Dogs and Cats by: Steve Jenkins

1. Bibliographic Data
Jenkins, Steve. Dogs and Cats. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

2. Plot Summary
Dogs and Cats is an informational book about where dogs and cats came from, different breeds, facts, and other interesting information. The book is about dogs on one cover, and then the reader flips the books and reads about cats. The dog side of the book explains how dogs evolved from wild animals, and how the different breeds are created. The author explains how they get along with people and other dogs. There is a section that tells about puppies, and their behavior and eating habits. The author then provides a picture that points out all the dogs senses, and which ones they use best. The book meets in the middle with the cat section by explaining how dogs and cats interact. The cat side of the book points out of all the same characteristics and the history of cats.

3. Critical Analysis
Dogs and Catspresents accurate facts about the lives and characteristics of dogs and cats. The organization of the book is split up into two parts through its flip book format. The reader can pick which animal they want to read about first, then flip the book over to read about the other animal. The book has cute, colorful pictures that depict the different breeds of dogs and cats. This is a great informational book for children who are interested in animals. The information flows nicely, and the author makes it interesting for the child.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Mind the Gap Award, 2008
*Childrens Literature..."Cat and dog aficionados alike will be pleased with this artistic yet factual rendering of their favorite four-legged companions. Readers who start the book from the gold endpapers are treated to a wealth of information about man’s best friend; those who flip the book and start from the red endpapers enjoy pages about their independent felines."
*Booklist..."Award-winning illustrator-author Jenkins offers readers a delightful and insightful grab bag of facts about a human's best friends."

5. Connections
*Take a poll of which animal the children like best, a dog or a cat?
*Have the children share stories about their animals.
*Let the children draw pictures of them and their fury friends to accompany their stories.

What to do About Alice? by: Barbara Kerley

1. Bibliographic Data
Kerley, Barbara. What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008.

2. Plot Summary
What to do About Alice? is a cute story of Alice Roosevelt and her childhood, teen, college, and adult years. Alice had been a mischievous, bright child all her life. She was a tomboy who loved exploring and being outside. Alice attended a boarding school briefly, before she came back home to finish her studies. Her father, Theodore, soon became president, and Alice had the entire White House to wonder around, and of course get into to trouble in. Alice traveled all over the world, and everybody she met loved her. She was outspoken, and had a passion for politics. She married a congressman, and continued her wild ways.

3. Critical Analysis
What to do About Alice? portrays accurate events in Alice Roosevelt's life. It recounts her father's second marriage, his presidency, and her marriage to a congressman. The organization of the book chronicles Alice's wild childhood to her adult years. The illustrator, Edwin Fotheringham, provides color and illustrations that compliment the story, and make it entertaining. The text also makes the book appealing because of its bold words, different font, and text in different areas of the page. This short information book is a great read for children about one our great president's daughters, who was just like them.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Cybil Award, 2008
*Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2009
*Childrens Literature..."Social Studies teachers of primary classes will find Alice an interesting subject that kids will admire as they learn about a family that lived in the White House in 1901."

5. Connections
*Read stories of other president's children, and their experiences in the White House.
*Have the children discuss or write down some of the things they would like to do in the White House if they lived there.
*Ask the children what they would do if their parent was president.

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by: Phillip Hoose

1. Bibliographic Data
Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. 1 ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.

2. Plot Summary
Twice Toward Justice is about a young girl, Claudette Colvin, growing up in Alabama during segregation. Claudette knew she was different when she didn't care about the way she wore her hair, or the clothes she wore. She knew she wanted to make a difference in the South after learning about her rights from an influential teacher. Claudette made an important impact that started the move toward desegregation in Alabama. She refused to move from her seat in the city bus, was arrested, and went through trial to clear her name. Along her journey she met civil rights activist just like her, such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., and did anything she could at such a young age to help the movement. Twice Toward Justice tells the story of a girl who was not as popular in our history books, but made a large impact on the desegregation of city buses in Alabama that led to many other important events.

3. Critical Analysis
Twice Toward Justice conveys accurate information about the civil rights movement in Alabama. The story is lesser known then the stories of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., but is accurate in the series of events and these more popular figures' roles in the movement. The books chronological story line of Claudette Colvin's life helps the reader understand her background, feelings, and how she came to be the strong, young individual she was. The book interchanges between Claudette's words and the authors', which engages the reader because they can read her actual recollection of the events in the book. The author included actual photographs of Claudette, her family, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and other important people in the story. The photographs complement the story because the reader can have a mental image while reading through the story. Twice Toward Justice is a fresh new look at the hard times in Montgomery, Alabama. Children can relate toward the story because Claudette is their age.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Cybil Award, 2009
*Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2010
*John Newbery Medal, 2010
*Childrens Literature..."Hoose has done a remarkable job researching and obtaining first person accounts of the bus incident involving a teenager named Claudette Colvin. Her bravery in the face of bullying from the bus driver and the police officers was remarkable. So was her agreement to be one of the ones to testify in Browder v. Gayle, a major Civil Rights case."

5. Connection
*Read stories of other lesser well-know civil right's activist.
*Read about Rosa Parks and her not giving up her seat.
*Ask the children to reflect on how they would have felt, or what they have done.
*Share a brief history either before or after the story that explains what segregation is, and how times were in Alabama.

City Lullaby by: Marilyn Singer

1. Bibliographic Data
Singer, Marilyn. City Lullaby. New York: Clarion Books, 2007.

2. Plot Summary
City Lullaby is charming book about the many noises in the city as a baby is sleeping in their stroller. Marilyn Singer uses numbers and counting to carry the story along. The reader starts with ten horns beeping, and ends the story with one bird tweeting. There are many sounds in the city that are very loud, but the baby continues sleep in the stroller. Finally, "one small bird, for goodness sake, Chirpity-chirps, ...and Baby's awake. This is a very cute story that allows the reader to count along with the many city noises that the baby sleeps to until the one chirping bird.

