The Giver

By Lois Lowry

I'm going to assume that everyone in this class has read this book (because we were all supposed to), so instead of summarizing I'm just going to post what I think.

I'm not really sure what I think of The Giver.  Now, don't get me wrong, I thought it was a wonderful book, and I definitely had trouble putting it down.  It offers a look into an alternate, yet plausible, world - kind of a children's version of 1984, in a way.  The plot was interesting and the characters were realistic and very relatable.  Lois Lowry's language is so perfect that we can feel exactly what it would be like to be Jonas.  When he struggles with the idea of his world, we struggle too.  And in that sense, I think the story is very well-written.

The only thing I think I am unsure about is the ending.  I have read that Lowry left it open-ended on purpose, and I can understand that.  I'm still not really sure whether I think that Jonas has finally reached his happy Elsewhere, or if he is dying in the snow, entering a dreamlike state.

The one thing that doesn't really sit well with me was Jonas and the Giver's final plan.  I feel like Jonas was cheated in some way - why was it his responsibility to leave, and not the Giver's?  I know that the Giver mentioned that he was too old and weak to make the trip, and would have died during the journey.  Jonas could have died too, but either way those memories and feelings would have come back to the people.  And Jonas has so much more life to live, it really isn't fair that he is forced to risk his life.  The Giver could have left instead - and even if he had died, to me it wouldn't have mattered as much, because he is already very old and has lived a full life.  Jonas seems like such a thoughtful human being that I have trouble believing that the Giver would have been able to help the community cope with the memories any better than Jonas could have.  And the Giver already had his chance to help the community, and failed.

A big part of this book is that so many questions are left unanswered.  And I'm sure Lowry did this on purpose.  We are all meant to be questioning why things are the way they are in Jonas' world, and what things would be like if the community were different.

Because of all of these questions, The Giver is sure to inspire deep and thoughtful discussions in and out the classroom.  I feel that this book would be better utilized in a classroom if it were used as a group reading or a class read-aloud book, instead of just being read individually by one or two students.  It would be a great book for a student to read on his or her own, but there are so many things to discuss that it would be much more helpful to read it together and have discussions about what the students are thinking and feeling.  This would be a great book to use with older students.

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

By Audrey Wood
Illustrated by Don Wood

King Bidgood's in the bathtub... and he won't get out!  This humorous story (suitable for all ages and also available in the "big book" format) tells the tale of a stubborn king who will not leave his bathtub.  Of course nobody can make him get out... so instead, the Knight, the Queen, the Duke, and the entire King's Court ends up playing, lunching, fishing, and dancing in the tub.  It turns out to be quite a sight!  The Court gives up and cries for help.  It turns out that the young Page is the only one with a solution - but you'll have to read the book to learn what it is!

This story is original and humorous, and is sure to illicit many giggles and comments of surprise from younger readers.  And although it is silly, it does offer the lesson that there is always a solution to your problems, even though it may not be the first (or second, or third) plan you come up with.  Additionally wonderful are Don Wood's oil paintings that accompany the story.  The illustrations are delightfully detailed and illustrate the true absurdity of situations like fishing in the bathtub.

This book is a Caldecott Honor Book, and for good reason.  King Bidgood's in the Bathtub is sure to be a delightful story for readers of all ages.

Survival at 40 Below

By Debbie S. Miller
Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle

This new picture book explains the land of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska, and shows us what life is like for each of the animals as the seasons change and the temperatures drop.  It tells how different species prepare themselves for the eight months of snow that occur in the frozen tundra.  Among other animals, the book describes caribou, various birds, fish, frogs, grizzly bears, arctic foxes, and snowshoe hares.  This book gives very interesting facts that most people wouldn't know (like, for example, that the blackfish has an esophagus that can work like a lung, and that during the winter months this fish finds holes in the ice and breathes through its mouth).

Though this book is very specific in its scope, its unusual facts would be sure to attract the attention of children.  Reading this book would be a fun and interesting way to learn about wildlife that somehow manages to survive in an extreme climate.  In addition, the painted illustrations are very realistic and help to transport the reader from the comfort of their home or classroom to the chilly arctic tundra.  Definitely give it a look!

