Module 7: Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

Summary: This book introduces the reader to Benjamin Franklin and his many inventions.  Benjamin Franklin's many inventions have made life today easier and better in many ways.

APA Reference: Barretta, G. (2006). Now & Ben: The modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Impressions: I never knew that Benjamin Franklin was responsible for so many interesting inventions.  The author introduces Benjamin Franklin and some of his many inventions in a then and now comparison type of format.  The illustrations help the reader to understand the invention that the book is talking about.  The author also gives the reasons for some of Benjamin Franklin inventions.  Like it describes that he got tired of switching between 2 different pairs of glasses so he invented bifocals.  This book really helps the reader understand that Benjamin Franklin was a very talented inventor that is responsible for a lot of things that we still use today.

Professional Review:

NOW AND BEN

The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

by Gene Barretta, illustrated by Gene Barretta

Age Range: 5 - 9

Sunny cartoons juxtapose now and then in a lighthearted exploration of how Benjamin Franklin’s inventions have survived into the modern age. Although “invention” is a little broadly construed—are political cartoons and Daylight Savings Time, strictly speaking, inventions?—it’s a pretty impressive collection of achievements: The Franklin stove and lightning rods, of course, share space with bifocals, odometers and swim fins. The illustrations are genial enough, and use a lightly humorous touch to make their points (Ben offers an obviously distressed sailor a lime to stave off scurvy). A clean organization that opposes “Now” on the left (dominated by modern blues and greens) and “Ben” on the right (dominated by yellows, Ben’s blue coat standing out) aids in the presentation of the information. It’s an enthusiastic enough effort, but, in an anniversary year bound to be chock-full of Ben Franklin books, such flaws as the absence of suggestions for further reading make it no more than a marginal purchase. Rosalyn Schanzer’s How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning (2003) covers much of the same territory but does it much better. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)

Now and Ben: The modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin. (2010, May 20). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/gene-barretta/now-and-ben/

Library Uses: This book could be used with English teachers to teach compare and contrast.  

Module 7: An Egg is Quiet

Summary: This beautifully illustrated book shows that eggs come in every kind of shape, size, color, and texture.  It also gives an overview of how an egg is protective of a life.

APA Reference: Aston, D. (2006). An egg is quiet. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, LLC.

Impressions: When I think of an egg I think of breakfast and the typical white or brown chicken eggs that we normally see.  I know that I have seen other eggs before but never like this.  I have seen the broken pieces of a small blue robin's egg and I have seen some of my aunt's green and speckled chicken eggs, but it was interesting to see all of the different shapes and sizes of eggs.  We know that eggs have a shell that protects the insides but to have the whys and hows described in beautiful full color illustrated pages was great.  The author describes shapes, sizes, colors, and even describes what happens inside of an egg.  This book was simple and interesting.  It has life like illustrations of many different eggs and at times they looked so real that they could be picked up right off the page.

Professional Review:

AN EGG IS QUIET

by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long

Age Range: 6 - 9

Worthy successor to Ruth Heller’s Chickens Aren’t The Only Ones (1981), this engrossing album pairs images of dozens of precisely detailed eggs and their diverse wild parents to basic facts presented in neatly hand-lettered lines. Nearly all depicted actual size (and those that aren’t, are consistently so labeled), Long’s eggs look real enough to pick up, whether placed in natural settings or suspended on white pages. All, whether from birds, insects, reptiles, fish or amphibians, are not only identified, but Aston adds both topical phrases—“Eggs come in different sizes”—to each spread and, usually, memorably presented additional facts: “An ostrich egg can weigh as much as 8 pounds. It’s so big and so round, it takes two hands to hold one egg.” A delight for budding naturalists of all stripes, flecks, dots and textures. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)

An Egg is Quiet. (2010, May 20). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/dianna-aston/an-egg-is-quiet/

Library Uses: This book could be shared with a science teacher that is working on an animal unit.  It could also be used as part of a discussion of farms the cold include a mobile animal exhibit.

