Modern Fantasy

Title: The Widows Broom

Author: Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Copyright date: 1992

Number of pages: 32 pages

Awards: Kentucky Bluegrass Award 1987

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Brief Summary: When this broom loses its flying power, it is left behind at Widow Minna Shaw’s home. She soon discovers that the broom can be taught to do many things. She is delighted to find out that is best at sweeping, but those who come to visit her are struck with fear. The neighborhood bands together and burns the broom at the stake, but a ghost of the broom begins to haunt the man who burned it. Mr. Spivey moves away and the reader discovers the wise and big plan behind it all.

Cover:

·         Is the cover attractive? No. It is bland and boring. It certainly doesn’t stimulate my interest.

Story:

·         Are the stories interesting to children? Yes. It has an ending twist that delights kids.

Organization:

·         Do the spacing and placement of the words make the passages easy to read? Yes. The text is straightforward and clear.

Characters:

·         Do characters represent people from a variety of cultural groups? No.

·         Are females as well as males depicted in leadership roles? Yes, in a way. The neighbor man leads the burning of the broom, but the Widow had a bigger plan in store the whole time.

Themes:

·         Does the story offer children a variety of things to think about, to question, and to consider? Yes. Complex thoughts and questions can derive from reading this book. The idea of anthropomorphism is one direction a discussion could go.

·         Are there lessons to be learned? Yes. This book teaches the concept of tolerance and learning to cope with and deal with things that we don’t understand. Distrust and fear can also be discussed because despite the fact that the broom caused no one any harm, the neighbors still destroyed it. But, why?

Settings:

·         Do the stories reflect a variety of settings? Yes. As the story progresses, it is in a variety of settings.

Illustrations:

·         Are diverse populations represented in the illustrations? No.

·         Are the illustrations large, clear and bright? Yes. The illustrations, despite not being brightly colored, are incredible. The textured shades of gray give the impression of sepia-tone art, which creates a cinematically dramatic tone to the images.

·         Do the illustrations invite the reader to explore the text? Yes. The illustrations do a nice job of paralleling and enhancing the text.

·         Do the illustrations explain and enhance the context? Yes. The artwork is great, despite the fact that it is black and white. I think they would be even better if they were in color.

Other Considerations:

·         Will the stories encourage discussions? Yes. There are a variety of discussion topics that could derive from reading this book. For example, the class could discuss how the pictures add feelings to the story and how the pictures and words work together to create the world of the Widow and the magic broom.

·         Are the stories age appropriate to ensure children can understand what is presented? Yes. This book is rated for 4-7 year olds as a read aloud. They may struggle reading it independently, but should be able to easily follow along with the shivery story that has a surprise ending!

Reading level scale  

7	highly difficult
6	difficult
5	moderately difficult
4	Challenging (7 year olds)
3	above average
2	Average
1	highly readable

 

classroom application:
Kids tend to love this book! I would definitely discuss with the students how and why he creates his sketches, so they can appreciate the black and white pictures in the book a lot more. In the story, the broom comes to life and has a personality. After discussion and brainstorming, students are asked to pick a mundane object and bring it to life through a writing assignment. This is going to take time to create, but many will be excited to share their stories! To gain a new perspective, the teacher could teach and help the students to illustrate some of their book by using Chris’s techniques.

My rating: 3/5. This is a wonderful book.

Title: Creepy Carrots

Author: Aaron Reynolds & Peter Brown

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Copyright date: 2012

Number of pages: 40 pages

Awards: Caldecott Honor Award Winner, New York Times Bestseller, Winner of SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, ALA Notable Book of 2012, Winner of Iowa Kids Choice Award (Goldfinch Award), Winner of Arizona Kids Choice Award (Grand Canyon Award), Winner of Switzerland International School Kids Choice Award, Winner of Pennsylvania Kids Choice Award, Winner of Maryland Kids Choice Award (Black-Eye Susan Award), Winner of Wyoming Kids Choice Award (Buckaroo Book Award), Winner of Ohio Kids Choice Award (Buckeye Book Award), National Parenting Publications Award, Gold Award Winner of 2012, 2012 Junior Library Guild Selection, School Library Journal: 2012 Top Ten Books, 100 Scope Notes: 10 Books to Note for Summer 2012, BEA: Top 10 Notable Books of 2012, Winner of 2014 Odyssey Award for Best Audiobook

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Brief summary: This book is about a rabbit who fears that his favorite treats are out to get him. He loves carrots and he can take the fattest, crispiest carrots from the Crackenhopper Field anytime he wants. That is, he becomes paranoid that the carrots are watching his every move and they start following him home.

Cover:

·         Is the cover attractive? Yes. The illustrations are brilliant and seem to take an ordinary think and make it extraordinary.

Story:

·         Are the stories interesting to children? Yes. The author beautifully crafts this dark and humorous tale in a manner that makes the reader feel Jasper’s predicament.

Organization:

·         Do the spacing and placement of the words make the passages easy to read? Yes. This is a fun and easy read.

Characters:

·         Do characters represent people from a variety of cultural groups? N/A.

·         Are females as well as males depicted in leadership roles? N/A.

Themes:

·         Does the story offer children a variety of things to think about, to question, and to consider? Yes. Complex thoughts and questions, such as greed, can derive from reading this book.

·         Are there lessons to be learned? Yes. In the essence of greed, students can learn how important it is to find solutions to problems and how to make smart choices.

Settings:

·         Do the stories reflect a variety of settings? Yes. Jasper goes to a variety of places as he is taken on this “adventure” that the carrots who haunt him have helped to create.

Illustrations:

·         Are diverse populations represented in the illustrations? N/A.

·         Are the illustrations large, clear and bright? Yes. The illustrations are beautiful and vibrant!

·         Do the illustrations invite the reader to explore the text? Yes. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderfully done these illustrations are.

·         Do the illustrations explain and enhance the context? Yes. The illustrations work wonderfully with the storyline.

Other Considerations:

·         Will the stories encourage discussions? Yes. This book is sure to get the students engaged! It gives you goosebumps while also allowing you to laugh out loud!

·         Are the stories age appropriate to ensure children can understand what is presented? Yes. This is a book that children should have no problems with. The story is a little spooky, but in a good way that is sure to get the students intrigued!

Reading level scale

7	highly difficult
6	difficult
5	moderately difficult
4	challenging
3	above average
2	Average (for 4-8 year old readers)
1	highly readable

 

classroom application:
After reading the book to the class, I would show the “Peter Brown in the Creepy Carrots Zone” YouTube video. It is a great example of how to get inspired for beginning writers and illustrators. I would have my students brainstorm how they would stop the Creepy Carrots. The ideas they will come up with are so good! Once they write down their ideas, they will make their very own Creepy Carrots.

My rating: 4/5. I love this book. It is beautifully illustrated and is an overall engaging story!