The Hello, Goodbye Window

Meaghan,
Well, I must say the first thing I noticed about this book was the wonderful illustrations. They just stand out I forced myself to do a picture walk of the illustrations before I read the story. I love how the images really depict how a young child would draw the objects and places shown. Without the text, the pictures show a happy family going about their daily routines. I also love the detail of each picture. The mixture of curvy and straight lines along with the bright colors suggests that this is a fun happy story!
After reading the story, it turns out my predictions were correct! This is a story about a granddaughter spending some time at her grandparents. I love how the author made the little girl the narrator and the way she described the things they did together. For example: when the little girl is describing the kitchen at the beginning of the story, I love how she included; “but you can’t touch anything under the sink. You could get very sick.” While this is a simple statement, I feel that kids would be able to connect to the reality of it. It is a very believable story.
Finally, I loved how this was a multicultural book without it being stated in the text. I think the illustrations do a beautiful job of showing that this is a mixed-race family. I truly feel that showing something without talking about it or addressing it completely sends out the message that it isn’t out of the ordinary. For example, I have some kids in my classroom who are shocked when they discover another student has parents from different races. I think reading a book like this to a diverse class will simply reinforce the point that there are many different kids of families out there; not all families are like yours. I think I am going to do some further research on this books Caldecott Medal Award!

Escaping the Giant Wave

Amy,



I have just finished the first five chapters of Escaping the Giant Wave. I can tell already that this book would appeal to my fifth graders.



I think my students would connect with the protaganist of the story, Kyle. Kyle has real kid problems: he needs a raise in his allowance, he has to babysit for his younger sister (without compensation), and he is being bullied by Daren. My students would also find the younger sister's obsession with money markets and stocks hilarious. The parents of these two characters are similar to most parents. I'm sure any kid can relate to child-parent conversations about why you will not get paid as a babysitter for watching your own little sister. Most kids will be able to connect with these characters. They will be able to make connections between themselves and the protaganist, and the problems or scenarios in their lives that are similar to those in Kyle's life. These characters are believable. Their actions and dialouge would make sense to young readers who have similar situations in their lives.



I also liked the author's use of foreshadowing throughout the first few chapters. This vacation seems like a dream vacation for Kyle and his family, but it quickly takes a turn for the worst. After discovering the Daren's family is attending the same convention, Kyle's family arrives at the luxury hotel and finds that it is under construction and they will be staying at a rundown hotel. Then there is the elevator that breaks down several times a day, trapping children inside. Kyle and his family find a sign warning about the threat of tsunamis for this section of Oregon coast. The author also foreshadows disaster with thoughts such as, "As it turns out, we should have taken Be-be's suggestion [about staying in a Motel 6]. Of course it's always easy to know the right choice after it's too late to go back and change your mind." Even before disaster strikes, the reader is intriged by what could happen next. The frequent twists and turns would be appealing to any young reader.

Meaghan

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