This is a compilation of annotated bibliographies that I have written for other courses.
The format and content of the annotation varies depending on what the goal of the assignment was.
Alexie, S. (2007). Flight. New York: Black Cat. 181 pages.
Zits, a troubled Indian adolescent, runs from another potentially abusive foster home only to commit a mass murder. He is lurched from his body into the bodies of others throughout time. His journey culminates emotionally upon entering his father’s body, drunk and homeless, pining for respect. Zits sees that anger is not the path. He receives a second chance, returning to his body seconds before his violent act.
Bradford, Karleen (1982). The Other Elizabeth. Toronto, ON: Gage. 160 pages.
Author: Canadian
Main Character: Female
Novel: Historical fiction
Age Level: Grade 5-6. I learned about the historical period of this book in sixth grade. Students may now cover it in fifth grade or sixth grade, depending on their Cycle 3 teacher.
Elizabeth walks into Cook’s Tavern during her class trip to Upper Canada Village. Suddenly, she can’t see, and everything sounds far away. When her vision comes back, everything is different. The tavern is full of men wearing strange, thick wool clothes. The men recognize her; one brings her back to “her” house. Her parents thank him, explaining that she hasn’t been herself since she was sick. Elizabeth goes to sleep, sad and confused.
Elizabeth starts feeling and thinking more and more like this other Elizabeth from the past, almost forgetting herself. Everyone in town is talking about a looming war. Elizabeth keeps having a strange feeling that she knows what will happen—that she has heard about this before. In the end, Elizabeth manages to rescue her friend Jamie, after he falls out of a paddle boat as they were being shot at by an American war ship, by swimming him safely to shore. This is amazing to everyone, since the other Elizabeth doesn’t know how to swim. She fades out again, and finds herself back at Cook’s Tavern in the present.
This book is very different because of the noticeable shift in the character: she actually becomes someone else. As opposed to the interesting story, the black and white illustrations take away from the story. They are drab and stylistically outdated. If this book were reprinted with updated illustrations, it would not seem like a 28 year old book. The text is interesting, full of facts about a previous way of life and about the War of 1812, and does a good job of putting the reader in the character’s shoes.
I was attracted to this book because I have been to Upper Canada Village with my family every year since I was 5. I enjoyed recognizing the names of places I have been, and reading about the history in the context of a story. I appreciated the uniqueness of the story, because of the way Elizabeth travelled to the past.
Bruchac, Joseph (2001). Skeleton Man. New York: Scholastic. 114 pages.
Author: Native
Main Character: Female
Novel: Fantasy based on Traditional literature
Age Level: Grade 5-6.
The lazy uncle sat by the fire while his family hunted. He dozed and began to smell delicious meat cooking. It was his finger! It smelled so good, he ate it. It was delicious…so he cooked and devoured his whole body, leaving nothing but a skeleton. When his family returned home, the Skeleton Man cooked and devoured them as well. He ate everyone accept his niece, who outsmarted him and brought her family back to life.
Molly suspects the “uncle” she is forced to live with after the mysterious disappearance of her parents is actually the Skeleton Man from her father’s stories. She is sure he is not who he says. He locks her in her room every night and sneaks away to the shed in the backyard. Molly dreams about a rabbit who guides her to her parents in the shed. She escapes her locked room and finds her parents in the shed, but the Skeleton Man sees her and chases her. She only narrowly avoids the skeletal grasp of her “uncle”, and is reunited with her parents.
There are a few black and white images throughout the book. They are not detailed and somewhat vague. For example, there is a skeletal hand knocking on a door, or a shoe on a stair. The illustrations effectively add to the mystery of the story.
This book is unique because of the foreshadowing presented in the Native American legend. It was Molly, the “niece”, who brought her family back to life. There is also foreshadowing in the Molly’s dreams. I really love foreshadowing in novels, because it makes me think about what will happen and how events may come to pass. The story is also very suspenseful and exciting. Of all of the books, this is the #1 page turner.
Cumming, Peter (2004). Out on the Ice in the Middle of the Bay. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press. 32 pages.
Author: Canadian
Main Character: Female
Picture Storybook: Contemporary fiction / Unlikely situation
Age Level: Kindergarten to grade 4. Older grades would be able to look at the literacy in the book, like this shift between bears and people. Or they could simply enjoy the story and the suspense.
