Module 7 - Because of Winn Dixie

Summary
Because of Winn Dixie is a cute story about a lonely little girl, name India Opal, who just moved to a new town.  One day a dog runs wild in a grocery story.  She claims him and names him “Winn Dixie” after the grocery store he broke into.  Opal has trouble making friends. However, Winn Dixie, a happy dog that smiles, makes friends where ever he goes.  Throughout the summer Opal and Winn Dixie have many adventures.  They learn how forgiveness can lead to wonderful friendships.

Impressions
Loneliness is a reality for many students especially when they move to a new town and school.  This is a quick read that many students can relate to.  The story has a good flow and there are a variety of characters to keep the story interesting.  One story line that kept me interested with the history of India Opal and her mother.  I wanted to keep reading to see how she resolved her “mother” issues.

Reviews

"My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog." There you have it: main characters and conflict, all in the first sentence. But there's a lot more to this book. Opal has a singular voice with a simple, infallibly Southern inflection; her daddy is one of the nicest and quirkiest preachers to grace children's literature; and Winn-Dixie, named after the grocery store from which Opal rescued him, is an ugly dog with a smile that makes friends and also makes him sneeze, not to mention a pathological fear of thunderstorms. In addition, readers will meet an elderly librarian whose stories inject the small town Florida setting with a past; a "witchy" neighbor who has hung a tree with beer and whiskey bottles, each representing a mistake she's made in her life; a mentally challenged musician whose street-singing once led him to jail and who now plays for the residents of a pet store, including Gertrude the parrot, whose favorite word is "Dog!" The one person we don't meet is Opal's mother, who abandoned her family long ago. It is the pain of her absence that propels Opal into friendships with all the characters whom Winn-Dixie eventually brings together, lessening the loneliness of each. By turns funny and moving, vivid from trailer park to pet store, this will propel readers into a satisfying circle of companionship. BH

Hearne, B. (2000). Because of winn-dixie. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 53(10), 354-354. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223697376?accountid=7113

According to Miss Franny Block, the town librarian in Naomi, Florida, her great-grandfather made his fortune after the Civil War by manufacturing a candy "that tasted sweet and sad at the same time." Ten-year old India Opal Buloni (called Opal) thinks this description of the candy sounds a lot like life, where "the sweet and the sad were all mixed up together," too. It's also a pretty apt description of this engaging Southern-style first-person novel, featuring a girl and dog with a lot to offer each other. Children's literature is full of animal-to-the-rescue stories, but rarely does salvation come in the form of a creature with as much personality as Winn-Dixie. When Opal, who has just moved to town with her preacher father, discovers him cheerfully knocking over produce in the Winn-Dixie supermarket one day, it's obvious he's a stray. "Mostly, he looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain." His friendly manner, which involves pulling back his lips into what appears to be a smile, wins her over and, luckily, wins her father over as well. As if in gratitude for giving him a good home, Winn-Dixie immediately begins easing Opal's troubles, helping her make friends, who in turn help her come to terms with the fact that her mother abandoned her and probably won't be back. The story teeters on the edge of sentimentality and sometimes topples right in, but the characters are so likable, so genuine, it's an easy flaw to forgive. All in all, this is a gentle book about good people coming together to combat loneliness and heartache-with a little canine assistance. C.M.H.

Christine, M. H. (2000). Because of winn-dixie. The Horn Book Magazine, 76(4), 455-456. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199350503?accountid=7113

Suggestions
This is a good book to use discuss with intermediate and middle school students about assumptions.  Throughout the story India Opal makes assumptions that are just not true about other characters in the book.  Students can discuss what assumptions they have made about others and what assumptions have been made about them.

For elementary students they can talk about animal friends that they have or have had in their life.  Winn Dixie, the dog, is an important friend for India Opal. Winn Dixie helps India Opal through a difficult time.  The students can discuss and draw pictures of their animal friends.

 

References

DiCamillo, K. (2009). Because of winn-dixie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/files/2012/06/WinnDixie1.jpg

Module 6 - Bedtime for Mommy

Summary
Bedtime for Mommy is a picture book in which a little girl is trying to tuck her mother into bed and get her to go to sleep.  However, mommy has different ideas.  She wants just a few more minutes to finish her work, read several bedtime books, and wants water to drink before falling asleep. 

