Category Archives: Book Reviews

In The Obstinate Pen, a pen refuses to write what the writer intends, instead producing some choice insults and urging the writers to action.  Of course, such obstinacy usually gets it ejected and on its way to another unsuspecting owner.  (Grade level 2+.)

The Obstinate Pen by Frank W. Dormer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great read-aloud or read-alone that managed to get a most anti-romance second grader cheering along with the text, “Kiss her, banana head!” I guess that makes this the added material Peter Falk’s character needed in The Princess Bride. Although both text and illustration felt a bit flat, it wasn’t for any reason I could identify, and both are generally charming. Particularly for a pen that yells insults.

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We’ve just posted our first booklist: a list of 20 great wordless books!

Wordless books can be used as extended writing and conversation prompts with both English-learning and English-fluent students.  Furthermore, they can be enjoyed with family and friends in a child’s first language, and we believe it is important to seek out ways to support all of a student’s languages.

Our booklists will feature:

• A quick list with cover images
• A longer list with bibliographic information, links to the books’ Goodreads pages, and a brief description
• Notes for teachers and parents on how to incorporate the books into a student’s work.

After the death of her father, Gilda Joyce takes control of her life through “storytelling” – though some might bluntly call it lying.  Her imagination and drive earn her a trip to California for the summer where she meets a long-lost uncle, his daughter … and perhaps even a ghost.  (Grade level 6+.)

Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ah, the beloved Quirky, Notemaking Narrator, in the tradition of Anastasia Krupnik and Harriet the Spy. Perhaps my cooled affection is because I encountered Gilda as an adult, though I am still pretty quirky and I still take lots of notes… Regardless, Gilda Joyce is a lovely character, and I can see why several students have regarded her with such great affection, but some small something is missing for me. A hallmark of such characters is a sweetly desperate earnestness; Gilda Joyce certainly has that, but (and please take this with a grain of salt, since I don’t criticize authors for being different from their characters and I don’t actually claim to know anything about this author’s personality) perhaps Jennifer Allison could use a bit of earnestness herself?

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In this retelling of a Japanese folktale by artist Molly Bang, an old man brings magic and joy to a quiet restaurant when he pays for his meal with an origami crane.  (Grade level 2+.)

The Paper Crane by Molly Bang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bang’s version of this Japanese folktale captures multiculturalism in the best way. The three main characters are clearly Japanese, as is the origami crane at the center of the story. The other characters are a diverse bunch and – my favorite detail of all – the restaurant owned by the main character serves Western food like garden salad and layer cake, with nary a chopstick in sight. It’s a subtle lesson, reminding us that minorities can simultaneously embrace some aspects of their heritage without being ghettoized into a needless representation of *all* mainstream expectations.

Bang’s artistic choices also stand out here, as she uses dimensional paper collage to illustrate a story about the power of a piece of paper art. The crane itself begins as the well-known origami figure, before becoming something more within the story … but remaining a paper crane from the perspective of the reader, a nice visual example of what the word “irony” technically means.

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