The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Eleven year old Gilly Hopkins has been living in foster care been through a few homes. She has become tough, hardened and distrustful as a result. Hope comes only from the thought of reuniting with her mother someday. Gilly is placed in a new home with a cast of unusual characters and over time Gilly finds herself softening. Just when she feels safe and loved in her new home, her grandmother finds her and takes her back to live with her and eventually reunites with her mother. Some language used could be offensive to the reader.

A story told in chronological order from Gilly's omniscient point of view. Conflict can be found between Gilly and herself as she fights off trusting her new family and teacher. Themes of loss, family, love, trust and consequences of actions are here in the story. Gilly's character is unpleasant, racist, bratty in the beginning and her actions are frustrating. As the story continues, she becomes lovable.

I wasn't wild about the book in the beginning. I found her character hard to like and I wonder what children think of her? As a rule, I wouldn't recommend it for a hesitant reader. The pace was slower in the beginning. Towards the end, I found Gilly's story more compelling.

Paterson, K. (1978). The great gilly hopkins. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 0590613898

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

A collection of five stories demonstrating the friendship shared between Frog and Toad.

An I Can Read Book written for level two readers. The sentences are complex and are filling most of the page - 8 to 15 lines per page. Words are familiar and most are simple. Those two or three syllable words are familiar objects for a child. The illustrations are consist of mostly brown and green which fit the colors of Frog and Toad.

Lobel, A. (1970). Frog and toad are friends. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN: 0060239573
Illustrated by the author

Caldecott Medal Manual by ALA

In 1922, the American Library Association (ALA) approved the creation of the Newberry Medal to honor the most distinguished children's book published the previous year. Recognizing the artists creating picture books were neglected in this category, the Caldecott Medal was created in 1937. The medal was named for Randolph Caldecott, a great english illustrator, who's style can be described as energetic, realistic and humorous.

Members of the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC) nominate members for the Caldecott (and Newberry) committee. Those committee members must be free from conflict of interests, understand confidentiality and be willing to spend time reading books published that meet the criteria. In addition to reading the books, they must also be prepared to write critically and read through various texts what a picture book represents. Not all members of ALSC would have the reviewing skills necessary.

Criteria for the Caldecott Medal

With the criteria, in mind, the committee takes specific note and criticism's of each book read so that when it is time to nominate books the information is readily available to jog memories. Each committee member is asked to submit nominations and it is recommended to do this on a monthly basis.

Once all recommendations have been submitted, the committee will choose the winner. It is optional to award Caldecott Honor Books and these should be a very select group.

The manual is available as a pdf file on the ALA website. Inside is an excellent example of a document used to track what has been read. I am going to adopt this with my future reading. I have seen numerous posts on the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) listserv for ideas on how new graduates could learn how/practice/get paid to write reviews. It is a skill that would be difficult to acquire without having feedback from someone. By the way, the response to the posts is to contact journals, post on a blog, write for the library, etc.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Madeline lives in Paris in a home with 11 other girls and Miss Clavel. Madeline is the smallest and the bravest. She must have her appendix removed and her absence is felt by the whole household. The illustrations are mixed between simple lines and colors when describing the story to brilliantly detailed representation of true buildings in Paris, such as Notre Dame.

An appealing little girl living in an exotic location begins the start of a great series. The rhythmic text draws in a young reader along with the illustrations.

Bemelmans, L. (1967). Madeline. New York, NY: Viking Press.
ISBN: 0670445800
Illustrated by the author

Freight Train by Donald Crews

Simple text and colorful illustrations of a freight train trip.

Excellent! The books shows each train car in a different color, shape and name so children will recognize the cars when viewing a live train. This train speeds up as it travels and the colors make the cars still identifiable.

Crews, D. (1978). Freight Train. New York: NY, Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 068880165X
Illustrated by the author.

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

A father and child counting items in her room before she falls asleep. Each two numbers verse rhyme in the ending, like close and nose.

The cadence when reading this aloud helps lull a child to sleep. The pictures are soothing colors helping to relax a child. Great book!

Bang, M. (1983). Ten, nine, eight. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 0606008721
Illustrated by author.

The Graphic Alphabet

An alphabet book that incorporates each letter within the illustration representing each word, such as D is for Devil. The choice of words is outstanding and the images placed on the black background make for a visually distinctive book.

I found this book to be unique in the approach to the alphabet. It would be appreciated by readers of all ages.

Pelletier, D. (1996). The Graphic Alphabet. New York, NY: Orchard.
ISBN: 0531360016
Illustrated by the author.