Leah’s father tells her to stay inside. So she does, until he falls asleep. Then little Leah puts on her parka quietly and sneaks outside, without changing out of her sneakers. She walks to the water, across the ice, towards a large iceberg. Mother Nanook, a polar bear, tells Baby Nanook not too wander. Baby Nanook does not, until she falls asleep. Then he wanders across the ice, towards an enormous iceberg. Leah’s father wakes up; he begins to frantically search for her. Mother Nanook woke up; she begins running after Baby Nanook. Leah meets baby Nanook. She is cold. He is warm. They lie down together in the shadow of the iceberg. Leah’s father runs towards the iceberg. Nanook’s mother runs towards the iceberg. They meet. He holds up his rifle. She stands and growls. Then Leah walks to her father, and Baby Nanook walks to his mother. They all go home.
This story is unique because it is written in a very back and forth way. The balance of power shifts on each and every page, and it is difficult to tell if the bears or the humans will be the ones to pull through. In the end, we see the iceberg. The power shifts back and forth, then to the neutral ice in the middle of the bay. It is really like being pulled in one direction or another throughout the story, and coming to rest in the middle, at the iceberg.
I love the suspense in this story. I honestly thought I was going to have to pull out the Kleenex; I thought Mother Nanook would be killed for sure. I was glad that it turned out to be a happy ending. I think children will also really enjoy the suspense in this story, as they would pull for both the bears and the people.
Hopkinson, Deborah (1993). Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 40 pages.
Multicultural: African-American / slavery
Main Character: Female
Picture storybook: Contemporary fiction / Historical fiction
Age Level: Grade 1-4.
Clara is taken away from her mother to work on another plantation. Aunt Rachel takes her under her wing, even though she isn’t really Clara’s aunt. She sees that Clara won’t make it working in the field, so she teaches her to sew. Aunt Rachel brings Clara to the Big House, where Clara gets to see a real white person, up close. She starts working, sewing in the Big house. One day, Clara overhears others taking about runaways, trying to make it to the Underground railroad and how they would stand a better chance, if they only had a map. So Clara starts making a map. She takes cloth scraps that no one will miss and starts a quilt. She listens and overhears and pieces together the map. When the quilt is finally finished, Clara gives it to Aunt Rachel. Clara runs, with her friend Jake, all the way to the Underground Railroad, using the map she has in her head. Aunt Rachel helped many others get to Canada, using Clara’s quilt.
This book offers great opportunities to teach about slavery, what life was like as a slave, and how many tried to escape. The pictures are big and bright—never gloomy. I think this really shows the hope that is felt throughout the story. I especially like the front and back material in the book, which describe how to make a map, and the meaning hidden in various quilts. It will help students see that meaning can be held in many things, even if they do not see it right away.
I was drawn to this book because of the pictures and because of the title. Why is Clara sweet? The story shows determination and hard work to achieve something that will change the world. I liked the message in the book. I also like that this moral was subtle—it didn’t jump right out. Nowhere in the book did it say “Clara stuck to her dream and made it”. It is much better this way—readers have to figure this out for themselves.
Kusugak, Michael Arvaarluk (2006). Baseball Bats for Christmas. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press. 24 pages.
Author: Canadian, Inuit
Main Character: Male
Picture storybook: Contemporary fiction
Age Level: Grade 2 to 4. There is a lot of information about the arctic in this story that is better suited for the older grades. The story would be appropriate for grade 2, but the students would likely not take as much out of the book as grade 3 or 4.
Repulse Bay lies in Canada’s north, right on the Arctic Circle. The people of Repulse Bay live in igloos. They have no trees. Every Christmas, a plane brings supplies like food or toys. This year, the plane brought green things with spindly branches. The people of Repulse Bay knew what they were: baseball bats! The children played baseball all year. The story centers on one boy named Arvaarluk.
This book illustrates another culture, and shows that not all cultures understand things the same way. After reading this, the children would know that the green things were Christmas trees, and may be confused about why the people in the story did not know that. Even the children who do not celebrate Christmas would typically be aware of what a Christmas tree is. This book provides a great opportunity to discuss concepts of cultural difference.
My favourite part of this book is the innocence with which it was written. Telling the story through the eyes of young Arvaarluk made the story feel genuine and effortless. This is conveyed in passages such as: “we could not talk to Rocky Parsons because we did not understand any English at all. We just smiled at him a lot and dreamed of, someday, flying his aeroplane”. Kusugak likely knew that children who are not from the arctic would find this book humorous. Yet the writing was not intentionally funny, it was honest and endearing. Children listening to the story may think it unfair that these Inuit children do not have Christmas trees. However, this book shows that they don’t know what Christmas trees are, and they are very happy with their baseball bats. It is difficult to get across the concept that not everyone understands things in the same way, and this book does an excellent job of conveying that message.
Lester, Helen (1999). Hooway for Wodney Wat. New York: Scholastic. 32 pages.
