Joseph Had a Little Overcoat- The Caldecott Medal

I really enjoyed this book and I loved how Joseph's overcoat was prominent throughout the entire story, I thought this was a really good idea! I also liked the cutouts on the pages, so when you flipped the page over, it was showing how the overcoat was getting smaller and smaller and eventually the overcoat would be completely gone. As I continued reading the book I was very curious to see how the author would end the book, I figured that the overcoat would eventually be gone and I was right it was completely gone.   However, to my surprise, it ended with the message that you can make something out of nothing.  I found this to be really creative.

Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Viking, 1999. Print.

All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism

This book was AMAZING! I loved how the main character was a zebra, and his stripes were used to represent different parts of him. I feel this is a very clever way to explain to children who have Autism or children who know someone with Autism what goes through their mind. Zane, the main character, had a very strong personality and I found myself sympathetic to what he was going through and the struggles he was facing. I viewed Zane’s mama as the hero throughout the story. Her kindness and compassion towards Zane was very admirable. She helped Zane to love himself again and I think that children with Autism may sometimes feel alone or unable to connect with others. Overall, I think this book really captures how someone with autism feels and I think that the authors are brilliant.

Rudolph, Shaina, Danielle Royer, and Jennifer Zivoin. All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism. Print.

Beauty and the Beast

As a child I grew up watching and loving fairy tales. My favorite by far was Beauty and the Beast. As a child, I loved the concept of all the fairly tale elements…the castle, pretty girl, singing, and of course the happily ever after. As I re-read my favorite childhood fairytale over a decade later I realized that there was so much more to this fairytale other than all of the fantastical elements that I found so intriguing as a child. The key message from this fairytale is that beauty is found within. Children are more likely to create an image in their mind of what a person’s character traits based on the appearance that they see. Beauty and the Beast however sends an important message to children; that an individual’s actions and how they treat you is far more important than their appearance. This is such a strong message for children to grasp, and I don’t think that I fully understood this as a child, but now I find that this is a very important and think it is something that everyone should learn at a young age.

Slater, Teddy. Beauty and the Beast. New York: Golden Book, 1997. Print.