Impressions

This book is a very cute picture book in which the roles of child and parent are reversed.  The pictures are colorful and add to the story.  The text is not traditional; it is in speech bubbles from the characters.  That adds to the design of the book.  It is a cute book that can be used with kids who hate going to bed.

 

Reviews

This is a delightful story of role-reversal, in which the child has the job of putting her parents to bed. Taking into account the usual jobs in the nighttime routine, Mommy is bathed, brushes her teeth, clothes for the next day are selected, and a story is read. Mommy, of course, begs for five more minutes, a second book, and has specific instructions on how far to crack the door open. This leads to bedtime for Daddy. The illustrations really set off this cute book, telling much of the story. When the daughter is presenting clothing options, Pham captures Mommy's reactions beautifully. The facial expressions throughout are priceless, and the final illustration showing the parents peeking in at a sleeping daughter round out this tale. This very visual story will appeal to beginning readers as well as parents and librarians looking for a fun bedtime read-aloud. Recommended. Spencer Korson, Media Specialist, Bullock Creek High School & Middle School, Midland, Michigan

 

Bedtime for Mommy. (2010). Library Media Connection, 28(4), 64.

 

Wry role-reversal tale finds a freckle-faced little girl cajoling her mother into bed. After granting her mom "five more minutes" at her desk, the tot gets her into the tub, helps her pick out tomorrow's outfit and reads her a book (just one--Anna Karenina--because "it's getting late"). A glass of water and a kiss later, this determined little girl is ready for the next task: "Daddy! Time for bed!" Rosenthal's text consists entirely of dialogue in speech bubbles, which makes way for Pham's ink-and-watercolor vignettes to milk the situation for all it's worth. Mommy's body language and expressions are so thoroughly childlike despite their entirely adult proportions that both kids and adults will find themselves giggling. It's a game played out in families everywhere and executed very well here. (Picture book. 3-6)

 

Bedtime for mommy. (2010). Kirkus Reviews, LXXVIII(6) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915719687?accountid=7113

  

Suggestions

This is a great book to have students discuss role reversal.  The student could give examples of various positions that could be changed.  For example, what would happen if a student was the principal and the principal was a student?  What would the implications be?

References

Krouse Rosenthal, A. (2010). Bedtime for mommy. New York: Bloomsbury USA Childrens Books.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R9fGfcZ2kDA/SwF1iO- PuKI/AAAAAAAADLw/wx3eHDXDwjQ/s1600/rosenthal

Module 5 - Esperanza Rising

Summary. 
Esperanza is about to celebrate her birthday.  The daughter of a wealthy Mexican land owner has her world turned upside down when her father is killed.  Because of her evil uncles, she and her mother flee their home with the servant family that once worked for her father.  In a new country she must learn how to restart her life without the luxury she once knew.

Impressions

I have heard about this book for a while and am glad I finally got a chance to read it.  It is one of the favorites among the students in my middle school.  The opening Mexican proverbs provide a good indication on what this book is about.  Someone who has money learns how to be rich without it.  Also reading the beginning and how Esperanza loved her father so much, I could not help think, “Okay, when is he going to die”. Another given is the relationship between Esperanza and Miguel.  When is she going to realize that he is wothy of her friendship and love?  Despite all that, I enjoyed the story.  It is a wonderful depiction of a Hispanic family and the 1930’s depression era.

Reviews

At times Esperanza Rising, although it takes place in Depression-era Mexico and the United States instead of Victorian England, seems a dead ringer for Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess. Both are dramatic riches-to-rags stories about girls forced to trade fancy dolls and dresses for hard work and ill-fitting hand-me-downs after their beloved fathers die. Thirteen-year-old Esperanza even possesses a touch of Sara Crewe's romantic spirit. The daughter of an affluent Mexican rancher, she had been taught by her father to believe that the "land is alive," that she could lie down beneath the arbors in her family's vineyards, press her ear to the ground, and hear a heart beat. Yet can this still hold true for Esperanza when she no longer reigns as queen of the harvest but labors in the fields of a foreign country, picking grapes on someone else's land for pennies an hour? The transition does not come easily for her, and thus her story ultimately diverges from The Little Princess's fairytale script to become a poignant look at the realities of immigration. Political as well as personal history inform the sometimes florid narrative (loosely based, we are told in an afterword, on the experiences of the author's grandmother). Esperanza's struggles begin amidst class unrest in post-revolutionary Mexico and intersect with labor strikes in the United States, which serve to illustrate the time period's prevailing hostility toward people of Mexican descent. In one of the more glaring injustices she witnesses, striking workers, who were born American citizens and have never set foot on Mexican soil, are loaded onto buses for deportation. Through it all, Esperanza is transformed from a sheltered aristocrat into someone who can take care of herself and others. Although her material wealth is not restored in the end, the way it is for Sara Crewe, she is rich in family, friends, and Esperanza-the Spanish word for hope. C.M.H.