Main Character: Male
Picture storybook: Animal fantasy
Age Level: Kindergarten to grade 2 or 3. After that point they may find it too young.
Wodney Wat is a rat with a speech impediment. All of the other rodents tease Wodney. He becomes very shy and does not participate in class, fearing ridicule. Camilla Capybara is new to the school. She is bigger, meaner and smarter than anyone else. One day, Wodney is chosen to lead a game of Simon Says. All the other rodents know about his impediment, so they understand instructions such as wap (wrap) your hands around your head or weed (read) the sign. Camilla doesn’t understand the instructions as the others do. Nor does she see why the others are laughing at her. She is so offended that when Wodney says go west (rest), she walks west and never comes back. From that day on, no one makes fun of Wodney: he is their hero.
This book highlights speech impediments and it takes an angle of acceptance—and it does so in a funny and endearing way. It shows the students that there is no reason to exclude someone with a speech impediment, like Wodney. It is a great tool for teaching about acceptance in the classroom without being too moralistic.
I personally almost cried the first time I read through this book. I was so sad when Wodney was being teased. I know this sounds silly, but the illustrations do SUCH a good job of conveying Wodney’s emotions. There are parts where the story is truly heartbreaking: “All of this teasing day in and day out made Wodney the shyest rodent in his school. His squeak could barely be heard in class. He gnawed lunch all alone. And while the other rodents scurried and scooted about at recess, Wodney hid inside his jacket”(p.8-9). If you could see the pictures, you would want to cry as well. It is because of the sincerity of the text and how it is really impossible not to empathize with Wodney (or, at the very least, sympathize) that I love this story.
Michelson, Richard (2006). Across the Alley. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 32 pages.
Multicultural: Black and Jewish
Main Character: Male
Contemporary fiction
Age Level: Grade 2 to 4. It contains issues of cultural barriers that would not be understood by younger students.
Abe is a young Jewish boy; his grandfather wants him to grow up to play the violin. Willie is a young black boy; his father wants him to pitch in the majors. Their bedroom windows face each other, across the alley. One day, Willie writes the word “Hi” on his bedroom window, and the two boys become fast friends. Of course, they can only be friends at night, when no one is watching. Willie teaches Abe how to play baseball, and Abe teaches Willie how to play violin. Abe is a fantastic pitcher, and Willie is a natural on the violin. The two boys practice every night. One night, Abe’s grandfather comes in and sees what is going on. He looks back and forth between the two boys. He smiles and shows Willie how to hold the bow. Willie plays the violin at the temple, and Abe pitches in the big game. Both boys are happy, doing what they are good at, in each other’s company.
I love this book. It does a great job of breaking down cultural stereotypes and boundaries. The book does a great job of showing prejudice: “Grandpa says Jewish kids shouldn’t waste their time with baseball (…), ‘God gave you a brain, Abe,’ he says. ‘Let those Negro boys play ball’”. The story shows how the boys break down the cultural divide between them and overcome expectations to be good at what they like. I was drawn to this story for its message. Though students may not chose this book to read on their own, I think having it read to them will leave them with a lot of questions that are important for them to ask and learn about. The book talks about slavery at one point, and how both boys had family who were slaves—this may be new information to young students. I also think that students would ask about why the boys couldn’t be friends during the daytime—these are issues that we hope children don’t face anymore.
Munsch, Robert (1983). David’s Father. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press. 32 pages.
Author: Canadian
Main Character: Female
Picture storybook: Fantasy—Extraordinary person
Age Level: Kindergarten to grade 1, maybe grade 2. They should be able to read it on their own between those ages. A student in grade 2 may feel babied if this book is read to them, but would likely enjoy reading it on their own.
Julie, on her walk home from school, sees a moving van. Out of that van come GIGANTIC utensils. The next day, she meets David. Julie rememberesthe giant utensils, but David seems normal enough. David may be normal, but his father sure isn’t! His father is a giant, who eats snails and bricks. Julie is scared of David’s father, but then she finds out that he is a nice man, despite his size.
This book has great images. It’s significant features are similar to all Munsch books: it is fun to read, it flows, it is repetitive, and it is funny. It is the kind of book kids love to listen to. This does limit its use to younger grades, but the students in these grades will love the story!
I chose this story because I remember it from when I was young. I remember being afraid of the giant father. I remember being scared when we see the bricks and the slimy snails on the table. I remember thinking: “What kind of scary monster would eat that stuff?!”. I like that such a humorous story can also be scary and somewhat suspenseful. I remember wondering what would need such gigantic utensils…and I remember thinking the utensils were funny. I imagine children today would react in similar way. I read this story to 3 year olds last week, and they didn’t quite understand what was going on. They thought the father was a “bad guy” even though he did nice things—even after I tried to explain that he was nice. I think that kindergarten is the perfect age for kids to really enjoy this story.
