Fudge

I love dog books. When I was younger, all I ever read, drew, and dreamed about were dogs. I finally got a dog when I was 6 years old. I named him Buster and we were best friends. I really like this children's novel because it is about a young boy that loves his dog Fudge and in the end he gets to keep him too just like when I finally got a dog. I also love to visit the humane societies here and play with the dogs and cats.

This story is sweet and the cover of the book draws people in. Everyone loves puppies and loves to read about them. This would be a great book to put in my classroom because the chapters aren't too long and the print is not too big. The age range of this book would be about 5th to 6th graders.

My favorite part about this book is the end. Chad gets to keep Fudge and Leslie gets to keep bear despite the fact that her sister is allergic to animals. She ends up taking allergy medicine so that they can keep the puppy. I love happy ending books. Our female dog never got to have puppies so I enjoy reading with about them!

UPDATE

Jen,
First off, I was so excited to start this class because I LOVE children's literature. I am known to stay home and read picture books and watch Disney movies on weekends. I think I own every single Disney movie and most of the Dr. Seuss books. My mom and dad read to me all the time so I love going back to the books I remember as a child and rereading them and figuring out why I liked them so much.

I had no idea that I could analyze picture books the way we do in class. I loved the presentation from the librarian about "how to" look at picture books with a critical eye and choose the best ones for your class. I really remember the different ways to look at picture books besides just reading them. The whole book really does tell a story from cover to cover. I think that this would be a great lesson for my class some day. The kids can find different ways that picture books are interesting and figure out why they like the books that they like. Speaking of my future class, I think that this class is really important. I loved the genera studies because I didn't even know that some of these books were out there. I'm glad that we got a list of tons of good books that we can use in our classrooms.

Overall, I really enjoy blogging. I like the fact that we can personalize our blogs and really make them our own. As students, we have to write word documents all the time and they become routine. I think that blogging is much more personal and I can write how I really feel about the book. I also like the fact that we can read eachothers blogs. I always look on other people's blogs to see which books are good ones.

Mommy Laid and Egg

This book answers the question....."where do babies come from." The whole book the kids are telling the story about where babies come from instead of their parents telling them.

This book is hilarious but I don't think I would use it in my classroom. There would definitely be too many questions, especially concerning the page with some of the ways mommy and daddy fit together. Sex talk is a very hard thing to talk about with your children. I don't know how I will discuss it with my daughter when she asks. I think I will just let her think what she wants and explain to her when she is older. I think this book is good for explaining it to older children but I don't think that the page with the sex positions is very appropriate. I think the message would get through without that page.

The Un-Wedding

This book is about....divorce. There are two children that have to put up with their parents fighting all the time and never agreeing on anything. They decide that it isn't their fault and decide that their parents should be un-married and live in separate houses. In the end the two children are happy and so are their parents.

This book puts a different spin on divorce. I think it would be helpful to read this book to children especially because divorce rates are so high these days. This book addresses the fact that it is not the children's fault that their parents do not get along. It gives the children perspective that their parents just maybe better off "un-married". There are so many children going through divorce and I think that this book could be helpful. Not every book should end with happily ever after because that is not the way life is. I think children should be exposed to some realizations that not everything is happy in the end.

King and King

King and King is about a Prince that cannot find a Princess to marry. He is introduced to many different prospects but cannot find one that he likes. They all show him their many talents, but none are good enough. Finally, another prince comes with his sister who is going to try and marry the prince. It is love at first sight. The two princes get married shortly after and they live happily ever after.

This book is a very modern version of a fairy tale. I understand why some parents might be angry if this book is available for their children to read in the school library. However, I am totally up for teaching students about what is in the real world. When they grow up they will not be sheltered from things such as gay couples. The parents of these children need to realize that they cannot shelter and "protect" their children forever. They will be exposed to it sooner or later. I would read this to my own daughter because I think that it teaches us that not everyone is the same and we need to accept others for who they are.

William's Doll

William's Doll is about a very young boy that wants a doll to love, cuddle, kiss, and take care of. His father doesn't want him to have a doll because boys do not play with dolls. Instead his father buys him "boy" toys and will not get him a doll. William's grandmother ends up buying him a doll in the end.

This story is controversial because William isn't supposed to play with dolls and the only reason he wants to play with one is that he is gay. I don't think that this story is trying to portray that William is gay at all. I think it is just about a young boy that likes other things besides the steriotypical boy toys.

I would read this story in my classroom to tell others that not always following "the norm" is an ok thing to do. Not all boys play with trains and basketball. I know some little boys that like barbies and dolls and that doesn't mean they are gay. This story can be interpreted any way that the reader chooses.

Rose Blanche

Rose Blanche is a book about a young girl experiencing the Holocaust without understanding it. Throughout the book she is walking to a Concentration Camp and bringing the Jewish prisoners food to eat. She brings it to them but never really understands why they are there. At the end the American soldiers are comming and freeing the prisoners but Rose gets shot.

I understand why this book may be controvercial in some schools. It is a very deep story about the war. Young readers may n0t understand the book's meaning. The book is interesting because it is not from the perspective of a little girl inside the concentration camp but from a little girl witnessing all the horrors happening. I would not use this book because it could cause some controversy and might be hard to explain to little children.

The Misfits by James Howe

Part one of the Misfits was unlike any other book I have read that is geared for young children. At first it was hard for me to understand what is so controvercial about it. I think it was hard for me because I have been exposed to a lot of different people's livestyles and Joe's character wasn't all that different from some of the kids in my grade.
Junior High is a hard grade for almost every child. When you are that age, you are trying to fit in while also trying to find out who you are. The characters in this book are very steriotypical to what misfits in Junior High would act like. When I was in Junior High I was quiet because I didn't really know where to fit in.
The main characters in this book seem mature for their age. Especially when Joe came out and told his two friends that he is gay. That is a little unrealistic for me because most Junior High kids are not mature.
An important message from this book is that children should be comfortable and accepted for who they are. They should not be afraid to express themselves in school no matter what the other kids think about them.
It could be very challenging to teach this book in Junior High or even High School because of the names the children get called and Joe's character. I would love to teach this book because it is a great example of friendship, finding yourself and accepting who you are, and standing up for yourself.