The Midwife's Apprentice

 Historical Fiction Review

Bibliography:

Cushman, K. (1995). The midwife's apprentice. Harper Trophy.

ISBN 006440630X

Plot Summary:

Brat has never known another name, a family, or a place to call home. Her life is lonely, traveling from place to place, looking for scraps to eat, and sleeping anywhere that is warm. One cold morning, Brat is discovered sleeping in a dung heap by Jane, the village midwife. She begs Jane for food, and when Jane tells her people that don't work don't eat, Brat offers to work. Jane renames the young girl Dung Beetle, usually just Beetle, and she begins her work as a midwife's apprentice. Though not as lonely and hard as her time before, her life with Jane the midwife is not easy. Jane is hard and ill-tempered. Even so, Beetle begins to make a life for herself in the village, adopting a cat and making friends with a village boy. She even decides to give herself a proper name—Alyce.  As she watches Jane work, she learns more about midwifery, too. But when she fails at something important, Alyce runs away. She continually tells herself, "I am nothing, have nothing, belong nowhere." Can she find her place in the world? Is she Brat once again with nothing and no one? Is she Beetle, who sleeps where she can and begs scraps from whomever she can? Or is she Alyce, the midwife's apprentice? 

Critical Analysis:

The Midwife's Apprentice is a good middle school read. The setting, while never explicitly stated in the story, is medieval England. From descriptions of people and places in and near the village, a reader can understand this if they have some background knowledge. The author's note in the back of the book gives some background on midwifery in medieval times and can give the reader a better idea of the setting as well. The chapters of the story are short and can be easily accessible for less experienced readers. While Alyce's experience is not common for today's early teens, her feelings of inadequacy and desire to belong are definitely experiences of young people today.  

Review Excerpts:

"A truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature." -School Library Journal, starred review

"A fascinating view of a far distant time." -Horn Book, starred review

Connections:

This book would be an excellent read-aloud to go along with a history or social studies unit covering medieval England. It would also be a good segue into a discussion of women's roles throughout history. In a science class, it could be used to open a discussion about the differences in medieval vs modern medicine practices. 

Awards

1996 Newbery Award winner

1996 American Library Association "Notable Children's Book" and Best Book for Young Adults

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis mellifera

Nonfiction (Informational) Book Review

 Bibliography:

Fleming, C. (2020). Honeybee: The busy life of Apis mellifera. Neal Porter Books.

ISBN 9780823442850

Plot Summary:

The book Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis mellifera follows the life of a newly emerged honeybee, scientific name Apis mellifera, or Apis for short. As she grows, Apis takes on various roles in the hive. She builds wax combs, collects nectar from other bees that come in, takes care of the queen, and more! As she gets ready for each new job, readers are led to wonder: Is she ready to fly? The beautiful illustrations follow Apis as she journeys through her life as part of the hive.

Critical Analysis:

Candace Flemming provides an accurate and informational account of the life of a honeybee in the form of a lovely story. As Apis does the different jobs of a worker bee, Flemming creates intrigue by asking on each page if flying will be part of the next job. On each subsequent page, the answer comes, "Not yet." The excitement that Apis might be ready to fly builds until, with a wonderfully illustrated gatefold page, the little bee takes flight. Eric Rohmann provides beautiful illustrations using oil painting on paper. His double-page spread images bring Apis' world to life. His art shows a unique perspective, giving us a larger-than-life view of the tiny insects.  

Review Excerpts:

"This book is nonfiction at its best - a combination of beautifully crafted language and astonishing close-up illustrations." -School Library Journal, starred review

"Whether used to support inquiry projects or as a stunning storytime selection, this offering will captivate audiences." -Booklist, starred review

Connections:

This book would be an excellent resource for studying honeybees, pollinators, or lifecycles in science class. The literary device of "ready for flying? ..... not yet" could be a good introduction to using suspense-building in students' writing.

Awards

2021 Sibert Medal Winner - an award given to the most distinguished informational children's book from the preceding year

2021 Orbis Pictus Award Honor book

Rules

 

Contemporary Realistic Fiction Review

Bibliography:

Lord, C. (2013). Rules. Scholastic Inc..

