Module 14 - Take Me Out of the Bathtub

Bibliography

Katz, A. (2001). Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other silly dilly songs. (D. Catrow, Illus.). New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Summary

This book is a collection of unique, silly poems about kids: A boy who’s been sitting too long in the bathtub and wants to get out; a food fight between siblings; a girl having to clean up her bedroom; a baby brother’s stinky diaper; a kid who doesn’t want to go to bed; a kid with an overdue library book; a kid playing in the mud; and a girl who gets carsick, just to name a few. Each poem is set to a familiar tune, such as “London Bridge,” “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring,” “Rockabye Baby,” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

My Thoughts

Such a delightful book!  I loved it because the poems were amusing and imaginative.  I especially loved that I could sing these silly poems to familiar tunes.  The illustrations were amazing.  I think children will love this book.  The front cover of the book lists an age group of 2-6, but I think kids of all ages will get a kick out of this book.

Reviews

“Songwriter and television comedy writer Katz provides ludicrous lyrics to 14 traditional tunes, offering playful parodies on some familiar routines.  To the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a boy wearing roller skates claims he has been soaking so long in the tub that he “used one, two, three bars of soap/ Take me out. . . I’m clean!”  Other amusing entries include “I’ve Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom” (sung to “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”), in which a girl tidies her room by shoving all of her belongings “out the door,” which Catrow interprets quite literally (he shows her bureau, goldfish, etc., piling up in the back yard), and “Give Me a Break” (sung to the tune “Home on the Range”), introducing a child whose library book is long overdue.  A few songs do not scan so well (e.g., this verse set to the tune of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”: “My brother flicks peas with his fork and/ They zip down my shirt with a splat/ Next I see a big piece of pork land/ On my head like it’s a new hat!”).  But the subjects (a sibling with a stinky diaper, a cranky poodle – think “Yankee Doodle”) teamed with Catrow’s outlandish illustrations, as hyperbolic as the words, will have kids giggling as they sing.”

Zaleski, J., D. Roback, J.M. Brown, J. Britton. (April 2001). [Review of the Book Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other silly dilly songs by Alan Katz]. Publishers Weekly 248(16), p 63.

Ideas for Use

This would be a wonderful story time book in which you could sing the poems to the children rather than reading them.  Also, the children could be involved by repeating the lines of the poems/songs.

Module 13 - Rapunzel's Revenge

Bibliography

Hale, S. and D. Hale.  (2008). Rapunzel’s Revenge.  (Illus., N. Hale). New York: Bloomsbury

Summary

Rapunzel believes she is the daughter of Gothel and that she has always lived in Gothel’s castle, until the day that she sneaks over the wall to see what is on the other side.  Rapunzel comes face to face with her real mother, who works in Gothel’s mines, and learns (or remembers) the truth of her kidnapping.  Gothel’s guards force Rapunzel back across the wall.  To keep Rapunzel quiet, Gothel has Rapunzel locked up in a tower in Carrion Glade, where there is some powerful growth magic.  After four years, Rapunzel’s hair has grown long enough that she uses her two long braids as a lasso to help her escape the tower.  Set on freeing her mother from the mine and destroying Gothel’s magic, Rapunzel inadvertently finds herself accompanied by a cowboy named Jack.  The pair soon become wanted criminals, but they are able to elude capture as they make their way back to Gothel’s villa, making many friends along the way.  In the end, Rapunzel and Gothel have a showdown, resulting in the destruction of Gothel and her magic.

My Thoughts

Two major differences between this telling of Rapunzel and others stand out in my mind.  First is that this story is told as a graphic novel.  Second is that it is more of a western.  These two facts make me think that this book would appeal to boys a lot more than in any other version of Rapunzel.  I liked that it was so different and that Rapunzel was more like a western cowgirl with braids as her lasso.  I liked that the book was full of adventure and heroic acts such as killing the giant water serpent and ridding one town of all the vicious coyotes.  I like that, unlike other versions of the story, Rapunzel does not wait for her prince to come and save her – she takes matters into her own hands.

