75. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Bibliographic Citation:
Diesen, Deborah. The Pout-Pout Fish. Illustrated by Dan Hanna. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. ISBN 978-0374360962. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
Time Magazine's Top 10 Childrens’ Books of 2008

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
The Pout-Pout Fish moves around the ocean with a pout on his face, and thinks it's his job to be dreary, until he learns a new lesson about the pout on his face.

Personal Reaction:
This book reveals that sometimes the things that might not seem so great about ourselves can turn out to give a lot of joy to others. The fish in this story was born with a pout, and so he thinks that it is his job to "spread the dreary wearies" all around the ocean. He meets other animals in the ocean as he swims along and they each try to cheer him up. It's not until he meets a fish who kisses him at the end of the book that he realizes that his pout can actually spread love and joy if he uses it for sharing love. 

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Grumpiness, self-acceptance, change of attitude, ocean life, love

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
Children are invited to participate in the telling of the story through the rhyming text and the repeated refrain, "blub, blub, blub".


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is addressed through rhyming, rhythmic text and alliteration.


Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed in a small, simple font in the empty space in the illustrations.



Print Motivation: 
This is a fun story that children will enjoy hearing and participating in through the rhymes and sound effects that are a part of the text. The illustrations are cartoon-like, and invite children to enjoy the pictures as the story is read, or enjoy them on their own.


Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book is centered around different types of creations found in the ocean, as well as the moods of the Pout-Pout Fish.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://deborahdiesen.com/
Illustrator website: http://www.bluebellylizard.com/index.html

53. Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Bibliographic Citation:
Willems, Mo. Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. New York, NY: Hyperion Books, 2005. 48 p. ISBN 978-0786852949.

Awards/Selection Lists:
School Library Journal Starred Review
Time Magazine's 10 Best Children's Books, 2005
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book, 2006

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Leonardo is a monster who cannot scare anyone, so he seeks out Sam, a boy who he thinks he can scare.

Personal Reaction:
This story introduces Leonardo, a monster who is not able to scare anyone, so he seeks out a kid that he can scare, and finds Sam. When he scares Sam, the boy bursts into tears, but not because he scared him, but for a variety of "wrongs" that Sam has suffered that day. Leonardo decides to change from a scary monster to a good friend to help Sam.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to children 3-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Self-esteem, frustration, change in perspective, friendship

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills can be modeled through the reading of this book through dialogic reading. The large text also invites children to become familiar with the text of this book, and encourages involvement in the telling of the story.   

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is not a direct focus of this book.

Print Awareness:
Changing, colorful, and lively fonts bring the text of the story into the story in a way that the words almost become characters of the story themselves.

Print Motivation: 
This is a fun story that children will love revisiting and becoming a part of the telling of the story. The surprising turn of events in the story make this a book that children will enjoy.

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book deals with self-esteem, feelings of frustration, changing emotions, and friendship.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://www.mowillems.com/

51. Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs

Bibliographic Citation:
Diggs, Taye. Chocolate Me! Illustrated by Shane Evans. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2011. 36 p. ISBN 978-0-312-60326-7. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
This book, through the story of a young, African American child, represents differences in race, accepting one's own identity, and accepting others' for who they are.

Personal Reaction:

The combination of the rhyming text with the description of the child's skin color as "chocolate" from his own perspective offers a little levity to a serious issue.  Children who might feel different from other children around them will identify with the main character in this book. The ending of the story demonstrates how our differences can be a positive thing.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Diversity, self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-identity

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills: 
Children are invited to become part of the narration of the story through the repetition of the title throughout the book, as well as through the rhyming text.


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is demonstrated in this book through rhyming phrases that are a part of the story.

Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed on each page in spaces that are open of illustrations. The color of the font is changed on pages where the print may be more difficult to see. The repeated phrase, which is also the title of the book, "Chocolate me" is printed in brown, larger text, drawing attention to the words each time.

Print Motivation: 
The rhythmic, rhyming text of this book make it a fun read. The method of telling the story from the perspective of a young African American child  who feels different from other children in his community provides a realistic view of the way that a young child might feel, and children who identify with this character will enjoy reading this book.  

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary in this book deals with skin color, physical attributes, and self-acceptance. 



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://chocolatemetoo.com/