Module 6: Tomas and the Library Lady

Summary: Tomas is a migrant worker's son and he loves to hear his grandfather tell stories.  Tomas's grandfather tells him that he knows all of his stories and should go to the library to learn some more stories.  Tomas is amazed at the library and makes a new friend in the librarian.  Tomas learns many new stories to share with his grandfather. 

APA Reference: Mora, P. (1997). Tomas and the library lady. New York, NY: Random House.

Impressions:Tomas and the Library Lady reminds each and every librarian and future librarian why they decided to pursue being a librarian in the first place. Their love of stories and books.  Living in the panhandle of Texas where there is migrant workers frequently this story was very relatable.  To see the love and attention that the librarian provides to Tomas as he comes to discover new stories to share with his grandfather is one reason that I want to be a librarian.  I love to get lost in a story and the thought of being able to share a room full of stories with a child makes me smile.  Tomas as a real person made such a big impact in the world of education that sharing his story is important.  I am working in a dual language school this school year and I am really debating sharing this book with my students.  I think that many of them will be able to relate to the story of the young boy listening to stories from his grandfather.

Professional Review:

TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY

by Pat Mora, illustrated by Raúl Colón

Age Range: 7 - 10

A charming, true story about the encounter between the boy who would become chancellor at the University of California at Riverside and a librarian in Iowa. Tom†s Rivera, child of migrant laborers, picks crops in Iowa in the summer and Texas in the winter, traveling from place to place in a worn old car. When he is not helping in the fields, Tom†s likes to hear Papa Grande's stories, which he knows by heart. Papa Grande sends him to the library downtown for new stories, but Tom†s finds the building intimidating. The librarian welcomes him, inviting him in for a cool drink of water and a book. Tom†s reads until the library closes, and leaves with books checked out on the librarian's own card. For the rest of the summer, he shares books and stories with his family, and teaches the librarian some Spanish. At the end of the season, there are big hugs and a gift exchange: sweet bread from Tom†s's mother and a shiny new book from the librarianto keep. Col¢n's dreamy illustrations capture the brief friendship and its life-altering effects in soft earth tones, using round sculptured shapes that often depict the boy right in the middle of whatever story realm he's entered. (Picture book. 7-10)

Tomas and the Library Lady. (2010, May 20). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pat-mora/tomas-and-the-library-lady/

Library Uses: This book could be part of a beginning library lesson about why a library is important.

Module 6: Brothers at Bat

Summary: This is the true story of a family that had enough sons to have their very own semi-pro baseball team and so they did.  It introduces all of the brothers and tells stories of their games and accomplishments.

APA Reference: Vernick, A. (2012). Brothers at bat: The true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team. New York, NY; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Impressions: I have always heard the saying about having enough kids for a football team but I never knew that something like that had really happened.  This book is a fun book about a vey large family that had enough kids to have their own baseball team. The family loved baseball and played all of the time.  The family team becomes so good that they even play at the semi-pro level.  As all of the brothers grow up and move on with life baseball is never far behind.  I really enjoyed this story but of course my son plays baseball and I love watching him play baseball.  I can only imagine how proud their parents must have been watching their family play.  The book has great illustrations and it easy to read with not too many words on a page.  The illustrations enhance the reading and do not distract from the story.   For a reader who likes baseball this little book about a historical baseball team would be good read. 

Professional Review:

BROTHERS AT BAT

The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team

by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Age Range: 5 - 10

At a time when local baseball was part of the American landscape, one family fielded its own team.

The Acerra family numbered 16 children, 12 of whom were brothers who all loved to play baseball. The boys played in high school and later formed their own semi-pro team. They played wherever they could get a good game and were known as highly skilled players and crowd pleasers. They shared a special closeness and loyalty, joking and teasing, but always looking out for one another. That loyalty extended to a love of country as six of them fought in World War II, which was the first time they had been separated. After the war they continued to play in local leagues, with younger brothers taking over when big brothers aged out. In 1997 they were recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame as the all-time longest playing all-brother team. Employing descriptive, conversational language in a matter-of-fact tone that doesn’t sentimentalize, Vernick tells of a remarkable family, part of what has come to be known as "the greatest generation." Salerno’s lively drawings, rendered in black crayon, gouache, watercolor and pastel with digital color added, complement the action, striking a balance between detail and expansiveness.

