Last Blog

For my last blog I just wanted to reflect on all that I have learned from this class. May I say that I have really enjoyed Children's Literature and would not have seen many of the different aspects of the books that we covered. The class opened my eyes to what children think like, how books are written particularly for them, and why exactly they are. We learned the different techniques and studied such a wide variety of material. Books I had chosen to never read as a child are now some of my favorites. From now on, every time I read a picture book, or child's novel, the things I learned about theme and vocabulary and appropriateness will continuously fill my head. I will never forget the first week of class, my friends were teasing me about how we were "psycho-analyzing" children and their stories. I personally did not think we were going to that extreme or that it was a bad thing. It always helps to know how a child's mind works, and a lot of these stories have hidden meanings specifically for adults to see, that no child would pick up on and think is funny. In the end, I feel like a much smarter person for taking this class, and I feel like I have a much better and deeper understanding of the books I grew up on (ones I thought were kind of stupid are better than before because I understand many of the subtle differences I encounter).

The Stinky Cheese Man

All I can say is I have loved that book since the first time I read it. The story line is pure brilliance and it breaks so many molds of children's literature. No other story has the narrator as an actually present character, normally they are just background noise. The book actually comes alive as you read it. The characters are fighting with the narrator about telling their stories. To me, it sounds exactly like children. They all have funny and silly stories that they want to tell and so they fight with each other about who will tell theirs first. There is usually on child that takes charge and tells the other kids what to do, and then the rest argue with him. Well that is The Stinky Cheese Man in a nut-shell. The illustrations add to a wonderful story, and as stated in class, the book would not be the same without them. This class has always been so entertaining. I was waiting for when we got to these kinds of stories, as they are pretty much every kids favorite. Aside from Dr. Seuss, this nonsense story adds a lot of much needed fun within reading.

Shel Silverstein

I absolutely love his poems. He is such a funny writer. He was born in 1932 and published many books including Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in The Attic. He was not recognized on the poet scene until 1952, and then again in the 70's. He died in 1999 of a severe heart attack. His poems live on for everyone to read and enjoy.

The Restaurant
I said, "I'll take the T-bone steak."
A soft voice mooed, "Oh wow."
And I looked up and realized
The waitress was a cow.
I cried, "Mistake--forget the the steak.
I'll take the chicken then."
I heard a cluck--'twas just my luck
The busboy was a hen.
I said, "Okay no, fowl today.
I'll have the seafood dish."
Then I saw through the kitchen door
The cook--he was a fish.
I screamed, "Is there anyone workin' here
Who's an onion or a beet?
No? Your're sure? Okay then friends,
A salad's what I'll eat."
They looked at me. "Oh,no," they said,
"The owner is a cabbage head."


Forgotten Language
Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

I learned from you

Nature vs. Nurture? This is a common question contemplated between many in today's world. Do kids get their traits from their DNA or the environment around them. How do they know certain things? Why do they act certain ways? I personally believe, a child's personality traits are fully influenced by nurture, their environment while growing up. A parents love and guidance is the one and only thing that shapes a child's life. Children pick up words their parents say all the time. They are raised in a certain environment so they become comfortable with certain things and not others. Their parents teach them right and wrong, left and right. And who did their parents learn from? Their own parents. Therefore, personality traits are definitely passed from parent to child. As always, I have a song that describes this point perfectly called, "I Learned From You," By: Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. This song says how Miley has learned to take care of herself because of the things her dad has taught her, strength and courage and poise. These are all traits found in a person's personality because of their parents teaching since birth.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kglSL6rlXzI&feature=related

This is a word search of some of the silliest words Dr. Seuss has come up with....

W L Y E N M I U Q O G V R Y P J E D Y L B Z H A C E K Y Y P J R O K U H F L F A E T K A G R K M C L J O D J D M E U A H H I U E O E V D L J A X O D S P M D L U X R N X Z F J P P K N O U B G M T I K F A T U E T B G O O T C H B J E M F T R O Q A Q O P K B D H F D I K W I G G E R A W B I F V P N I Z Z A R D S U D S N I A T R E J Q X C L A Q F P R S N E E D L E A H W Y E K K O D Z I M M E R S

diffendoofer	nizzards
gafluppted	oobleck
gootch	quimney
jertain	sneedle
kwigger	yekko
lerkim	zimmers
lorax

Answers:
W L Y E N M I U Q O G V R Y P J E D Y L B Z H A C E K Y Y P J R O K U H F L F A E T K A G R K M C L J O D J D M E U A H H I U E O E V D L J A X O D S P M D L U X R N X Z F J P P K N O U B G M T I K F A T U E T B G O O T C H B J E M F T R O Q A Q O P K B D H F D I K W I G G E R A W B I F V P N I Z Z A R D S U D S N I A T R E J Q X C L A Q F P R S N E E D L E A H W Y E K K O D Z I M M E R S