If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States

By David J. Smith
Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong

This wonderful nonfiction children's book explains what America would be like if it were a village of 100 people.  Each page is headed with a question, such as Who are we?  Where do we come from? What religions do we practice?  How old are we? How healthy are we?  Then, each page breaks down the demographics.  For example, the page Where do we come from? states the following:

"America is a country of immigrants.  Almost every person in the United States can trace ancestors back to other parts of the world.  If the America today were a village of 100: 15 would be of German ancestry, 11 would be of Irish ancestry, 9 African, 9 English, 7 Mexican, 6 Italian, 3 Polish, 3 French, 3 Native American, 2 Scottish, 2 Dutch, 2 Norwegian, 1 Scotch-Irish, and 1 Swedish.  The rest have other backgrounds.  This is quite a change from when the first U.S. census was taken in 1790.  If American had been a village of 100 in 1790, 53 would have come from England, 19 from Africa (most of them slaves), 11 from Scotland and Ireland, and 7 from Germany.  The rest had various backgrounds, including French, Swedish, and Native."

I thought this was a really interesting book because it breaks down a lot of facts about Americans and puts them into terms that everyone (even children) can understand.  And in addition to just listing those simple facts, it offers a lot of other information about our past, our diversity, how America compares to other countries, etc.  I think this would be a great book to use in the classroom for a variety of reasons.  It offers lessons on history.  It offers lessons about different cultures and diversity.  And it would also be an excellent way to give a math lesson on percentages.  The information on any one of these pages could easily be turned into a pie-chart as a student project.

In addition to the wealth of information in this book, it also wins points for being up-to-date (it was published in 2009) and for having beautiful, colorful paintings on each page.  If America Were a Village is really a wonderfully put together piece of work.

Coraline

By Neil Gaiman
Graphic Novel Adapted and Illustrated by P. Craig Russell

I read this as an optional novel last week, but since I have been reading a lot of graphic novels for class this week I thought it would be fun to read the GN adaptation of this award-winning children's novel.

... Sorry about this post.  Mostly it is just a reminder to myself that I need to write something here!

Rapunzel's Revenge

 

By Shannon and Dean Hale

Illustrated by Nathan Hale

This wonderful graphic novel tells the well-known story of Rapunzel.  The only twist is that it’s Rapunzel’s version of the story, which turns out to be very different from the traditional story that everyone knows.  Rapunzel is a very nontraditional heroine, and it turns out that “Prince Charming” is actually kind of a dummy.  Rapunzel makes a friend named Jack (later revealed to be from Jack and the Beanstalk), and the two of them go on a quest to rid the land of the evil powers of Rapunzel’s “Mother,” who has kidnapped Rapunzel’s true mother and taken over the land.

This would be a great book to use with upper elementary children.  I really enjoyed it because it is a graphic novel (which more commonly appeal to a male audience) which offers us a strong and enjoyable heroine.  Like The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Rapunzel's Revenge offers a fresh viewpoint on an old favorite, and would be yet another great example of how the narrator's viewpoint changes the story.

Alanna: The First Adventure

By Tamora Pierce

My 6th grade teacher used this book as read-aloud for our class, and Tamora Pierce quickly became one of my favorite authors throughout junior high and my early high school years.  This book is the first in the Song of the Lioness series.  Pierce has several other series published, all of which have similar styles and themes.

Alanna of Trebond is a young girl who wishes to become a knight in the mythical land of Tortall.  There's just one problem: she's a girl, and there hasn't been a female knight in the realm for over 100 years.  She is to be sent to a convent, and her twin brother Alan (who wishes to become a sorcerer) is to become a knight.  The two of them have very disinterested parents, so they come up with a scheme to get what they want.  Alanna cuts her hair and travels to the king's palace, disguised as a boy named Alan.  She becomes a page and excels at her training, but faces many challenges as she tries to keep her gender a secret.

I really love Pierce's books because they all feature mythical realms, magic, and knights... but almost all of them feature a heroine instead of the typical male characters that you would expect to see in such stories.  I feel that these novels are a great way for get girls involved in a genre that is generally very  male-oriented.  A teacher could use this book as a class-wide reading, like mine did, and expose not only girls but also boys to the idea that you don't have to be male to be a knight.

This book is a very interesting and exciting read and will have many readers heading to the library in search of the rest of the series.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, by A. Wolf

"As told to" Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith

From the author of The Stinky Cheese Man comes yet another twisted fairy tale. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is the Alexander T. Wolf's tale of what really happened.  All he wanted was to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor, who happened to be a little pig!  And it totally wasn't his fault that the pig was dumb enough to build his house out of straw.  As he knocked, suddenly the wolf felt a sneeze coming on!  "And you know what?   That whole darn house fell down.  And right in the middle of the pile of straw was the First Little Pig - dead as a doornail.  He had been home the whole time.  It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw.  So I ate it up.  Think of it as  big cheeseburger just lying there."

