Module 2: Madeline

Summary: Madeline is the smallest of twelve girls under Miss Clavel's care. Madeline is brave, loves the winter, and knows how to frighten Miss Clavel. One night Madeline's appendix bursts and she is taken to the hospital. While she is recovering , Miss Clavel brings the other girls to visit her in the hospital where she shows off her scar and new toys from her father.

Citation:

Bemelmans, L. (1967). Madeline. New York: Viking Press.

Impressions: As much as I like the story, I love the different Paris landmarks featured in the book. It really is a subtle tour of Paris. The artwork is simple, yet iconic. Like Curious George, the color palette was determined by the printing process at the time but the colors aren't as jarring as they are in other books of the time. 

Reviews:
The first book I would like to share with you is the picture book Madeline. The book was written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. This was my favorite book when I was little.
Madeline, the character, is a student at an all-girl boarding school in Paris that is lead by a nun named Miss Clavel. Miss Clavel runs an orderly operation where the girls are in two straight lines as they “break their bread, and brush their teeth, and went to bed”. But Madeline has a tendency to test the waters with Miss Clavel (which results in many other adventures: Madeline’s Rescue, Madeline in London, Madeline and the Bad Hat, Madeline and the Gypsies).
In this book, Ludwig Bemelman uses brisk rhyming to tell the story of how Miss Clavel’s regular routine is disrupted when Madeline gets an attack of appendicitis one night and is rushed to the hospital. With great concern Miss Clavel and the other girls quietly visit Madeline in the hospital only to find “toys and candy and the dollhouse from Papa”!
What I really love about the Madeline books are the illustrations. Bemelmans illustrations fascinated me as a child. I love them because they are not perfect. Most of the picture books I read when I was young had beautiful illustrations. I did enjoy those books as well, but I felt frustrated that I could not draw like that. But I did (and still do) draw more like Bemelmans’ style for the Madeline books. I delight in studying the details of his quirky illustrations, the chandeliers, the ivy covered walls, and the Paris landmarks. Madeline.com talks about how he also contributed illustrations for New Yorker, Bazaar, and Fortune magazines. Bemelmans also painted murals at New York's Carlyle Hotel. Madeline.com tells us
"Although Bemelmans became famous for his Madeline books, he always considered himself more an artist illustrator than a writer, and later in life he became a serious painter with works now on display in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Museé National d'Art of Paris."
So it is clear why the American Library Association awarded Bemelmans with a Caldecott Honor Award, an award that recognizes the artists of distinguished American children picture books.

Bankey, L. (2009, July 17). 'Madeline' by Ludwig Bemelmans. Retrieved from http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/books/madeline-by-ludwig-bemelmans/

Library Use: I would love to do a program based around the sights and sounds of Paris as shown in the book. Travel to Paris with Madeline would feature the sights of Paris along with French treats and tea.

Module 2: Matilda

Summary: Born into a family of cretins, Matilda turns to the library and books for comfort and education. By the time her family remembers to put her in school, she has already developed into a clever, intelligent girl who loves to learn and play tricks on her family. When she arrives at Crunchem Hall Primary School, she delights at her amazing teacher Miss Jennifer Honey whose gentle nature is offset by the horrible headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. Miss Trunchbull is a power crazed bully who regularly throws kids out of windows. While at the school, Matilda begins to develop strange powers that she uses on Miss Trunchbull. When she discovers the Trunchbull has usurped Miss Honey's inheritance, Matilda uses her powers to drive Miss Trunchbull away and convinces her to return the school to Miss Honey. As Matilda's parents are fleeing the country, Matilda pleads with them to let Miss Honey take custody of her and they agree. Together, Miss Honey and Matilda form a new family and life together.

Citation:

Dahl, R., & Blake, Q. (2007). Matilda. New York: Puffin Books.

Impressions: I am a little bit embarrassed that I never read this book. I love Roald Dahl and I can see why this is an instant classic. It's biting satire of middle class values and anti-intellectualism makes it a perfect book for children and adults alike. As a person who believes that family is more than blood, I also liked the relationship between Matilda and Miss Honey.