A family’s love and devotion to each other and to the game of baseball, depicted lovingly. (author’s note; artist’s note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)

Brothers at Bat: The true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team. (2012, January 18). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/audrey-vernick-860/brothers-bat-true-story-amazing-all-brother-baseba/

Library Uses: This book could be used as part of a lesson about families and how all families are different.

Module 5: Divergent

Summary: A teenaged girl is required to choose her destiny.  Should she stay with the people and ideals that she already knows or should she leave her home and make her mark on the world.  Divergent is a coming of age story interlaced with a new budding romance. Set in a future that could easily be ours.

APA Reference: Roth, V. (2011). Divergent. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Impressions: I love love love this book.  In fact I have now read this book twice.  Tris is such a strong female role model that inspires girls to be strong and to follow their hearts.  Roth does such a great job describing the setting that the reader can see the grey of Abnegation and the roof tops of Dauntless.  The first time that I read this novel I devoured it and then moved on to the next and the next but as the series moved along I was not as satisfied with the next two as I was Divergent.  This book has been a sensation with kids and adults alike and with the release of the movies more and more people are flocking to the books.  As I read Divergent I tried to think and decide what would I do if I was Tris.  I truly believe that a good novel does that.  It makes the reader think about what they would do in that kind of situation.  I still do not know what I would do but it was interesting to live in Tris's world for a short time.

Professional Review:

Review: Divergent

MAY 5, 2011 BY ELIZABETH BURNS 8 COMMENTS

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of Harper Collins. 2011. Reviewed from ARC from publisher.

The Plot: In a future Chicago, a person is born into one of five factions. Each faction lives according to an overall guiding belief system. Abnegation: being selfless. Amity: peace and love. Candor: honesty. Dauntless: courage. Erudite: knowledge. Each faction pursues different professions, wears different clothes, has different lifestyles and culture and ethics. Abnegation runs everything, with the belief that selfless people aren’t corrupted by power. Dauntless protects the borders of the city.

Beatrice Prior was born into Abnegation. She dresses in gray; the most affection she sees her parents show each other is hand holding; she only sees herself in a mirror on the days her mother cuts her hair. She is sixteen and the day is fast approaching when she will need to decide which faction to chose to live in for the rest of her life. Once that decision is made, it will be “faction before blood.” All ties, to Abnegation and everyone in it (her parents, her older brother Caleb) will be cut forever. A test is given, to assist teens in making their decision.

Beatrice knows she doesn’t belong in Abnegation; she knows she is not selfless. She wants something different but she doesn’t want to disappoint her parents and leave her family. Her test results are unexpected, opening up choices she didn’t know she had.

The Good: Ha ha, some may say, how unbelievable, a test at 16 that decides your future! Unbelievable? Have you heard of the SAT? While we don’t live in a world that requires “faction before blood” and abandoning the past when one makes a choice about the future, the decision made by teens at that time do shape their future. Selecting a university can impact career, friendships, family, partner, where one ends up living, just as deciding not to go to university, to join the military, to go to work right away, also influences living choices.

Why factions? “It is not ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they determined that it was the fault of human personality — of humankind’s inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world’s disarray.” Believe that aggression causes the world’s problems? Join Amity, to use peace to overcome that quality. And so on.

It is impossible to read Divergent and not think, “what faction would I be in?” I’m too selfish for Abnegation, too cynical for Amity, not blunt enough for Candor, not brave enough for Dauntless, and not clever enough for Erudite. But I like working with others to achieve things, like Abnegation, or keeping the peace, like Amity; I value honesty, like Candor, can stand up for myself and others, like Dauntless, and value knowledge like Erudite.

When I first heard about Divergent, I thought, “who would pick Abnegation?” Roth paints a warm picture of people who get along because they think of others; the type of world where, when the dinner party is over, everyone gets up to help. I also found it fascinating how a faction controlled every aspect of a person’s life. Not just “faction before blood,” but also clothes (Abnegation wears gray, Candor black and white, Dauntless black); where they live; their houses; even the food they eat. Self-selection into factions, “like” people living and interacting only with “like” people creates some uniformity of characters (all the Dauntless love piercings and tattoos!), but there is also diversity and individuality.

