Book Talk 9

April 23, 2013

This week, I read Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polocco. This story is about a little girl and her neighbors Winston and Stewart and their gramma. Every Sunday, the four of them go to church. On the way home, they pass this hat store and gramma admires a hat that she would like to have, but she cannot buy. When they finally get home, gramma makes the kids fried chicken for dinner. The kids feel like they want to repay gramma by buying her the hat that she wants. The kids count their money and do not have enough. They go down to the shop and ask the shop owner if there is anything they can do to earn the money. When the store owner opens the door, he sees these kids standing there wanting to talk to him meanwhile some other kids are running away. The store owner also sees eggs that the kids running threw at his door. Winston, Stewart and the neighbor girl are blamed for the egg throwing and now have to earn the shop owner's trust again. The little girl is from the Ukraine, and suggests that they paint Ukranian eggs to give and sell at the hat shop. The shop owner agrees. Soon the shop is full of people and the kids earn enough money. At the end of the day, the shop owner walks up with a hat box and gives the kids the hat that gramma wants, because they did the right thing and tried too make things right between gramma, the shop keeper and them.

Book Talk 8

April 16, 2013

This week, I read Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Late) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard. This book is about two little girls who go to their Great Aunt Flossie's house every Sunday after church. While at her house, the girls have a snack, then try on Aunt Flossie's collection of hats. Each hat has a meaning and with each one that is tried on, a story is to be told. At the end of the day, all three of them go to a restaurant and meet the girls' dad for crab cakes.  I really like this book because it shows the traditions of some families and how much they can mean to you. I know that my family has traditions and I would be lost without them. The pictures in this book are also great. They are done with oil paint and look very original because you can see the strokes on the pages. The pictures also bring the words to life and really express what the author is trying to say.

Book Talk 7

April 10, 2013


This week, I read the book, Do Like Kyla by Angela Johnson. It was a cute little book
about two sisters, one older and one younger. In the book, the little girl (who remains
nameless throughout the book) copies exactly whatever her older sister does. For
example, the girls wake up in the morning and Kyla runs over to the window to see the birds and her little sister follows. The pictures in this book are an added bonus, however they are not necessary. Also, "I do like Kyla" is a phrase that is repeated throughout this book and might be something to draw attention to if you were reading this book to a classroom. This book reminded me of me and my sister. I am the older one and my younger sister used to copy me so much and I just remember it would drive me crazy, because I was trying to be my own person and I wanted my sister to be her own person as well. What I didn't realize was that my sister, just like the little sister in the book was trying to learn from the older one and the copying was their practice being their own person. I really enjoyed reading this book, but I am not 100% sure that I would use it in a classroom.

Book Talk 6

April 2, 2013

This week, I read Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky. It was written in 1992 by Faith Ringgold. This book is about a brother and sister who are flying in the sky, when they come across an old train. When they approached the train, a conductor woman stood on the steps. She was announcing the stops for people to board the train. BeBe, the little boy wants to ride the train, so he gets on. Cassie, the sister does not, but now it is her job to get BeBe off the train. She threatens him with telling their parents, but he doesn't care. The conductor woman, who ends up being Harriet Tubman, tries to reassure Cassie that she will be reunited with her brother if she just follows the train and the "north star". This story shares the hard times and the long journey that slaves had to endure in order to be free. 

While reading this book, I felt like the story was being told from Harriet Tubman's point of view to Cassie. It also seems to make the most sense this way as well.

Book Talk 5

March 7, 2013

This book was written by Eloise Greenfield, in 1976.This book is about a little boy named Tyree who wants to stay up and wait for his dad to get home, but his mom keeps telling him he has to go to bed. Eventually, a deal is reached and Tyree has to get ready for bed, but he can wait in a chair in the living room for his father. As one might have thought, Tyree eventually falls asleep and misses out on the first pink light. In this book, the pink light is representative of the sunrise, which is when Tyree's father is due home. I liked this book and could relate because when I was little, my dad was finishing up college, and so I remember waiting up for him to come home from school. My mom gave me circumstances similar to Tyree's mother. I would use this book in a classroom, because it teaches kids to be patient and to wait for the things they want. 

Book Talk 4

February 26, 2013

This week, I read a book called Everett Anderson's Friend This book is about a little boy who enjoys spending time with his friends, but becomes curious about the new neighbor who moves in next door. When Everett comes home from school one day, he goes to his apartment and realizes he forgot his key at home. With nowhere else to go, he goes to his new neighbor's house. Everett spends the whole afternoon with his new friend, Maria and her mother. They bake and cook and pass the time away. When Everett's mother comes home, Everett reluctantly leaves, but the next day, Everett gets a chance to play with Maria and introduce her to all of his friends. I would recommend using this book in a classroom, because it teaches kids not to judge a book by its cover or assume that they know who someone is. In this case, Everett thought that Maria would not fit in with his group of friends, but he was proved wrong.

Book Talk 3

February 21, 2013

This week, I read Amazing Grace. This book is about a little girl who loves to act and dance. She constantly plays dress up and acts out characters like Joan of Arc and Mowgli  from the Jungle Book. At school, they are putting on a play called Peter Pan. Grace automatically raises her hand to play the lead part-Peter. All the kids in her class tell her that she can't do that because she is a girl and she is black. Feeling frustrated and put down, Grace looks to her mother and grandmother for advice. They tell her to audition anyways, because you never know what will happen. Grace's grandmother even takes her to a ballet where a famous black woman is performing. Grace is more inspired than ever and auditions proudly for the role of Peter Pan.