Amanda's comments (member since Jan 29, 2009)

Amanda's comments from the Spring 09 LLED, Altoona group.

...and the winner is...

SIDEWALK CIRCUS


Paul Fleischman
c/o Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street
Somerville, MA 02144


Dear Mr. Fleischman,
Congratulations! Sidewalk Circus has won the Napoleon Bonaparte award for the best wordless picture book. This award is not as glamorous as a Caldecott award, but it is very special. Your book is the first ever to receive this award, and Sidewalk Circus will be the last book to receive the award. Napoleon once said, “A sketch is better than a long speech.” I believe this quote to be true, and I based my award on it.

Let me introduce myself. I am a junior at Penn State University’s Altoona, Pennsylvania campus. Elementary education is my major. I am currently in the language and literacy part of my education endeavor. Our class created award categories and posted them. My fellow classmates nominated many books for this award, and it was my job to pick a winner. This is where your book comes in.

I absolutely loved Sidewalk Circus from the first moment I read it. I never would have thought that a wordless story could tell so much! This is the best wordless picture books I have ever read, and I plan on using it in my future classroom. I know you are very busy; however, it would be great to hear back from you.


Sincerely,


Amanda Casteel

I nominate Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! This book is the sequel to Rainbow Fish. Rainbow fish has already shared his beautiful scales with some other fish, and they have formed a "clique." When a normal fish with stripes wants to join in the fun game with the "beautiful" fish he is not allowed. Even Rainbow Fish ignores the fish with stripes. Later in the book, the striped fish is going to be attacked by a shark. Rainbow Fish and his other beautiful friends decide to save the striped fish's life. After that, they accept him and allow him to play games with them. This book teaches an important lesson about accepting others and doing nice things for them. The beautiful fish save the striped fish's life even though he is different. This is a big favor. Everyone can learn a lesson from this book and it deserves your award!

I nominate Snow White by the Brothers Grimm and illustrated by Charles Santore. The apple is a large part of this story. The queen tries to kill Snow White multiple times throughout the story; however, the poison apple is the only successful method of killing her. This method is not even fool-proof because Snow White is later awoken. The poisonous apple is a symbol of wisdom and immortality in this tale. It shows wisdom because Snow White would not eat of the apple until the "old woman" ate some; unfortunately, they ate different parts and Snow White got the poisonous part. Secondly, the apple shows immortality because the poison kills Snow White, but the death is not forever. The Brothers Grimm have written many terrific tales that have been torn and twisted by companies today. I feel it is important we recognize these great original tales in a time where everything is remade. This is the best illustrated translation for children that I have found of this tale. One look at the phenomenal illustrations will convince you to select it for this award.
Snow White

I nominate Timothy Tunny Swallowed a Bunny by Bill Grossman and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. This book is a composition of short, hilarious poems along with an illustration for each one. If you can get past the front cover and the first poem without cracking a smile or laughing you are stronger than I. The illustrations that go along with EVERY POEM are phenomenal. This book is an easy read, and the short poems keep readers' attentions. This could be used for a read-aloud or independent reading in the classroom. It is a must have for every class!

Timothy Tunny Swallowed a Bunny

I nominate The Purple Balloon. It was written and illustrated by by Chris Raschka. He is the same person who illustrated The Hello, Goodbye Window. The illustrations truly look like a child drew them. They are very simple illustrations, in fact, they are simply balloons with faces. The balloon strings are used to create hands used for hugging. This book reminds me of that phase children go through where they will only draw one thing; however, Chris Raschka did not draw the balloons. He made a stamp out of a potato to make them. This makes the illustration even more childlike. This book is terrific. The main theme is death or grieving. This theme may seem a bit depressing for a children's book; however, this theme is sometimes necessary. The balloon people represent families, neighbors, and children all dealing with grief and death. I love this book and this illustrator.

I found one review that truly shows the amazing quality of this book, and this nomination would not be complete without adding it. "Taking his cue from terminally ill children who, an introductory note explains, often express their feelings by drawing a free-floating purple or blue balloon, Raschka depicts balloon characters using potato and wood prints rendered in watercolor. Through a few masterful strokes, they become an elderly dying person and those dear to him, or the subject of this narrative, a dying red balloon child and his family and friends. Faces, all focused on the child, express concern, tearful sorrow, and support. Balloon strings encircle child and parents in love, twist to join the youngster to those around him, and curve to become hands reaching out in comfort and reassurance. "Good help makes leaving easier," the text reads. Streaked watercolor background washes change color with the mood, moving from blue to yellow on the final page describing "what you can do to help." Raschka's brief text avoids sentimentality and didacticism and is a good choice for those who want to provide assistance to children about this difficult subject." Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT. This is from the School Library Journal.

I nominate Lotta on Troublemaker Street by Astrid Lindgren. This book is about a five year old girl that thinks her family is mean and decides to run away. It goes through her day, and the reader cannot help but fall in love with Lotta. It has cute illustrations that help the reader relate to Lotta and love her. This is a beginner chapter book and is an easy read. She really deserves your award.

I nominate Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. This book has absolutely phenomenal illustrations, but many people do not know the background behind the illustrations. I believe this background is what makes this book truly deserve your award. Theodor Geisel did all the illustrations for his books himself. After he completed illustrating his books he flew to New York and handpicked every color for every page. Oh, the Places You'll Go was Dr. Seuss's last book. He was very ill when he was writing it. He was barely able to finish illustrating it, and he was too ill to fly to pick the colors. Instead of allowing someone else pick the colors and finish the book Dr. Seuss had the colors come to him. He was very ill and dying and Dr. Seuss still handpicked every color for every illustration. This is why this book deserves your award.

