The Hobbit

I have already read The Hobbit once before when I was in Jr. High. However, as I began reading it again I realized that I have forgotten alot about the story. Like we talked about in class today, one of the things I find interesting about the book is the opening pages. I think Tolkien did a fabulous job of introducing Bilbo Baggins to the readers by describing the setting and his hole rather than describing the hobbit himself. Also, I have recognized that Bilbo really does not want to be out on this adventure! At least once every chapter he is wishing that he is at home rather than where he is at that present moment. I really hope this passes because I want him to have a successful adventure and come home with some gold!

Children's Illustrators

Alot of this class is focused on the words of children's literature. I agree that the authors and what they write are of much importance, but I also feel that we don't focus enough on the works of the illustrators. After searching online, I found a very talented illustrator of children's books and I think her work deserves to be looked at. Her name is Barbara Cooney and she has illustrated over 100 children's books. Ms. Cooney compares a picture book to a string of beads. "The pictures may be beautiful jewels in themselves, but they don't hang together unless there is a string of them, which is the text, and that's the foremost thing". Barbara Cooney says she illustrates with honesty and integrity. If you would like more information on her you can visit her website at http://www.lib.uconn.edu/about/exhibits/cooney/conyfpg.htm.

Are You There God? It's me, Margaret

For my next outside reading I chose to re-read the book "Are You There God? It's me, Margaret" by one of my favorite children's literature authors, Judy Bloom. This book is all about a young girl who moves to a new town and is beginning to go through puberty. Throughout the book, Margaret faces issues such as buying her first bra and learning how to talk to boys. The main conflict in the book deals with Margaret and her relationship with God. She grew up without religion and has one christian parent and one jewish parent. In the end, Margaret learns to listen to God and herself and this should always lead her in the right direction. I loved this book as a young girl and I still love it today!

Sing-Song

I did not enjoy this book of poetry as much as I enjoyed the Child's Garden of Verses. However, I did like some aspects of the work. Some of the things I found interesting are how the book both begins and ends the same; with a child sleeping in its bed. I also found it interesting that the poems move through phases that coinside with seasons. I can see how this book is meant for children, but I can also see how adults are able to relate to some of the poems. I think Christina Rossetti did a good job of writing these poems so they can be interpreted by the individual based on their own life experiences.

A Child's Garden of Verses

I liked reading A Child's Garden of Verses. I think Robert Louis Stevenson is a very talented writer and I admire him for his ability to write for children. I like how there are many different sections such as The Child Alone and Garden Days. To me, this really sets the scene while I read a poem in that section. One of my favorite poems from this collection is The Unseen Playmate. I love it because the way he describes this unseen friend. Everyone had an imaginary friend when they were a child, and this poem describes how fun they can be. My favorie verse is " Nobody heard him and nobody saw, His is a picture you could never draw, But he's sure to be present, abroad or at home, When children are happy and playing alone." When a child is alone, their unseen friend is always there for them!

Lyrical Poetry-E.E. Cummings

Like I said before I really enjoyed the narrative poetry, but I also enjoyed the lyrical poetry also. I liked many of the authors such as Robert Frost and Emily Dickenson. However, the most interesting of the bunch was E.E. Cummings. I really like the poem maggie and milly and molly and may. This poem just seems to flow and speaks to me. The weirdest poem by far was in Just-spring. The way he uses punctuation (or lack there of ) is odd yet intriguing. Also, he almost never uses capitol letters which is also odd. I like how he plays with the "white space" by randomly spacing apart the words.

African American Poets

I was very interested about the topic african american poets we talked about in class yesterday. My favorite of the four authors we discussed is Countee Cullen. The fact that he writes about real experiences the african americans had to experience touches me. I especially enjoyed the work "Incident". This is a sad story and the awful thing is it has probably happened to people before. It breaks my heart to think that a boy could visit somewhere for seven months and the only thing he can remember is being called a nigger. Race issues are still a problem in America. Why can't we just all get along!?