Christine, M. H. (2001). Esperanza rising. The Horn Book Magazine, 77(1), 96-96. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199260872?accountid=7113

 

The author of Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride (1999) and Riding Freedom (1997) again approaches historical fiction, this time using her own grandmother as source material. In 1930, Esperanza lives a privileged life on a ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico. But when her father dies, the post-Revolutionary culture and politics force her to leave with her mother for California. Now they are indebted to the family who previously worked for them, for securing them work on a farm in the San Joaquin valley. Esperanza balks at her new situation, but eventually becomes as accustomed to it as she was in her previous home, and comes to realize that she is still relatively privileged to be on a year-round farm with a strong community. She sees migrant workers forced from their jobs by families arriving from the Dust Bowl, and camps of strikers--many of them US citizens--deported in the "voluntary repatriation" that sent at least 450,000 Mexicans and Mexican-Americans back to Mexico in the early 1930s. Ryan's narrative has an epic tone, characters that develop little and predictably, and a romantic patina that often undercuts the harshness of her story. But her style is engaging, her characters appealing, and her story is one that--though a deep-rooted part of the history of California, the Depression, and thus the nation--is little heard in children's fiction. It bears telling to a wider audience. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-15)

Esperanza rising. (2000). Kirkus Reviews, (19) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/917074786?accountid=7113

Suggestions Student could discuss the daily dilemmas that Esperanza faces as her life changes.  They could also talk about what daily dilemmas they face and how they handle them. This is also a good time to discuss the depression and dust storms of the 1930’s.

In the book Esperanza talks about her future Quinceañera.  Many of the Hispanic girls talk about their Quinceañera.  You can discuss the traditions, festivities, and meaning of a Quinceañera

References
Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Press. http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgl8fyyRpu1qbxd75o1_1280.jpg

Module 5 - Ninth Ward

Summary.
The Ninth Ward is about a young girl Lenesha and her adoptive grandmother, Mama Ya-Ya.  Lenesha describes her family, her neighborhood, and hopes for the future.  Lenesha can see and talk with ghosts.  One of which is her mother who died when giving birth to Lenesha.  Mama Ya-Ya is a mystic and midwife.  The book covers the days just before, during, and after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Lanesha grows up quick and finds her strength to help herself, family, and friends survive the storm.

 

Impressions
I really enjoyed this book.  The author, Jewell Parker Rhodes, does an excellent job of describing Lanesha’s world and the events that she goes through.  There is a powerful sense of love and family.  One aspect of the story that I like is the character Lenesha.  She has hope for the future, despite being poor.  She does not see herself as hopeless.  She knows education and love with carry her forward in life.

Reviews

New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina is the setting for this tense novel that blends the drama of the catastrophic storm with magic realism. Twelve-year-old Lanesha's teenage mother died while giving birth to her, and, because her mother's wealthy uptown family won't have anything to do with her, she is raised in the Ninth Ward by loving Mama Ya-Ya, 82, who feels like her "mother and grandmother both." Born with a caul over her eyes, Lanesha is teased at school, but she is strengthened by her fierce caretaker's devotion and by a teacher who inspires Lanesha to become an engineer and build bridges. Lanesha also has "second sight," which includes an ability to see her mother's ghost. As the storm nears and the call comes for mandatory evacuation, Mama Ya-Ya envisions that she will not survive, but Lanesha escapes the rising water in a small rowboat and even rescues others along the way. The dynamics of the diverse community enrich the survival story, and the contemporary struggle of one brave child humanizes the historic tragedy. - Hazel Rochman

