pictures of hollis woods

Nope, it's not a grammatical error. The title has no capital letters. I  wondered why Patricia Reilly Giff would do this and if it had any significance to the book. Upon reading the first few chapters I started to realize the title has a lot more meaning then on the surface. Who was this Hollis Woods character and why did she not deserve the capitalization of her very own name?

Hollis is a rebellious foster child who secretly longs for a loving family. She does however have an amazing gift of being able to draw extremely realistic pictures. She draws her experiences in great detail and later learns to find hidden messages in her art. Hollis is most recently placed with an elderly woman named Josie who she becomes very attached to emotionally. We soon learn about Hollis's past though vivid descriptions of her pictures.

There were many parts of this story that touched me but the slow advancement of Josie's Alzheimer's was what hit me the hardest. It was a progression I have seen in the past few years with my grandma before she passed away. Much like Josie, my grandma did not remember who I was but knew that I was an important person to her.

Reading a novel like this also opened my eyes to what some children go though. It's easy to assume everyone has a great home life with the mom, dad, brother, sister and dog but nothing is ever that black and white. Some children, like Hollis, believe that acting out or running away are the only ways to cope with pain. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for her to jump from house to house, always being known as the "bad kid".

Some things I noticed to keep in mind before introducing this book to a classroom:
-The flashbacks can cause challenges in terms of story structure.
- There are references to Hollis's neglect and abuse which can be a touchy subject for some students.
- I found the fact that Hollis was able to run away with Josie, break into a house and hide there (all against the law) and get away with these actions can teach a damaging lesson.

Overall, I personally could not put this book down. I loved taking a break from my text books to escape my real life for a little while. Also after some research I found out there is a movie based on this book. This film could serve as an excellent secondary resource to see how the producer interpreted the book.

Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad

Yet another great find at my local second hand store! I found "Silent Music" by James Rumford during one of my monthly trips to the Value Village to find books. It just comes to show not all the books they have are old and out dated considering this book was only published a few years ago (2008). The first thing that drew me to the book was the rusty orange colours and  intricate pattens on the cover. I then read the title and knew immediately this would be a great book to have in today's diverse classroom.

The story is about Ali, a young boy who lives in Baghdad. His interests are soccer, dancing and loud music which are all very relatable to many children. He does have one hobby, though, that is different from what most students would know. It is called calligraphy and it is the ancient art of drawing letters. Ali's love of calligraphy provides him with peace in times of war. The author highlights the true power of literacy as a creative outlet in moments of anguish and unrest.  This is a message that can be taken from this book for children and adults alike.

Rich pattens and colours

The elaborate pattens and backdrops of sandy browns and earthy tones flow from page to page proving an abundance of support to the text. The illustrations are rich with cultural meaning which could aid in a deeper understanding of unknown concepts surrounding Iraq. I was particularly moved when Ali speaks about how the war has impacted his life. Very few words are needed to understand the uncomfortable situations he has to deal with. I really liked to metaphor regarding the words "HARB" meaning war and "SALAM" meaning peace. Ali says the word HARB just glides easily from his hand but the word SALAM resists him with its difficult waves and slanted staff. This is often true in our culture. Many times war is an easier approach to conflict then working to find peace.

Overall I throughly enjoyed this book. I read it many times to revisit the excellent illustrations and sophisticated metaphors. I think this book will be an exceptional resource for my classroom.

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

Have you ever felt like the odd one out? Were you the one who played alone instead of playing with the other kids? Did you, in turn, discover the photoelectric effect, theories of relativity and E=mc2? No...? Well Albert Einstein did!

"Odd Boy Out" by Don Brown is an excellent narrative biography about the young Albert Einstein. I read a few biographies about him but I liked this one the most. I thought the story was creative and the illustrations we very neat. I also enjoyed the silly humour throughout. I feel like since the story is about Einstein as a child students can relate to some of the experiences he had. We usually only see Einstein as what he has done but this book gives children an understanding of how he got there. He wasn't a old man with crazy hair his whole life! He was once a student as well who went though many challenges.

Naturally, after reading this book I wanted to know more. Here are some interesting facts I found about Albert Einstein (some of these are from the book):

• He was born a very fat baby with a large head. His parents thought since his head was so deformed he would be mentally challenged.
• He was very late in developing his speech. When he did speak he spoke very slowly and often practiced his sentences under his breath before saying them aloud. 
• Before Einstein married and had two sons he had an illegitimate child with a fellow student. He did not have a relationship with this child and her fate remains unknown. 
• Einstein was a ladies man! After much infidelity while with his first wife, he remarried and continued his cheating ways.
• After Einstein's death the doctor who preformed his autopsy stole his brain and stored it in a jar, where it remained for 43 years! The doctor sent samples of the brain to a few scientists with permission from Einstein's son. One of the scientist, Michael Paterniti, took the brain on a cross-country trip to California (in the trunk of his Buick) to meet Einstein's granddaughter. He later wrote a book about the adventure called "Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain". (I fully plan on reading this book, I think it would be hilarious) 

Overall I think the book "Odd Boy Out" is great for students. It can be placed in their hands for independent research or used in a classroom for discussion. Children (and adults like me) love to hear the interesting quirky facts surrounding famous people. It really helps you relate to them and realize that they are real people too!

"The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing" - Albert Einstein 

*I obtained some information from THIS website.

Joey Pigza Loses Control!

It was during recess duty on an observation day when I saw a young boy reading this colourful book. Now, seeing a fourth grader reading in school is not an unusual thing but it was recess time! While all the other students where playing games and engaging in questionable behaviour this young man had planted himself in the back of the room with this book. The first thing that came to my mind was that I had to read it to see what it was all about. I never had a chance to talk to the boy because that was not the class I was observing in but my curiosity got the better of me. The next day I went to the library and decided to explore the world of Joey Pigza.

