Holes

For my last outside reading, I chose to read the book Holes by Louis Sachar. This book is about a boy names Stanley Yelnats who gets himself into some trouble. Stanley was accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated to charity by a famous athlete, Clyde Livingston. He is then sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys' juvenile detension center in Texas for 18 months as punishment. There, each boy spent his day in the desert, which contained a lake during the 1800s, digging a hole five feet deep and five feet wide. The Warden and counselors at Camp Green Lake tell them that they are digging to build character and break them of their criminal habits, but Stanley eventually finds that the warden is searching for the treasure hidden by the outlaw Kissing Kate Barlow. In the end we discover that the warden is actually Kissing Kate herself and the treasure is found.

Dr. Seuss

Today we discussed the infamous Dr. Seuss and his works. As a child I LOVED the Dr. Seuss books! Although, after re-reading some of them I got a different idea of the underlying message he is sending. These books are great for children, but also great for adults. Each book entertains the kids while teaching an important lesson about social issues we are facing in the world today. For example, In the book The Cat in the Hat, the children break all the cardinal rules that mother teach their kids. However, the message he is trying to portray is important and meaningful. He is saying that kids need some imaginative space where the parent’s don’t rule. Some other books that have a hidden message in them are How the Grinch Stole Christmas (where we learn Christmas is not about the presents), The Lorax (where we learn the importance of taking care of our environment), and Horton Hears a Woo (where we learn how to accept all races). Dr. Seuss is a wonderful author and his works did wonders for children's literature!

Picture Books

Today in class we began our study of children's picture books. At first I did not think I would enjoy this part of the class because picture books seem so elementary and bring. However, I learned that there is alot more behind picture books than what meets the eye. I found it interesting that in order for it to be a "true" picture books, the illustrations must not onle coincide with the story, but also help develop the plot. An example of this would be in the book "Rosie's Walk" that Dr. R read to us in class. Although most picture book plots are relatively simple to follow, sometimes there are hidden meanings such as in the Dr. Seuss series; but I will talk about this in another journal entry!

Alphabet Mystery

For my next outside reading assignment I have chosen to read the book Alphabet Mystery written by Audrey and Bruce Wood. This is a cute little book used to both entertain children as well as teach them the alphabet. The basic idea of the story is there is a little boy names Charley who has an alphabet. One night the other letters notice the little "x" is gone and they go on a search to find him. They end up finding him at the home of the big letters. He tells his friends he ran away because he felt useless. The other letters convince him that he is needed. They return home just in time for Charley's mom's birthday. And the best thing is that "x" was used four whole times because its the only letter in the alphabet that stands for kisses!

Utopia VS Dystopia

The definition of Utopia is a form of fiction describing an imaginary ideal world. The definition of dystopia is an imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible. These represent completly opposite worlds. In the book The Giver, the community seems to be a perfect utopia. However in the end we realize this is not a perfect world! This is more like an anti-topia which is the vision of a society that is the opposite of utopia. It is not until the second half of the book that I started to realize there were alot of things missing from the "perfect" community. Things like choices, bonding, religion, color, and especially memories. This is in no way a utopia I would like to be a part of.

The Giver

In class today we went over the idea of Utopia and how the community in the book The Giver seems to be a utopia. Although the idea of a "perfect place" sounds good, in reality it is actually misery! I don't know how anyone could want to live in a world with no real emotions. The biggest thing that gets me is how the live without love. I have had my heart broken a time or two, and it is one of the worst pains you can feel, but I would never want to love without love. There are so many happy times that I can remember that I would not trade for anything! I understand that protecting these people from pain is the main goal of this community, but I think pain is an essential part of life and things would not be the same without it.

Mick Harte Was Here

For my next outside reading I choose the book "Mick Harte Was Here" by Barbara Park. When I began the book I was not sure what it was about, but I did enjoy it in the end. It is a very sad book about a young boy named Mick who was killed in a bicycle accident one day on his way home from school. The story is told by his older sister Phoebe. The author did a wonderful job of describing Mick and making us laugh and the funny things he did while he was alive. There were also those touching moments that made you cry. This is a good book to read if you are dealing with grief over a lost one. In the end Phoebe gives a speech to her school over the importance bicycle safety in hopes that she can save others from making the same mistake her brother did; not wearing a helmet.