Baby Baluga

There is a song that I was reminded of today that my daddy used to sing to me when I was a little girl. He would tuck me into bed and then sing me "Baby Baluga" by: Raffi. The song is about a baby baluga whale that must go to sleep. Not many people have heard it, but I loved it. I couldn't go to sleep at night without it. When my dad was away on business, my mom would play the tape for me. We used to listen to it on car rides and sometimes during the day my mom would sing it to me. I remember watching my favorite show when I was younger, Full House, and seeing Joey and Danny sing it too Michelle. I freaked out, pure excitement, that my favorite song was on tv. To this day, anytime I hear that song it comforts me. Just knowing that it was the song my daddy always sang to me so many years ago, it makes everything better. I hope that every little girl has their song that their daddy or mommy sings to them at night. That way no matter how old they are, they will always have a song to comfort them. Below is a clip of the song when sang in Full House.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=G0rInDa39l8

Oh The Places You'll Go

For my last outside reading book, I chose a Dr. Seuss classic, Oh The Places You'll Go. This book has been one of my favorites for years, as I was reintroduced to it after my high school graduation. I have always been a Dr. Seuss fan as his rhyming and silly picture and characters make for the most fun reading. This book pretty much tells you than you can go anywhere and do anything that you want to. It opens the world to your own imagination. Here is an excerpt from the first few pages, "Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to great places! You're off and away./ You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go." This books dares you to dream and push the limits to the endless possibilities life throws at you. Now this book is not quite as silly as all of the rest of Seuss' books, but is more of one to teach kids to look to the stars and actually pursue their dreams. My favorite line of the book is, "So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that, life's a great balancing act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left." Dr. Seuss stories have always been favorites of mine, and they will be for many years to come. My kids are going to grow up on his books, just as I did. Seuss gave kids a new outlook on reading. He made books fun and his books are the ones that made me want to be some sort of writer. This books will always be with me and whenever I doubt myself, I just turn to Seuss, "And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.) Kid, you'll move mountains! So be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!"

PICTURE BOOKS

Today in class we began discussing picture books, only my favorite things ever. And we listed off a few of the best. My favorite picture books growing up were Goodnight Moon and Mister Paint Pig. I did a previous blog on Mister Paint Pig as it is the book that taught me all of my colors and made me want to paint all of the time (my parents were just thrilled). But, Goodnight Moon was so fun to read because I loved the pictures. Each time my mom would show me the pages I would see something that I hadn't seen in previous readings of the story. It was my bedtime story, and after each time my mom would read my a page, I would say goodnight to something else that was in my room. I had a lot of stuffed animals and such that I always had to tuck into bed very nicely before I could go to sleep. You could say there were more pillows and stuffed animals in my bed than there was me!

The Giver

This book for me is highly strange, and not something that I am likely to read just because I feel like it. Books about Utopia's always seem a little strange and far fetched in my mind, and the lack of religious belief really bothers me. The same was true for The Giver, as I could not grasp the notion that there was no color, no memories, no religion, no room to do what you want. I understand that some people really like these kind of books, but I all together find them disturbing. Our world is not a Utopia, and it will never be one. Anyone who thinks they're great is crazy, because you can see how this one crumbles in the end of the book. No one is happy in a world with no freedom, though the people in this "community" don't know what they are missing. They think they are the only people that have ever existed, which just seems highly bizarre. It's just a concept I cannot get my head around. Now maybe I am not being imaginative enough, but I truly think this book is beyond strange. It reminds me a lot of Anthem, a book about a Utopia where everyone has a number instead of a name, and relationships between men and women are strictly forbidden. Written by an atheist writer, there are strong anti-religious notions throughout the book that bothered me from the beginning. I am a very Christian person, so anything that puts religion as unnecessary or wrong is generally something I dislike a lot. Not to bash the authors of either of these books, because they are great works none the less. The descriptions and techniques in The Giver are so complex, they are truly remarkable. It is just the story line that bothers me the most. The plot is not one of my favorites, but the writing is pretty extraordinary.

Sports Fest

I am in an organization called Sports For Kids. Each semester we put on an event for local elementary age children called SportsFest. It is a five hour sports camp held on one Saturday each semester for the kids to come out and play sports with college athletes. We invite as many varsity athletes as possible to come, and usually have representatives from baseball, softball, track, lacrosse, football, tennis, soccer, and rugby. This kids love it because these are real college athletes that have scholarships to play these sports at A&M. The athletes have a blast with the kids, as it is one afternoon they get off from training. As members of SFK, we are there as counselors for the kids, taking them around to each of their activities and playing games with them during rest periods. It's a lot of fun and reminds me a lot of the kids I work with at home for my summer camp. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a smile on a kids face when they finally master a certain activity. Just to see the way they glow and are so thrilled, I just feel like I am really helping out. Their other favorite part of the day is when the Yell Leaders come to lead them in a few yells. They think that is the coolest, and they even try to do the hand motions the yell leaders are doing. It's so great to see our future Aggies participating at such a young age. (brainwashing more like it) Anyway, our next SportsFest is in two weeks and I could not be anymore excited to work with some more incredible kids.

