Children Literature Reading Log

1. Janice Lee Smith, Wizard and Wart, Paul Meisel, HarperTrophy, 1994

Summary:

Wizard and Wart are doing magic for those animals who got problem. They are not doing

well in the beginning, but after they solve some problems and become well-known, all

the animals line up for their help.

Comments:

In this book, there are two main characters, one is human Wizard and the other is dog Wart,

and they are partners. They are in cloak of moons and stars respectively. In one scene,

I think it is quite ironic. Under the sky with countless stars, one is sending the other a

rose, it is supposed to be the most romantic scene, but there is only a mad snake who

is turned into this appearance under the magic spell. The background of moon and the

stars only shows how wrong the Wizard and the Wart did.

2. John Steptoe, Stevie, HarperColllins, 1969

Summary:

Robert has to take care of another kid, Stevie, for a short period of time. At first, he’s not

getting well along with him, but after Stevie leaves, he started to miss the time when

they’re together.

Comments:

They style of the illustration is impressionism. It doesn’t show too many details, but its rich

color and bold brushstrokes show so much emotions. There aren’t details in

character’s faces, but what kind of emotion they’ve expressed is clear. There are only

six pictures in the whole book. In the first and the last picture, we can see that Robert

is alone, but the last picture is after Stevie left. While Robert feels quite annoying of
 Stevie’s behavior, but they did have a great time playing together. Therefore, in the

last picture, the sofa which Robert sits in is in complicated pattern, so we can relate it

to Robert’s complicated emotion about Stevie’s leaving.

3. Raymond Brigges, The Snowman, Maggie Downer, Random House New York, 2003

Summary:

A boy named James builds a snowman in winter. During that night, he finds that the

snowman he built came to find him, and they played together that night. But the day

after that night, what he sees is only a pile of snow, there’s no more snowman.

Comments:

I think the illustration of the picture book can mainly break into two parts. One in little boy’s

dream and the other in reality. In the scene of little boy’s dream, the illustrator uses

numbers of color pencils to paint almost the whole page, to show the hazy softness of

air in snow. There are two pages which are wordless, only portraying snowman and

little boy flying above the countryside. There is no particular details of house or tree,

but only shape of the objects and light. The day after they having a great night, the

style of picture become clear, it’s just like the little boy wakes up from the dream.

4. Paul Stewart, The Birthday Presents, Chris Riddell, Harper Collins, 2000

Summary:

Two friends make up a birthday date for themselves and exchange birthday gifts.

Comments:

There is a very interesting place that when Hedgehog and Rabbit imagine of each other living

environment, it is truly the opposite of their truly situation. We can see that through

the change of the scene. In Hedgehog’s imagination, Rabbit lives in a dark burrow,

but on the next page, it directly shows that Rabbit lives in a bright and comfortable
 place. And Rabbit the same. We can know that these two friends give each other gifts

under a beautiful mistake. The most valuable thing is that even though the gifts are

not they really wanted, they think that it is the thought that counts. In the whole book,

the color is mostly warm, and makes me connect the warm color to the good

friendship between Hedgehog and Rabbit.

5. Keiko Kasza, My Lucky Day, Puffin Books, 2003

Summary:

A little pig pretends to go to some animal houses accidentally. These animals might eat it

right away, but it uses its intelligence to get away from them and also get some

benefits from them.

Comments:

At first, little piglet seems accidentally knocks on fox’s door, and in the picture, it does look

little and weak. In some pictures, there are signs showing how strong and a good

hunter the fox is. For example, the photos hang on the walls which show how many

prey he has caught and the athletic competition he won. Therefore, from the portrays

of these two animals, we reasonably assume that this piglet must dead. But things turn

to that the piglet is actually smarter than we thought, and every time when it might be

eaten, there’s always a way out. So its plot is the mixture of plaisir and jouissance.

6. Clement Moore, The Night Before Christmas, Tomie De Paola, Oxford University

Press, 2000

Summary:

It describes the night before the Christmas. A couple see Santa come to their house and give

their children gifts.

Comments:
It is illustrated in folk style. In this book, there are New England quilts showing for

several times. New England quilts are composed of beautiful and rich color. Compared to the

surroundings white snow, it shows the big difference. Illustrator's depiction of Santa is

not the image of old man, but winking and a little bit naughty one. Also, we’re used to

be more familiar with the scene of children peeking at Santa Klaus. As the unknown

visitor coming into their house, it is the adult who peering through the living room

with worried face. But after the Santa finishing his job, he has a eye contact with the

parents, and we can now see the relieved emotion on their face.

7. Mercer Mayer, There’s a Nightmare in My Closet, Puffin Books, 1976

Summary:

A little boy is afraid of nightmare coming out from the closet, and there truly does. He

conquers his frightened and get well along with the nightmare.

Comments:

There are basically three colors composed of the illustration, blue, white and peach color. The

walls of the room are painted in blue, which reflects the fear in the kid’s heart. In

opposite, the peach color represents the color of comfortable, such as his bed and his

clothes, which like a protection from the nightmare. When the nightmare coming out

of the closet, it’s a white monster with blue spots; however, when the boy becomes

not that scared of the monster, it becomes peach color.

8. Nicki Weiss, The World Turns Round and Round, South China Printing Company,

2000

Summary:

Children describes the gift that they have received from relatives around the world.

Each country is part of the world, and it is the part of here and part of there composed
the whole world.

Comments:

Each page that describe the countries has real stamps or parcel post marks on it. These stamps

make us feel that we truly accompany these package travel around the world. Every

two pages will show the landmarks and the clothes that can represent that country.

Therefore, we can just browse through those pictures without reading those words to

know the country well. Take one country it mentions as an example, Vietnam. In the

pictures, we can know their living from houses above the water on the picture and

what their traditional clothes and transportation are on the stamps. Its drawing style is

quite detail, for we can know what kind of materials it uses to build those houses.

9. Maore Simont, The Stray Dog, HarperCollins, 2001

Summary:

A family go on a picnic and play with a suddenly come out dog. They don’t take it home at

the first time, for they think it is kept by someone until the second time they find it is

truly a stray dog so they rescue it and keep it.

Comments:

The style of the illustration is impressionism. We can see the emotion changing through the

colors and light of the picture. In the beginning, when they’re going on a picnic, the

picture shows a nice weather, and things on the picture are of different colors,

including cars on the road. Also, the sky is very bright and clear. However, after they

having great fun with the dog and go back home without it, colors and light becomes

different. The scene is almost the same compares to their way to the picnic, there are

buildings, a bridge, and cars on it, but the colors become dark color. We know the
 using of dark color is not because of the night, it is because the family’s thought about

the dog they left there. The sky is not clear anymore, but mixed color of blue, yellow,

and red. It gives me kind of feeling of the end of the world.

10. Nick Sharratt, My Home, Stephen Tucker, Oxford University Press, 2000

Summary:

A kid describes his day life in his home.

Comments:

The illustration of this book using simple line but rich color. It uses first person sight to

demonstrate the story, so we can only see the kid’s face but not adult’s. It uses bright

color of clothing and other stuffs, so I think it could really attract reader’s attention.

There is no complicated style of the clothes, only simple plaid, stripe, or dots. These

simple lines but colorful illustration show energetic and happy atmosphere. The story

also got rhyme in it, so even if the kids who still don’t know too many words, through

parents reading for them and accompany with the picture, I think they can also enjoy

the whole story.