I noticed that there were 4 books about Joey written by Jack Gantos but I wanted to read this one. It is the second one in the series. I started reading without looking at the reviews or the summary. I HATE that they put summaries on books. I noticed in children's novels that they basically give away the entire story! So, with much self control, I decided to just dive right in.

Just a few paragraphs in and I knew why the boy was reading it. This Joey character is totally relatable. The book starts with Joey asking his mom question after question, most of them silly and unnecessary leading to some very funny conversations. We soon learn that Joey has ADD and will be spending the summer at his fathers, whom he hasn't seen in years. His father suffers from the same disorder but is not medicated. Joey on the other hand wears a patch with medicine in it to keep him clam. It's when his father get drunk and decides Joey does not need the patch anymore  Joey "loses control".

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the hilarious conversations and situations Joey often found himself in. But, on a deeper level it dives into the realities that some children have to face in their everyday lives. One valuable issue that was explored is dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder. ADD interferes with the learning process because it reduces the child's ability to pay attention (Canadian Mental Health Organization). Many children can pick up this book and find themselves in Joey seeing that 1 in 20 children are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. (Sanghavi, 2005). Even if the reader does not have the condition it can aid in giving them a better understanding on what some of their classmates have to go though. Reading this book could not have come at a better time because a few weeks ago we had a guest speaker in our exceptionalities class who has ADHD. He told us about his life story and how hard it was to control his behaviour.

Another less obvious problem Joey has to deal with is his fathers alcoholism. Although we often tend to turn a blind eye, many children have to deal with parents who abuse alcohol. I would have liked Gantos to dive deeper into this issue because, on the surface, the characters in the story did next to nothing to help Carter (Joey's father) deal with it. Joey and his family would often mention how they did not like how he drank but a solution was not posed or considered.

Overall I think this book can be a very valuable learning tool. It is important, however, to be aware of the sensitive issues it confronts. I would be sure to consider the emotions that could arise from students who may have ADD or even an unstable family life before using it in my classroom.

Flotsam

Flotsam: Something that floats. If it floats in the ocean, it may wash up on the beach, where someone may find it and be astonished, and share the discovery with someone else - David Wiesner






I've found bottles, seaweed, seashells and even an old flip flop at the beach but never an abandoned camera filled with pictures of an underwater universe. 
This book is like no other book I have read before. It has no words, just rich colourful illustrations and an extremely engaging story. As a child I spent most of my summers at my cabin which is located in a small fishing community. I spent a lot of time at the beach because, lets face it, there wasn't much else to do. My close friend and I would play pretend and imagine another world that was under the sea (strongly influenced by "The Little Mermaid" of course). As I was viewing this text it reminded me of those days. Anything we found that had floated ashore we would snatch up and construct these elaborate stories about where it came from. Even this summer when I worked at the Ocean Science Centre I would often wonder what the animals in the touch tank would say if they could talk. I'd imagine it would be a lot of complaining (and maybe some screaming).


The boy in this story clearly went to the beach prepared to make some discoveries. He has shovels, a net, binoculars, a snorkel, magnifying glass and even a microscope! When he finds the barnacle covered underwater camera his curiosity drives him to develop the film inside. Upon viewing the photos he discovers a magical underwater world with robot fish, sea star islands, sea shell cities and he can see a picture of who has discovered this camera before him. 

The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing. Even though there are no words the story is very easy to follow and understand. Wiesner has this undeniable skill of being able to smoothly connect each photo with the last in an eye-pleasing, "what-is-going-to-happen-next" kind of fashion. I can see why this book won a Caldecott award and I think it is well deserved. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for this one at the thrift store! Although I find it hard to believe anyone would part with it. 

The Giving Tree

I am a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason. I don't usually seek to find meaning but in certain cases something happening by chance or by means of luck just seems unlikely. When we are faced with undesirable circumstances we learn to let things go, we can see the bigger picture and we can gain an appreciation of the great things we have in life.

This past weekend I was faced with the reality of death. My grandmother suddenly passed fell ill and passed away. As with the passing of any family member, I found myself reflecting on the times we had together. The strongest memory I have of her is actually a personality trait she possessed. My grandma was the most giving person I have ever met. She would give you everything she had to see you happy. She went about her life in the most unselfish way and was doing it for herself, not to impress others. She is one of the few people who felt the joy of giving. During her wake I spoke to many people whose lives were touched by her. They all had stories of how she would give them money or clothes and say things like "now don't tell anyone" just to make them feel special.

So where does all this tie together? Well, on my first day back to classes I arrived early so I decided to sit at a table in the CMC. There was one empty table left and it just happened to have a book on it called "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. As I turned the pages I realized this book was there for a reason. It fit so perfectly with everything I had been going though and actually gave me a sense of closure. Much like my grandmother the tree found true happiness in giving and even when there was next to nothing left to the tree she wanted to give whatever she could. A few days before grandma became sick my father went to visit her and take her out for lunch. He told me they went to a small cafe and had some soup and tea. Grandma accidentally knocked over her tea and dad said she looked really concerned and worried. He told her it was okay and it was just an accident. What she said next was a true reflection of her character. She said "Oh dear, someone made that for me and I went and knocked it on the floor". She was more concerned about the fact that someone had taken the time to make the tea then having to buy a new one or not having something to drink.

I think "The Giving Tree" will forever remind me of my grandma. No matter how long the time or the distance between us she would never be resentful.

Everything happens for a reason...

Grandma, Me and Aunt Margie