14
Cows for America
Carmen Agra Deedy
2009 Peachtree Publishers
Summary:
The
story is about a young Maasai youth named Kimeli who was awarded a scholarship
to an American university. While he was in America the attack on the twin
towers occurred and made a deep impression on him. He journeyed back to his
village and told the story to his tribe. He felt drawn to do something for the
American people to help heal their sorrowing hearts. To the Maasai the cow is
life. Kimeli decided to give his only cow to America as a blessing to try to
help heal the wounded hearts. All total 14 cows were given by the tribe. The
American ambassador came to Kimeli’s tribe for a meeting with the tribal
leaders but found a ceremony instead in which America was honored and the cows
presented.
Impressions:
Very
moving story due to the author’s style and the illustrator’s beautiful spread
across both pages. The color and faces give such meaning and emotion to the
story. The author’s choice of words and tone give the information needed but in
such a riveting way. “He has brought with him one story. It has burned a hole
in his heart.” “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded,
nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.” It could be read to any age although young children might not understand it fully.
Reviews:
"Rarely do books
for children address the bridging of cultural difference on a grand
scale." Newsday
"I dare you to read
this special picture book without getting teary every time."Library
Media Connection, * STARRED REVIEW *
"...elegant
sentences...The suspenseful pace is especially striking when surrounded by
Gonzalez's exquisite colored pencil and pastel illustrations. The colors of Kenya
explode off the page..." School Library Journal, * STARRED REVIEW *
"...gentle yet
piercing present-tense prose...A stirring, heartwarming tale that made
headlines when it happened-and is now, thankfully, preserved on the page for
children." ?Kirkus Reviews
"...the words and
the glowing mixed-media illustrations show empathy and connections across
communities..." Booklist
http://www.amazon.com/Cows-America-Carmen-Agra-Deedy/dp/1561454907
Suggestions:
This would be a great way to remember
9-11 and the impact it had around the world. So often we do not realize the
outpouring from other countries that took place after the attack. After discussing
with and preparing the teachers, I would read this story on the live morning show as
it is a quick read and then the classroom teachers could continue the
discussions and follow up activities.
An Egg is Quiet
By Dianna Aston
2006 Chronicle books
Summary:
This is a beautiful informative picture
book on eggs. The story takes you through the various types of animal eggs from
birds, insects, and reptiles, to fish highlighting characteristics such as their
colors, textures, sizes, and shapes. The amount of factual information given in
such a short amount of pages is phenomenal.
Impressions:
The main text is written in cursive
handwriting so it flows across the pages and carries you through the book. The
details are written smaller and underneath the various individual pictures on
the pages. But, this book was impressive because of the illustrations. The text
without the pictures would have left you cold. It is the precise, carefully
detailed eggs and pictures that hold your attention. Even after you have
finished reading the book, you continue to look and turn the pages just
enthralled by the pictures. Younger students would enjoy this read to them but second grade and above could gain information from it.
Reviews:
Worthy successor to Ruth Heller’s Chickens Aren’t The Only Ones (1981),
this engrossing album pairs images of dozens of precisely detailed eggs and
their diverse wild parents to basic facts presented in neatly hand-lettered
lines…A delight for budding naturalists of all stripes, flecks, dots and
textures. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)
Review Posted
Online: May 20th, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15th, 2006
PreS-Gr. 2. This beautifully illustrated introduction to eggs
resembles pages drawn from a naturalist's diary. The text, scrolled out in
elegant brown ink, works on two levels. Larger print makes simple observations
that, read together, sound almost like poetry: "An egg is quiet. . . . An
egg is colorful. An egg is shapely." On each spread, words in smaller
print match up with illustrations to offer more facts about bird and fish eggs
across the animal spectrum. The illustrations are too detailed for read-alouds,
but there's a great deal here to engage children up close. The succinct text
will draw young fact hounds, particularly fans of Steve Jenkins' Biggest,
Strongest, Fastest (1995) and his similar titles. Long's illustrations are
elegant and simple, and the gallery of eggs, as brilliantly colored and
polished as gems, will inspire kids to marvel at animals' variety and beauty. A
spread showing X-ray views of young embryos growing into animal young makes
this a good choice for reinforcing concepts about life cycles. Gillian
Engberg Copyright © American
Library Association. All rights reserved
Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Egg-Quiet-Dianna-Hutts-Aston/dp/0811844285
Suggestions:
This book would lend itself to a shared
reading to welcome in the spring. It would need to be projected on the screen
so all the children could view the exquisite pictures. This would precipitate a
great discussion starter on animal groups and animal characteristics.
