Book Review on Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, Helen. 2008. DIAMOND WILLOW. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN 0374317763

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Diamond Willow, a twelve-year-old Native Alaskan girl who wants to be called Willow, goes through the sometimes lonely and awkward phases of growing up and becoming more mature.  Like many tweens and teens, Willow often feels ordinary: “If my parents had called me Diamond, would I have been one of those sparkly kinds of girls?”  She has one best friend that is beginning to want to spend more time with a certain boy.  Willow feels more comfortable with her favorite dog, Roxy, because animals cannot hurt feelings like humans can.  Willow desperately wants her parents to acknowledge that she is growing up.  Willow’s parents agree to allow her to mush out the dogs to her grandparents’ house all by herself.  While on the journey, an accident occurs and Roxy’s eyes are injured.  Willow manages to get the dogs and herself to her destination.  Willow blames herself for Roxy’s injury and feels as if her parents were right regarding her being too young for such a big responsibility.  Her parents understand that accidents happen.  When Willow finds out that the vet recommends that Roxy be put down, she makes the decision to take Roxy to her grandparent’s house because they would take good care of her.  While on the path, they get caught in a snow storm.  Willow has to think herself out of a hole and survive the weather.  Willow’s ancestors, in the form of animals, watch over her as she figures out what to do.  By the story’s end, Willow and Roxy survive and Roxy begins to get her sight back.  Willow’s parents feel that since she has displayed accountability and responsibility, she is ready to hear the story about her twin sister, Diamond.  Diamond past away four days after being born and was the spirit of the dog, Roxy.  After Diamond’s passing, her parents gave Diamond’s name to Willow.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is a moving story that most tweens and teens can relate to.  The feelings that many tweens and teens experience are communicated in a thoughtful manner: “I’m skinny and ordinary like a stick.”  Willow’s journey to achieving maturity is well explained.  Mature individuals must have accountability, responsibility, and the ability to think themselves out of a difficult situation. 

The story is written a series of poems that are in Willow’s point of view and shaped like a diamond.  There are bolded words within the poems that convey a hidden message: “I know I’m a little amazing.”  The ancestors’ points of view are written in standard form.  The diamond-shaped poems, Diamond Willow’s name, her past, and her journey are very symbolic.  At the beginning of the book, the author describes what diamond will is.  The diamonds form on several different kinds of shrub willows when a branch is injured and falls away.  The dark center of each diamond is the scar of the missing branch.

This will be an excellent book to share with tweens and teens because it helps readers understand that we are all on a journey to become who we are meant to be and that our character is defined by how we act in trying situations. 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “[A] gem of a book…Accomplished and impressive.”

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Frost’s ingeniously structured novel in verse…may be set in 1850, but its themes will resonate with today’s teens…Memorable.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “Frost casts a subtle spell through innovative storytelling.  Her poems offer pensive imagery and glimpses of character, and strong emotion.  This complex and elegant novel will resonate with readers who savor powerful drama and multifaceted characters.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*If you feel comfortable leading a discussion about feelings tweens and teens often have and the journey to achieving maturity, this is a book that enables students to vicariously experience trying situations.  You can ask open-ended questions during the discussion, give students ample time to talk about their experiences, etc.  Have you ever felt ordinary or insignificant?  How did that make you feel?  Do you feel as if adults do not recognize that you are growing up?  If so, please explain.  Do you feel that you are not given increased responsibility when you really deserve it?  If so, please explain.

*Gather other books written by Helen Frost:

Frost, Helen. 2008. MONARCH AND MILKWEED. ISBN 1416900853

Frost, Helen. 2005. KEESHA’S HOUSE. ISBN 0786276975

Frost, Helen. 2004. SPINNING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE. ISBN 0374371598

Book Review on Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course. 

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0547014945

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This beautiful picture book consists of four different poems about spring, summer, fall, and winter.  The focus of each poem is on the colors you see during that specific time and how they change as the seasons change.  For instance, “In spring, yellow and purple hold hands.  They beam at each other with bright velvet faces.  First Flowers, first friends.  In fall, yellow grows wheels and lumbers down the block, blinking: Warning—classroom ahead.” 

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is a clever and witty book that talks about colors one sees during specific seasons and how they change throughout the year.  Joyce Sidman uses colors, objects, and situations that children can relate to.  The senses are used to describe colors in specific seasons: “Fall smells purple: old leaves, crushed berries, squishy plums with worms in them.  Purple: the smell of all things mixed together.”

With the text, the color being discussed is highlighted, outlined by a rectangle, and written in the color it represents.  This will help young children differentiate between colors and the actual spelling of the color.  Pamela Zagarenski’s illustrations are absolutely breathtaking.  They are all so vibrant and full of detail.  The pictures are just as clever as the text.  As an oddly shaped and outfitted person with her/his dog walks through the changing seasons, they participate in many different sensory experiences as the seasons change.  Both the person and her/his dog wear a crown.  In almost every scene, there is a beautiful red bird at the top of the page.  One could sit and stare at the pictures for hours.

This will be an excellent book to share because basic colors are discussed in a sensory manner as the seasons change.  It is a great way for young children to make the connection between their senses, colors, and how to experience them in new ways.  As a teacher, I would break down my lessons into four specific portions, according to season,  in order to make the learning process more manageable.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “This is an important book both for its creativity and for its wisdom.”

Starred review in KIRKUS: “A charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions.”

