LSSL 5360 Module 4: A Home for Mr. Emerson

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kerley, Barbara. Ill. Fotheringham, Edwin. 2014. A Home for Mr. Emerson. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 97805453580884

PLOT SUMMARY

Ralph Waldo Emerson is the focal point for this picture book biography.  The reader learns of his background and early life in Concord, Massachusetts and then journeys with him through life as he becomes a great writer, father, husband, and friend.  His passion for and success in writing unfolds as the book goes on and we see his journal titled “The Wide World” in 1820.  We later read of how he marries and starts a family.  After a tragedy strikes his home, his daughter takes him traveling to recover from his grief.  He returns home to witness the generosity others have bestowed upon him and his family.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Ralph Waldo Emerson is brought to life in this colorful biography.  With illustrations that are colorful, the reader is drawn in by the warmth and cheer of its’ pages main character.  Child readers will love the illustrations that have a cartoon-like appearance, making Emerson appear as a superhero diving into books and flying through the sky.  His life is illuminated by his quotes which are scattered throughout the story.  There is further information provided at the end of the book about Emerson and his life to allow readers to learn even more about this jovial man.  

      

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

NCTE Orbis Pictus (Honor) Award

This picture-book biography focuses on Ralph Waldo Emerson's home in Concord, Massachusetts, and the role it played in his affinity for nature and literature. Kerley's well-documented account features many sourced quotes from Emerson's writing; Fotheringham's stylish illustrations establish a firm sense of time and place and add a colorful element of whimsy. - Horn Book Guide 2015

Ralph Waldo Emerson, noted poet, essayist, and lecturer, left his mark on the literary world. This biographical picture book leaves the young reader with little information about this writer’s impact. The use of direct quotes is impressive and adds a more personal touch. Although a rather sketchy biography, the book does show the meaning of friendship as neighbors rally around the Emerson family after a fire destroys their home, and the endurance to follow dreams and ideas no matter what obstacles one encounters. The illustrations are bright and fanciful and would appeal to the young reader. The Author’s Note is valuable in providing more details. Jo Drudge, Educational Reviewer

CONNECTIONS

One classroom connection could include discussing the meaning of Emerson’s quotes that are found throughout the book. After discussion and analysis, students could record their interpretation and combine them all with the quotes to create a class book.  

The back of the book also contains a page entitled “Build a World of Your Own” with journal type activities that students could participate in.

LSSL 5360 Module 4: Next Stop, Neptune: Experiencing the Solar System

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jenkins, Alvin. Ill. Jenkins, Steve. 2004. Next Stop, Neptune:Experiencing the Solar System. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0161841603

PLOT SUMMARY

Known for his paper collages, Jenkins takes the reader through the entire solar system in an almost IMAX like fashion.  Authored by his physicist father, facts scattering the vast expanse of the solar system are scattered throughout the book.  He begins with an overview detailing planets and moons, and continues through with space travel and ideas about life on other planets.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jenkins’s collage illustrations do a wonderful job of giving the reader an idea of the relative size of the planets and how far they are away from the sun.  Colorful torn and cut papers create beautiful pictures of the planets and solar system.  There is a bibliography that contains other reference materials related to space exploration, but in spite of this there are still errors in the accuracy of the information given in this book.  An incorrectly placed volcano, a missing asteroid belt, and a Pluto included in the wrong orbit just to name a few.  All in all, it is a visually appealing and fun book for children, but shouldn’t necessarily be used as reliable reference material.        

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Steve Jenkins's paper collages distinguish this solar system journey. The text discusses the size of the bodies within the solar system and the distance each lies from Earth, then takes readers from the sun outward to the nine planets, visiting the asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, various moons, and the comets. Information about space travel and life in space completes the book. -The Horn Book, Inc., 2003

CONNECTIONS

Dana Meachen Rau's Solar System (Compass Point, 2000), Gail Gibbons's The Planets (Holiday, 1993) would make great, more factual companions for students wanting to learn more about the solar system.