All these factions work together, like a perfect puzzle, to create a perfect society. Well, the intent was to create a perfect society, but can people really be so divided and a society remain whole? Does “faction before blood” really mean “faction instead of blood”? Beatrice — now called Tris — makes her choice and struggles to succeed. Divergent is about more, though, than factions. Tris discovers truths about her society; she is forced to make even more choices, ones that will not just impact herself but impact all in her world. Divergent is about more than exploring a structured world; it’s also action packed, as Tris moves from child to full member of her chosen faction, undergoing initiations and discovering who she really is.

What else? Yes, there is a romance for Tris! It is a romance between two strong individuals, a romance that has both flirtation and respect.

For terrific, nuanced world building; for an amazingly mature romance; for a strong main character that is just the perfect mix of confidence and doubt; for leaving some conclusions for the reader to make; and for being a book I just gobbled up; Divergent is one of my Favorite Books Read in 2011.

Presenting Lenore knows her dystopia young adult novels; her review of Divergent calls it “a high-stakes, clever, compelling novel.” (Warning: slight spoiler there about what faction Tris selects. So don’t click if you don’t want to know; on the other hand, Tris makes her choice by page 47).

Bird, E. (2011, May). Review: Divergent [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/teacozy/2011/05/05/review-divergent/ 

Library Uses:  This book could be part of a book talk that includes other dystopia novels that have become so popular.

Module 5: Gossamer

Summary: Where do dreams come from?  Many of us have asked that question at least once.  In Gossamer dreams are bestowed upon us by dream-givers.  The dream-givers are special little creatures with a big job to bestow good dreams from memories that they collect from our stuff.  Each dream-giver is assigned a house and they try their best to take care of the inhabitants in their house and give them good dreams, but bad dreams do happen also.

APA Reference: Lowry, L. (2006). Gossamer. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Impressions: What an interesting little book.  I had never read a Lois Lowry book before but now I am looking forward to reading some more of her books.  I had never really thought of where dreams come from but Lowry's idea of dream givers is an interesting one.  The setting of the woman's house was well described and the readers could see the well loved items that held the fragments of the memories that provided dreams.  The characters were well described and the reader's heart goes out to the little boy that moves in with the woman.  As the horde comes to attack the woman and boy the reader wonders if they will be okay and if the dream givers will be successful in protecting them.  I found myself  turning pages just as fast as I could to find out if they were ok.  This book was really good and I know that I will be recommending it this coming school year. 

Professional Review:

GOSSAMER

by Lois Lowry

Age Range: 10 & up

Thin Elderly and Littlest One are dream-givers. They bestow dreams, using fragments collected from buttons, toys, photographs, shells and other personal objects that collect and hold memories over the years. The collected fragments become stories of the person to whom they belong, and as dreams they transmit restorative feelings of love, pride, happiness, companionship, laughter and courage. However, Sinisteeds are at work here, too, inflicting nightmares and undoing the careful work of the dream-givers. Readers familiar with The Giver will most appreciate Lowry’s riff on the value of memories and dreams and the importance of the sad parts of our lives, too. For such a slim work, the characterizations of Thin Elderly and Littlest are strong—she the sprightly little girl learning her trade, he the bemused and patient elder. The prose is light as gossamer; the story as haunting as a dream. (Fiction. 10+)

Gossamer. (2010, May 20). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lois-lowry/gossamer/

Library Uses: An activity to go with this book could be a collage of things that represent each student.  Just like the dream-givers collect fragments so could the students.

Module 4: Frindle

Summary:  In Frindle Nicholas has an idea.  First he wonders where words come from and why they are what they are so he decides to rename a pen a "frindle."  Soon the new word catches on and everyone is calling a pen a "frindle." The word becomes so popular that eventually it takes on a life of its own to really become a word.