Starred review in HORN BOOK: “Sustaining the playfulness of the text and its sense of awe, mystery, and beauty, the illustrations contribute gracefully to the celebration.”

Starred review in THE BULLETIN: “This book has a freshness and visual impact all its own, and it will inspire a rainbow of uses.”

Starred review in BOOKLIST: “As the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page, do sing.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*Before I cover the fall season in my lesson plan, I would begin class by asking my students to think of an object that is mostly seen in fall, is orange with pulp and seed, flickers with candles, and has orange eyes, orange cheeks, and orange teeth.  My students would eventually guess a jack-o- lantern.  They would receive verbal praise.  My students would point to the jack-o-lantern when we get to the part of the poem that says: “Orange ripens in full, heavy moons, thick with pulp and seed.  Orange flickers, all smoke and candles.  Orange eyes.  Orange cheeks.  Orange teeth.”  During a class discussion, I would ask my students to think of other things that consist of a specific color that occurs in specific seasons.  As an extension, I would ask my students to pick three colors and list sensory descriptions of them and how they change during all four seasons.

*Gather other books written by Joyce Sidman:

Sidman, Joyce. 2010. DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT. ISBN 0547152280

Sidman, Joyce. 2005. SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN AND OTHER POND POEMS. ISBN 0618135472

Sidman, Joyce. 2007. THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS. ISBN 0618616802

Book Review on Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. 1997. MEET DANITRA BROWN. Ill. by Floyd Cooper. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0688154719

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This book consists of a collection of poems by Nikki Grimes.  The poems revolve around the friendship of two African American girls.  The poems are conveyed in the point of view of Zuri, the best friend of Danitra.  The admiration Zuri feels for Danitra is expressed by the sentences: “She doesn’t mind what people say.  She always does things her own way.  Her spirit’s old, my mom once said.  I only know I like her best ‘cause she sticks out from all the rest.  She’s only she—Danitra Brown.”  Through the expressive style of poetry, Nikki Grimes realistically talks about the ups and downs of friendship and gently addresses the issues of harassment due to race, alternative ways to defuse situations, single-parent households, and much more!   

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The poems are concise, have a nice flow, and contain subject matter that children can relate to.  While each poem is unique, they come together to tell a comprehensive story.  Regardless of whether one poem is read at a time or the entire book is read in one sitting, children will be thoroughly engaged and there will be much to discuss.  Also, the language used is informal and similar to how some children speak such as “gotta take care of things while my mom is in bed.”  The concept of using alternative, more peaceful ways of defusing a hostile situation that involves the harassment due to race is presented in a thoughtful and witty manner: “Me, Danitra Brown, I’ve got no time for Freddy’s mess.  Let him call me silly names, ‘cause I could not care less.  Can’t waste time on some boy who thinks it’s funny bein’ mean.  Got books to read and hills to climb that Freddy’s never seen.”  This helps children understand that they do not have to stoop down to the bully’s level and that they can choose to rise above the harassment in a peaceful way.  The situation of a single-parent household is presented in a gentle manner: “Some kids at school have a mom and a dad.  I’ve got Mom and me only.  On Parents’ Night it makes me mad that it’s Mom and me only.  ‘You’ve got it good,’ Danitra says when I am sad.  ‘Your mama loves you twice as much.  Is that so bad?’  Danitra knows just what to say to make me glad.”  This helps children understand that single-parent households have just as much love as more traditional households.

Floyd Cooper’s illustrations are warm and beautiful.  While the pictures have a grainy look, the faces of the two little girls are very distinct.  Their varying emotions are well represented throughout the book. The little girls are the center of the pictures with everything else as a background. 

This will be an excellent book to share because so many important issues are gently discussed.  Children, teens, and adults would benefit from reading this book.  It would be a great idea for one to introduce a difficult lesson, like racism, by reading this book to the children.  Once the book has been read, the teacher could initiate a class discussion in order establish a basic foundation and build from there.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

BOOKLIST review: “We feel the girls’ energy and their bond, in joyful games and in quiet times.” 

Starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Anyone who has a best friend can relate to this realistic but bubbly volume.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “This is a wonderful portrait of two little girls, Danitra and Zuri, and their friendship.  They enjoy the fun of bike riding, jumping rope and sharing their personal lives.  Danitra is bold and independent, but also caring and greatly admired by her best friend Zuri.  Warm, soft illustrations by Cooper capture all nuances of the poems.  An ALA Notable Book and Coretta Scott King Award Honor book.”

5.  CONNECTIONS

*If you feel comfortable leading a discussion on one of the topics discussed in this book such as harassment due to race, alternative ways to defuse a hostile situation, or single-parent households, this is a book that would be a great starting point to introduce the topic.  You could read a poem or the whole book to the children and ask them open-ended questions during the discussion.  How did this poem or book make you feel?  Has anyone ever made mean comments about the color of your skin?  How did you react?  Besides responding to the bully with violence, how could you handle the situation?  What is your family like?  Do you have one parent, two parents, stepparents, adoptive parents, etc.?  How does that make you feel?

*Gather other books written by Nikki Grimes:

Grimes, Nikki. 2003. BRONX MASQUERADE. ISBN 0142501891

Grimes, Nikki. 2008. ROAD TO PARIS. ISBN 0142410829

Grimes, Nikki. 2000. JAZMIN’S NOTEBOOK. ISBN 0141307021