Module 4: The Trumpeter of Krakow

Summary: Joseph Charnetski is bound to protect the Great Tarnov Crystal at all costs. When his family's house is destroyed by fire, his father Andrew takes the family to Krakow to give the crystal to the King of Poland. Unfortunately, the king is not in Krakow so the family must hide from the murderous Tartar's to protect the crystal and their lives. Joseph goes to live near the alchemist Kreutz and takes a job as the trumpeter of Krakow keeping watch on the city. During a scuffle with Tartars who are trying to steal the crystal, Kreutz find it and begins to use it in his experiments. During one of his trances, Kreutz's apprentice Tring conjures up some explosives that set the city of fire. Joseph warns the city while Kreutz wanders around with the crystal. The crystal is finally returned to the king who throws it in the river.

Citation: 

Kelly, E. P.,  & Domanska, J. (1992). The trumpeter of Krakow. New York, NY: Aladin Paperbacks.

Impressions: I tried to like this book. I really did but it was excruciating to read and even more excruciating to summarize. The writing is full of purple prose which may have gone over in the 1920's but seems dated and boring today.

Reviews:

Everyone seems to love The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly. Amazon.com has mostly four and five star reviews, and the few one and two star reviews on goodreads.com say non-specific things like "I couldn't finish it" or "really boring" - things that I think kids say about a lot of assigned books that they have no real interest in reading.

So I expected that I would like The Trumpeter of Krakow. I was looking forward to reading about medieval (or mid-evil, as one kid wrote in his review) Poland, as I like historical fiction, and have especially liked most of the other Newbery winners set in the Middle Ages.

Sadly, I really didn't enjoy The Trumpeter much. Maybe I'm becoming curmudgeonly, because the only medalist I've really liked out of the fourteen I've read in the last year is Criss Cross. Or maybe I picked all the best ones first, and now that I'm near the end of all of the Newbery winners, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel. But I thought I was going like The Trumpeter of Krakow!

My problem with the story started right away in the first chapter - "The Man Who Wouldn't Sell His Pumpkins". The first sentence of the chapter states that "It was in late July of the year 1461 that the sun rose one morning red and fiery as if ushering in the midsummer's hottest day" (p. 7). Some interesting descriptions of wagons and people on the road to Krakow follow, and we meet the villain, whom you can tell is really bad because he's so ugly:

"It was the face, however, that betrayed the soul beneath. It was a dark, oval, wicked face - the eyes were greenish and narrow and the eyebrow line above them ran straight across the bridge of the nose, giving the effect of a monkey rather than a man. One cheek was marked with a buttonlike scar, the scar of the button plague that is so common in the lands east of the Volga, or even the Dnieper, and marks the bearer as a Tartar or a Cossack or a Mongol. The ears were low set and ugly. The mouth looked like the slit that boys make in the pumpkins they carry on the eve of Allhallows" (p. 12).

Now hold it right there. In 1461, boys in Poland did not make jack-o-lanterns out of pumpkins. Squash and pumpkins were domesticated by the American Indians in prehistoric North America, and before 1492, there wasn't much of chance for Europeans to grow pumpkins (or tomatoes, chili peppers, kidney/pinto/Lima beans, tobacco, maize, potatoes, zinnias or petunias, either). Well, maybe this wasn't widely known in 1928, and anyway, it's only a descriptive passage.

But wait a minute. A few pages later, we learn that a man, a woman, and their son have a huge yellow pumpkin in their wagon - and the man (Pan Andrew, or Mr. Andrew) refuses to sell it to the villain, even for its weight in gold. Well, that's where the name of the chapter comes from, obviously, but this late-season pumpkin from the steppes just bothered me. It made me suspicious of all of the other historical descriptions in the book.

I never really felt close to any of the main characters - Joseph (Andrew's son), his mother, Andrew the trumpeter, the alchemist Kreutz, or Kreutz's niece, Elzbietka. The mystery and the suspense that others applaud felt mechanical and forced to me. Although I enjoyed the rather lengthy descriptions of medieval Krakow, with its pillories, university students, cloth traders, night watchmen, and priests, I suspect my 12 year old son wouldn't find it as interesting as I did, especially in the absence of more engaging characters.

I guess I'm glad that so many other people still enjoy this story, but (as with Shen of the Sea), I'm at a loss as to why I don't like it more when so many others do. The whole alchemy and hypnotism story line didn't do much for me, either. But maybe I would have liked it a lot more if not for the pumpkins.

D, S. (2009, September 27). The trumpeter of Krakow. Retrieved from http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2009/09/trumpeter-of-krakow.html

Library Use: I really can't think of a good way to use this book except as an example of the way standards for good books change throughout the ages. Maybe some day eighty years from now, a teen will think The Hunger Games is overwrought and full of purple prose. Just thinking about this book makes me drowsy. It might make a good way to steady a shaky library table.