I nominate How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen. This book is a favorite of mine. In this book the dinosaur pulls the typical childhood tricks not to go to sleep. These tricks are shown throughout terrific rhyming text. How the mother dinosaur reacts to the tricks pulled by the child show family dynamics. The dinosaur's actions show how he has been parented so far in his life. Another reason this book deserves your award is its illustrations. Mark Teague, the illustrator, once again did an amazing job with this book. I have read this book to my younger cousins at bed time, and they loved it. I cannot imagine why any child would not love this book. This book truly is deserving of this award.

I nominate The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the typical Disney tale many of us have come to love. This is the original tale. In this book there isn't the typical "and they lived happily ever after" ending. This tale has suffering, tragedy, as well as death. The tragedy in this book is unbelievable. A sacrifice is made in order to have love, but in the end an even bigger and more tragic sacrifice is made so that someone can be happy. This book is a classic example of tragedy; however, it does not appear in many classrooms today. It is truly a tragedy that we do not include tragedies in our classrooms. I believe it would be appropriate for older elementary students. Another reason this book deserves this award is the tremendous quality of the illustrations. The colors enhance the sorrow and emphasize the sea. There is not a huge quantity of illustrations, but the ones that are there are great! Hans Christian Anderson has written many terrific fairy tales, and I believe this to be one of his best and most tragic.

The Little Mermaid

I nominate Stuttering Stan takes a Stand by Artie Knapp. In this book Stan, a squirrel, stutters, and it affects his life. He learns about friendship and acceptance throughout the book. Stan gets made fun of for his speech impediment and gets very upset, but he meets someone else with a disability and learns acceptance and inner strength. It is a picture book and is appropriate for many different grades. The illustrations are wonderful; however, there are not very many of them.. This book was published by the Cincinati Children's Hospital, and I think the fact that this book was published by a hospital speaks towards its helpfulness with speech disorders. This book deserves the award because children with speech disorders can relate to the main character, but children without disorders can learn acceptance and understanding of speech impediments.

I nominate The Wolf Who Cried Boy by Bob Hartman. This is a take-off of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The text of this story is absolutely amazing. The writing draws the reader into the story. The book truly allows the reader to look into the mind of a young, and somewhat selfish, wolf. In addition to amazing text, this book has phenomenal illustrations. Every time I have read this book with children they have absolutely loved it. This book includes references to the original tale; however, it is not essential for a child to know the original fairy tale to enjoy this book. I think this is an important fact because not all children know the story of the boy who cried wolf. This book is truly amazing and if it doesn't win the award the poor little wolf will be very sad.

I nominate The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons. This is an adorable picture book that tells the tale of Arnold and his apple tree. This book deserves the award because it includes all four seasons; many seasonal books focus on only one. Every season mentioned shows a change in Arnold's tree. This helps children to understand the seasons, and this makes it an appropriate read in any season. The illustrations in The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree show the age of the book; however, I do not think that this is a negative. The illustrations are still great today. I view illustrations as something that can't lose their value over time unless they become inappropriate. This book has survived the trial of time and still is good for children.

I nominate Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague. This book is adorable and is narrated by a dog sent to obedience school. It is amazing how Mark Teague is able to truly give you a look into the mind of a dog. The illustrations show both the dog view and the human view of what occurs. The contrast is clearly shown by the dog view being in black and white and the human view being in color. The fact that both points of view are shown is what truly makes this book terrific. This book is comical and would be able to keep the attention of many children. After reading Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters From Obedience School, I immediately bought the book. I plan on using it for read-alouds in the classroom as well as having it in my library and available for students to read on their own. I give it two paws up!

I nominate Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine. It is a picture book about Henry "Box" Brown and his escape from slavery to the safety of Philadelphia. Brown later became very involved in the anti-slavery movement. Slavery was a large part of our country's history; however, it is not often shown in younger grades. Henry's Freedom Box opens the door for lessons and conversations about slavery. Through this book a history lesson is taught in a way that can be understood by children. I find reading a picture book about Henry to be much more entertaining than an article, and I am sure your students will feel this way too. Henry's genius idea coupled with the great text and illustrations make this book a winner. This book is a Caldecott honor book, but I am sure that the author would love having Henry's Freedom Box win your Pennsylvania history award as well.

I nominate Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein. This "billy sook" uses common words but twists them to make the story interesting and fun for children. This book is composed of many short stories/poems. Shel Silverstein uses his great illustration skills to help tell the stories in this book. This book could help with fluency in the classroom. I would use this for a read-aloud or for students to use as independent reading. Runny Babbit and his friends Toe Jurtle, Ploppy Sig, Polly Dorkupine, and Pilly Belican would love to win this award!

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Un bon croquis vaut mieux qu'un long discours." This translates to "a sketch is better than a long speech." This award will go to the best wordless children's book.

Remember that McCloud defines pictures as images designed to actually resemble their subjects, but as resemblance varies, so does the level of iconic content (1993). In other words, pictures in these books should represent something and should act as icons for young and older readers.

To be considered for nomination a book must be appropriate for grades kindergarten through fifth. The book must also be a wordless children's book and still tell a story. Consider storyline as well as illustration when you are nominating a book.

Nominations are due on or before March fifth. This is the Thursday before Spring break.

Works Cited: McCloud, S. (1993). Understanding comics. New York, NY: Harper Paperbacks.