Biography Book Review: My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

"No matter how bad it got, my dad never fought back. 'We must meet violence with nonviolence. We must meet hate with love,' he always said.'" - My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Author: Martin Luther King III
Illustrator: AG Ford

Publisher: Amistad
Copyright Date: 2013

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Biography

Cost: $10.98 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

In the book, My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we hear the story about what King's life was like, but through the eyes of his son. All Marty and his sister, Yolanda, wanted to do was go to Funtown, and King would always say "Maybe next week." That day never came though. The kids did not understand and just thought that King did not want to take them, but, at that time, Funtown was only for white people. King was trying to make a change in society so there would be equality for all, and his children did see some of that happen. Through this story, you can see the unique perspective of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life through his son Marty - you get to see what he was like at home and how King's family was impacted by his actions. 

My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a short, picture book that could be used to help young children understand the impact that Martin Luther King Jr. had on our country. This book is written from a young boy's perspective, which would make it easier for kids to connect to and understand what happened during that time. After reading this book to the class, the students could talk about the impact King's actions had on society, as well as the impact they had on his family. Then the students could choose anyone from King's family and write a simulated journal based on what they believe that individual would think or feel about everything that was happening during that time. After they finish writing, they could break up into small groups and share their work with their peers. If students write about the same person, they can discuss the similarities and differences between their simulated journals. This activity would help students gain a better understanding of who Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was, and the major impact that he had on our country. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★ I give My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. four stars for plot because it is lacking some of the five basic elements of good plot structure. This book tells about a lot of different events that happened in King's life, such as getting arrested and attending protests, but it is hard to differentiate between some of the plot elements, such as between the falling action and the resolution.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. five stars for character because the main characters are well developed. The readers get to know Marty's character and how he felt about the things that happened to his dad, but we also get to know about Martin Luther King's character. This book tells us about what King was like at home, as well as some of the things he did to fight for equal rights.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. five stars for pacing. This story is short, but it tells the reader about some of the events that happened in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. By discussing the key events and how King and his family was impacted, the story moves freely from one event to another.

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Contemporary Realistic Fiction Book Review: Emma

Emma

"She loved to sit and dream about the little village across the mountains where she grew up." - Emma

Author: Wendy Kesselman
Illustrator: Barbara Cooney

Publisher: Dell Publishing
Copyright Date: 1980

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Cost: $9.88 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Emma loves her family and always makes treats for them whenever they visit. While they are away, she feels very lonely with only her cat, Pumpkinseed, to comfort her. For her seventy-second birthday, her family gave her a painting of the village across the mountain where she used to live. She loved her village and dreams about it often, but the picture isn't how she remembers it, which makes her sad every time she looks at it. In this book, you will see what Emma does to bring joy to her life and to take away the loneliness that she feels.

Emma is a short book that could be used in the classroom to talk about favorite places. After reading the book, the students could think about their favorite place and draw a picture of it. Then the students could write a sentence or paragraph, depending on the age, about why the place they drew is special to them. The students could show the class their picture, then read what they wrote about it. This would be a fun activity to do at the beginning of the year to help the students get to know each other better, and to help the teacher get to know more about his or her students. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Emma five stars for plot because, even though it is a short picture book, it contains all five elements of good plot structure.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Emma five stars for its characters. The main focus of the book is on Emma, so readers get a good grasp of who she is as an individual and what her personality is like, which makes her believable.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give Emma five stars for pacing. This story is short, but it has a good plot line, which helps it flow freely throughout the book.

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Modern Fantasy Book Review: Zathura

Zathura: A Space Adventure

"A buzzing sound came from the board and, with a click, a small green card popped out of the edge right in front of him. He picked it up and read, "'Meteor showers, take evasive action.'" 
'Hey Walter,' Danny started to say, "what does eva-' when he was interrupted by a noisy rat-a-tat-tat sound coming from the roof." - Zathura

Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright Date: 2002

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Cost: $13.98 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

Zathura is the second book in the Jumanji series by Chris Van Allsburg, and it tells the story of two young boys who find a boring, old board game, but under that game they find another board. This board is about space, and the map goes from Earth to a planet called Zathura, then back to Earth. The younger brother, Danny, decides to play, and soon Walter is playing too. This game is unlike any other that they have ever played - the cards pop out of the board, and whatever the card says actually happens! The first event is a meteor shower, then Walter loses his gravity, and with every move the boys make, something different happens to them while they are in space. They continue to play in hopes of making it back to Earth, but things don't look good for them as the play continues on. To find out if they make it back to Earth or not, you'll have to read this book!

