LS5603 - Picture Book 3: Eloise by Kay Thompson

A book for precocious adults

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Thompson, Kay. Eloise. Ill. Hilary Knight. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. ISBN 0-671-22350-X

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Eloise is a precocious six-year-old who lives in the Hotel Plaza. She lives with her nanny, her dog, and her turtle.  The book describes a day in the life of Eloise and her mischievous antics.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Eloise’s voice is very strong throughout the whole book. She imitates her Nanny’s English accent (“Eloise you cawn’t”) and ads the phrase “for Lord’s sake” at the end of many phrases, something she must have picked up from her Nanny as well. There is not a single period in the entire book; it is one long run-on sentence as the book follows Eloise’s never-ending train of thought.

Honestly, this book feels like it is a better read as an adult than a child. Children will appreciate the drawings, the mischief Eloise gets into, and the portrayal of her vivid imagination. For adults though, this book is so much more. It’s a very lonely story about a child with absent parents—her mother is too busy in Europe visiting Coco Chanel to see her daughter—and a nanny who cannot keep up with the child. As a result, Eloise acts out for attention, enjoying games like hitting all the doors in a hallway with a stick, and there is no authority figure to tell her to stop.

The illustrations skip around the page, much like the character Eloise does. There are only three colors in the whole book: black, white, and red. Even with this simple color palette, Knight expresses the range of Eloise’s capers and her vivid imagination; for instance, all things that happen in her imagination are drawn in red instead of black, which let’s Knight create fantastical drawings from Eloise’s imagination

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

#5 on the 1956 Publishers Weekly bestseller’s list in the USA

Publishers Weekly: “In the history of book properties, brands and licensing, Kay Thompson's Eloise, first published in 1955, stands as a prototype for success.”

Children’s Book List: “Eloise’s personal mandate is ‘Getting bored is not allowed,’ so she fills her days to the brim with wild adventures and self-imposed responsibilities.”  Note: Eloise was first published in 1955, so it’s very hard to find reviews on it. However, it has been well-received through the ages, with over two million copies sold since its first publication.  It has made many lists on Children’s Book List as a recommended book for children.

5.     CONNECTIONS

Books where the main character has their imagination illustrated:

• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson ISBN 0064430227
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak ISBN 0064431781

 Books that are children’s books but are really meant for adults too:

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery ISBN 0786275391
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein ISBN 0060256656

 Activity: Routines

What daily routines does the reader have? Write down a list. Eloise makes sure she is never bored. What do the readers do to stay busy and stave away boredom? Have the young readers illustrate their answers.

Further reading on routines and daily life:

• The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton ISBN 0671449028
• I am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed by Lauren Child ISBN 0763629707
• I Just Forgot by Mercer Mayer ISBN 0307119750

LS5603 - Picture Book 2: CLICK, CLACK, MOO COWS THAT TYPE by Doreen Cronin, Illus. by Betsy Lewin

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo. Cows That Type. Ill. By Betsy Lewin. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.  ISBN 0-689-83213-3

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Farmer Brown has a serious problem: his cows have gotten their hooves on a typewriter, and they begin leaving Farmer Brown notes with their demands! The barn is too cold, and they need electric blankets. When Farmer Brown refuses, the cows go on strike. To make it worse, the chickens decide they also need electric blankets and join the strike. What is a farmer to do without milk and eggs? Once again, Farmer Brown refuses, angry that the cows and chickens aren’t doing their job. After an emergency gathering between the Cows, the Duck, an intermediary party, brings a compromise to Farmer Brown.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Click, Clack, Moo is an adorable book about cows standing up for better working conditions.

The repetitious nature of the typewriter will engage children when reading aloud. The cows type quite a lot, and the sound of them typing, “click, clack, moo” is repeated often enough that children can join in as a refrain. The reader can also talk about the sounds that farm animals make.

Lewin’s simple and whimsical watercolors of the farm animals add to the fun and silly nature of the book. Painting cows typing on a typewriter is not an easy task, but Lewin does a masterful job of it. Whether it’s Farmer Brown stomping off or the cows typing furiously, the pictures feel as if they have action and movement.