And so it goes.

Like The Stinky Cheese Man, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs has very detailed and creative illustrations (they have the same illustrator).   Unlike The Stinky Cheese Man, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs has a more traditional picture book format.  But regardless of that, it offers a unique perspective on a popular fairy tale and is sure to delight readers of all ages (and that includes you!).  This book would be great for a classroom discussion on how the narrator's viewpoint affects the story, or even about how there is more than one side of the story in every conflict (within literature as well as within the classroom!)  This book is funny and it offers a new twist on an old favorite, and is a must-read for everyone.

Looking for Atlantis

By Colin Thompson

When his grandfather comes home from sea for the last time, his 10-year-old grandson (the narrator of this story, who remains unnamed throughout the book) embarks on an adventure of his own.  Before he dies, the grandfather tells his grandson, "Atlantis is right here, all around you.  You have to learn how to look for it." 

The rest of the book tells of the boy's search for Atlantis, and the feelings he has about losing someone he had loved.  The words are sparse but get the story across.  The boy is constantly searching, but everything feels muddled and distant.  Until one day, he finally realizes: "My grandfather had been right.  At last I had learned how to look.  I had learned that hope and dreams are not just inside your head, and that I could keep Atlantis and Grandfather in my heart forever."

There were a couple of things I really liked about this book.  The reason I picked it out was because of its illustrations.  They are so intricate and detailed that you could spend hours looking at each one.  While the words are sparse throughout the book, the illustrations definitely portray everything that is going on within the boy's head.  While he is searching for Atlantis, it really does seem as if it's all around him.  For example, on one page he is sitting in his room in the attic, slouched over a desk.  All around him are his belongings, and underneath his desk is the chest that his grandfather gave him, with a tiny door which supposedly leads to the real Atlantis.  Among his toys, there is a stuffed rabbit wearing a pirate's eye patch.  On his bookshelves, hidden among everything else, are books titled A Year in Atlantis, Five Go to Atlantis, Atlantean Family Robinson, etc.  Beneath the floorboards are tiny people, a crown from a pirate's treasure, and a miniature ship.  And there is much more to look at.

Another thing I really liked about this book was that it dealt with the death of a loved one.  While not exactly a common experience for children to have, it is something that many children have to deal with.  There are not many books that relate to children in this situation.  The feelings that the boy has (feeling like "everything was muddled up like a dream") are realistic and offer a lot for children to relate to.  Death is not an easy topic to deal with, especially for small children, and throughout his search for Atlantis, it seems that what the boy is truly searching for is his grandfather.  But in the end he finally reaches peace, and realizes that he can keep his grandfather in his heart forever.

Archie and the Pirates

By Marc Rosenthal

"After a night dreaming of drifting and floating... Archie awakes to find himself on a strange beach."  Archie is a monkey who somehow becomes stranded on a deserted island.  Quite the resourceful primate, he quickly finds the things he needs to build himself a tree house and gathers enough food to feed himself.  He becomes friends with an ibis named Clarice and, unexpectedly, with a tiger named Beatrice (the black and orange stripes on Archie's shirt remind her of her tiger cubs).  The three of them play games, cook together, and generally have a great time.  Until one day, a ship of ferocious pirates lands on the beach!  The horrible pirates capture Beatrice and lock her in a cage.  It's up to Archie and Clarice to figure out a plan to save her - and that's exactly what they do.

I read this book because I am working with a young reader who is enthralled by animals and sea stories.  And, as he put it, "this book is amazing!"  From a teacher's standpoint, Archie and the Pirates is not profound, and it does not offer any deep and meaningful messages.  But it is a fun book, and tells an entertaining story of unexpected friendships and teamwork.  The plot and illustrations offer a lot to keep younger readers engaged (for example, there is a crab that reappears on many of the pages, and many of the contraptions that Archie builds are drawn in detail).  So, if you're looking for a lighthearted story with a good message, this is the book for you.

