Module 2: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Summary

I'll be honest in saying that I didn't hear of Mr. Popper's Penguins until the movie came out. After watching the previews, I dismissed the thought of actually watching the movie because I thought it looked pretty silly. When I saw it on our reading list, I was drawn because I happen to love deciding if movies do books justice. I always take the side of the book, although I'm not always disappointed when it comes to the movies. 

Mr. Popper's Penguins is a hilarious tale of a painter who truly finds himself when he receives a mysterious shipment from an Arctic explorer named Admiral Drake. Soon, he receives a second penguin, who breeds with the first, and the Popper family ends up in quite a conundrum with 12 penguins rapidly eating through their limited finances. The family then trains the penguins and takes the show on the road. It ends with a big decision at the hands of Mr. Popper, who quickly decides to do what is best for his penguins, forsake the Hollywood promise of fame and fortune, and join the Admiral in his attempt to bring penguins to the North Pole. 

Personal Impressions

Atwater created a most delightful book when he wrote Mr. Popper's Penguins. I enjoyed it immensely and found that it was quite a quick read. I'll throw this in: After I finished the book, one of my 6th grade female students came up to me and said, "Mrs. Kline, guess what I am reading!" I asked, and she responded with, "Mr. Popper's Penguins because I saw you reading it!" It was a proud moment for me. I am constantly looking for ways to help my students want to read. I really do believe that everyone can learn to love reading; they just need the right book. Since joining the UNT SLIS program, I find myself working even harder to promote reading outside of school amongst my students. Apparently seeing me read helps to motivate my kids. 

Professional Review

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
{Gr. 1—4):

A penguin named Captain Cook arrives at Mr.Popper's house courtesy of Admiral Drake. The penguin is sad until the Poppers purchase a second penguin—Greta. Captain Cook and Greta have 10 chicks. "They were Nelson, Columbus, Louisa, Jenny, Scott, Magellan, Adelina, Isabella, Ferdinand, and
Victoria." The Poppers run out of money feeding the penguins and altering their house, so they become a traveling show—the Popper Performing Penguins. This book made its first appearance in 1938. lO'Minute Selection: Read Chapter 6, "More Troubles," which opens with the line, "The children were the first
to notice the policeman." The officer is responding to a complaint about Captain Cook. Later on, Mr. Popper tries to find out "what the municipal ordinance about penguins is." He gets nowhere. Skip to Chapter 8, "Penguin's Promenade." Mr. Popper takes Captain Cook on a neighborhood stroll. People refer to the penguin as a goose, a pelican, and a dodo. Mr. Popper and Captain Cook escape into a barbershop. The barber throws them out. Mr. Popper hails a taxi and they return home. The passage ends with "He went to lie down, for he was quite exhausted from all the unusual exercise, while Captain Cook had a shower and
took a nap in the icebox."

Library Uses

As for the library, I think Mr. Popper's Penguins has several uses. My first thought is to have a cross-genre comparison where the students read the novel, watch the movie, and compare/contrast the two by using a Venn diagram. One of our TEKS objectives deals with cross-genre comparison, and it is a weak point amongst the students at my school. I think the librarian could help with this lesson by playing a book on CD version, stocking the movie, and helping the students brainstorm the similarities and differences. I personally feel that librarians have a lot to offer ELAR teachers, and I think it'd be amazing to see what some team-teaching might do. 

References

Atwater, R., & Atwater, F. (1938). Mr. popper's penguins. New York, NY: Little brown and company.

Reid, R. (2010). Classics to read aloud. Retrieved 09 Oct. 2012 from: http://www.ala.org/offices/publishing/booklist/booklinks

Module 2: Corduroy

Summary

Freeman's classic tale of a somewhat ragged bear who longs to be loved by someone is sweet and appealing to almost anyone. I read this book to my 3 year old daughter, and she smiled when we got to the end because Corduroy finally had a home and a little girl to love him.

Personal Impressions

Being a huge stuffed animal fan for pretty much my whole life, I am a sucker for those stories that bring life to the lifeless friends that inhabit the rooms of most young children. I found this story to be a little sad but with a strong, happy ending. I think people can relate to Corduroy because he feels the same things children feel. I mean, what child wouldn't also want a home and someone to love him/her? Not to mention, it is simple to read but has this deeper underlying meaning of what it feels like to be accepted and loved. Freeman created a book 44 years prior that is still read today and considered a classic. As a kid, I remember a certain Reading Rainbow episode that featured this book. I didn't read it back then because I felt I was too old for picture books. I enjoyed getting to introduce it to my daughter a few days ago, though. She enjoyed it, too.

Re

Professional Review

Publisher's Weekly (2001) has the following to say about this book: "Fans of Don Freeman's work get a bang for their buck with Corduroy & Company: A Don Freeman Treasury. This hefty volume contains 1o previously published stories, including his first book, Chuggy and the Blue Caboose (1951), written with his wife, Lydia; Pet of the Met (1953), their second collaboration, drawing on Freeman's roots in the theater; and of course his solo effort, Corduroy (1968), starring the overalls-clad life-like toy bear. The 11th selection is the unfinished dummy and complete text of Gayelord, which Freeman was working on at the time of his death. A foreword by Leonard S. Marcus sheds light on Freeman's enduring contribution to children's literature" (Publisher's Weekly, 2001).

Library Uses

In a library, I think you could use this picture book to introduce the subject of theme. Students can listen to the book being read, hold a discussion about the author wrote the book, and key in on the overall theme being love and acceptance. The simplicity of the story makes it the perfect book to introduce theme to 2nd or 3rd graders. As a side note, theme is being introduced as early as 2nd grade at the schools in my district. Since it is such an abstract concept for younger learners, finding something simple that they can actually relate to is essential.

References

Publisher's Weekly. Corduroy and company: A Don Freeman treasury. Sept. 2001. Retrieved 9 Sept. 2012 from www.publishersweekly.com

Freeman, D. (1968). Corduroy. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Module 1: The Giving Tree

Summary:

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a classic story about a tree that simply loves a boy and gives up everything for that boy in an effort to make the boy happy. This story is essentially the story of Jesus Christ, where the tree is the embodiment of Christ and humanity is represented by the boy.

Personal Impressions:

I found this book to be sad and sweet at the same time. After I read it to my children, I thought, "I think I know why this book is listed under Books Adults Love but that Aren't Necessarily Good Books. My kids enjoyed the book, and I wish I had taken the time to relay the religious parallel to them. I acknowledge that they, being 3 and 18 months, wouldn't understand it even if I had, but I still wish I'd said something to them about it. I like this book mostly because of the message behind it. The art work is simple but really cute. The story is actually simple but really cute, too. I wouldn't have thought to personify an apple tree, but Silverstein did. I think it's a fabulous example of personification; something I might be able to use to teach that particular literary device to my students.

Professional Review:

Publisher's Weekly (2003) says the following about Silverstein's beloved picture book: "The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein's classic parable of selfless love and devotion originally published in 1964, is now available in a larger-size edition" (Publisher's Weekly, 2003). 

Library Uses:

I think this book would be great for students to read and discuss ways they give. It could even tie into volunteer work or a Salvation Army angel tree display. The librarian could even blog about the book and include links to organizations where children and parents could volunteer. For older kids, they could learn about personification and talk about the theme. The librarian could pair with the classroom teacher in both instances.

References:

Publishers Weekly. (2003). Retrieved from www.publishersweekly.com

Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York, NY: Harper Collins.