Reviews:

 Gr 4-6 Dahl's latest piece of madcap mayhem is a story filled with the elements that his fans cravesardonic humor, the evilest of villians, the most virtuous of heroines, and children who eventually defeat those big bad grown-ups. In this book, Matilda isn't just smart, she is `èxtra-ordinary. . .sensitive and brilliant,'' reading Great Expectations as a four year old. Unfortunately, her TV-addict parents neither recognize nor appreciate their daughter's genius. Neglected Matilda finds mentors in librarian Mrs. Phelps and teacher Miss Honey, a woman as sweet as her name implies. Miss Honey, Matilda, and other students are tormented by the child-hating headmistress Trunchbull. Trunchbull has also cheated orphaned niece Miss Honey out of her rightful inheritance, leaving the teacher in extreme poverty. Having practiced revenge techniques on her father, Matilda now applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of Trunchbull and restore Miss Honey's financial security. If the conclusion is a bit too rapid, the transitions between Matilda's home and school life a bit choppy, and the writing style not as even as in some of Dahl's earlier titles, young readers won't mind. Dahl has written another fun and funny book with a child's perspective on an adult world. As usual, Blake's comical sketches are the perfect complement to the satirical humor. This may not be a teacher's or principal's first choice as a classroom read-aloud, but children will be waiting in line to read it. Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Lib . , Wis.

Piehler, H. (1988, October). Matilda (Book Review) (Undetermined). School Library Journal, 35, 143-143. Retrieved January 31, 2016, from Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). 

Library Use: I was use this as a way to discuss the use of satire and middle class values. One of the recurring themes in the book is anti-intellectualism so I would contrast that with the freedom that Matilda achieves through reading.

Module 1: Little Red Writing

Summary: Little Red is a pencil on a mission--to write a story for her class assignment. Little does she know where her story path will lead her as she discovers that Principal Granny has been replaced by the Wolf 3000, the biggest baddest pencil sharpener ever.

Citation: Holub, J., Sweet, M. (2013). Little red writing. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Impressions: I really loved this ingenious retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It works as both a fractured fairy tale and as a lesson is developing a short story. 

Reviews:
Little Red, a red pencil at Pencil School, embarks on a story-writing assignment, equipped with the advice “to stick to your basic story path so you don’t get lost” and a basket of words to use in case of trouble. Although Little Red begins well, she soon ends up in “a deep, dark, descriptive forest,” so she pulls out the word “scissors” and cuts her way out. A strange growling then causes her to fling more words and flee, but when she notices a tail (an appliance plug on a cord) she follows it to Principal Granny’s office to find a computer-like machine. Though the thing initially purports to be Principal Granny, it eventually reveals itself to be the Wolf 3000, a powerful pencil sharpener who has sharpened Principal Granny down to a stub. Little Red throws her last word—“dynamite”—at the Wolf 3000 and blows it to smithereens, thus rescuing Principal Granny and giving Little Red an exciting conclusion to her assignment. This is an original and action-filled concept, but the story-writing instructional hints feel forced, the plot is rather tangled, and Red’s tool words are too often contrived and convenient. Sweet’s watercolor, pencil, and collage artwork is a whole lot of fun, though, and the details of the pencil-inhabited world are charming if a bit cluttered. Enterprising English teachers willing to give a little added guidance may find this the most useful, and storytime leaders or school librarians may enjoy pairing this with Ahlberg’s The Pencil (BCCB 9/08) or Dromer’s The Obstinate Pen (BCCB 6/12).

Hulick, J.(2013). Little Red Writing by Joan Holub (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 67(4), 217. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved January 22, 2016, from Project MUSE database.

Library Use: This would be a perfect complement to any language arts class. It succinctly  describes how to use a Story Path, developing a short story, and proper ways to use parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. It does all of this in an entertaining format that will grab the reader's attention. I can even see this book being used in middle and high school classes because it never talks down to the reader.