Rockwell, Anne (2008). Clouds. New York: HarperCollins. [expository book—informational].
There are many different types of clouds. They all look different and they all produce different types of weather. This book describes everything about clouds. It begins by describing the word cloud—the white or gray shapes in the sky. It goes on to give in depth information about cloud types, height and potential for precipitation. There is one illustrated page that is repeated several times in the book. It depicts the texture of different cloud types, their respective height above the ground, and the name of each type of cloud.
After reading this book, I would either replicate in paint with the children or photocopy and enlarge the repeated page. This would be posted on the classroom wall. It would then be a good reminder of types of clouds and a vocabulary reference. The cloud names are difficult, therefore I would not use them for spelling, simply as a descriptive reference. This image on the wall would be used daily to describe the day’s clouds and to predict the weather from these clouds. It could be a morning routine throughout the year to make children appreciate the clouds and the weather, and to make connections between the two.
Scieszka, Jon (2001). Baloney (Henry P.). New York: Viking. 40 pages.
Main Character: Male
Picture storybook: Contemporary fiction / Science fiction
Age Level: Kindergarten to grade four. At each grade level, students would take something different from the book. Grade four students would be able to make their own decoders and learn about other languages. Kindergarteners would enjoy it as a silly story. This book is highly useful in the classroom, and activities appropriate for each grade level could derive from the book.
Henry P. Baloney explains his late arrival to school: he had misplaced his pencil. His search sends him onto a rocket, to another planet, where he narrowly escapes being eaten by aliens only to fall out of a rocket on his way back to school. He hadn’t yet learned about gravity, and could float back to school. His pencil was still missing.
Throughout the story, many words are replaced by other languages—for example, the pencil in called by its Latvian name, zimulus. There is a decoder at the back of the book of the translations for the words, many of which are clear from the illustrations.
This book invites many language related activities. Students can make up words and use them in stories—and make their own accompanying decoder (with help from the teacher). The class can discuss/research the existence of other languages. Discussion can begin with languages we speak in Quebec. From there, we can learn if anyone speaks another language. We can learn about which languages are spoken in which country. We can choose a word, such as love or learn, and learn how to say it in as many different languages as possible. My favourite aspect of this book is that it invites so many activities.
I was drawn to this book because it is truly funny. I started reading, and thought that the funny words throughout the book were invented. Then I recognized words in French, Italian and Spanish. I realized that the words were in other languages! I think children would be as highly amused by this book as I was. I was also attracted to the colourful and highly textural collage and painting illustrations. They were very modern and I found them aesthetically pleasing. Because of the story and the illustrations, I think this book could be enjoyed by children of most ages.
Simard, Rémi (1995). The magic boot. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press. 30 pages.
Author: Canadian
Main Character: MaleX
Picture storybook: Fantasy—Literary fairy tale
Age Level: Kindergarten to grade 4. It is a cute story with bright pictures that can span these age levels.
Pipo’s feet will not stop growing. Pipo’s mother can’t afford to buy him new shoes anymore! A good fairy helps Pipo: she gives him magical boots that will grow when he waters them, so they can be as big as his feet. Pipo loves his new boots, but then he goes splashing in puddles and they grow TOO large! Pipo jumps straight into an Ogre’s toes. The ogre is about to eat him, but Pipo outsmarts him by giving him the boots. The envious Roberto saw Pipo’s boots, and wanted them so badly he found the ogre’s house and stole the boots while the ogre was sleeping. He has to cross a river to get home, and the boots grow SO big that he can’t carry them anymore. He buries them: if he can’t have them, no one will. The next day, when Pipo’s sister is watering the garden, the boot grows right out of the ground. Pipo is sad that the boot is ruined, so she throws it into the ocean where it becomes Italy!
This illustrations in the book are large oil paintings, they are bright and absolutely gorgeous. They are also stylistically pleasing—I would buy one to hang it on my wall, they are that nice. Other than the illustrations, I really liked the pace and tone of this story. It is humorous and fast moving, for example: “Pipo’s feet grew so fast that he could win a race without even moving”. It is quite entertaining. I like that it is a play on fairy tales, with the good fairy, like a fairy godmother granting poor Pipo his wish. I also like that it resembles traditional literature by explaining how something came to be, namely the origin of Italy.
Taylor, C.J. (2004). Peace Walker: The Legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita. Toronto: Tundra Books. 45 pages.