Reviews

“Rapunzel lives in a grand villa with good food, loyal servants, and her “mother,” or so she thought, Gothel.  Outside the walls the people work hard for very little.  One day Rapunzel sneaks out of the villa and finds her real mother working in the mines as a slave.  When Rapunzel lets Gothel feel her wrath, she is taken far, far away to a magical garden where she is imprisoned in a tree.  Although the main element of the fairytale remains the same – Rapunzel’s hair grows long enough to aid in her escape – the similarities end there.  This Rapunzel takes us on a rollicking, adventure-filled journey through the countryside where she meets up with Jack (owner of a magic bean and “Goldy” the goose) who follows her and helps to reunite her with her true mother.  This wonderfully illustrated graphic novel adds spark and excitement to the tale.  The bright colors and duller tones distinguish between the haves and the have nots.  Rapunzel and Jack are unique characters, and the dialogue allows that uniqueness to shine through. This is a fun read for all ages.”

Scott, K. (Nov/Dec 2008). [Review of the book Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale]. Library Media Connection, 27(3), p. 80

Ideas for Use

I think this would be a fun read as a book club book for kids/teens, or as a class book for struggling readers. 

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Module 12 - The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Biography

Sis, P. (2007). The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.  New York: Frances Foster Books.

Summary

Relying heavily on drawings, Peter Sis tells about his life in Prague, from the time he was born up until the time the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.  Sis tells of the things he was taught in school and that during this period of schooling he was being brainwashed.  Sis also includes excerpts from his journals he kept while growing up.  As a teenager, he starts to rebel by secretly listening to music from America and Great Britain, and by joining a rock group.  This was short lived, however.  The government clamped down on the small freedoms some were beginning to have.  At this period, Sis explains that things got progressively worse, but he still dreamed.  And in the end his dreams came true with the fall of the Wall.

My Thoughts

This was an interesting look into what it was like living without the freedoms we all take for granted.  I especially liked the way Sis used his drawings to help portray just what was going on such as neighbors spying on neighbors.  I also really liked reading the journal excerpts because it really makes it more real.

Reviews

“This picture-book autobiography for older readers portrays Sis’ growing up in Prague under Communist rule.  The illustrations, which alternate between comic-style panels and full-page scenes, show young Sis drawing and expressing himself against claustrophobic black-and-white back-drops with red Communist symbols as accents.  Only the artist’s work and other images symbolizing free thought appear in full color.  Excerpts from Sis’ journals will help readers relate to the history and show how his art sets him free in a time when ‘people are followed, monitored, harassed, imprisoned, deported, and tortured.’  This deeply personal history is a chilling look at life behind the Iron Curtain.”

Tillotson, L. (Jan 2008). [Review of the book The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis]. Book Links, 17(3), p 23

Ideas for Use

I think this would be a great book to use in the classroom when studying history or other cultures.  A challenge could be issued to the children to go one week without radio, TV, etc. in order to give them just a little understanding about how it would have been to live behind the Iron Curtain.

Module 11 - George Washington's Teeth

Biography

Chandra, D. & M. Comora.  (2003). George Washington’s Teeth. (B. Cole, Illus.). New York: Farrar Straus Giroux

Summary

As the title tells us, this picture book is about the dental problems of our very first president.  The story is told in rhyme as we get a humorous account of how he loses each of his teeth, whether it was in a dentist’s chair or during battle or while eating a nut.  After losing all of his teeth, George and his dentist used plaster to make false teeth for him.  At the end of the book, Chandra and Comora provide a timeline that includes some important events in the president’s life, including all the information about his dental problems.

My Thoughts

Before I read this book, I had no idea that George Washington had lost all of his teeth.  As I began reading the picture book, with its humorous rhyme, I wondered to myself if the authors had embellished the facts a bit.  But they had not, as the timeline and sources in the back proved.  It sure does explain why he is not smiling in any of his portraits!  As an information book for children, I think this book was excellent.  It was exciting and funny and grabbed my attention from the beginning. 

Reviews

“Written in rhymed verse and illustrated with attractive watercolor illustrations, this book opens with an entertaining account of our first President’s dental problems and succession of false teeth.  The second section consists of an extensive time line with thumbnail pictures featuring portraits of Washington and a photograph of his last set of dentures.  Notes within the time line support the initial story and provide details about Washington’s life.”

Christolon, B. (Aug 2005). [Review of the book George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora].  School Library Journal, 51(8), p 48

Ideas for Use

This book would be a good introduction into a lesson on dental hygiene for young kids.

