Kit's Lit

Genre : Realistic Fiction Book Summary : Lanesha is a girl living in New Orleans right before Hurricane Katrina hits.  She is adopted by an older lady, Mama Ya-Ya, who has a special ability to see the future.  Lanesha, herself, is gifted with seeing things that others cannot, and for this, she is often made fun of.  Still, she manages to befriend a boy, TaShon, and when the storm hits, they depend on one another for survival. Rhodes, J. P. (2010). Ninth ward (1st ed.). New York: Little, Brown and Co. Impressions : This is the first novel I have read related to Hurricane Katrina, and while I remember it vividly, I viewed it as an outsider.  Rhodes does a good job putting the reader into the shoes of the people who were living in the Ninth Ward at the time of the hurricane.  While there are some supernatural elements within the story, they help the define the culture of some of the people living in the area.  Overall, the story gives insight int...

Genre : Picturebook Book Summary : All the letters live together, and in his haste to beat the breakfast rush, the letter E takes a tumble.  While he's on the mend, the letters are determined not to use him so he can get some rest.  It takes a while for him to recover, but his friends are there to help along the way. Lichtenheld, T., & Fields-Meyer, E. (2011). E-mergency ! San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Impressions : A great example of a postmodern picturebook, this story is one that is sure to be loved and read over and over by children and their adults.   Noticing new things with each reading, the abundance of puns will allow adults to share this with their children and not get board.  The authors have gone above and beyond with the wit in this picture book. Professional Review : " Help! The letter E has fallen (down the stairs) and can’t get up! Get ready to chortle over this zany alphabet book, which poses as a mystery with the letters...

Genre : Picturebook/ Pura Belpre Award Book Summary : Using mixed media, as well as multiple languages (English and Spanish), Viva Frida captures the essence of Frida Kahlo's desire to explore and create the world around her. Morales, Y., & O'Meara, T. (2014). Viva Frida (First ed.). New York: Roaring Brook Press. Impressions : As colorful as the woman it portrays, Viva Frida is somewhat abstract in concept; yet the style mirrors the art and life of the artist it seeks to honor.  Though the words are simple, the attention to detail is admirable and worth viewing over and over again. Professional Review : " This luminescent homage to Frida Kahlo doesn’t hew to her artwork’s mood but entrances on its own merit. Adults will recognize Kahlo’s signature eyebrows, but readers of all ages will be caught immediately by the bewitchingly bright colors and detailed photographs. Morales makes her figures from steel, polymer clay and wool, and the illustrations ...

Genre : Fantasy/ Newbery Winner Book Summary : Flora is an imaginative girl who loves her comics.  Unfortunately, her mother, a romance novelist, is not a fan of Flora's passion.  Tensions are already high because of the recent split between Flora's mother and father, but when Flora brings home a squirrel she rescues from the neighbor's vacuum cleaner, her house becomes a battle field.  With the help of her father, her neighbor, and a new friend, Flora embarks on an adventure to prove to her mother that Ulysses, the squirrel, is special enough to keep around (and so is she). DiCamillo, K., & Campbell, K. G. (2013). Flora & Ulysses: The illuminated adventures (1st ed.). Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press. Impressions : Flora & Ulysses is a fun read, but kind of hard to categorize.  Flora has issues many readers can relate to, but her desire to see the world as an extension of her comic books throws things a little over the top sometimes....

Genre : Picture Book/ Caldecott Winner Book Summary : Kitten is curious when she spies what looks to her to be a large bowl of milk.  Giving way to her thirst for something yummy, Kitten tries her best to reach the milk. Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten's first full moon (1st ed.). New York: Greenwillow Books. Impressions : Henkes creates a whimsical look into the mind of a playful kitten, allowing the reader to imagine what life is like for a little kitten.  The kitten, though not personified, has much character, and endears the reader to her plight.  That she is rewarded in the end makes everything right with the world.  The book is a joyful read in spite of, or perhaps because of, its simplicity. Professional Review : " In a surprisingly new guise, Henkes turns his hand for his 34th book to a retro look, with rough-hewn, black-and-white illustrations that pair perfectly with this deceptively simply story. When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of m...

Genre: Classic Children's Literature Book Summary: Wanda is a girl from a poor family in Connecticut.  In addition to being poor, her family is Polish, and her classmates are not always kind to her.  When Wanda claims to have a hundred dresses at home in her closet, the girls in her class tease and torment her.  Eventually, Wanda's family decides to move away and guilt riddles some of the girls who teased Wanda most.  They discover, at the end, that things are not always what they seem. Estes, E. (1944). The hundred dresses . New York: Harcourt, Brace. Impressions: Despite being written so long ago, The Hundred Dresses is still relevant today.  While many books for younger readers focus on the feelings of a victim being bullied, this story allows us to see into the thoughts of the by-stander and the bully.  The story is not one where there is a problem and then everything turns out perfectly at the end; there are some complications to that hap...