Owen

Henkes, K. (1993). Owen. New York: Greenwillow Books.

In this fictional story, the main character is a mouse named “Owen”. The story includes a progressive plot where a background is given about Owen loving his fuzzy blanket that he has had since he was a baby. The plot develops through a neighbor offering strategies to Owen’s parents on how to wean Owen off needing his blanket. As the strategies offered are unsuccessful, Owen has a “person vs. person” conflict, where he constantly finds a way to overcome the strategies his parents’ attempt. The climax of the story comes when Owen’s mother has an idea of compromise which leads to the resolution of the conflict. I wonder though if Owen would have eventually found an intrinsic motivation to stop carrying his blanket if his mother had not intervened with a compromise?

The illustrations in this picture book are created in the surreal artistic style, and were recognized with a Caldecott Honor in 1994.  All of the illustrations are realistic scenes in a child’s life, except the characters are mice acting as humans. One feature of the book that I found interesting was the title page.  On this page not only are the author and publishing credits listed, yet a book summary and information about the artwork of the book are located.  Within this information it says, “Watercolor paints and a black pen were used for full color art. The text type is Goudy Modern”.  In other words the author and publisher chose to list the artistic media and font used in the book. Upon closer inspection of all three Kevin Henkes books that I acquired, I realized that this information is listed on the title page specific to each book, which I will discuss further in later blogs. The watercolor conveys a whimsical mood indicating a story from a child’s life. The lines and shapes used in the illustrations are utilized as outlines of objects in the pictures and to show different expressions on the characters’ faces during the story.

I would recommend this story for specific uses in the classroom.  Specifically, I would use this story as a way to introduce the basic elements of plot since there is a clear conflict, climax and resolution.  In addition, I would utilize this story to teach younger children behavioral expectations as a part of growing up.  Even though the conflict is a “person vs. person” conflict, the main character also experiences a “person vs. self” conflict in his attempts to realize that he does not need his blanket all the time to be happy, which is a conflict that many young children face as they mature.  When considering the comprehension strategy of the week, “Most Important Word”, in this story it would be the word, “fuzzy”.  “Fuzzy” is the name of Owen’s blanket and is displayed throughout the book.  I can envision using this word to demonstrate the phonics rule stating that “y” makes the long /e/ sound at the end of two syllable words. This could be extended by students finding other words in this story that follow that same phonic rule such as, “baby” and “carry”.

CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type

Cronin, D. (2000). Click, clack, moo cows that type. New York: Simon and Schuster.

In this fictional story, the characters are farm animals and a farmer.  The cows know how to type and make a demand that the farmer must answer.  Once the farmer responds a chain of events is set into motion. This story is a great example of character development for young children because the cows are clearly portrayed as the protagonist and the farmer is the antagonist. In the protagonist role, the cows' appearances are described through the illustrations and their actions as characters propel the story. Specifically, the fact that they type provides the story with every element of the plot. Their direct opposition is the farmer since they feel that they deserve a certain item from the farmer. I feel that this is an effective example in teaching children about characterization because the protagonist and antagonist roles are clear along with having a clear and simple conflict and solution. An example of this clarity comes from the typed correspondence that is exchanged between the cows and the farmer. This story is also a 2001 Caldecott Honor Book, which are awards honoring books that were published the previous year for their illustrations.

The artistic style of the illustrations in this book takes on a cartoon form. This form is strictly adhered to through the illustrator's use of round figures for the characters and exaggerated facial features. An example, of this from the story would be the page where the cows type a note to the farmer and nail it to the side of the barn.  The background are shades of red, using only one color. The only other items on the page are the farmer and the note in large typeface print. Moreover, the backgrounds are all simple using few colors to emphasize the appearance of the characters. In fact, all of the backgrounds are neutral, muted colors and are drawn to give the impression of the use of water color painting.  The lines used in the cartoons are heavy brushstrokes that are uneven to portray a  cartoon scene, such as the outlines of the barn which make it look silly and unrealistic.

I would recommend this book to other readers and educators of young children because it is a straight forward example of plot and characterization.  In addition, it possesses a surprise ending that engages and entertains children when read aloud or silently. In addition, I could see this book being used to teach visual elements of art such as cool and warm colors as well as lines, since there are multiple and varied examples of each included in the publication. In fact, I believe that the illustrations add to the impact of the story and wonder if another artistic style, such as the abstract style, was utilized if the story would still be as funny and entertaining as it is with the use of cartoons?

The Black Book of Colors

Cottin, M. & Faria, R. (2006). The black book of colors. Canada: Groundwood Books.

I recently learned about this book in an early education course.  The publication is written in the third person, where the narrator states how his friend "Thomas" can smell, taste, touch and hear colors.  The book is written to describe colors using other senses besides sight and it is inferred that Thomas is a child with a visual impairment. This written work includes a Braille translation of the text on each page and the illustrations are black in color as shown above, yet are raised to appeal to the sense of touch.  The text describes each color using experiences such as "Thomas says that blue is the color of the sky when kites are flying and the sun is beating hot on his head." Yet, the book does not include any plot elements its purpose is to describe colors using all of our senses and experiences that do not include sight. However, the story does include characterization of the main character through him expressing his thoughts about each color, to show his personality.  The award seal on the book cover is from The New York Times for being a recipient of "Best Illustrated Children's Book Awards".

I felt that is publication was an excellent choice to reflect on within the genre of picture books because it included all of the visual elements (line, color, shape, texture, composition).  This is especially unique since texture is not an element normally found in picture books. In fact, our class text speaks of texture in books as impressionistic, or giving the impression to the reader of what the object must feel like.  Yet, the whole point of this book is to afford the reader with a tactile experience. The composition of the pictures focus on the objects and experiences being described in the text. As a result, there are not multiple items in the illustrations; rather the basis of the composition is placement of the items in alignment with the experience that is being described. As an example, the illustration included on the page with the quote above, the kite is in an upward motion as if it is floating up into the sky. 

I would recommend this book for many different audiences.  In addition to readers with visual impairments, this book could also be used to teach colors in a preschool classroom or to teach adjectives and descriptive writing to any age student. I feel this way because I am a proponent of incorporating as many senses as possible and building on prior experiences to teach new content.  This book selection allows an educator to do both. In addition, this story could be used to show students the challenges faced by people with sight disabilities and to cultivate a sense of consideration for others, in young children. I do wonder if the illustrations in this story were kept the same, yet the colors were just described instead of described from the perspective of a character, if the book would have as much meaning?

About Robin

Hey There! My name is Robin Hancock. I am the Reading Intervention Teacher under the Read to Achieve grant at Summer Shade Elementary in Metcalfe County, KY. I am originally from Maryland. I grew up on a farm and ended up going to the University of Kentucky to get a degree in Ag Economics. Later, I married and moved to southern Kentucky. I went back to college because I wanted a career I could really put my heart into and I found that in the career of teaching. I love it! I attended Lindsey Wilson College where I attained my certification in Elementary Education. As well, I am currently working on my Masters Degree to be a Reading and Writing Specialist. In addition, I recently achieved a certification in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE). I also have a wonderful husband, Kirby, of 11 years and two boys of my own, Hayden and Hudson which I dearly love.

I am headed into my sixth year of teaching and I am really excited to utilize the new reading and teaching strategies that I am learning in my Masters classes!!!

I look forward to everyday and consider my students "my special gifts"!

As well, I enjoy finding and reading children's books, because they provide children with a way to learn life lessons through applications that children can relate too. However, in my extra time I also read novels as a part of a book study. I do not prefer one genre of adult literature over another, yet I like to read books that are suggested to me by friends.