Mod 2: Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret Review

What's It All About?

                                                             

Growing up is confusing. Who are you? When will all the “big things” start happening to me? What do I believe in? Am I normal? Margaret asks God these questions and so many more as she faces big changes such as a move from New York City to the suburbs and trying to fit in with her new friends. Margaret finds that the one person she always feels comfortable talking to is always there to listen even if she can’t see him.

What'd I Think?

I never had the pleasure of reading this as a child. Not because I wasn't allowed to or because it was banned from my school library either. It simply just was one of the many random books that EVERYONE has read that I kind of just... missed. I could tell though, as an adult reading it, that it would have been a pertinent book for me to have read at around 11 or 12 years old. Periods were scary things to talk about. I hadn't been baptized as a Catholic like everyone else in my family and the choice was left to me to make. I think a lot of the questions Margaret had fit with what I was curious about. I like that it was open and honest. It didn't make mentioning your period feel so taboo. It's natural. Same thing with getting a bra. We all hit puberty and have to deal with the changes that happen with our bodies so why are we so scared to have frank, factual conversations so that we aren't left confused and misled by others who don't have actual facts themselves?

I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

What'd They Think?

Changing Times -

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret,  by Judy Blume (Dell; $1.25, $1.50 for a larger edition). An Adolescent's worries about growing up are the subject of her private conversations with God. (Ages 12 and up.) 

BOOKS YOUR KIDS WILL WANT TO READ. (1978). Changing Times (Pre-1986), 32(11), 23. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199109437?accountid=7113

Booklist - 

"For me, it all started with Judy Blume, who asked, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Sure, Margaret was fixated on menstruation and breasts. But those concerns paled in comparison to the absurdity of socializing at boy-girl parties, looking for religion, and buying a bra, by itself the most ridiculous activity in which a woman, budding or otherwise, can engage."

She Reads...Humor. (2008). Booklist, 104(15), 29.

What Do I Do With It?

Those reading the book can fill out blank, anonymous slips of paper with ANY questions they have regarding puberty. These will then be answered the next class  or meeting period. Because the questions are asked anonymously and drawn from a box, no one knows who has asked it. This helps alleviate some of the embarrassment some may still feel about asking the questions. Hopefully this leads to more children feeling comfortable asking questions they may think of during this additional lesson.

Mod 2: The Story of Ferdinand Review

What's It All About?

Ferdinand isn't like all the other bulls. When other bulls wanted to run and jump, he just wanted to sit and smell the flowers. So he does until one day a bumblebee swoops in and changes his plans. He goes from sniffing the flowers to becoming the most feared bull in the Madrid bullfights.

What'd I Think?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Story of Ferdinand. Ferdinand is a sweet, misunderstood bull. all he wants is to be able to enjoy the flowers instead of going out facing down the Matador like all the other bulls. In the end, even though he ends up where he thought he never would, he stays true to himself and continues doing what he has always wanted. It has a very positive message for those who may already feel like an outsider. 

I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

What'd They Think?

 Booklist -

Ages 5-8. In this classic and well-loved tale the bull, Ferdinand, would rather smell the flowers than fight in the bullring.

Staff. (1987). The Story of Ferdinand. Booklist, 83(15). Retrieved from http://booksinprint.com/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|290679|32582301&mc=USA#

School Library Journal -

Top 100 Picture Books #17: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson! 

"In any case, this is a lovely banned book to place on the list. Banned by whom? Oh, nobody much. Just a fellow by the name of Adolf Hitler. You see it was published during the Spanish civil war, Franco banned it in Spain, and then Hitler goes and calls it “degenerate democratic propaganda.” 100 Best Books for Children does say that it had its admirers as well, though. “Thomas Mann, H.G. Wells, Gandhi, and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.” So, to sum up. Hitler hated it and Gandhi loved it. That’s a fine pedigree for this list, I should think."

Bird, E. (2012, June 14). Top 100 Picture Books #17: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson. Retrieved January 31, 2015, from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/14/top-100-picture-books-17-the-story-of-ferdinand-by-munro-leaf-illustrated-by-robert-lawson/#_

What Do I Do With It?

Students can celebrate the culture of Spain with a day of traditional Spanish games, foods, and traditions. They can talk about the differences between the Spanish culture and their own. This will help teach them to appreciate and celebrate things that may be different than what they are used to.

Mod 1: Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) Review

What's It All About?

First grader Missy is not all enthused about books like her school librarian, Miss Brooks. None of them are “right” for her and she continues to find this to be “vexing.” Miss Brooks, being the great librarian that she is, does not give up on Missy though. She tries over and over to find the right fit until one day Missy finds the PERFECT book for her! Not everyone wants trains, flowers, and puppies. Sometimes it takes a repulsive ogre to win over a little girl’s heart and show her that there is indeed something for everyone!

What'd I Think?

Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don’t) by Barbara Bottner hit me right in the feels as soon as I started it. We didn't have a physical copy available but I was able to download an e-book. I read it on the children’s desk and as the pages turned and I watched Miss Brooks I kept saying out loud, “OH MY GOD! IT’S ME!” The costumes, the enthusiasm, and the persistence that she shows in her effort to help the little girl find THAT book just fit. I made my co-workers come and read it. Not long after, I ordered a copy for myself and our Children’s Librarian ordered them for our branch.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

What'd They Think?

Horn Book Magazine -

A first grader finds her school librarian's passion for books "vexing," to say the least. The free-spirited Miss Brooks communicates her love for books by dressing up in costumes ranging from a Wild Thing to Abe Lincoln, but while the rest of the class participates enthusiastically, the little girl remains unmoved. She also dismisses her classmates' book choices: "Too flowery"; "Too clickety." But when her mother brings out a book about an ogre with warts -- William Steig's Shrek! -- she finally meets a book she can love. In Emberley's ebullient pencil and watercolor pictures, Miss Brooks's engaging personality shines through in her colorful clothes and her wild hair, while the little girl's stubbornness is reflected in her wearing the same outfit day after day. This celebration of books and the need for kids to find the right book will make a great story to read during Children's Book Week -- and every week. 

Lempke, S. D. (2010). Miss brooks loves books! (and I don't). The Horn Book Magazine, 86(3), 62-63. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199415068?accountid=7113

Publishers Weekly - 

Book Week is looming, and the young narrator of this biblio comedy couldn't be less enthusiastic-every book in the library strikes her as mild-mannered mush. Her opinion of the titular librarian is even less charitable: a hippie dippie-looking literary cheerleader, Miss Brooks has no compunction about donning ridiculous costumes (including a hilarious Very Hungry Caterpillar) to whip kids into a reading frenzy. "I'll never love a book the way you do," the girl tells Miss Brooks. But that's before she discovers a modern classic that tickles her gothic tastes-Shrek-confirming Miss Brooks's belief that everyone "can find something funny and fantastic and appalling in the library." The heroine makes an indelible presence: Bottner (Raymond and Nelda) endows her with a voice that drips weltschmerz and recalls a younger version of MTV's deadpan Daria Morgendorffer. Emberley's (Mail Harry to the Moon!) slice-of-life cartooning is funny, empathetic, and of-the-moment. This story should persuade hard-to-please children that the perfect book for them is out there. Ages 5-8. 

Children's book reviews. (2010). Publishers Weekly, 257(6), 47-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197099430?accountid=7113

What Do I Do With It?

Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don't) would be a great book to read in a school library at the beginning of the school year. It could be used as a means of introducing the student to the library and can show them that even if they don't find something they like right away, the librarian is there to help. We've all had "new school year jitters" and this is a way to help alleviate them by giving the librarian a jumping off point without seeming awkward.