TALKIN' ABOUT BESSIE

By Nikki Grimes Illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Image Credit: www.librarything.com

1. Bibliography 

Grimes, Nikki, and Earl B. Lewis. Talkin' about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. New York: Orchard, 2002. Print. ISBN 9780439352437

2. Plot Summary
Elizabeth Coleman is the first African American female that was licensed to fly a plane in the United States. Her story is told through the voices of people who knew her including her parents, flight instructor from France, and many others. Bessie was a girl who dreamed big and believed she could do anything she set her mind to including the being the first African American female to fly. 

3. Critical Analysis
TALKIN' ABOUT BESSIE is a biography of Elizabeth Coleman. The story is told through the voices of people who knew her and her dream of being an aviator. Nikki Grimes writes the story in free verse and dialect of the people attending her memorial service. The story is told chronologically and builds to a final entry of Bessie telling her experience of flying. Grimes includes source references to Bessie Coleman and aviation on the last page. 

Many cultural markers are present in the story. Many of the cultural markers include dialect of people such as: "Yessir! You might could say Bessie bore some watchin'"  We also see reference to the "one-room Colored schoolhouse" and the many chores that Bessie had to complete including the laundry done by using the washboard. 

E. B. Lewis' illustrations include full pages that show events of Bessie's life including her singing with the University band at her local church. The illustrations show people of African descent and many of the obstacles Bessie had to overcome to become a pilot. This included the many chores and cotton picking. The illustrations help the reader to see who Bessie was and her joy of flying.

I found this story to be very interesting and would be a good read for children in 3rd grade and above. This story helps the readers to understand the many struggles of African Americans.

4. Review Excepts and Awards
~2003 Coretta Scott King Author Honor

~2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

~HORN BOOK (3/2003): "Watercolors on facing pages evoke each incident and often soften the harshness in Coleman's life. Grimes separates fact from fiction in an introduction and an endnote. Like Bessie, this tribute to her life soars."

~KIRKUS (10/2002): " The handsome design, large format, and beautiful artwork make this very attractive, but the lack of source notes or clarification of what's fictionalized-especially quotes-and the strange opening scene set at Bessie's wake as she speaks to her mother from her photo on the mantel, will leave many readers confused."

5. Connections
~This story could be read as an introduction to the life of Bessie Coleman. After reading the story, students could research more about her and use a web 2.0 tool to share their findings.

JOHN HENRY 

By Julius Lester Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Image Credit: www.betterworldbooks.com 

1. Bibliography 

Lester, Julius, Jerry Pinkney, and Jane Byers. Bierhorst. John Henry. New York: Dial, 1994. Print. ISBN 9780803716070

2. Plot Summary

JOHN HENRY is a traditional literature story of the man that was known to be larger than life. At John Henry's birth, he began to grow instantly and began a man who was faster than a horse and  stronger than a machine. He challenged a machine operator to see who could tunnel through a mountain the fastest. John Henry swung his sledge hammers so fast while winning the challenge that rainbows surrounded him. 

3. Critical Analysis

JOHN HENRY is a traditional literature story from an African American folktale. This story is extremely fasted paced. From the time of John Henry's birth he is already growing into a young man. Lester used descriptive writing that most children can understand including "the air seemed to be dancing to the rhythm of his hammers" and "it was as hard as anger and so big around." Lester included a brief background on the legend of John Henry before the story begins. This will help readers to have a better foundation of John Henry before reading the story.

Cultural Markers for the story include various phrase like "Didn't nobody see John Henry" and "drinking a soda mom." Many children will need to use picture and context clues to understand the meaning of soda mom. Through this writing children will be exposed to language that was used in the past by African Americans. The reader is also exposed to the respect that children have for their elders including working on the house. John Henry also confronts the "meanest man in the state" where John Henry won the race and Freddy became nice.

In the illustrations by Jerry Pinkney we see many cultural markers including skin tone, facial features, and hairstyles. Even though the story moves quickly at the beginning, the illustrations help the reader to keep up with the pace.  The illustrations are mostly full page with colors that are blended using pencils, colored pencils, and watercolors. Pinkney helps the reader to comprehend how fast baby John Henry grew by using the illustrations to show him jumping from his mother's arms and the expressions on the faces of his parents. The illustrations also portray how big and strong John Henry was compared to others.

4. Review Excepts
~HORN BOOK (3/1995): "The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent."

~SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (11/1994): " It will appeal to an older audience than Ezra Jack Keats's John Henry (Knopf, 1987) and is a fine addition to any folklore collection."

5. Connections
~ After reading this story, students can research the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad that went through West Virginia

~Read other stories about John Henry and compare contrast the stories.

A COOL MOONLIGHT

By Angela Johnson

Image Credit: www.goodreads.com

1. Bibliographic 

Johnson, Angela. A Cool Moonlight. New York: Puffin Books, 2003. Print. ISBN 0803728468

2. Plot Summary

Lila is a young girl who is about to turn nine years old and hasn't been in the sunlight since she was a baby. Lila was born with a rare allergy to the sun and some artificial lights, xeroderma pigmentosum. Lila is a child who stays up late at night to play outside in the moonlight and is home schooled by her mother during the day. Lila has two friends who only come to see her when she is playing in the moonlight alone, Alyssa and Elizabeth. With the help of these two friends and a "sun bag", Lila has decided that when she turns nine she will be able to go into the sunlight just like everyone else. 

3. Critical Analysis

A COOL MOONLIGHT by Angela Johnson is a short novel and consist of many things imaginary. At the beginning of the story the reader is left to believe that Lila's friends, Alyssa and Elizabeth are real until Lila's older sister never gets a chance to see them.  The reader is left trying to figure out what is real and what is fake throughout the story. Around the middle of the story I begin to think that Alyssa and Elizabeth were make believe friends until Lila sees them at a department store.  Then you begin to wonder again until the end of the story when Lila is being lifted into the air by fireflies. Most children will believe that Alyssa and Elizabeth were fireflies all along.

In the story we see a strong family bond who does everything they can to take care of Lila.  The mother home schools Lila, the older sister Monk takes Lila into town at night to hang out, and their father works nights so that he can be home during the day for Lila. Lila also has a birthday party at night and the family has taken night vacations in the past.

I could not distinguish any cultural markers in this story. The language in the story does not distinguish it as African American dialect. Dad comes home one morning and ask "what's up, kid?" This could be a phase used by anyone. The conversations in the story were simple sentences and much of the story was from Lila's point of view. Angela Johnson did not use any capitalization in the book including proper names. The language is simple sentences and with lots of white spaces. The only illustrations present in the book were of the sun and moon. Johnson uses words that describe the situation well for the reader including descriptive words. "it'll be just like a movie, me walking on the beach in the sun. seagulls will fly over and dive-bomb fish out in the water...it's going to be warm on my face with no blisters or burning."  

4. Review Excepts

~KIRKUS (9/2003): "Poignant, evocative, and as lingering as sunburn, Lila's story is one of courage, hope, and dreams."

~BOOKLIST (10/2003): "Though few readers suffer from Lila’s illness, many will recognize the ragged path she consciously takes as she lets go of a fantasy that has sustained her and begins to leave childhood behind. The book’s real magic resides in the spell cast by Johnson’s spare, lucid, lyrical prose. Using simple words and vivid sensory images, she creates Lila’s inner world as a place of quiet intensity— spun gossamer that proves immensely, unexpectedly strong."

5. Connections

~After reading this story, students could research more about the skin condition and how the condition is being treated. 

~Students could respond to the prompt, "If you couldn't go into the sunlight, what would you do and how would you interact with friends that could?"