So Far From the Bamboo Grove

This book is riveting as far as teaching it in an elementary classroom goes. I think that this book deserves a lot of the controversial talk that it has gotten over the years simply because of the issues it discusses. Not only does it talk about war from a perspective that many of it's readers most likely have very little knowledge about, but it also talks about a few things that would make many adults uncomfortable. The issue I am referring to is the forced prostitution and rape that occurs in the book. I think that rape is an issue that is very difficult to talk about even in a High School classroom where students should have enough knowledge and morals to be able to discuss the issue in an appropriate and mature manner. However, this can be a very risky and difficult subject to talk about in an elementary schools. There are many reasons for this, but I think the main one is exposure or lack there of to the students prior to reading about it in this book. I do think that it is a subject a teacher has to be very careful discussing and it would vary class by class year by year depending on the maturity level of your students. I can understand why parents think that their children should not be exposed to such a horrible thing as rape in the classroom and that perhaps it is an issue that should be dealt with at home. However, I do believe that if given the opportunity, and under the right circumstances, the issue can be talked about effectively with young children. The main question this subject still raises in my head is how much different it would be for me, as a male, to teach this to a classroom of young students than a female teacher. I think this is an important factor in teaching about a subject as sensitive as rape due to the fact that females are the main victims in these crimes. This book really makes you think deep as an adult as to if and to what extent we want our children learning about some of the more graphic details of this particular depiction of this war.

HOT HOT HOT by: Neal Layton

This book was GREAT! I really enjoyed reading it. It is clearly aimed at a lower grade level but is really entertaining and educational. I love how the book goes through and talks about the seasons and the ice age all while keeping it fun and entertaining. The illustrations are great and really pull the reader into the story. I think the use of a sloppy style text gives the illusion that maybe a child wrote it, and the language also points to that too. I think this is an effective strategy in childrens' books and wish I saw more of it. I think that the illustrations also kind of look like they have been done by a young student, and if done intentionally I think is brilliant. My favorite part of the book is the last page because it is informational and I think that is an awesome thing to do at the end of a fictional book because it clarifies things for the reader and gives them information about the book that they may not have known before. I definitely recommend this book.

The Costume Copycat by: Maryann Macdonald

This was a story about a little girl who always wanted to be just like her older sister and copied her costumes every year on Halloween because her sister had got such praise for wearing it the year before. But it never quite worked out for her, something always went wrong and she just didn't look as good as her sister had. So finally one year, she made her own costume and since her sister was sick and couldn't go, she brought back candy for her. This story is nice because it teaches you to be yourself and do things because you want to do them not because somebody else does it. This book provides teachable moments on individuality and self expression. I really enjoyed the layout and the illustrations of the book as well. I also like how the back of the book has a picture and a short paragraph summary of the book because it gives the reader an idea of what they are going to be reading before they dive into the book.

The Forgotten Forest by: Laurence Anholt

This was a very nice book about a huge forest that is gradually cut down and replaced with city buildings until just a small section of the forest remained. Then, when the last bit of forest was about to be cut down the workers realized from the children crying to save the forest that instead of cutting down the trees they should cut down the fence holding the forest in. The illustrations in this book were the best part they are very intricate and well done with a lot of attention to detail. I think the pictures portray the story in a way that shows the beauty and importance of the forest. I also like how the text is under the pictures instead of on top of them because it makes it easier to read and follow along with. This would be a great book for a child to read because it also has a positive environmental message.

The Stupids Take Off by: Harry Allard-James Marshall

For this book I focused mainly on the title of the book for my topic of discussion. The word "stupid" is highly stigmatized and can be hurtful to people if they are called it. This is why I was shocked when I saw a book with a family named the Stupids. I feel like this is something that young children could really take the wrong way and mock the book and it repeats a word they should not use. I also noticed the repetition of the word stupid throughout the book, even though it is said as a name, it sounds offensive. For instance it says the two Stupid kids have never heard of Uncle Carbuncle and "Oh, we get it," said the two Stupid kids. I was entertained by the book but as a future teacher I do not think I would want my students vigorously repeating such a demeaning word over and over in a book.

The Princess and the Peanut Allergy by: Wendy McClure

This was a book I chose for my study buddy to read because she likes princess stories and I actually thought it was pretty good. It tells a story about two friends and how a girl named Regina was going to have a party and in her cake there was peanuts and peanut butter. But she found out her best friend Paula was allergic to peanuts. It turns out Regina gets mad at Paula because she wants her party exactly how she likes it, but then later realizes that it is important to her that her best friend Paula can come to the party and eat cake. The story is for younger kids so even if it sounds silly to older children it can send a pretty good message to young children. It shows that friendship is important and that a little sacrifice can go a long way.. I really like how the illustrations are done and how the text stands out against them making it easy to read and follow.

The Misfits

The Misfits was an awesome book to read I really enjoyed it. I can understand why it is a controversial book because of the issues that it discusses and the stereotypes it includes. I think that the most shocking part of the book is the ending when Joe and Colin go to the dance together. This part of the book really caught me by surprise because i just thought it was a little too far fetched and took away from the meaning of the book. I did enjoy the fact that the author went as far as having them go to the dance together but I feel it took away from the realistic feel of the book. I do not see a problem in teaching this book in elementary schools. I think it is important to expose children to these issues at a young age because as time goes on it is becoming more common for things like homosexuality to be present in elementary schools. This book hits on many other issues but the discussion of homosexuality can be a touchy subject in High Schools across the United States let alone elementary schools. I feel this would be something that parents would really have a hard time dealing with if their child came home and talked about a book they were reading with two boys going to a dance together. I think this topic is very interesting and this book will hopefully lead me to find other books with controversial topics that are read in elementary schools nation wide.