Cinderella

For my paper that is due Monday, I am discussing the differences in Walt Disney's Cinderella and The Grimm's Brothers version. I realized that although Disney based his version on the Grimm' tale, there are also many influences from the Perrault version of the story. The glass slippers, for instance, came from the Perrault story and the Grimm's brothers changed it because they felt that their princess should not wear such fragile shoes. The mice are originally from the Perrault story as well, which are then used in the Disney story to help Cinderella. The actual woman as a fairy god-mother is from the Perrault story as well, saying the Grimm's fairy god mother is a bird. Also, the pumpkin carriage. And finally, the midnight curfew. These many aspects originated in the Perrault text from 1697. Though many other characteristics of the story stray from the Disney movie version, the Perrault text is a major influence to Disney's story that many try to ignore. Not to say the Grimm's version is not an influence, because it was of more modern day so many of its aspects are strongly represented.

brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?

Looking ahead towards next week, I saw that we were studying picture books so I decided to read one of my favorite picture books by Bill Martin Jr., and Eric Clark. This book has graphic images of different animals in bold colors. Not only does the book teach colors but also what kind of animal is on the page. I loved the book as a child because it is so repetitive that I was able to know the words on the next page by only looking at the picture. This book relies heavily on pictures and the words on the page, and makes a very enjoyable read for the children. An excerpt from the book, "I see a green frog looking at me. Green frog, Green frog, What do you see? I see a purple cat looking at me. Purple cat, Purple cat, What do you see?" This is just a tidbit of what the 38 page book entails. The sequence all together goes: brown bear, red bird, yellow duck, blue horse, green frog, purple cat, white dog, black sheep, goldfish, mother, and finally children.

J.R.R. Tolkien

I have never been much of a Tolkien fan, but after reading and discussing him in class, I decided to go and do some research of my own to find out more about the man behind the stories. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. As a young boy, he was bitten by a baboon spider. It has been theorized that the spider in The Hobbit evolved from his childhood memory of the spider that bit him. He was also quite the explorer as a young boy. He loved to go on new adventures in his backyard, and mainly in his imagination. He also began learning Latin at a young age, allowing him to have an expansive vocabulary for such a small child. Tolkien learned to read at the age of four to read, and among his favorites was George MacDonald. At the age of sixteen, he met his future wife, but was forbidden to see her because of their religious differences (he was Catholic and she was a protestant). At the age of 21, he went in search of her to rekindle their relationship, but she was engaged to be married to another man. Upon his confession of the enormous love he had for her, she returned the ring to the other man, and converted to Catholicism to marry her beloved Tolkien. As an adult, Tolkien (along with his expansive writing) became a professor at Oxford, and was involved in a literary "club" called "Inklings." Among the members of this club was the famous C.S. Lewis, author of "The Chronicles of Narnia," and "Mere Christianity." Tolkien died at the age of 82, in 1973, just two years after his beloved Edith.

Liberty's Kids

PBS is always coming up with more and more shows for children to watch after school. When I was in junior high, my brother, sister, and I would come home from school and watch a show called Liberty's Kids. This show took place in revolutionary times in the American colonies. The show teaches kids about the causes leading to the revolution, and how our nation developed into what we are today as an independent country. Each day was a new episode following the four main characters, one of which was Ben Franklin. The others were, Sara Phillips (a British general's daughter), James Hiller (an apprentice in Ben Franklin's print shop and orphaned as a child), Moses (a free black man also working in Franklin's shop), and Henri (a young French boy who Moses and James save after his parents die on the voyage to America). The show has small segments set in throughout the episode, comparing travel times from then and now, having special historical guests appear, and showing the differences in dress from the time periods. This show was so much fun to watch and was definitely educational for all who watched. It made the America's strive for independence easy enough for young children to understand. I have posted a link to watch one of the episodes of the show, and a youtube video with just the introduction.

http://www.kewlcartoons.com/show/watch/LibertysKids

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SDw4b7E32no

Green Eggs and Ham

Dr. Seuss books have been among my favorites ever since I was a child. My favorite other than Horton Hears a Who, is Green Eggs and Ham. This story is told in Seuss' rhyming language through quotes and images. The story doesn't have a real plot and only has two characters. Only one of the characters is given a name, and that is Sam. Throughout the story, Sam is trying to get his friend to eat Green eggs and ham, though each time his friend refuses to do so. Frustrated, Sam never gives up, until the end of the story. Finally, Sam's friend decides to try green eggs and ham, then the story ends. The pictures are true Dr. Seuss fashion, very hand drawn with their own uniqueness. I just realized on reading practically the one millionth time, that Sam's friend very closely resembles Dr. Seuss' the "Grinch." The friend does act slightly like the Grinch, as he refuses to eat the green eggs and ham and wanting to be left alone. Also like the Grinch, the friend comes around in the end, and realizes that he should just try the delicacy, as the Grinch does at the end when he realizes that Christmas is better than he thought. Throughout the entire text, only 50 different words are used. Published in 1960, this timeless children's story will remain popular for years to come.