Rochman, H. (2010). Ninth ward. The Booklist, 106(17), 87-87. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235602304?accountid=7113

 

With a mix of magical and gritty realism, Rhodes's (Voodoo Dreams) first novel for young readers imagines Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding through the eyes of resourceful 12-year-old Lanesha. Lanesha lives with Mama Ya-Ya, an 82-year-old seer and midwife who delivered Lanesha and has cared for her since her teenage mother died in childbirth. Living in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Lanesha is viewed as an unusual child (she was born with a caul and is able to see ghosts) and is ostracized at school. Lanesha finds strength in Mama Ya-Ya's constant love and axioms of affection and reassurance ("When the time's right… the universe shines down love"). The story becomes gripping as the waters rise and Lanesha, with help from a young neighbor and her mother's ghostly presence, finds a way to keep body and soul together. The spare but vivid prose, lilting dialogue, and skilled storytelling brings this tragedy to life; the powerful sense of community Rhodes evokes in the Ninth Ward prior to the storm makes the devastation and the hardships Lanesha endures all the more powerful. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)

Ninth Ward. (2010). Publishers Weekly, 257(30), 46.

Suggestions

Hurricane Katrina is a relatively recent event.  It can be used to analyze how people saw that event before, during, and after the storm. The main character Lenesha is middle school student and this book is basically a diary of her life during the time of Katrina.  Students can create a diary of their life around a natural disaster.  They can discuss how they physically and mentally survive.

References

Jewell, R. (2010). Ninth ward. New York: Little Brown Books.

http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1267819800l/7118768.jpg

Module 4 - The Westing Game

Summary. 
What would you do for a chance for 200 million dollars?  16 people are given $10,000 to play the game that millionaire has left.  In Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan, everyone is gathered to hear the will of millionaire Samuel W. Westing.  The characters are set out to figure a puzzle out.  There are grouped into pairs.  “America the Beautiful” song lyrics are used to help solve the mystery and win the fortune. Secret identities are reviled and the true intent of the millionaire is exposed.

Impressions

One reason I picked this book because my husband said it was one of his favorite books when he was young.  It was, for him at the time, a different kind of mystery.  Intrigue was created when Sam W. Westing said in his will, “hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes.  My life was taken from me.” That line could have many interpretations.  Over all I like the book and could see why my husband like the book when he was growing up.  Because of reading fast, I did have a little difficult of a time keeping track of all 16 characters.  I plan to re-read the story this summer. 

Reviews

Gr. 4-8. Sixteen people are invited to the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will, launching a dangerous and often surprising game to determine who will inherit his estate. Intricate clues, clever wordplay, and insightful humor highlight this world-class whodunnit. The reissued edition features new cover art by Kevin Hawkes and an introduction by Ann Durell. Copyright Booklist Publications Jul 2006.

Weisman, K. (2006, The westing game. Book Links, 15, 11-11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197212817?accountid=7113

A supersharp mystery, more a puzzle than a novel, but endowed with a vivid and extensive cast. In the Christie tradition, Raskin isolates a divers group of strangers--the mysteriously hand-picked tenants of a new apartment building within sight of the old Westing mansion--and presents them with the information that one of them is the murderer. Actually, it turns out that there is no corpse, but no one is aware of that when they are all assembled for a reading of old Westing's fiendish will, which pairs them all off and allots each pair four one-word clues to the murderer's identity. As the winning pair is to inherit Westing's fortune, there is much secret conferring, private investigating, far-out scheming, and snitching and scrambling of the teasing, enigmatic clues. (For example, those of black judge Josie Jo Ford, which she takes for a racial insult, read SKIES AM SHINING BROTHER.) As a result of the pairings, alliances are made and suspended, and though there is no murderer there is a secret winner--the pigtailed youngest of the "heirs"--plus extravagant happy endings for all. As Westing had warned, all are not what they seem, and you the reader end up liking them better than you expected to. If Raskin's crazy ingenuity has threatened to run away with her on previous occasions, here the complicated game is always perfectly meshed with character and story. Confoundingly clever, and very funny.

The westing game. (1978). Kirkus Reviews, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/916900507?accountid=7113

Suggestions
This is a good book to discuss prediction.  Trough out the reading of the book students could try and predict who the Westing heir is.  Students can discuss the evidence within part of the book they have read so far to support their suggestions. 

