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A trio of children's books
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Book #1: Patricia Polacco’s book entitled Mrs. Katz and Tush is one of a strange friendship. Mrs. Katz is a widow living alone. Larnel is her neighbor, and Tush is the abandoned kitten that no one wants However, Larnel convinces Mrs. Katz to take her in. Besides being a great story, this book touches on several issues including the alone elderly, racism, and religious differences. We learn about people that may be different than us, and how we are really all the same inside. This is an important lesson for some children (and some adults too). In addition, we can really imagine the things that happen to Mrs. Katz and Larnel happening to any of us.
Almost everyone knows someone who is so bossy that they don’t even want to be around that bossy person. When children spend time with another child who is bossy, well – children tend to be less tolerant than adults sometimes. In Franklin Is Bossy, Franklin the turtle becomes so bossy to his friends that they no longer want to be around him. Let’s be honest. We have all been {gasp} bossy at one time or the other. Sometimes, when children are acting that way, they really don’t realize just how bossy they are being.
Book #2: Sometimes those being bossed around don’t know what to do about it. This is why a story like Franklin Is Bossy is so important to share with children. If a child is bossy and isn’t aware of that behavior, then it may be recognized by reading this story. Then perhaps the behavior can be changed without the type yucky argument that ensued in the story between Bear and Franklin.
On the other hand, if a child is on the receiving end of a bossy friend, but doesn’t know what to do, then this book shows that child that these things do work out. It also shows the child that talking things about before you get angry is a great way to deal with any type of problem – not just bossy behavior. However, it is good to realize that even the best of friends can have disagreements. That is OK as long as we can resolve the problem and move on. I really like the Franklin series of books. It had helped my children through difficult times to see that other children – or in this case turtles – go through the same behaviors and emotions that they experience.
Book #3: The Book the Jack Wrote by Jon Scieszka is not exactly a story book. It is more of a thought provoking experience in words and art. The book is 30 pages long, and each set of facing pages has the text on the left side and an illustration on the right. The first set is says, “This is the Book that Jack wrote." And is accompanied by an illustration of a man smashed by a book This book in fact! Each pair of facing pages adds to both the story and the illustration. Building repetition of the words introduced earlier and more interesting art. You just have to read the book yourself to get the full effect.
My children enjoyed parts of this book, but not enough to attend to it more than once or to even to give the author another chance with a different title. They enjoyed this book because it was different from the usual story books that young elementary children tend to read. The story was written a sort of as a circle and a puzzle. OK -- it really wasn't a story at all but more of a rhyme. We have never read a book by Jon Scieszka before. I don’t know if we will willing and with forethought pick out another one. I hate to say this, but it was almost beyond us -- as if there were some deeper meaning. One of my children even asked if there was something to the book that he wasn't getting. They really enjoy straight story books more. So while they enjoyed the book for its difference from our normal reading, there were more things about it that they didn't like. I do have to say that the use of repetition in The Book That Jack Wrote can be a great tool for a child just learning to read. The illustrations bear mentioning too, because the book would be just another rhyming sing-song story without them. They are done is dark colors and are definitely different. The caricatures weren’t very appealing to my children due, I think, to the really large heads and very small bodies; they were just short of scary looking. I am certain that this book holds more appeal for some. The puzzle-type combination of text and illustration are very cool. However, it just didn’t grab my children, or me for that matter.
