and culture. Spanish words are occasionally used throughout the text to exhibit the character’s relationship to Mexico. However, the words are simple enough for children to infer the meaning through context.       The illustrations dominate this story and pair well with the limited narrative text. The art is textured, layered, and personal. They reference the author's Mexican heritage. She uses mixed media by combining drawings, paintings, embroidery, and Mexican patterns in her artwork. She also includes motifs of the painte

We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstom and illustrated by Michala Goede. Roaring Brook Press, March 2020. 40 pages, $17.99, 978-1250203557.      We Are Water Protectors starts with a girl recounting a prophecy her grandmother told her. This prophecy tells the importance of the water and living things and the dangers of the black snake. However, the black snake is here, poisoning everything. However, the girl does not give up, calling others to protect nature against the snake. She asks others to “ TAKE COURAGE! / I must keep the black snake away/ From my village’s water. I must rally my people together.”      The text is a song with rhyme and repetition. Each page follows a pattern with repeated words or rhymes to mimic the rise and fall of tones. It occasionally stops on the italicized text, “ We stand/ With our Songs/ And our drums./ We are still here ,” which is a refrain. The repetition and italicization separate this from the rest of the narrative and represent the v

Red Kite, Blue Kite , written by Ji-Li Jiang and illustrated by Greg Ruth. Disney/Hyperion Books, Jan 2013.  32 pages, $17.99, 9781423127536 . Red Kite, Blue Kite, written by Ji-Li Jiang and illustrated by Greg Ruth, is a sad story about a child and a father separated during the Cultural Revolution in China. The story begins with Tai Shan and his father flying kites above a crowded city. The Chinese government places the father in a labor camp because of his opposition to the government. The son has to live with Granny Wang in the countryside. While they are apart, they communicate by flying red and blue kites. The subject is dark, depicting the fear and loneliness of separation and the uncertainty of a reunion. However, it ends hopefully, showcasing the resilience and bond between father and son.       The textual narrative emphasizes the symbolism of the kites as the hope of freedom and an extension of both the father and the son. The repeated phrase, “The red kite follows the blue