3. Critical Analysis
City Lullaby rhymes very smoothly with rhyming words at the end of each sentence. It is easy to read aloud, and to make a rhythm so that children can follow along. Carll Cneut provides illustrations that compliment the story. On each page there is a different city noise, and there is a picture that matches the noise. At the end of the story, the reader goes through all ten sounds again, and there is ten cars, nine phones, eight dogs, seven trash cans, and so on. The words and illustrations in this book help the young reader learn how to count from one to ten through a fun, happy story about about a baby being pushed through the city.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Booklist..."Singer writes in infectious, rhyming poetry that scans smoothly to a rapid beat, which is echoed in the busy, densely populated, color-saturated scenes of cars, buildings, and city dwellers, rushing, eating, and playing."
*Kirkus Reviews..."Cneut's full-bleed mixed-media paintings dispatch traditional perspective: Orange buildings lean, box-like yellow cabs careen and a multiethnic crowd works and plays, jammed up against the picture plane along with garbage cans, cell phones, pets and signs."

5. Connection
*There are many sounds in this book that children can act out. Have the children say or make the sound while going through the book to help them interact with the story.
*Have the children talk about sounds they hear when they walk through the city, grocery store, library, school, etc.
*Have the children make up ten sounds they hear around town, and to draw a picture that corresponds with that sound.

"City Lullaby." Childrens Literature Reviews. ezproxy.twu.edu:2130/cgi-bin/member/search (accessed October 14, 2010).

Diamond Willow by: Helen Frost

1. Bibliographic Data
Frost, Helen. Diamond Willow (Frances Foster Books). New York: Farrar, Straus And Giroux (Byr), 2008.

2. Plot Summary
Diamond Willow is about a girl named Willow who lives in Alaska with her mom, dad, sister, bestfriend Kaylie, and her sled dogs. After an unfortunate accident leaving her favorite dog Roxy blind, Willow decides to flee to her grandparents to save Roxy's life. Willow and Kaylie find themselves lost on their journey in the middle of a snow storm. After many animals intervene to save their lives, Willow makes it to her grandparents. Willow's parents are happy she is safe, and decide to bring Roxy back home because she means so much to them. Willow finds out about her twin that died when she was a few days old, and also finds out that her lost twin, Diamond, is now present in her dog Roxy. Willow and Roxy grow even closer, and develop a special bond that allows them to communicate. "I feel like I am flying with them, like my twin sister Diamond is alive inside me saying, Willow, this is happiness.

3. Critical Analysis
Diamond Willow is a touching story of a girl, her dog, and the discovery of her twin. Diamond Willow is a novel written in verse. Helen Frost, who lived in Alaska for sometime, designed this story around a diamond willow walking stick. Each paragraph is shaped into a diamond, and has little hidden messages in bold. This story sad at times, but turns out to be a happy ending. There are no illustrations in this novel, but Helen Frost's imagery allows the reading visualize the snow covered trails that Willow and Roxy follow. Diamond WIllow is a wonderful book about family and unexpected friendships.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Cybil Award, 2008
*Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, 2009
*Mitten Award 2008
*Childrens Literature..."This is a strong, independent, and engaging female protagonist who struggles with the common issues around popularity, growing independence from family, and personal responsibility."

5. Connections
*Have the children name one of their favorite pets, and tell a favorite story about them.
*Have the children draw a picture of their favorite pet, and their favorite activity they share with them.
*Ask the children to describe what they would have done, or how they would have felt, if they were lost in the woods without their parents.

"Diamond Willow." Childrens Literature Reviews. ezproxy.twu.edu:2130/cgi-bin/member/search (accessed October 14, 2010).

Button Up! Wrinkled Ryhmes by Alice Schertle

1. Bibliographic Data
Schertle, Alice. Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes. New York: Harcourt Children's Books, 2009.

2. Plot Summary
Button up! is a collection of poems by Alice Shertle. The poems all include items that a child would wear, such as their galoshes, coats, sweaters, and swimsuits. Alice tells a cute story for each clothing item that shares what each character does while wearing them. "Bob skins his elbow. Bob scrapes his knee. Bob doesn't hurt his head- Bob's got me" tells the story of Bob and his biking helmet. Alice's short poems describe a piece of clothing for all weather and many occassions that children will relate to.

3. Critical Analysis
Button up! has a catchy rhythm to it with its rhyming words at the end of the sentences. Children can remember these short poems and read along. The book has illustrations for each poem that compliments the imagery created by Alice Shertle. The words and illustrations take the reader through the everday experience of each item. These poems are happy and light-hearted, like "Joshua's Jammies". The illustration shows all of Joshua's animal toys, and the poem describes how Joshua's jammies are the perfect fit just for him. This book of poems would be a great addition to any child's bedtime story collection.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, 2010
*Best Childrens Book of the Year, 2010
*Childrens Literature..."Rollicking poems told in the “voices” of articles of clothing make up this fun collection. Rhymes are in couplets or quatrains, with some internal rhyming, and there is a well-defined rhythm that will appeal to children. The silliness of talking clothes adds to the overall appeal."

5. Connection
*Ask children to come up with there favorite piece of clothing, and to make up a funny story about that item.
*Bring in props that compliment the story, so that the children can see and touch them. This could be a bike helmet, an itchy sweater, an old t-shirt, a soccer jersey, etc.

"Button Up!." Childrens Literature Reviews. ezproxy.twu.edu:2130/cgi-bin/member/search (accessed October 14, 2010).