Jessie Treadway's Reviews

Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: a Nandi tale. New York City: Dial for Young Readers, 1981. Print.

This story comes from the heart of Kenya telling of how a boy saved the day by bringing the rain when grass was dry and his animals were sick. The first thing I loved about this book was the way the tale is written. It is written as a poem that builds with another four lines added with each page giving the story a sing-song voice that is both delightful to read and to hear. The repetition of parts is also helpful for young children both to remember what is happening in the story as well as engaging them in the story since they are able to repeat remembered lines. The second thing I loved about the book was the pictures. I felt they really captured African scenery and animals which are things most American children have never seen before so through these pictures they are able to broaden their perspectives of the world. This is a great book to read aloud for all young children when talking about geography and different types of lands around the world.

Heine, Theresa. Elephant Dance: Memories of India. Cambridge: Barefoot, 2004. Print.

This story comes from a grandfather relating his memories of India to his grandchildren with such descriptive similes and analogies the reader feels like they are in India too. The illustrations in the story appear as though the children are coloring along with their grandfather’s story with such detail that the pictures could tell the story on their own. But the deeper message that this story conveys is about family and tradition. The way the family works together making dinner and dancing and shopping together shows how close each member of the family is with one another and although the children have never been to India, they have a connection to their culture through their grandfather and the stories he tells as well as their food. This would be a great story when talking about different cultures and students’ backgrounds. Discussions could be led on what kind of traditional food their family eats or what kinds of stories their parents or grandparents tell. Demonstrating that despite different cultures, we all have families and traditions we continue.

McDermott, Gerald. Anansi the Spider: a tale from the Ashanti. New York City: Henry Holt and Company, 1972. Print.

This story is from the ancient culture of the Ashanti in the country of Ghana which tells the tale of a father spider and his six sons that each uses their unique talents to save their father from danger and the special reward they receive for their help. I love this book for the message of teamwork it sends to children but mainly for the beautiful illustrations. McDermott’s use of bright colors, distinct patterns and shapes gives a child of any age the ability to enjoy this book. This book would be perfect for an art lesson or a geometry lesson because of all the different shapes and uses for those shapes. Children could use geometric cut outs and make their own story or they could go through the book and label all the shapes used. Even if the story is just a read aloud, attention must be paid to each page.

Millen, C.M. Blue Bowl Down. Cambridge: Candlewick, 2004. Print.

This sweet lullaby comes from the Appalachian highlands relating a daily ritual of a mother and baby baking bread together in a fun rhythm from which even a toddler could get pleasure. The repetition and gentle water colored pictures make this a soothing book great for nap time. Also the step-by-step process of making bread could be used for a lesson or discussion on working in the kitchen and the different utensils and methods of cooking. Another lesson from the book is one that possibly only older children could pick up on which is the history. The pictures detail life in a log cabin using lanterns for light, wells for water, and bread coming not from a store but from the work of a mother and child.





Mora, Pat. Sweet Dreams Dulces Suenos. HarperCollins, 2008. Print.

This bilingual bedtime story is wonderful for both English and Spanish speaking children and families. It goes through a grandmother tucking in her grandchildren telling them about all the different kinds of animals that are sleeping with each line written first in English then in Spanish. Every day the Spanish population in the United States is growing and so many children are starting school with little or no knowledge of the English language. It's terrifying enough to start school but to start and not be able to understand what your classmates or your teacher is saying as well only increases the sense of frustration, confusion, and isolation. This book would be a helpful addition to any early childhood classroom because it sends the message that children of all languages are welcome as well as teaching the children a little of both languages thus connecting classmates