ISBN 9780439443838

Plot Summary:

"No toys in the fish tank. Chew with your mouth closed. If someone says 'hi,' you say 'hi' back. Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you." Twelve-year-old Catherine has a list of rules for her younger brother David, who has autism, to better navigate the world - and keep him from embarrassing her. She loves her brother but wishes he were a bit more "normal." During the summer, Catherine develops a friendship with a boy named Jason, who uses word cards to communicate. She also tries to build a friendship with her new neighbor Kristi, but is worried about what she will think of David and her new friend Jason. Catherine learns about honesty and friendship, and questions her own views of what "normal" really means.

Critical Analysis:

This realistic fiction book is an excellent read for middle school students. The main character, Catherine, is very relatable as she navigates friendships and family and tries to decide the right things to do. Chapters are cleverly titled with different "rules" that fit with each part of the story. Different font types indicate the difference in the narrative, Catherine's written rules, and Jason's communication word cards. The theme is one of growth and hope as Catherine goes through her summer. 

Review Excerpts:

"A heartwarming first novel." -Booklist

"A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter." -School Library Journal

"A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view." -Publishers Weekly

Connections:

Middle school students could create their own "rules to live by," like Catherine creates for David in the story. There could be a discussion of unwritten rules, those rules that people "just know," and see which rules students believe are unwritten. Students could create illustrated word cards, like Jason's communication cards.

Awards

2007 Newbery Honor book

2007 Schneider Family Book Award (middle school)

Jazz

 

Poetry Book Review

Bibliography:

Meyers, W. D. (2006). Jazz. Holiday House.

ISBN 0823421732

Plot Summary:

This beautiful book of poems by author Walter Dean Myers gives a look into the history of jazz, and each poem describes a different part of the style of music or pays homage to some of the greatest jazz artists. The vibrant illustrations, created by the author's son Christopher Myers, add a sense of movement and musicality to each poem. It is a creative and educational look at an influential music style.

Critical Analysis

Walter Dean Myers uses rhyme and rhythm to create a glimpse into the history of jazz. He uses rhyme, as well as free verse, to describe and demonstrate different aspects of the musical genre. He introduces famous musicians, instruments, and styles of jazz in each of his 17 poems. The different stylized texts also create a sense of movement and rhythm within the lines of each poem.

Illustrator Christopher Myers uses the technique of painting black ink on acetate and placing it over acrylic. His colorful illustrations add to the emotion of each poem. Very few straight lines in the images give the effect of movement throughout the illustrations on the book.

Review Excerpts:

"Awakens interest in listening." -School Library Journal, starred review

"This offering stands as a welcome addition to the literature of jazz... Excellent." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The father-son Myers team has put together an absolutely airtight melding of words and pictures that is perfectly accessible to a younger audience." -Booklist, starred review

Connections

Music teachers and writing instructors can both find something to love about Jazz. Music teachers can utilize the book for jazz terms and style. Writing instructors can use the different poems to discuss poetic structures and figurative language, and have students apply those ideas to their own writing. This book is also a great peek into the lives of the musicians around the genre. 

Here are a few other titles with a similar theme of poetry and jazz:

Charlie Parker Plays Be Bop by Chris Raschka (ISBN 0531070956)

Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown (ISBN 1600608981)

Ellington Was Not A Street by Ntozake Shange (ISBN 9780689828843)

Before John Was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford (ISBN 9781250822703)

Awards

Christopher Myers received a Coretta Scott King Award Honor for his illustrations in Jazz in 2007.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

 

Traditional Literature Review

Bibliography:

Taback, S. (1999). Joseph had a little overcoat. Penguin. 

ISBN 0670878553

Plot Summary:

Joseph had a little overcoat, but it soon became as full of holes as the pages of this book! As the story continues, Joseph wears his coat until it is old and worn, then turns it into something new. It goes from an overcoat to a jacket, from a jacket to a vest, and so on. The die-cut pages help readers guess what smaller and smaller items have been created from the worn-out garment. Joseph's animals and neighbors watch in surprise as Joseph mends and creates, until the pieces of his overcoat become so small, maybe he cannot create anything more!