Module 4: The One and Only Ivan

Summary: Ivan, the gorilla, is the king of a concrete jungle. Trapped inside the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he performs for customers while hoping for something more. Something he can't even express but he knows exists. When his friend, Stella the elderly elephant, passes away from neglect and abuse, Ivan decides that the new baby elephant, Ruby, deserves a better life than the one they have been leading. Through his art, he begins to achieve new fame and attract the attention of animal rights workers. With the help of Julia, the janitor's daughter and Bob, the stray dog, Ivan and Ruby finally find a new life at the zoo where they can live with animals like themselves.

Citation:

Applegate, K. (2012). The one and only Ivan. New York: Harper.

Impressions: This was another book that had my crying by the end. I love the fact that the book is told from Ivan's point of view. Since Ivan has a childlike naivete like the target audience for this book, you experience his awakening and realization that there is life beyond his concrete prison.

Reviews:

How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.

Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human--except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers' passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.

Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author's note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates, (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)

The one and only Ivan. (2012, November 16). Kirkus Reviews, 45-46. Retrieved February 13, 2016, from Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). 

Library Use: This would definitely generate discussions about animal rights and would be appropriate for everything from a book group to a science class. The more we learn about animal intelligence, the more we feel the need to correct the way we have treated animals in the past. This book is a perfect springboard for that type of discussion.

Module 3: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

Summary: Beekle is an imaginary friend without a child to befriend him. After waiting a long time, he ventures into the real world to find his friend. Instead, he finds a cold world without any joy until he discovers a playground full of children. When he thinks all is lost, a young girl spots him up in a tree. Alice recognizes him and they become fast friends.

Citation:

Santat, D. (2014). The adventures of Beekle: The unimaginary friend. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Impressions: I love how Santat's work in this books likes retro and modern at the same time. The depth of emotion his characters convey makes the story more touching and immediate. You feel for Beekle and rejoice when he finds Alice. The story itself is very simply but when combined with the expressive artwork, it creates a powerful story.

Reviews:
PreS-Gr 2— How long would you wait and how far a journey would you make to find your truest friend? Born on an island for imaginary friends, Beekle waits to be "imagined by a real child." He waits and he waits, but his turn never comes. Filled with impetuous courage, Beekle does the unimaginable and heads out across deep waters until he reaches the real world. He finds that life there is so harried that no one notices him. Eventually, as he waits at the top of a star-leafed tree, a small girl with a friendly face calls out to him with a picture in her hand. They learn to be friends, share adventures and snacks, joke, "and together they did the unimaginable." Santat's attention to detail in the mixed-media illustrations shares a child's eye for laughter and movement on full-bleed spreads with strategically placed text. Gazes of wonderment, broad smiles, and changes in perspective ensure an easy transition from page to page. Beekle's round white visage and taped orange paper crown are immediately identifiable in each scene, a sharp contrast to his surroundings against variations of dark neutrals on a city street or the brightly colored dragons of a child's imagination. Like Beekle's new friend, there's something here that feels just right as an "unimaginary" friendship creates a joyous, recognizable bond. A terrific addition to any library.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Elam, M. (2014, April). Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. School Library Journal, 60(4), 134-134. Retrieved February 7, 2016, from Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). 

Library Use: Inspired by the drawings in the front and back of kids with their imaginary friends, I would do an art program where kids could design their own imaginary friend using a variety of media ranging from paint and paper to 3-D sock friends.

Module 3:Locomotive

Summary: Follow a family heading west as they travel by train from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California. Experience the sites and sounds of train travel in 1869 from boarding the train and having your ticket punched to having lunch at a railroad restaurant. See famous sites and treacherous territory.

Citation:

Floca, B. (2013). Locomotive. S.l.: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Impressions: This is one of the most lavishly illustrated picture books that I have ever seen. The research and detail that has gone into this book is truly amazing. To make things even better, the text is written in free verse. It's a perfect melding of text and illustrations.

Reviews:

Leave it to the author/illustrator who has three times been awarded the Robert F. Sibert Honor Award (Lightship, Moonshot, Ballet for Martha) to bring readers an epic, yet also intimate, 64-page picture book about America's first transcontinental railroad and the "iron horses" that rode them-the great trains of 1869 that took Americans on the "new road of rails" made for crossing the country Brian Floca's Locomotive will surely go down as one of 2013's best picture books, an intricately detailed and exhaustively researched look at the Union Pacific, the Central Pacific and the spike made of gold that once joined them. In vivid and precise free verse, Floca frames the story with a family traveling to California, and it is with them that readers take the exhilarating ride. Floca's research--which was conducted over several years and included driving the transcontinental route himself, which he describes as an "invaluable" part of his studies-makes for an engaging, highly accessible piece of nonfiction. "So much of all (that time period) comes down to us in posed, sometimes stiff, always still, black-and-white pictures," Floca says, "but the period and its inventions would amaze any age with their color, motion and vitality Getting a feel for that, and getting to write and paint about it--it was a great experience!" A remarkable achievement, Locomotive is a must-see for readers of all ages. All aboard!


Danielson, J. (2013, May 31). Brian Floca's Locomotive: A vivid free-verse ride across America. Kirkus Reviews, 42-42. Retrieved February 7, 2016, from Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson).

Library Use: I would do a program around this book and invite members of the local toy train group to set up a display related to this book. Since kids love trains, this would be a perfect way to tie the book into a large scale exhibit or event.

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.