LSSL 5360 Module 1 Review: Last Stop on Market Street Review

Last Stop on Market Street

BIBLIOGRAPHY

De La Pena, Matt. 2015. Last Stop on Market Street. Ill. by Christian Robinson. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 9780545964524

     PLOT SUMMARY

In The Last Stop on Market Street, join CJ and his grandmother on their weekly post-church journey through the city.  Throughout their ride, CJ asks his grandmother a myriad of questions.  Why don’t they have a car?  Why do they always have to go somewhere after church?  Why can’t he have an iPod?  Why can’t that man see?  His grandmother has an encouraging and wise answer for his every question as she helps him to see the beauty in everyday things and in their routine.  Their journey ends at the soup kitchen where they serve lunch to the hungry.    

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

De La Pena’s work is a heart-warming, thought provoking story about a boy, his grandmother, and their weekly journey to serve meals at the soup kitchen.  CJ pelts his grandmother with questions about everything he sees on the way, but her responses cause the reader to pause and embrace the ordinary.  The illustrations are a delightful, vibrantly colorful mix of acrylic paint, collage, and digital manipulation.  Each page of their journey is its’ own work of art as the reader takes in a myriad of sights as seen through the eyes of a young boy.  It is a beautiful story of the joy found in simplicity and service.  From an educational perspective, the text would be ideal for teaching figurative, descriptive language and inferencing.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

**Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal

**A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book

**A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book

**A #1 New York Times Bestseller

Four Starred Reviews

Finalist for the 2014 E.B. White Read-aloud Book Award

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Winter 2014-2015 Kids’ Indie Next Pick

“That material poverty need not mean spiritual or imaginative poverty becomes beautifully clear in the quietly moving in the pages of Last Stop on Market Street.”–The Wall Street Journal

“A celebration of the joys of service, the gift of grandmothers and the tenderness a city can contain.”–Newsday

CONNECTIONS

Use this book as a springboard to discuss things you are thankful for or to brainstorm activities involving volunteer service.
This book would also be ideal for lessons in inferencing in upper elementary.  The text does not come out and tell the reader that the last stop on Market Street is a soup kitchen.  

Students could also read to locate figurative language, explain what it means, discuss the author’s purpose in word choice, and work to emulate this use of language.  

LSSL 5360 Module 1 Review: Uptown

Uptown

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Collier, Bryan. 2000. Uptown. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Company, LLC. ISBN 9780805057218

     PLOT SUMMARY

Uptown is a boy’s journey through his home in Harlem.  The author uses metaphors and vivid language to take the reader through the city and give a feel for its’ culture.  From the time he wakes up until the sun sets, the boy guides his audience on a tour through the famous sights of Harlem.  The brightly colored illustrations show the Metro, the famous brownstones, shopping on 125th street, the Apollo Theatre, a barber shop, the Harlem Boys choir, and sunset over the Hudson River.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Mixed media type illustrations coupled with vivid language create a beautifully flowing description of Harlem in Uptown.  The sights, sounds, and flavors of this energetic community can be experienced through the vibrant colors and poetic feel of the book.  Uptown would be a great choice for teaching and explaining metaphors.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Winner

CONNECTIONS

This would be a great text to use to get kids writing.  Give them a topic to write their own metaphoric descriptions such as, “Happiness is…” Use their writing to create a class book.

LSSL 5360 Module 1 Review: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Steig, William. 1969. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Ill. by William Steig. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 0671662694

     PLOT SUMMARY

In Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, a young donkey named Sylvester discovers a pebble that will grant him any wish he desires.  On his walk home, as he is contemplating all the wonderful things he can wish for, he encounters a lion.  In a moment of panic, he wishes he were a rock -- and his wish is granted.  Without holding the pebble, Sylvester is unable to wish himself back into his original donkey self.  His parents are devastated as months pass without anyone figuring out what happened to their dear son.  Finally, on one sunny afternoon, Sylvester’s parents head out for a picnic and end up using him as a table.  They discover the pebble and, unbeknownst to Sylvester, place it on their stone table.  Sylvester then wishes he was himself again at just the right moment, and he reappears.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a visually and verbally appealing tale about a donkey who makes an unwise decision in haste.  The watercolor illustrations are full of details that could tell the story standing alone.  They complement the story and do an amazing job showing the animals expressions up close.  There is strong vocabulary usage throughout the book that is excellent for teaching context clues and voice.  The story wraps up with a valuable lesson for kids: the true treasure lies in appreciating what you already have.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

-Recipient of the Caldecott Medal in 1970

This tale of a donkey who wishes on a magic pebble has charmed a generation of readers and will no doubt go on to attract a new one. - Publisher’s Weekly

CONNECTIONS

As a writing activity, students could tell about what they would wish for should they discover their own magic pebble.  

They can also write about the best things in their life that they treasure more than wishes, just as Sylvester discovered the treasure in being himself.  

LSSL 5360 Module 1 Review: Millions of Cats

Millions of Cats

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ga’g, Wanda. 1928. Millions of Cats. New York, NY: GP Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399233156

     PLOT SUMMARY

Millions of Cats is a picture book about an old peasant man who heads out in search of a kitten for him and his wife.  Upon finding millions of cats, he is unable to decide which to keep and instead brings them all home.  The man and his wife realize what a disastrous undertaking this would be and, upon hearing the cats’ displeasure, close the door and hope they will determine who stays and who goes.  Once all is quiet, the old couple finds one lone, scraggly cat, who they choose to keep and love back to health.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Millions of Cats is a classic picture book from 1928 that received a Newberry Honor.  In this delightful tale of an old peasant man on the quest for a kitten, the author uses the phrase, “hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats” throughout the whole book making it a great choice for emerging readers.  The illustrations are in black and white, but are detailed and engaging enough to tell the story all on their own.  In the end, readers learn that the best things don’t come in packages that boast about themselves.  Beauty can grow over time, just like it did in the homely little cat the old couple ends up with at the conclusion of the story.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

A classic that could make anyone a cat lover. - Pat Valsillik, BookList

The phrase “ hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats” still rings in my head from hundreds of thousands (but not quite billions and trillions) of readings. - Ellen L. Ramsay, BookList

CONNECTIONS

This title would lend itself well to a story sequencing activity for the primary grades.  

Students could also have a blank cat print off they could then color to show which type of cat they would choose if they were searching for a new pet.