Module 10 - Turtle in Paradise

Bibliography

Holm, J. (2010). Turtle in Paradise.  New York: Random House

Summary

This story takes place in 1935 and follows a girl named Turtle who is sent to live with an aunt and cousins in Key West because her mother’s new employer does not like children.  Even though none of the kids own shoes and everybody has odd nicknames, Turtle finds adventure in Key West.  She tags along with her cousins, the “Diaper Gang,”  as they take neighborhood babies around in their wagon and change their diapers; she accompanies Slow Poke, a man from her mother’s past, on his boat to fish for sponges to sell; she learns she has a grandmother who is the meanest old lady in Key West, and manages, with her tenacity and stubbornness, to win her grandmother over; she finds a map of Black Caesar’s buried treasure and sets out to find it with her cousins.  Through all of her adventures, Turtle learns the importance of family.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book because it was filled with adventure and even though it is a historical fiction book, the story is told in a way that makes the characters easy to relate to.  The mix of fictional characters based on real people and events really brings the story to life.

Reviews

“Narrator Turtle’s voice is tart and world-weary, and she is under no illusions about her own kind, declaring, “Kids are rotten.”  It’s 1935, and when her housekeeper mother’s new job doesn’t allow children, she is sent to live with her aunt in Key West, where everyone goes without shoes and is called by a nickname like Pork Chop or Slow Poke.  With her stoic nature and her quick wits, Turtle is able to fit in with her boy cousins and their friends (though they won’t let her help with their Diaper Gang babysitting business), and she even manages to outmaneuver the elderly woman she is sent to feed who keeps knocking her food to the floor.  The episodic novel includes details, events, and figures from history (including those from Holm’s own family), and Turtle’s narrative is peppered with references from the time, as she compares herself to Little Orphan Annie and gladly avoids going to a Shirley Temple movie.  Modern-day readers will have no trouble relating to Turtle, though, and the fast-moving plot will keep them interested to the end.”

Lempke, S. D. (2010). [Review of the book Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm]. Horn Book Magazine, 86(3), p 81-32

Ideas for Use

This would be a good book for a discussion about how Turtle is really like a turtle: she was hard on the outside, but inside she had feelings and vulnerability.  Kids can come up with nicknames of their own that describes their character and something about them.

Module 9 - What Happened to Cass McBride?

Bibliography

Giles, G. (2006). What Happened to Cass McBride? New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Summary

Cass McBride is a 17-year-old girl who has been kidnapped by Kyle Kirby and buried alive. Kyle is the older brother of David Kirby, a boy who committed suicide after being rejected by Cass.  Through walkie-talkies, Kyle is able to communicate with Cass as he recounts David’s pathetic life with a manipulative and verbally abusive mother, who, Kyle comes to realize, is the true cause of David’s suicidal end.  As this is happening, detective Ben Gray is unraveling the mystery behind Cass’s kidnapping, which eventually leads him to Kyle Kirby. 

My Thoughts

What I liked about this book is that it challenged my first opinions about both Cass and Kyle.  Cass was not so innocent and perfect as she seemed in the beginning.  She turns out to be quite manipulative and self-serving.  And Kyle is not quite so maniacal and twisted.  He’s guilt-ridden over his brother’s suicide and wants someone else to blame. 

I especially liked how this book was not written in a traditional narrative from one perspective, but rather three different perspectives: 1^st person Cass, 1^st person Kyle, and 3^rd person Ben Gray.  Cass and Ben’s narratives exist on the same time line during the kidnapping, but Kyle’s narrative is after the fact. 

Reviews

“What happened to Cass McBride? Well, she has been buried alive by Kyle Kirby, who blames her for his brother David’s suicide.  After asking Cass out, David finds a not she leaves for a friend in which she laughs about an invitation from someone so low on the food chain.  Then David hangs himself.  Told in alternating voices, including that of a police officer, this intense story has some horrifying moments; readers will feel as terrorized as Cass as she struggles to survive, both physically and mentally.  At the same time, there are plenty of psychological thrills as Cass tries to win her release by outwitting Kyle.  In the teens’ dialogues, it becomes clear that both have parents who have withheld love, and the brothers, especially David, have suffered extreme verbal abuse.  The depiction of Kyle’s mother goes over the top, but overall this packs a wallop.  Readers won’t forget David’s suicide not, pinned to his skin: ‘Words are teeth.  And they eat me alive.  Feed on my corpse instead.’”

Cooper, I. (2007). [Review of the book What Happened to Cass McBride? By Gail Giles]. Booklist, 103(9/10), p. 80

Ideas for Use

This would be a good book to use for a character study.  How much of the character traits of Cass and Kyle and even David are shaped by parental influence.  I think it would be very insightful for teens because they are at that age when they are trying to find their own identity.