Reviewed by Jim Trelease below
are recommended titles that have been published since
the sixth edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook in
2006 (or were mistakenly not included in that edition).
Newer books appear at the top of this page and subsequent
pages. A sampling of titles from
The Handbook
can be found in the Treasury
of Read-Alouds.
REVIEWS—PAGE 2
Gooney Bird Greene (series)
by Lois Lowry Gr.
K-2 88 pages Houghton,
2002; Dell paperback, 2004
With the annual publication
rate for children's books now reaching more than 8,000
titles, it's inevitable that any reviewer (even the most
attentive) will miss a good one here or there. Such is
the case with Lois Lowry's Gooney Bird Greene,
whimsical short novel who is the antithesis of Junie B.
Jones in civil behavior but a carbon copy in uniqueness
and irrepressibility. Somehow, I missed Gooney when it
first came out and discovered it only recently through
the recommendation of a classroom teacher.
And
just like Junie, Gooney Bird would be a welcome addition
to any classroom, except with the latter, even the teacher
would be glad to have her aboard. She's smart, mature,
kind, and in charge at all times — or at least she
wants to be, which sometimes presents a challenge for the
teacher. Here's how Lowry introduces us to Gooney Bird:
There was a new student in the Watertower
Elementary School. She arrived in October, after the
first month of school had already passed. She opened
the second grade classroom door at ten o'clock on a Wednesday
morning and appeared there all alone, without even a
mother to introduce her. She was wearing pajamas and
cowboy boots and was holding a dictionary and a lunch
box.
"Hello," Mrs. Pidgeon, the
second grade teacher, said.
"We're in the middle of our spelling
lesson."
"Good," said the girl in
pajamas. "I brought my dictionary.
Where's my desk?"
"Who are you?" Mrs. Pidgeon
asked politely.
"I'm your new student. My name
is Gooney Bird Greene that's Greene with a silent 'e'
at the end - and I just moved here from China. I want
a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because
I like to be right smack in the middle of everything. "
The class stared at the new girl with
admiration. They had never met anyone like Gooney Bird
Greene.
She was a good student. She sat down
at the desk Mrs. Pidgeon provided, right smack in the
middle of everything, and began doing second grade spelling.
She did all her work neatly and quickly, and she followed
instructions.
But soon it was clear that Gooney Bird
was mysterious and interesting. Her clothes were unusual.
Her hairstyles were unusual. Even her lunches were very
unusual.
At lunchtime on Wednesday, her first
day in the school, she opened her lunch box and brought
out sushi and a pair of bright green chopsticks. On Thursday,
her second day at Watertower Elementary School, Gooney
Bird Greene was wearing a pink ballet tutu over green
stretch pants, and she had three small red grapes, an
avocado, and an oatmeal cookie for lunch.
On Thursday afternoon, after lunch,
Mrs. Pidgeon stood in front of the class with a piece
of chalk in her hand. "Today," she said, "we
are going to continue talking about stories."
"Yay!" the second-graders
said in very loud voices, all but Felicia Ann, who never
spoke, and Malcolm, who wasn't paying attention. He was
under his desk, as usual.
"Gooney Bird, you weren't here
for the first month of school. But our class has been
learning about what makes good stories, haven't we?" Mrs.
Pidgeon said.
From this point on, Gooney pretty much
takes over and teaches both the art of storytelling and
the fact that everyone has their own unique story to tell.
Of course, no one's tale is quite as original as Gooney
Bird's. For example. her first class offering is "How
Gooney Bird Came from China on a Flying Carpet," which
proves to be absolutely true, to the amazement of her teacher
and class.
Sequels: Gooney
Bird and the Home Room Mother; Gooney the
Fabulous; and Gooney Bird Is So Absurd. The Newbery-winning
Lowry has long been one of our most gifted writers for
children and this series proves again her great versatility.
Anyone who can give us Autumn Street; The Giver;
Number the Stars; Anastasia Krupnik; and Gooney
Bird Greene in
one lifetime of writing— now that is a
true world-class children's author. Also by the author,
the memoir Looking Back: A Book of Memories.
For more on Lowry at this site (including a 50-minute
audio interview, see Number
the Stars.
Alfred's Nose
by Vivienne Flesher PreS-K 28
pages HarperCollins
2008
Using staged photographs, Flescher tells the story of
a French bulldog's dissatisfaction with his appearance--especially
his nose, at least what there is of it. So with the aid
of his young owners, he applies various disguises and props
to his nose and face. Although they are very funny to the
reader, Alfred is far from amused and finally settles into
being himself. An old story, true--but the photos give
a light-hearted, original freshness. Related book for older
students: The Whingdingdilly by Bill Peet.
Toy Boat
by Randall de Sève, ill. by Loren Long PreS-K 32 pages
Philomel, 2007
A
young boy has built a toy boat out of a cab, a cork, a
yellow pencil, and some white cloth. Together they bath,
sleep, and play together. But beneath the surface, the
little boat yearns to make it on his own, out of reach
and on the high seas—not
unlike The Little Engine That Could or Little
Toot. Under
normal circumstances, this tale might be a little too reminiscent
of those earlier efforts were it not for the glorious
illustrations of Loren Long, who seems to rise to new heights
with each book he illustrates, especially as he depicts
the agony of boat and boy in their separation. All children
will identify with this tale because it's analogous
to the yearning of any child to be done with "baby
stuff" and get on with becoming a grown up — or
at least a "big kid." Books like this offer a
gentle warning: Take it easy, kid, it's not all fun 'n'
games out there. Enjoy the comforts of home while you have
them. Long's art work captures these emotions perfectly
without being maudlin.
Never Take a Shark to the Dentist (and other things not
to do)
by Judi Barrett ill. by John Nickle PreS-K 32 pages
Atheneum, 2008
It's been 25 years since Judi and Ron Barrett gave us
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, one of the best-ever
picture books about food. During that quarter century,
Judi Barrett gave us just enough picture book morsels to
keep us wanting more of her zaniness (see Animals Should
Definitely Not Wear Clothing; Pickles from Pittsburgh;
and Things That Are Most in the World). Now she's back
with another little gem about the animals you definitely
don't want to pal around with under certain circumstances
-- like taking a raccoon to the bank or shaking hands with
a lobster or taking a giraffe to the movies. And those
are just for starters. Needless to say, classes and families
will use this as a springboard to their own creative and
imaginative no-no pairings.
the perfect bear
by Gillian Shields ill. by Gary Blythe PreS-K 26
pages
Simon & Schuster , 2008
When
he was sitting on the store's shelf, the little white bear
was so perfect they placed a sign beside him: Do Not Touch.
He not only thought he was perfect, he thought that was
his name — do
not touch.
Then the little girl received him as a gift and his life
began to change. Not only was he being touched, he was
getting dirty and rusty (the key in his music box). Poor
bear was miserable and couldn't make the little girl understand.
The real understanding comes only when bear learns
that it is not what we have showing outside (pretty
fur, handsome hats, and a shiny key) but what we have inside that
counts. Illustrator Gary Blythe, who won the Kate Greenaway
Medal for his luminous work on The Whale's
Song, has
captured that warm relationship between child and doll
that makes for a classic. Related book: Corduroy by
Don Freeman; and Dogger by
Shirley Hughes.
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