Pink and Say

Every time that I have entered an elementary school library over the last few months and asked what picture book I should read, I have been referred to some book by Patricia Polacco. Pink and Say is one of my two favorites.

Pink and Say is the story of a Union Civil War soldier, rescued by the 1st black person that he had ever seen, Pinkus. Pinkus takes the soldier, Sheldon Curtis, to the home where his mother, Moe Moe Bay, is now living. Their friendship grows when they spend time healing from their wounds and learning about each other. Pinkus, a former slave, even offers to teach Sheldon to read.

This story gives explanation of where slave names came from and other important cultural explanations like "jumping the broom."

The use of words, complimented by the use of white in the drawings adds as much as the expert use of color. Pinkus calls slavery "the sickness" and he is called "polised mahogany" by Sheldon. I found both of these uses of figurative language to be touching.

This story was passed to Polacco in an oral tradition, from her great-grandfather to her grandmother. It ends with the statement 'When you read this, before you put this book down, say his name out loud and vow to remember him always.' This statement made me believe in the power of text and the beauty of Polacco's drawings, because I sure did what she told me to. Overall, this was one of the most touching stories that I have ever read, not only because of the content, but because of the words played against the drawings.

Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say. Putnam & Grosset Group, 1994. ISBN 0-399-22671-0.

Princess in the Spotlight

I enjoyed reading the first Princess Diaries book so much that I quickly picked up the second book. Like I've said previously, I was very entertained by this book and even though I know the story, I enjoyed looking for differences and making comparisons to the movie.

Mia is again a unique and interesting character. Now that I have spend so much time reading her diary though, I wonder what young readers might learn from Mia's secret keeping, forgetfulness, and infrequent lies. For example, the major conflict in Princess in the Spotlight arrives when Mia discovers that her Grandmere is planning a royal wedding for Mia's mother, an eccentric artist.

Mia keeps the secret of the wedding from her mother because her grandmother basically bribes her with a pretty dress. Also, Mia doesn't tell anyone about the secret admirer letters and instant messages that she keeps receiving.

Though I see flaws in Mia's character that I really wouldn't want my child to learn from, I plan to keep reading the stories because I laugh at Mia's unique observations and quirkiness. Knowing the story does not make the series less entertaining for me of for the readers in the library that have been returning the books. The series and the movies are so different that we merely just know the characters.

Cabot, Meg. Princess in the Spotlight. Harper Teen, New York, 2001. ISBN 978-0-06-147994-6.

The Princess Diaries

Before starting my library practicum at middle school, I had no idea that one of my favorite contemporary teen movies was a book series first. I am usually in tune with these sorts of things but, with very few differences- like being set in New York City instead of San Francisco and the fact that Mia's father is still living- I found the Princess Diaries: Volume I to be very entertaining, engaging, and exciting.

Like the very popular movies, what makes the book series (at least 10 books and a series of novellas) is Mia's voice and sense-of- self. Teenage girls are undoubtedly very unsure of themselves and so is Mia in her won way. Watching her grow, as an adult reader, makes me reflect on my own growth as a teenager.

Young readers will enjoy making comparisons to the movies that they have probably already seen. This kind of thinking skill is very valuable, especially when it comes from asking students to read for pleasure. Also, the moral lessons that the books open up for discussions abound. Mia is a vegetarian, when she goes on a date and he orders her a steak: What should she have said? What is appropriate for her to do? Mia's friends, specifically Lilly, seem to want to belong to a cause; what makes a cause good or worthy of joining?

Currently, I am reading the second book, Princess in the Spotlight. I just book talked the book as "realistic fiction." The corrector in the class reminded be that there was "no such country as Genovia." True. However, everything else could probably happen. Then I tapped the child on the head with my wand and said "I'm always right."

The Queen's Own Fool: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots

Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris have created a unique novel in The Queen's Own Fool. They selected a real person in Nicola but have fictionalized a few events and her charming voice to tell the story of Mary Queen of Scots.

Mary and Nicola find that they have more in common than what one would think. At the beginning of the story Nicola, a member of a traveling acrobatic troop, promises to always tell the queen the truth. Though she breaks this promise a few times, Nicola's loyalty and sense of duty to the queen drive the plot when every reader would think that the end is impending for Mary.

I think this book is a great choice for an addition to a middle school or high school library because reading it gives young people an opportunity to learn more about an actual person in history and actual events in history. I am sure the the emotional parts of the story between Queen Mary and Nicola are very fictionalized. However, the historical content of the deaths of Mary's husbands and her final end are very true. Students will also learn a string of moral lessons about trust and truth telling. Also, the intelligence in Nicola's wit might be lost on some young readers. Her jokes are clever, often exercising the use of puns, and as an adult I found this book deeply funny.

Yolen, Jane. & Robert J. Harris. The Queen's Own Fool: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots. Philomel Boks: New York, NY. ISBN 9-780399-233807.

Coraline the Graphic Novel

I've never seen the movie or read the book so when I saw this adaptation at my local library, I thought it was worth the read. The "adapter" P. Craig Russell is the winner of the Harvey & Eisner Awards.

The story in the graphic novel undoubtedly follows that of the book and the movie. Coraline and her mother and father move into a large house that has been divided into several flats. Miss. Spink and Miss Forcible, retired actresses, live downstairs. An old man who claims to be training mice to perform in a circus lives upstairs. Coraline is bored in her new home and her trouble starts when she asks her mother where the door in the formal room leads. The real answer is a brick wall. However, in her explorations Coraline discovers her "other" mother.

I enjoyed this story told in this format because it was scary and a bit suspenseful; the pictures encouraged these feelings. What was left unsaid by the characters or word bubbles was almost as entertaining as what was said. The "other" mother with her button eyes and spidery fingers terrified me.

Children can learn many lessons from this adaptation of Coraline.

• Be thankful for what you have
• Going in search of entertainment can get you into trouble.

However, I worry about the fact that Coraline plays in a well in order to dupe her "other" mother's hand that crossed over from the other side. Growing up in rural Arkansas, my momma taught me to stay away from those things, even if they were boarded up.

I can see why Tim Burton turned this into a movie; the story is a little strange, just like him! I'd use this particular adaptation or parts of it with ESL students or students who have difficulty following a traditional narrative for reading skill level reasons.

In the long run, the graphic novel has a place in the development of modern literacy skills. Today's students need to train their eyes to take in the whole picture on a computer monitor- not just the words on a page.