Jumanji

By Chris Van Allsburg

"Now remember," Mother said, "your father and I are bringing some guests by after the opera, so please keep the house neat."  And with that, Judy and Peter are left on their own for the night.  The two of them become hopelessly bored, so they go outside to play.  At the park they discover a a long, thin box.  "JUMANJI," it reads.  "A JUNGLE ADVENTURE GAME."  Peter thinks that somebody probably left it in the park because it's so boring, but Judy convinces him to bring it home and play.  Little do they know, everything that happens on the game board happens in real life, too!  When Peter lands on "Lion attacks, move back two spaces," a real-life, full-grown lion appears on top of the piano.  And that is just the beginning of their adventures - as it happens, the lion (and everything else that appears afterward) will not disappear until the game has ended!  The duo frantically tries to finish the game, while facing monkeys, a monsoon, a rhinoceros stampede, a giant python, and more.

Luckily, Judy finishes the game.  And just as if nothing had ever happened, the house magically becomes clean again.  When Judy and Peter tell their parents of all their adventures, their guests laugh and all of the adults marvel at the children's vivid imaginations.

So... was the adventure true or not?  I think one of the great things about this book is that it is never made clear.  It just goes to show that when you truly use your imagination, the lines between fantasy and reality become sp blurred that it's impossible to tell what's real.  Judy and Peter really believed that all of those amazing things happened, and that's all that matters, right?

Van Allsburg, author of Caldecott-winning Polar Express, once again succeeds in bringing children to a world that they've never imagined before.  His black-and-white illustrations are so realistic that readers can actually picture themselves within the story.  Additionally, this story captures a true picture of the power of imagination.  The next time your children are bored out of their minds with nothing to do, maybe they can go play their own game of Jumanji.

The Wolves in the Walls

 

By Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Dave McKean

The Wolves in the Walls is very typical of Neil Gaiman's style.  It is a tale of Lucy, a young girl who is perhaps a bit too imaginative.  One day, she begins to hear noises in the walls. She tells her mother that there are wolves in the walls.  Her mother tells her that it's just mice, "For you know what they say... If the wolves come out of the walls, then it's all over."  "What's all over," asked Lucy?"  "It," said her mother.  "Everybody knows that."  The next day, Lucy tells her father that there are wolves in the walls, but he doesn't believe her either.  He tells her it's rats.  Still, Lucy is convinced that there are wolves in the walls!  Lucy goes to her brother.  Unsurprisingly, he thinks the noise in the wall is just some tiny bats.

Until one day... the wolves come out of the walls!  The family escapes and spends days camping out in the garden.  But determined little Lucy is unhappy with the situation, and hatches a plan to re-claim their house from the wolves.  They sneak into the walls of the house, and one day they sneak out and scare all of the wolves away.  The frightened wolves flee and are never to be seen again.  And everything is back to normal... until one day, Lucy hears noises that sound exactly like elephants in the walls...

This book is strange and, truth be told, quite scary.  McKean's wonderful illustrations are dark and dramatic, only adding to the effect of the surreal story.  The text changes sizes and varies between white and black, creating stark contrasts with the illustrations of the book.  I always love when stories do not fit the standard "form" of picture books, because it makes things much more interesting and exciting.  Additionally, the story is very imaginative and sure to thrill most children.  This would be a very excellent story to bring up a discussion about confronting your fears.  Although Lucy is the smallest in her family, and even though nobody believes her stories... when her fears do come true she is the only one who is brave enough to face the problem. 

Mouse Island

By Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Dominic Catalano

Ever since the old lighthouse became automated, Mouse has lived alone on his island.  He spends his days napping in the sun, wading in the tide pools and fishing for food.  But still, something is missing in his life.  If only he could figure out what it is!

One day, Mouse spies a sinking fishing boat!  The men aboard the ship all manage to reach the lifeboat, but there is still a strange furry creature floating in the sea.  Bravely, Mouse swims out to sea and drags the creature ashore.  It isn't until afterward that Mouse realizes the creature he has saved is a cat!

Cat is an honorable cat, and instead of eating Mouse, he decides to be friends.  Mouse realizes that what he was missing all along was a companion, and learns that you can find friends in the most unexpected places!

I would say that this book is decent.  Eve Bunting is an award winning writer who always never fails to write stories that appeal to young children.  The drawings by Catalano also accompany the story very nicely.  But to be honest, the tale seems a bit generic, with an undeveloped plot.  I would have liked to see more character development or action in this book, but if you are just looking for a fun read and a happy ending, then this book is perfect for you!

