Yoshiko Uchida

Uchida, Yoshiko (1996) The Bracelet.
The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida is about a little girl, Emi, who is sent to a concentration camp with her mother and sister during WWII. Her family is separated from her father who is sent to a prisoner of war camp since he worked for a Japanese company. Right before Emi leaves her friend gives her a bracelet to remember her by and Emi promises she will always leave it on, but when she is helping to get their new apartment cleaned up at the concentration camp it slips off and she can't find it. Emi realizes that her dad and her friend will always be in her heart and that she doesn't need a photo of her father or bracelet from her friend to remember them by. This book gives it's readers a very realistic description of what many Japanese families during WWII.

Other books written by Yoshiko Uchida include A Jar of Dreams, The Best Bad Thing, Journey Home, Invisible Thread, and Samurai of Gold Hill.

Laurence Yep

Yep, Laurence. (1996). Hiroshima.
This book describes the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan which occured the morning of August 6, 1945. It talks about how it affected a 12 year old fictional character, Sachi. Sachi is at school when the bomb hits her town. She survives the bombing, and she is one of 25 "Hiroshima Maidens" who get to travel to the United States and get plastic surgery to correct some of their burns from the bombing when she is older. Her story is both tragic and gruesome. I think this is an excellent book, but it left goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. It is a story I will never read again, because it is one I will never forget.

Other books written by Laurence Yep include Dragonwings, Dragon's Gate, Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, Child of the Owl, and Rainbow People.

Jerry Pinkney

Pinkney, Jerry. (2009). The Lion and the Mouse.

This is a illustrated version of The Lion and the Mouse, an Aesop's fable. This book is about a mouse who repays a lion for showing him mercy by chewing through a snare that traps the lion. Pinkney does a great job of illustrating this story using watercolor pictures.

Other children's books that Jerry Pinkney has illustrated include Song of the Trees by Mildred Taylor, The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, John Henry by Julius Lester, and Goin' Some Place by Patricia C. McKissack.

Julius Lester

Lester, Julius. (1999). From Slave Ship to Freedom Road.

From Slave Ship to Freedom Road by Julius Lester is about slavery. It discusses all of the aspects of slavery from people being shipped from Africa in the middle passage to African Americans being sold and beaten to their eventual escape after the civil war. This book discusses important historical facts and how slaves would have felt. The artwork brings the scenes of the book to life and makes the reader feel as if they are right there in the scene of the book.

Other books by Julius Lester include John Henry, To Be a Slave, Days of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue, and The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit. Most of Julius Lester's books have to do with slavery or race.

The Lorax

Seuss, Dr. (1971). The Lorax.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is about a Lorax who gets angry because his Truffula Trees are being cut down by Once-ler, an Industrialist. Unfortunately, the Lorax's protest don't do any good and Once-ler cuts down all the Truffula Trees and pollutes the rest of the ecosystem to build an industry. This book is didactic, because it uses a simple children's book to entertain kids and teach a lesson about politics. Basically, Dr. Seuss is talking about the process of destroying an ecosystem to build an industry and why that is wrong.




Galdone, Paul. (1985). The Little Red Hen.
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone is about a hen who plants, harvests, and grinds wheat in to flour. She ask for her friends to help her, but they are all too lazy. When she decides to make a cake out of the flower, her friends are all too eager to help her eat it, but the hen tells them no, because they didn't want to help her plant, harvest, or grind the wheat to make the flour that was used in the cake. This is also a didatic book, because although it is a classic book read to kids, it also teaches a lesson: If you work hard, you will get rewarded for it and don't expect to get something for nothing.

The Cat in the Hat

Seuss, Dr. (1957). The Cat in the Hat.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss is about Sally and her brother who are sitting at home alone with their pet goldfish on a rainy day. They are bored to death until the Cat in the Hat shows up with Thing One and Thing Two at their door. Their goldfish tells them not to let the three strangers in, but they do anyway, and they want to play. Sally and her brother run around the house with Cat in the Hat, Thing One, and Thing Two, causing all kinds of problems and making a mess of the house. Although this book is old, it has become a classic and a favorite of kids over the years and it is still found on bookshelves today. The easy rhyming flow of the book, the repetitive words, and Cat in the Hat's mischief makes this book enjoyable for kids all of all ages (even the really old ones!). Dr. Seuss books are great to teach kids to read with. I think it is still popular today because it is funny, but also educational, becuase it teaches kids 225 basic vocabulary words and is not as ordinary or boring as the usual basal readers and basic books used to teach kids how to read.

Martin, Bill. (2004). Chicka Chicka 1,2,3.

Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 by Bill Martin is about 101 numbers that climb an apple tree. Some bumble bees try to cause the numbers trouble and zero has to save the day. This book reminds me of a contemporary The Cat in the Hat because it rhymes, repeats information, and helps children remember numbers. Just like Dr. Seuss' unconvential "basil reader" which taught sight words, this book uses repitition, clever rhymes, and funny quotes to help students remember important information.

Children's books produced as feature films

Dahl, Ronald. (2007). Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl is a book about Charlie, a little boy who lives with his mom and both sets of grandparents. His family doesn't have much money, but he is lucky enough to be one of five children who finds a golden ticket inside a chocolate bar. The golden ticket gets each of the five children and one adult a tour in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The other four children take advantage of Mr. Wonka and something happens to each of them during their trip to the factory, but Charlie and his grandpa make it to the end of the tour. Charlie finds out that there is a prize waiting for him at the end of his journey...This is an excellent book and it makes me want to eat a chocolate bar! Dahl's imagination and humor makes this book so delicious that any child would want to read it. I am big fan of the original feature film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Honestly, I liked this film better than the book, which is an exception to my usual rule that books are always better than the movies. This film is so colorful and inviting. I really liked the soundtrack for this film, which is one of the big reasons why I like the film so much better. When you watch this movie the music is stuck in your head for days! Children will be easily humored by Wonka's eccentric ways and Charlie's experiences in this film.

Sachar, Louis. (2000). Holes.
Holes by Louis Sachar is about Stanley Yelnats, a boy whose family is plagued with a curse. Stanly is accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated by a famous basketball player, Clyde "Sweetfeet" Livingston, to a charity for a children's home. The judge doesn't believe Stanley when he says the shoes fell from the sky and hit him in the head and that he really didn't steal them. As a punishment he is sent to Camp Green Lake, a hot, miserable camp in the Texas desert. Everyday he is required to dig a hole for the Warden of the camp. At the camp, Stanley manages to uncover a hidden treasure, find true friends, and rids himself of the family curse. I loved this book. It was hilarious and down to earth. It also has a lot of hidden meanings that students can uncover. The feature film, Holes, which was based off this book was also excellent. It was also very interesting and funny. I think that kids would enjoy watching this movie and comparing it to the book. In my opinion, books are always better than the movie though, because movies can't add nearly as much detail as a book can, but it was definetely a movie worth watching.

Sendak, Maurice. (1988). Where the Wild Things Are.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is about a little boy, Max, who is in trouble with his mom. He is sent to be without supper. When he falls asleep he dreams he sails to an island where the "wild things" are and they make him king. I was an only child so I had to amuse myself. I really enjoyed playing dress up and pretending to be a doctor, teacher, or spy, so this book is right up my ally. I enjoy "escaping" to imaginary places. I was very excited to see Where the Wild Things Are as a feature film, but I was very dissapointed. The movie was not nearly as good as the book. Actually, I thought it was very borning and I couldn't even finish watching the whole thing. Although the movie followed the events of the book pretty closely it lacked humor and the spark of imagaination that has made the book a favorite to children for so many years.