A Book in Pictures - Day 2

So... I am participating in the Holiday Break Reading Challenge that one of my professors at SHSU is heading up with her friend.  It seems like it will be great fun!  For the challenge today, I had to use the book I am currently reading and find pictures that remind me of the book.  You could do this too!  What a great idea for creating a book report project. (Day 1 - we introduced ourselves)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I am finally reading it!!  I bought this book right before I started my MLS work and haven't had a chance to read it yet.  I refuse to see the movie until I read the book!  I am only on page 4, but here goes...

My Book in Pictures

It is about Aibileen who is a housekeeper.

The story opens with a crying baby

and her mama won't pick her up! 

Aibileen becomes

the primary nurturer and caretaker

for this child, Mae Mobley.

It is 1962, and bridge club day.

Aibileen gets the table ready for guests.

As the guests arrive, we are introduced

to Skeeter who has just returned from Ole Miss.

She is friendly toward Aibileen

which is unusual for the time.

And this is where I am in the book!

I am so excited to finally have time to read it.

I plan to spend some time today reading.

Matched - audiobook

I finished it and I loved it!!!  Kate Simses did a wonderful job with her reading of Ally Condie's Matched.  She made it easy to listen to, unlike many audiobooks that I have heard.  This is a fun dystopian book with a little romance.  It is also very thought provoking.  Cassia goes through her "matching" ceremony where she finds who the Society has matched her with to be her future husband.  The Society doesn't make mistakes...or do they?   The Society is control of everything...or are they?  In this book, we find ourselves considering what life would be like without choices, without freedom, without creativity, and, therefore, without independence. 

I purchased Crossed, the second of the Matched trilogy, and started reading it last night.  I read until I could no longer hold my eyes open.  I couldn't put it down, which I love!  So far, so - great!  This book has a lot more action, and I find that I am not rooting for a particular character, but for the pure survival of the rebels of the Society. 

 

 

Here is Penguin Young Reader's book trailer.

 

 



The Invention of Hugo Cabret - the movie

First of all, let me say that my expectations are high for the movie.  I read from this article that the author/illustrator is very happy with Martin Scorsese's movie adaptation of his book.  He actually said, "I feel like I am in the rarest position to be able to say I have a movie that's as good as the book..." (retrieved from the gwarlingo.com link above). I can't wait to see the movie! 

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Caldecott Winner

Selznick, Brian. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret.  New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

I moved this book review up in my blog because my family is anxiously waiting to see the movie.  I will compare and contrast the movie to the book soon!
This is a really good book for so many reasons.  It doesn't look like the typical kind of book that would win a Caldecott Award until you open it up.  It is a large chapter book, but has pages upon pages of graphite sketched illustrations. Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of this book!

 The illustrations are mesmerizing.  As you turn the pages, they sometimes zoom in and in and in to a close up.  The illustrations also move the story forward rather than just add a picture to what you are reading.  

The book also has a good historical fiction storyline which includes movie making and movie-maker Georges Melies, the automaton and its history, clock-keeping, train stations, and toy stores of the old-timey streets of Paris.



It is a great book for reluctant readers.  I remember back when the young kids who couldn't really read Harry Potter had to be carrying that big book around.  This book gives the students that same kind of satisfaction, but they will be able to actually read it.  It is great for the reluctant reader because of the numerous pages with large illustrations and the quick paced plot.  It keeps them moving and really feeling like they are getting somewhere in their book.  I enjoyed this book much more than I would have thought given the summary.  I hope to see another book like this from Brian Selsnick.

Pictures from:
nytimes.com
wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com

Dying to Meet You

        Dying to Meet You Glog - created by Tracy H.
Make sure you roll your mouse over the different parts of this Glog!  Where you see a pink circle show up, click!  They will take you other cool places.  You can also scroll over word "pink Glogster" at the top and then click "enlarge".  Then you can read everything even better!

Art Seminars

During my time at Sam Houston State University pursuing my master's degree in Library Science, I had the opportunity to attend two art seminars.  They were fantastic.  They were not only learning experiences, but delightful days as well.

Waiting for Normal



Waiting for Normal by Leslie Conner is a fantastic coming-of-age book!  I created a Wordle for this book in which I used words that remind me of the story.  This is a great way to do something different for a book report project, a review on a particular subject, or a presentation. 

Wordle is fun and easy to use!

A Museum Visit

I was lucky enough to travel to London with my husband.  One of the places we visited was the Courtauld Gallery located in the Courtauld Art Institute.  While I was meandering through the gallery, admiring the art, I found a little treasure...the pages of a very old children's book.



It is The Elves and the Shoemaker by George Halkett, 1883.  He illustrated with bright colors, strong outlines, and solid black areas that were popular at the time.  This was a relatively new picture book format at the time.  Before this, the books were highly educational in nature.  The history of children's books has always been intriguing to me.