References

Raskin, E. (1978). The westing game. E.P. Dutton.

http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/resources/2008/03/westinggame032808.jpg

Module 4 - The Midwife's Apprentice

Summary
Beetle, a young girl about 13 years old is found sleeping in a warm dung pile by Jane Sharp a midwife.  In exchange for food and lodging, Beetle works and learns from the midwife.  Beetle is constantly belittled by Jane and the village.  She is harassed by the boys, and taunted with nasty names from the other villagers.  One day Beetle goes to a fair to purchase supplies for the midwife.  She starts gaining some self-esteem and renames herself Alyce. Despite some setbacks, Alyce earns respect from Jane and the villagers, and eventually learns to stand up for herself. 

Impressions
At first this book was frustrating.  You want Alyce to stand up for herself and stop taking abuse from the midwife and the villagers. At times I wanted to put the book down. However, you want to find out if Alyce eventually found inner strength so I kept reading.  I did enjoy the historical perspective of medieval England. There is insight into how commoners, rich, and orphans lived in medieval England.  There are also good revelations as to births and medical practices of the time.

Reviews

Gr 6-9--With simplicity, wit, and humor, Cushman presents another tale of medieval England. Here readers follow the satisfying, literal and figurative journey of a homeless, nameless child called Brat, who might be 12 or 13--no one really knows. She wandered about in her early years, seeking food and any kind of refuge and, like many outsiders, gained a certain kind of wisdom about people and their ways. Still, life held little purpose beyond survival--until she meets the sharp-nosed, irritable local midwife, which is where this story begins. Jane takes her in, re-names her Beetle, and thinks of her as free labor and no competition. Always practical but initially timid, the girl expands in courage and self-awareness, acquiring a cat as a companion, naming herself Alyce, and gaining experience in the ways of midwifery. From the breathless delight of helping a boy to deliver twin calves, to the despair of failure during a difficult birth, to the triumph of a successful delivery, Alyce struggles to understand how she can allow herself to fail and yet have the determination to reach for her own place in the world. Alyce wins. Characters are sketched briefly but with telling, witty detail, and the very scents and sounds of the land and people's occupations fill each page as Alyce comes of age and heart. Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature.--Sara Miller, Rye County Day School, NY

Miller, S. (1995). Book Review: Junior high up fiction. School Library Journal, 41(5), 118.

Gr. 7-12. Like Cushman's 1994 Newbery Honor Book, Catherine, Called Birdy, this novel is about a strong, young woman in medieval England who finds her own way home. Of course, it's a feminist story for the 1990s, but there's no anachronism. This is a world, like Chaucer’s, that's neither sweet nor fair; it's rough, dangerous, primitive, and raucous. Cushman writes with a sharp simplicity and a pulsing beat. From the first page you're caught by the spirit of the homeless, nameless waif, somewhere around 12 years old, "unwashed, unnourished, unloved, and unlovely," trying to keep warm in a dung heap. She gets the village midwife, Jane Sharp, to take her in, befriends a cat, names herself Alyce, and learns something about delivering babies. When she fails, she runs away, but she picks herself up again and returns to work and independence. Only the episode about her caring for a homeless child seems contrived. The characters are drawn with zest and affection but no false reverence. The midwife is tough and greedy ("she did her job with energy and some skill, but without care, compassion, or joy"), her method somewhere between superstition, herbal lore, common sense, and bumbling; yet she's the one who finally helps Alyce to be brave. Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone.

Rachel, R. (1995). The midwife's apprentice. Booklist, 91(14), 1328. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm

Suggestions

This is a good book to demonstrate young female empowerment.  Within a girl’s book study you discuss how Alyce found her inner strength.  It would be interesting to see how girls viewed Alyce’s plight. 

It could also be used to discuss medieval England and how people lived. It is also interesting to discuss medicine and how people of that time associated health with the magic.

References

Cushman, K. (1995). The midwife's apprentice. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/harperchildrensImages/isbn/large/7/9780064406307.jpg

Module 3 - So You Want to be President

Summary

What to get to know the Presidents better?  Read So You Want to be President. Facts include age, personality, and siblings.  There is also information about the vice-presidents that served with them.  The illustrations add to the story in a cute and interesting way.  This is a good book to show that presidents are people to.  It is not your typical presidential facts.