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This book was an all-time favorite of mine as a kid, just because of its plain silly-ness!  This irreverent book retells the classic fairy tales we all know and love, except with an unusual twist.  The Ugly Duckling grows up to be just a really ugly duck.  The Frog Prince is really just a regular frog who tricks a princess into kissing him.  The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is really about a race between a tortoise running and a rabbit growing his hair.  And the list goes on.  As the inside of the dust cover says, this book has "10 complete stories! 25 lavish paintings! 56 action-packed pages.  75% more than those old 32-page 'Brand-X' books. New! Improved! Funny! Good! Buy! Now!"

In addition to the pure entertainment that children (and adults!) get out of hearing the classics told all wrong, the format of this book is very unique and further lures readers into the stories.  Our narrator, Jack, pays no mind to how a book is "supposed" to be.  Every page looks different.  The font changes sizes.  Sometimes the words are upside down or out of order.  Characters sneak into other stories (the Giant from the top of the beanstalk eats the Little Red Hen!).

On top of all of that, the illustrations of this book are great!  A mix between odd drawings and collages, each page has a very unique look to it (and unique is probably an understatement).

I'll finish up with this: while this book is a must-read for all children, it has absolutely no point or morals.  It's just a great laugh, and a great way to get kids to realize that all books are NOT created equally!

Millions of Cats

By Wanda Gag

This Newberry Honor book tells the story of an old man who goes out in search of a cat for his wife.  But what do you know!  Before his very own eyes, he comes to a hill that is covered in cats: "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats."  The old man tries to pick the most beautiful cat, but every time he is about to leave he finds one that is just as pretty as the last.  And before he knows it, he has chosen them all!

He brings them all home, only to realize that there is no way that the old couple could feed and house so many cats.  The couple thinks, and decides that they should let all of the cats decide which one they should keep.  "Which one of you is the prettiest?" asks the old man.  Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions of trillions of cats all think that they are the prettiest.  Soon, all of the cats are fighting, and the old couple runs inside to escape the gigantic brawl.

Soon, they do not hear a sound.  They go outside and there is not a cat to be seen, and they presume that all of the cats have eaten each other up!  But wait!  There is one small, scraggly kitten hiding in a bush.  When they ask how it managed to avoid being eaten, the cat says, "I'm just a very homely little cat.  So when you asked who was the prettiest, I didn't say anything.  So nobody bothered about me."  The couple takes in the tiny kitten, and soon it grows up to be a very beautiful cat, indeed!

This timeless classic tells a story of vanity versus humility.  The illustrations are simple but fit the story perfectly, and the repeated "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" makes this a perfect read-along story for younger readers.  And the fact that it was written more than 80 years ago (1929) just proves that this story is perfect for children of all ages.

The Snowy Day

By Ezra Jack Keats

The Snowy Day, a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, is a classic that has withstood the test of time.  Keats tells the simple story of young Peter and all of the adventures he has in the snow.  He makes funny footprints, climbs a mountain of snow, builds a smiling snowman, makes snow angels, and so much more!  This simple book captures the essence of the first snow and all the excitement that comes with it.

The illustrations of this book capture the simple joys of playing in the snow.  Additionally, this was "the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero" (Horn Book Magazine), and the first Caldecott winner to feature an African-American.  While not a political book, at the time The Snowy Day was considered groundbreaking.

The universal theme behind this book makes The Snowy Day a great read for young readers of all backgrounds.  This book is a must-have for any collection.

Palindromania!

By Jon Agee

The inside of the dust jacket defines palindromania as the following:
1. excessive excitement or enthusiasm inspired by an obsession with words or phrases that read exactly the same forward and backward. 2. Jon Agee's most expansive and entertaining volume of palindromes, featuring comic-strip stories, absurd diagrams, and lengthy monologues. 3. a state of mind you may find yourself in after reading this book.

Rather than telling a story, this delightful picture book introduces children to the wonderful world of palindromes.  The simple black and white comics within this book make each palindrome seem entertaining and simple to read.  And the best part is, you don't have to read the whole book at once - each palindrome has its own comic, so you can read just as much as you want.

One simple comic is titled Lew's Diet Prison.
As a large boy runs away from two men in uniform, one man yells "Hey! Obese boy! Eh!"
The boy escapes. One man says, 'Well, let's tell Lew."
The last scene shows the two uniformed men talking to Lew, who is sitting at a table covered in candy and donuts: "We lost a fatso, Lew."

Some of the stories make a little less sense.  Here is Monologue I:
Rot! An essene gym! Pee, kroenig! Am I in a chasm? Harbor? Eh? Hero: Brahms... Ah! Can I imagine or keep my genes, senator?"