APA Reference: Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Impressions: This book poses an interesting question of where do words come from.  As I read this book I kept asking myself if this book was based on a real story.  The story being realistic fiction could easily have been a true story.  I loved the idea that a boy could create a new word and that it could take off and really become a new word.  I loved the description of the teacher.  It reminded me of one of my teachers as a kid.  This book helps kids see that they can do anything that they set their minds to and that just because they are a kid doesn't mean that they can not accomplish something big.  

Professional Review:

Top 100 Children’s Novels #38: Frindle by Andrew Clements

MAY 30, 2012 BY ELIZABETH BIRD

#38 Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996)
51 points

This book touches me as a teacher, and I can relate to it from the perspective of the students. I can’t read this to my students without choking up over the letter from the teacher. – Dee Sypherd

If you’re a children’s librarian then you are probably well and truly familiar with the gaps that consistently appear in the Andrew Clements portion of your fiction shelves.  Talk about a guy who has made his name memorable to kids.  If they’re not devouringSchool Story then they’re giggling over No Talking or A Week in the Woods.  And it all started with Frindle.  A little book.  A little idea.  A title that never received an ALA Awards and yet is one of the most memorable titles to be released in the last 15 years.

The plot from the publisher reads, “Is Nick Allen a troublemaker?  He really just likes to liven things up at school — and he’s always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he’s got the inspiration for his best plan ever – the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn’t belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there’s nothing Nick can do to stop it.”

Where did he get the idea for the book?  Well, according to Clements’ website, the idea of creating a word like “frindle” was all part of a talk he’d give when he visited schools.  “I was teaching a little about the way words work, and about what words really are. I was trying to explain to them how words only mean what we decide they mean. They didn’t believe me when I pointed to a fat dictionary and told them that ordinary people like them and like me had made up all the words in that book—and that new words get made up all the time.”  When a kid challenged him he had a ready answer. Says Clements, “The kids loved that idea, and for a couple of years I told that same story every time I went to visit and talk at a school or a library. Then one day as I was sitting at home, sifting through my life, looking for a story idea, I wondered, ‘What would happen if a kid started using a new word, and other kids really liked it, but his English teacher didn’t?’ So the idea for the book was born…”

A lot of the charm of this and other Andrew Clements books is entirely in the characters.  As Lisa Von Drasek said of it in the New York Times, “His teachers aren’t ”Charlie Brown”-type monoliths. They’re individuals with their own quirks and anxieties, and they don’t always agree. Clements matter-of-factly demonstrates that teachers can be petty and single-minded; a principal can apologize to a student for overreacting. His kids are cruel, kind, bullying, angry, joyful, delightful, tall, short, impulsive, thoughtful, smart, funny. He captures a broad spectrum of human behavior; the gossipy mean girl can also be surprisingly generous.”

• This is a lot of fun.  If you’re a teacher (or a parent or a librarian, for that matter) why not play a little Frindle Jeopardy with your kids?

• Here are the Frindle Discussion Guide, Extension Activity, and Lesson Plan for teachers.

• And here’s the Reading Group Guide.

• Meta.  The Urban Dictionary recognizes frindle as a word.

Publishers Weekly gave it a tepid, “Dictionary lovers will cotton to this mild classroom fantasy.”

School Library Journal was far more positive with, “Readers will chuckle from beginning to end as they recognize themselves and their classrooms in the cast of characters. A remarkable teacher’s belief in the power of words shines through the entire story, as does a young man’s tenacity in proving his point. Outstanding and witty.”

Kirkus agreed, saying, “If there’s any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying.”

Said Lisa Von Drasek in The New York Times, “Frindle hits every note right.”

This particular image was created by Justin Ziegler for a children’s production of the playFrindle, performed at Chicago’s Griffin Theatre Company.

Artist Penelope Dullaghan offered this as a pitch piece for a new Frindle cover:

The Andrew Clements website has quite a few cool covers of his books from around the world too.

The UK

Germany

Portugal

Hungary

Italy

Japan

Poland

And, my personal favorite, Korea:

Bird, E. (2012, May 30). Top 100 children’s novels #38: Frindle by Andrew Clements [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/30/top-100-childrens-novels-38-frindle-by-andrew-clements/

Library Uses: This book could be used to teach the power of words.  It could also be part of an introduction into a spelling bee.