Module 15, Scary Stories

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 Scary Stories, By Alvin Schwartz 

Overview: Scary Stories is a collection of short scary stories. Each story is about one to two pages with terrifying short stories and even more terrifying illustrations. The short stories range from topics about brains, bloody fingers and big toes.

Schwartz, A . (1989). Scary stories to tell in the dark. New York, NY: Harper Collins publisher.

Little Library Review: I love this book! For me it is a classic of my childhood. The interesting thing about the questionable nature of the book is that I read this book first in the 90's in early elementary and no one was up in arms about it at the time. I like this book for those readers that just love to scare themselves and test their boundaries of fear. This book is graphic and scary and I would not read this with very young readers. The spooky stories will definitely have you visualizing and hesitant of walking around in the dark, but that is the fun of reading a book like this. This book would be perfect for a sleepover party to scary the tuna salad out of each other right before bed time. :)

Other Professional Reviews:
Grade 3-8. This folklore collection is unusually good. True to the genre, the stories contain suitable for telling, particularly for Halloween or around the campfire. Contemporary and humorous stories are blended with spooky ones. The scholarship in the source notes and bibliography are useful to serious literature students. Although the cover is not charming, it hints to macabre, shadowy black and white illustrations inside. The stories are not unbearably grotesque:they are suitable for even low elementary grades.

Chamberlin, L. B. (1982). Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Book Review). School Library Journal, 28(5), 81.

Using it in the Library 📖: An activity that can be done with this book is to have a faux camp out in the library. The librarian can have students bring their sleeping bags or towel as you read aloud the scary stories together. It would be a perfect read aloud to do near Halloween but really I am sure the kids would enjoy this activity anytime of year. This could be done with a book club, reward or a just because.

Module 14, Take Me Out Of The Bathtub

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Take me out of the bathtub, By Alan Katz and Illustrated by David Catrow 

Overview: Take me out of the bathtub is a collection of silly and funny poems from a little boy and his wild house hold. The book features short poems about diaper changing, cleaning, and taking a bath to the tune of familiar songs like twinkle, twinkle and take me out to the ball game.

Katz, A. (1991). Take me out of the bath tub. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster publishing.

Little Library Review: Take me out of the bathtub is a fun way to introduce or maintain kids love of poetry. These lyrical poems are fun because they have a familiar rhythm and the content cover zany topics that will make kids laugh. Poetry can sometimes be a hard sell for children but Alan Katz does a really good job of making light of the wild things happening in this house. The illustrations are not to be overlooked and compliment the silly words of the poems/songs.

Other Professional Reviews: K-Gr 3--The 14 songs from Alan Katz's book, Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2001), are featured in this companion CD. The songs cover a wide range of topics, from food fights to loose shoe laces and from a bad babysitter to a tale of the tub. Because the whimsical lyrics are set to well-known tunes such as "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" ("Take Me Out of the Bathtub), "I've Been Working on the Railroad" ("I've Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom"), "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" ("Stinky, Stinky Diaper Change"), and "Home on the Range" ("Give Me a Break," about an overdue library book), listeners will quickly catch on to the silly songs. The numbers included in this collection are performed by a wide range of artists who infuse just the right amount of energy and enthusiasm into each song. Instrumental tracks are included so that listeners can perform each song on their own. A good addition to collections for young children.

De Fazio, V. S. (2011). Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs. School Library Journal, 57(3), 81.

Using it in the Library 📖: Activities or lessons that can be done with this book are a poetry study of this book and other Katz books. Students can then create their own lyrical poems and perform for each other or an audience.

Module 13, Sisters

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Sisters, By Raina Telgemeier 

Overview: Sisters is a graphic novel about adventures of two sisters together. They go on road trips, buy pets, visit family and go through sisterly ups and downs together. The graphic novel is full of drama, sisterly arguments and disagreements but in the end they are there for each other throughout their set backs. 

Telgemeier, R. (2014). Sisters. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Little Library Review:  This book is a funny comedy of two sisters that fight but love each other in the end. It is a good book for siblings to read and identify with sympathize with the characters. It also teaches a lesson with humor that although you fight and don't always get along your sister will be there for you. The story structure is setup as a graphic novel so it is a appealing to those readers that maybe bored with the same old format of fictional stories. I would recommend this book for upper elementary readers.

Other Professional Reviews: Gr 4 Up— Telgemeier has returned with a must-have follow-up to Smile (Scholastic, 2010) that is as funny as it is poignant, and utterly relatable for anyone with siblings. This realistic graphic memoir tells the story of Raina; her sister, Amara; and her brother, Will, as they take a road trip with their mother from California to Colorado to join a family reunion. The author's narrative style is fresh and sharp, and the combination of well-paced and well-placed flashbacks pull the plot together, moving the story forward and helping readers understand the characters' point of view. The volume captures preadolescence in an effortless and uncanny way and turns tough subjects, such as parental marriage problems, into experiences with which readers can identify. This ability is what sets Telgemeier's work apart and makes her titles appealing to such a wide variety of readers. Not only does the story relay the road trip's hijinks, but it also touches on what happens with the advent of a new sibling and what it means to be truly sisters. Fans of the graphic novelist's work will be sure to delight in this return to the Telgemeier's family drama.—Krishna Grady, Darien Library, CT

Grady, K. (2014). Sisters. School Library Journal, 60(7), 96.

Using it in the Library 📖: Sisters is written in graphic novel structure: a fun activity to do after reading this story would be to create fictional stories in a comic book format.

Module 12, Rosa

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Rosa, By Nikki Giovanni, Illustrated by Brian Collier 

Overview: Rosa Parks is a average African American woman working in the 1950's as a seamstress. One day on her way home she is tired and encounters a situation on her bus ride and is faced with a difficult situation. She takes a stand for herself and others like her. The story does not stop here though as most familiar with her story do. This book continues and tells how Rosa was feeling and the impact that is had on her family and friends.

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Holtzbrink Publishers.

Little Library Review: This book is written about a common public figure Rosa Parks, however, it is written from a different perspective and connects with her background as common person and human. I like the way that the author shares stories of her experiences at home and with her husband to show that she was just an average person who made an extraordinary difference. The text is also written in a simple child friendly way so that children are able to understand the story and events of actions that day. The illustrations are full of rich color and make a powerful impact on the story's delivery. 

Other Professional Reviews: Gr 3-5-- An eloquent narrative and powerfully expressionistic art paint Rosa Parks with a heroic sheen. Cast as a capable, strong-minded woman who sat down that fateful day ready and able to face the consequences, Parks actually glows in the illustrations--fittingly, as her experience lit the way for those who organized the subsequent bus boycott and, like the marchers depicted on a culminating double foldout, were moved to so many further acts of courage.

Peters, J. (2006). Rosa. School Library Journal, 52(3), 88-89

Using it in the Library 📖: This book would be a good mentor text to use as a resource for research on individuals that have made an impact. The language is simple enough that readers will be able to get a lot of real and important information from the story.