3.   REVIEW EXCERPTS

2001 Caldecott Honor book

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Kids and underdogs everywhere will cheer for the clever critters that calmly and politely stand up for their rights”

From Booklist: “[Today’s preschooler’s] will love the slapstick of the domesticated animals who get the farmer to toe the line.”

5.     CONNECTIONS

Other books by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin

• Clic Clac Muu Vacas Escritoras (Spanish edition of Click Clack Cows that Type) ISBN 1930332408

• Dooby Dooby Moo ISBN 1416996176

• Giggle, Giggle, Quack ISBN 1416903496

• Duck for President ISBN 0689863772

Other books that use onomatopoeia

• Moo, Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton ISBN 067144901X

• Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide! by Candace Fleming ISBN 0689874790

• Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can  You? By Dr. Seuss ISBN 0679882820

Activity: Animals that live on a farm. This activity would work best with pictures of various animals and where they live on a farm so children can mix and match.

·         Who lives on a farm?

o   Cows, chickens, ducks, pigs, goats, horse, cat, dog, farmer

·         Where do these animals live on the farm?

o   Barn: cows,  chickens, pigs, goats, horse

o   Pond: ducks

o   House: farmer, dog, cat

·         What did the animals want in Click, Clack Moo?

o   Cows and chickens: electric blankets

o   Ducks: diving  board

·         If the other animals on the farm wanted something, what do you think they would want?

·         For example, horses run a lot, so maybe they want boots. As this is a fairly whimsical book (ducks don’t really need a diving board) the animal’s wants can be anything. Help the children brainstorm some things the animals could want, and then have them draw their animals with their desired item.

LS5603 - Picture Book 1: THIS IS NOT MY HAT by Jon Klassen

 

That is a stolen hat upon the little fish's head!

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klassen, Jon. This Is Not My Hat. Ill. By Jon Klassen. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-7636-5599-0

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

A cocky little fish steals a hat from a much larger, sleeping fish. The little fish is quick to assure the reader that not only will he not get caught, but that his theft was justified—the hat was too small for the big fish anyways! However, the big fish does notice his hat is gone, and sets off in pursuit of the little fish. For all the little fish’s sneakiness, after an off-the-pages altercation between the two fish, the big fish swims away with his hat, and the little fish is nowhere to be seen.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The story is told from the little fish’s perspective and with his confidence that he will not get caught. However, the illustrations, often focusing on the big fish, tell another story entirely. This juxtaposition creates tension for the reader as they read on, the capture of the little fish becoming more and more inexorable with each page turn.

The illustration’s minimalistic nature work perfectly for this book. The simple drawings let the reader’s attention be drawn to the important parts of the pictures; in many pictures of the big fish, his eyes are what tell the real story, and they tell a very different story than what the little fish is saying. The colors are very dark for a children’s book—lots of black and grey, possibly as a reflection of the thief as the narrator.

The moral of the story could be considered a touch controversial. The obvious moral is that one should not steal, especially from large fish. It is possible for the book to also read that if one steals, don’t get caught. Which moral would be more prevalent could be influenced by the adult reader and their discussion with the ones being read to.

4.     REVIEW EXCERPTS

2013 CALDECOTT MEDAL

Kirkus Reviews BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF 2012

From Publisher's Weekly – “Klassen excels at pictures to tell the parts of the story his unreliable narrators omit or evade.”

From School Library Journal – “ This not-to-be-missed title will delight children again and again.”

From The Horn Book – “Darkly hilarious.”

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other 2013 & 2014 Caldecott Medal books to read such as:

·         Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, ISBN 1442402970

·         Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner, ISBN 0618756612

·         Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett. Illus. Jon Klassen, ISBN 9780061953385

Gather other Jon Klassen books to read such as:

·         I Want My Hat Back, ISBN 0763655988

Use to discuss emotions and facial expressions. After reading the book, have children draw a face expression some emotion and explain how they conveyed their emotion through drawing (Candlewick Press “Read to Us!” Story Hour Kit” www.candlewick.com/book_files/9999999911.kit.11.pdf)