Zathura tells a fun, interesting, and creative story, and it would be a great book to use in the classroom. One way that this book could be used is for a creative writing activity. The teacher could read this book to the class, then tell the students to come up with their own game and write a story about people playing it, just as Danny and Walter played the game in the book. This activity would be fun for the students because they get to come up with their own game and tell a story about the adventures that occur as people play their game. It would also give the teacher a better insight about each student based on the games that they create. 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Zathura five stars for its plot because, even though the ending felt rushed, all five elements of good plot structure were included. Using those elements helped get the readers attention and keep them engaged throughout the story.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Zathura five stars for its characters. Both of the main characters are developed, and the audience can relate to the relationship that the two brothers have throughout the book, which is what makes the characters believable.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★ I give Zathura four stars for pacing. This book it a short picture book, but it felt rushed the end. The story caught my interest and I wanted to keep reading, but I felt that the story was cut short at the end.

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Folklore Book Review: The Legend of the Poinsettia

The Legend of the Poinsettia

"'Ah, Lucida, any gift is beautiful because it is given,' the old woman told her. 'Whatever you give, the Baby Jesus will love, because it comes from you.'" - The Legend of the Poinsettia

Author/Illustrator: Tomie dePaola

Publisher: The Putnam & Grosset Group

Copyright Date: 1994

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Folklore

Cost: $6.88 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

The Legend of the Poinsettia is a story about a young girl, Lucida, who does her best to help her parents and siblings. Her mother is asked to weave a new blanket for the Baby Jesus to be wrapped in during the Christmas ceremony at church, and Lucida helps her dye the wool and weave it together. They make part of the blanket together, but Lucida's mother gets sick and will not be able to finish in time. Every family brings the Baby Jesus a gift on Christmas, but, now that the blanket is not finished, Lucida does not know what her family will give. Lucida is heartbroken, and throughout this book you will see who she meets and what she does when she does not have a present on Christmas. 
 

The focus of The Legend of the Poinsettia is on Christmas and giving gifts to the Baby Jesus. Not all people are religious, nor do all people celebrate holidays, so this book would not be used in the classroom to discuss those topics. However, it tells a legend and has a good moral story about the meaning of gifts. So, this book could be used in a unit about legends where the students are asked to write their own legend about an object or symbol and how it came to be or how it got its meaning. This book could also be used to talk about culture.

 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give The Legend of the Poinsettia five stars for its plot because all five elements of good plot structure are incorporated and they tell the story about how the poinsettia came to be the Christmas flower.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give The Legend of the Poinsettia five stars for its characters. The main character, Lucida, is well developed throughout the book, and her personality can be seen as she tries to figure out a present for Baby Jesus on Christmas.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give The Legend of the Poinsettia five stars for pacing. It is a short book, but it has a good plot that helps it move freely throughout the entire story.

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Folklore Book Review: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale

"I will be pleased to serve you. But why do you say such things? You are clever and strong and beautiful. Why are you so unhappy?" - Nyasha

Author/Illustrator: John Steptoe

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books

Copyright Date: 1987

Number of Pages: 32 pages

Reading Level: Pre-K, Grades 1-3

Genre: Folklore
Awards: Caldecott Honor (1988), Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator (1988)

Cost: $8.55 (Amazon)

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a retelling of the Cinderella story, and it is based on a traditional African folktale. Mufaro has two beautiful daughters, Manyara and Nyasha, both of whom he believes are worthy of marrying the king. When the king decides he wants to get married, both girls go to meet him. They leave at different times, but take the same path; and along that path, they both make small decisions that have a major impact on their future. Two beautiful girls, but only one will become queen - who will the king choose?
 

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters tells a captivating story based on the theme of good versus evil. This book could be used in the classroom while discussing folktales and/or the theme of books. For this type of lesson, the students could come up with a theme, then find a folktale that corresponds to it and write their own version of the story. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters demonstrates how folktales can be retold and have the same theme, but a new story, which would make it a great book to use while discussing folktales and/or themes. 
 

Book Rating:

	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★	★★	★	COMMENTS
PLOT	Plot is well developed with all five elements of a good plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).	Plot is developed, but lacking one of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a decent plot, but is lacking two of the five elements of plot structure.	This book has a weak plot that is lacking three of the five elements of plot structure.	This book does not have a defined plot, and is lacking four or more of the five elements of plot structure.	★★★★★ I give Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters five stars for its plot because, using the five elements of good plot structure, it tells a compelling story about good and evil.
CHARACTER	The characters are well developed, have personality, and are believable.	Characters are well rounded, but lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	Characters are somewhat developed, and lack in personality or they are not totally believable.	The characters are underdeveloped, lack in depth and are not believable.	The characters are not developed   so the readers cannot connect to the book.	★★★★★ I give Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters five stars for its characters. Both Manyara and Nyasha are well developed throughout the book, which allows the reader to see what their personalities are like and that they are believable characters.
PACING	The story flows freely and is not rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for the most part, but there are a few spots where it feels rushed or slow.	The story moves freely for about half of the book, but the other half is rushed or slow.	The story often moves too fast or too slow and does not move freely.	There is no pacing in the story, which makes it difficult to read.	★★★★★ I give Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters five stars for pacing because the story moves freely and has no parts that feel slow or rushed. The good plot structure and story line make the reader want to continue reading to find out what happens in this book.

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