An extension activity could include the creation of classbook depicting a journey through space and student created collages.  

LSSL 5360 Module 4 Review: The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bryant, Jen. Ill. Melissa Sweet. 2014. The Right Word:Roget and His Thesaurus. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdsman’s Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780802853851

PLOT SUMMARY

Books make the best of friends, especially to a young, shy boy named Peter Mark Roget.  His love for books and reading eventually led him to begin some writing of his own, but he didn’t write stories.  Peter began making lists of all kinds, expressing his love for words in an organized fashion until he found just what he wanted to say what he thought.  He continued with his list making and eventually started a reference book that would be used throughout the rest of time.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Sweet’s watercolor illustrations fill the pages layered over collages of fonts and images in a vintage style and perfectly capture Roget’s passion and the era in which he lived.  Embedded in the illustrations are even opportunities for readers to expand their word knowledge with latin translations of animal name, mathematical terms, and a multitude of synonyms throughout. In addition to a masterfully written, visually appealing story, there is a detailed timeline that includes his other inventions and a side note from the author and illustrator.  Overall, it is a delightfully put together biography.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Robert Sibert Award Winner

Caldecott Honor Book

"Sweet envisions Roget's work as a shadow box crammed with the wonders of the natural world, adorned with exuberant hand-lettered typography. Together with Bryant's sympathetic account, Sweet's gentle riot of images and words humanizes the man behind this ubiquitous reference work and demystifies the thesaurus itself." -- Publishers Weekly (STARRED Review)

Bryant's prose is bright and well-tuned for young readers. . . . Sweet tops herself -- again! -- visually reflecting Roget's wide range as a thinker and product of the Enlightenment. Injecting her watercolor palette with shots of teal, scarlet and fuchsia, Sweet embeds vintage bits (ledger paper, type drawers, botanical illustrations and more), creating a teeming, contemplative, playfully celebratory opus. In a word: marvelous!" -- Kirkus Reviews (STARRED Review)

"In brilliant pages teeming with enthusiasm for language and learning, Bryant and Sweet joyfully celebrate curiosity, the love of knowledge, and the power of words." -- Booklist (STARRED review)

CONNECTIONS

This would be a great book to pair with Noah Webster and His Words (2012) as an introduction to reference books that encourage a love of words and language.

Ferris, Jeri Chase. Noah Webster and His Words. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

LSSL 5360 Module 4 Review: The Mad Potter

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra. 2013. The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press. ISBN 9781596438101

PLOT SUMMARY

George Ohr’s genius and true love for pottery wasn’t discovered until 1967, years after his death.  

George grew up in the civil war era amidst political unrest in Biloxi, Mississippi.  At 22, he was introduced to the pottery wheel and the attraction was instantaneous.  "When I found the potter's wheel I felt it all over like a duck in water."

Soon thereafter, he began expressing his creativity through ceramic sculptures and strangely crafted pots.  Before long, he had thousands of creations completed.  Despite taking them to fairs and art shows, no one was buying his oddities.  He retired, and hid hundreds of his ceramics along with it.    

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Greenberg and Jordan do an excellent job describing this robust character through quotes and plentiful color photos of his creations. They use archival type sepia photos across two page spreads showing Ohr in his studio amidst piles of his work.  The authors also include a “How to Look at a Pot” guide for readers to better understand the different decorative elements of a piece of pottery and serves as a fascinating introduction to the art of pottery.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Sibert Honor Book

"Eccentric" is an apt word for Ohr, a Mississippi blacksmith's son (18571918) who reinvented himself as a potter. Greenberg and Jordan have produced a magisterial portrait that's both a character study and an appreciation of their subject's oeuvre. Precise, vividly descriptive language; excellent, scrupulously sourced photos; and useful back matter all contribute to this eye-opening biography. - Horn Book Guide, 2014

CONNECTIONS

Students can use this book as part of a biography unit and identify the lasting impact or legacy of George Ohr.  It would be a fun extension activity to allow them a chance to try their hand at pottery.