Impressions

I learned that John Q. Adams was a skinny dipper. The book turned out to be more interesting than originally anticipated.  The pictures were entertaining.  Often they tied presidents together, such as Lincoln looking down on Clinton for lying.
Reviews

Just in time for the presidential election, St. George (In the Line of Fire: Presidents Lives at Stake, 1999, etc.) uses the experiences of our 42 presidents to counsel youngsters harboring that uniquely American desire—to be president. Reflecting on the “good things about being President and . . . bad things about being President . . .” she offers a pleasingly diverse slate of facts and figures for her readers’ consideration: age (the oldest—Reagan; the youngest—Teddy Roosevelt), size (the smallest—Madison—at 100 lbs., contrasting with Taft, at over 300), career choices (generals, lawyers, haberdashers, farmers), first names (six Jameses, four Johns, four Williams, two Georges, two Franklins), education (nine presidents never went to college, while one—Andrew Johnson—“didn’t learn to write until after he was married”). At the close of this sometimes wry, sometimes sober survey (including impeachments, wars, and assassinations), St. George encourages: “If you want to be president—a good president—pattern yourself after the best . . . [those who] have asked more of themselves than they thought they could give . . . They [who] have had the courage, spirit, and will to do . . . [what’s] right.” Small’s (The Huckabuck Family, 1999, etc.) pitch-perfect caricatures, rendered in a mix of watercolor, ink, and pastel, expand on the personalities and support the narrative’s shifting moods. There’s a helpful key to every illustration and a presidential chronology from Washington to Clinton. Even a few “non-presidents” are featured: Pat Nixon and Henry Kissinger watch (with future President Ford) President Nixon bowl in the White House lanes, and there’s a wonderfully wry glimpse of two “also-ran’s”—Jesse Jackson and Geraldine Ferraro—excluded from an across-the-centuries presidential reception by a velvet rope. A superb, kid-centered survey and a perfect way to enliven the perennial class unit on the presidents. (Nonfiction. 7-12)

 So you want to be President.  (August1, 2000).  Kirkus Reviews.  Retrieved from: 

     http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/judith-st-george/so-you-want-to-b president/#review

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover--and this is one of those times. David Small has cleverly depicted the presidential faces on Mount Rushmore in a jovial cartoon style that makes them friendly and not formidable, an encouraging invitation to the witty observations within a narrative that felicitously begins, "There are good things about being President and there are bad things about being President." Arranging historical tidbits in an attractive buffet, this well-timed book offers anecdotes both cautionary and guaranteed to attract attention and arouse interest. Would-be presidents are apprised of the advantages of the position, which include having a swimming pool, bowling alley, and movie theater as well as never eating "yucky" vegetables--like broccoli. As a counterpoint to the advantages, a few negatives are also presented: presidents have to dress up, be polite, and never "go anywhere alone," and they have quantities of homework. Having examined both sides of the question, succeeding spreads offer tips for achieving the desired goal: having the right first name (six presidents were named James, four John, four William, two George, two Andrew, and two Franklin); having siblings; being born in a log cabin; joining the army; becoming a hero; being a vice-president. The question of appearance is treated as a quasi-beauty contest featuring Warren Harding, who was handsome--but not a good president, as even he admitted. The overall tone is upbeat, and the need for honesty in office is stressed by contrasting Truman and Cleveland with Nixon and Clinton, the latter two depicted descending, as in banishment, the steps of the Lincoln Memorial--a sad visual commentary. The conclusion, with its reiteration of the oath of office, is positively inspiring. Appended are a list of personages featured in the illustrations, brief biographical sketches of the presidents in chronological order, and a short bibliography.

Burns, M. M. (2000). So You Want to Be President?. Horn Book Magazine, 76(4), 476.

Suggestions

For teaching history with a new spin, So You Want to be President is a good book.  For each president there are more than the basic facts. This book could be use to talk about what students have in common with a President.  You could also create a “did you know” scavenger hunt with the information. 

References

George, J. S. (2005). So you want to be president?. New York: Putnam Juvenile.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGKxO52ap6w/T-nxQotbpYI/AAAAAAAAAH0/jX5Top8CUhc/s1600/so+you+want+to+be+president+001.jpg