Critical Analysis:

Simms Taback draws from a Yiddish folk song called "I Had a Little Overcoat" to create his colorful and clever story. Single, repetitive lines of text on each page make this a simple book for readers of all ages to read, understand, and enjoy. Taback's art blends the use of watercolor, Gouache (similar to watercolor but less transparent), pencil, ink, and collage. Young readers may delight in seeing the use of real photographs of food and people collaged with Taback's drawings. Die-cut pages give a glimpse of what Joseph will create next and provide a clever look at the new creation. Small details in the illustrations help give clues to the European Jewish background of Joseph and the story. The style of clothing worn by Joseph and his neighbors, items like a menorah and a dreidel, and newspaper clippings saying things like "Fiddler on Roof Falls Off Roof" all indicate this background. A note from the author and sheet music of the original song provide more context for the reader.

Review Excerpts:

"This diverting, sequential story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat." -Publisher Weekly

"...clever, visually engrossing, poignant, it's worth holding on to." -Horn Book Magazine

Connections:

This book lends itself to a few excellent art lessons. Younger students would enjoy decorating an outline of Joseph's overcoat with fabric like the images found on the book's inside cover. Older students may like to use the idea of reusing materials to create something new out of scraps of cardboard, fabric, old toys, or anything else that might otherwise be thrown away! This could easily extend into a lesson about "reduce, reuse, recycle."

Music teachers could use the book in a music lesson as well, using the music and lyrics at the end of the book to draw from.

Awards

Josepsh Had a Little Overcoat won the Caldecott Medal in 2000.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

Picture Book Review

Bibliography:

Mattick, L. (2015). Finding Winnie: The true story of the world's most famous 

    bear. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

ISBN 0316324906

Plot Summary:

Before there was  Winnie-the-Pooh, there was Winnipeg the bear. This charming story details the real-life adventure of a little bear named Winnipeg, Winnie for short, and the connection between the narrator, Harry (Winnie's original owner), and a boy named Christopher Robin. 

Readers are drawn into the story by a mother telling her son, "A true story. One about a bear." Set against the background of World War I, Harry Colebourn joins the army as a veterinarian and, along the way, finds and buys a bear cub from a trapper. Harry names the bear Winnipeg, so he'll never feel far from home, and they travel together to the city of tents where the army is set up. Winnie becomes the Canadian Infantry Brigade mascot and joins the troops on the ships to London. Harry's heart and mind conflict on the best way for Winnie to continue living, and as the mother continues telling her son the story, it takes a surprising and personal turn!

Critical Analysis

Lindsay Mattick's style in this book comes across as a story within a story. While the majority of the story is being told in the mother's words about Harry and Winnie, her son's occasional interruptions make their way into the narrative. This can be relatable to parents, but a bit confusing to young readers and listeners (and their parents at first, too!). The theme of friendship and family is woven throughout the book. 

The Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations of Sophie Blackall create a beautiful glimpse into this wonderful story. The illustrations carry the reader through the journey of Harry and Winnie, as well as mother and son, as the story is told. Real photographs of the people in the story also emphasize the authenticity of the story.

Review Excerpts:

"A perfect melding of beautiful art with soulful, imaginative writing, this lovely story, penned by Colebourn's great-great granddaughter, is ideal for sharing aloud or poring over individually." -School Library Journal, starred review

"Little ones who love Milne's classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear's real-life origins." -Booklist, starred review

Connections

Children may recognize the lovable bear in the story as the famous Winnie-the-Pooh. Readers may relate to the mother or son in the story, or to the veterinarian with such a love for animals that he adopts a bear cub at a train station! This book would be a good example of primary sources.

Awards

Finding Winnie was the Caldecott Medal winner in 2016, an award given to the most distinguished picture book for children by the American Library Association.

Meet the Page Peeker

Hello! Welcome to my children's book review blog. I am Audrey. I am an early elementary educator, a mom of two, and a lover of books of all kinds. I have wonderful memories of sitting in the laps of my mom and grandma and them reading stories to me. Books like Stone Soup and Tweety Plays Catch the Puddy Tat came to life with my grandma's different voices for each character. My mom reading to my sister and me, and encouraging us to read for ourselves, led me to wonderful books like The Chronicles of Narnia series and many others. 

On this blog, I will share books that I have read, loved, critiqued and want to pass on to others! I hope you enjoy. Grab a good book, and peek into some pages with me.