The Iroquois nation is torn apart by war and sadness under the twisted Atotarho. Seer’s visions show that only together can Chief Hiawatha and Tekanawita restore peace. Hiawatha is driven from his village with sadness and loss. His trek northwards guides him to Tekanawita. Together they unite the Five Nations who, singing the Peace Song, drive the evil from Atortaho’s heart. Peace is restored to the Five Nations.
Thomas, Pat (2007). Don’t Call Me Special: A first look at disability. Hauppage, NY: Barron’s Educational Series. [ inclusion book—informational].
Different types of disabilities are introduced on a superficial level, ideal for Kindergarten children. The book deals with hurtful assumptions about individuals in wheelchairs. It explains that everybody is unique; everyone is good at some things and needs help with others. Students with disabilities shouldn’t be labeled special, because it implies they are different from everybody else. Everyone can learn from each other and benefit from it. This book also has interesting discussion topics on several of the pages, and suggested uses of the book at the back.
I would use the discussion topics, such as what the students know about disabilities or what they are good/not good at. This would get them reflecting on disabilities. The last page of the book suggests play acting: making the children blind with blindfolds, deaf with headphones, or have them spend time in wheelchairs, if available. This could help them understand what children with disabilities have to go through on a daily basis. The book also suggests talking about people who have overcome disabilities, like Helen Keller or Beethoven. This book is a great superficial introduction to physical and learning disabilities, which can then be looked at in greater detail, using other resources.
Thomson, Sarah L. (2008). Imagine a Place. New York: Athenium Books for Young Readers. [picture book—story].
This is a book about imagination. The words guide us through the beautiful surrealist paintings of Rob Gonsalves. The story itself is about imagining the places around oneself, and all the beauties and mysteries they hold. It invokes ideas of adventure, starting a new story, changing ideas of reality, and opening the world to be experienced. The text would not be of any interest at all to young readers—or older readers, for that matter—it really only holds merit when accompanied by the images. The images take a living room and turn it into an ocean, curtains and turn them into dancers, stones and turn them into castles, or stars and turn them into lanterns.
Imagination is important and needs to be encouraged in young children, so they don’t lose it. This story could lead to activities about cloud observation: “What do you see in the clouds?”. It can also make children really notice the wonders in the world around them they may overlook, like green trees in the spring or waves in the water. The class could walk around the community; students would be asked to use their imagination and talk about what they see around them.
Waboose, J.B. (2000). SkySisters. Toronto: Kids Can Press. 29 pages.
Struggling to heed the words of their Nokomis, “Wisdom comes on silent wings”, Nishiime follows Nimise’s footsteps through deep snow to the top of Coyote hill where they sing with coyotes, dance and make snow angels until the SkySpirits colour the night sky, like SkySisters dancing into the four directions.
Ye, Ting-xing (1998). Weighing the Elephant. Buffalo, NY: Annick Press. 32 pages.
Author: Canadian
Main Character: Male
Multicultural: China
Picture storybook: Contemporary fiction
Age Level: Kindergarten to grade 2. Higher grades my be interested if they are studying China, as the could learn about the lifestyle of villagers there.
Hei-dou fetches an elephant family from the woods every morning. The villagers take great care of the elephants, and in return the elephants help farm. The baby elephant, Huan-huan, dances with the schoolchildren and is happy. The greedy emperor hears of Huan-huan and commands he be brought to the castle. Huan-huan is scared and sad: he will not dance. The emperor tells the villagers that Huan-huan will be returned if they find the elephant’s weight. All of the scholars try to weigh the elephant, but give up. Hei-dou solves the riddle. He puts the elephant in a boat in the water, and makes a black mark on the side of the boat at the level of the water. He then adds rice bags to the empty boat until the line was again at water level. The rice bags are weighed. The emperor stuck to his word, and Huan-huan danced with Hei-dou again.
This book shows another way of life. It will help children understand that not all countries are like Canada. In some countries, those in charge can take as they please and cannot be contested. This is shown in the text when the villagers stand by and look at the ground while Huan-huan is slowly pulled away by soldiers.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful watercolour paintings. There is an extraordinary amount of detail. The pictures convey the difference between the lifestyle of the emperor and that of the villagers by juxtaposing rich gold belongings with straw huts. I particularly enjoy the very first page: a mountain landscape which shows shacks next to the palace.
I was drawn to this story because it has a good moral. Hei-dou succeeds where all of the scholars have failed. This is an important idea to give to kids, and is my favourite part of the book. I enjoy the wildly different lifestyle that is portrayed, in that the people depend on wild elephants to help with their chores.