Regardless of whether all of the stories make sense, this book is a simple and fun way to introduce children to the concept of palindromes.  Maybe after reading this book you can encourage your kids to come up with palindromes of their own!

City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male

 

By Meghan McCarthy

This book is a true story of a red tailed hawk that resides in Central Park, New York City.  It tells of how surprised people were to see such a wild bird residing in the middle of a big city!  Once the hawk stays around for awhile and it becomes clear that he's there to stay, "the Regulars" (frequent birdwatchers of New York) name him Pale Male for his lightly colored feathers.

One question remains, though.  Will Pale Male ever find a mate in such a bustling city?  As it turns out, one day he does!  His mate's name is Lola, and together the two hawks build a nest in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the country.  The book goes on to ask, will their eggs ever hatch?  And even if they do, how could hatchling hawks survive in such an environment?  Guess you'll just have to read it to find out!

I really liked this book because it's based on a true story, and it shows the true resilience that many wild animals have in the face of urbanization and the loss of their natural habitats.  Who would have ever thought that such wild birds could survive in such an environment?  At the same time, it would be easy to use this book to lead into the discussion of how important it is to protect our natural wildlife.  Despite their strength and resilience, the birds would not be able to survive without our help.  The very end of this book features a lengthy author's note, which tells of how some residents of New York successfully lobbied to have the nest removed from the outside of their building.  Only after passionate protests from the Regulars and other New Yorkers did they reverse their decision and allow the nest to stay.  Pale Male and Lola have managed to survive in such an environment, but I'm sure there are many other animals who would not be able to do so!  This true story sends a very strong message to children that it is our duty to help protect our nation's wildlife.

Meghan McCarthy also illustrated this book, and I think her simple paintings stay true to the feel of the story.  The cartoonish quality would make this book very appealing to younger children.

The Scrambled States of America

By Laurie Keller


I checked out this book because there is a children's card game by the same name (and illustrations - so clearly they go together)... but I had no idea there was a book until I stumbled upon it while I was browsing one day.

Kansas is not a very happy state.  How do we know?  "I'm not feeling happy at all!" he exclaims.  He's feeling kind of bored, being stuck in the middle of the country all the time.  He never gets to go anywhere, he never gets to do anything, and he never gets to meet any new states!  So he decides to have a big party for all of the states to socialize and get to know each other.  With the help of Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa, "those wacky little midwestern states planned the biggest party ever!"

As you might expect from the title of the story, it doesn't take long until all the states decide to trade places with each other, just to see what life is like in another part of the country.  They're so excited!  Hawaii and Alaska get to be around other states!  Minnesota gets to go somewhere warm!  Florida gets to go north and cool off!

Everything seems peachy at first, but soon the states are as unhappy as ever.  Minnesota is sunburned!  Florida is freezing!  Alaska keeps getting poked by Oklahoma's handle, and the ocean makes Iowa's corn all soggy!  Turns out this wasn't such a great plan after all.  So, all the states decide to move back to their original homes.  After that, they are very happy with their lives, and they all live happily ever after.  The reader walks away with the moral that we should be happy with what we have.

What I really want to talk about with this book is the illustrations.  I read this to my "buddy" in class and, while the story was amusing, the illustrations were definitely what caught his attention.  Keller's illustrations of the states are very detailed, giving each state its own personality.  On every page there are mini-conversations going on all over the place.  At the party, the states eat "New York cheesecake," "Georgia peach pie," "Minnesota peas," "Iowa corn surprise," and other exciting dishes.  "Well, I am just blowing my diet," says Idaho.  Several states dance on one side of the room, and New Hamshire exclaims "Wow! Those southwestern states can really dance!"  Wyoming pulls out a chair for Louisiana, and Tennessee exclaims "this is the third time I've dropped my fork!"  Meanwhile, Nevada and Mississippi gaze longingly at each other, in the very beginning of what turns into a book-long romance.  Iowa is taking Wisconsin's coat at the coat check: "Nice coat!" "Thanks."  Illinois is handing out nametags, and tells New Jersey, "oh, I just saw yours!"  Nebraska and Kansas are greeting other states at the door, one of which is climbing out of a big white limo.  And this is all just on one page!  The entire book is just as detailed, and definitely keeps engaged through the entire story.

Another thing I really like about this book is that there is a game that accompanies it.  Because of the bright pictures, fun story, and personality of the states, I can really see this as a way to make learning US geography fun.  All I can say is, I wish this book was around when I was a kid!