The Bad Beginning

Photo credit Scholastic.com

“If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle… I’m sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes” (Snickett, 1999, p.1). The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett, illustrated by Brett Helquist is the first in a Series of Unfortunate Events. If you dare, you can read about the lives of the Baudelaire youngsters as they encounter many unfortunate events.

Snickett’s description in The Bad Beginning uses a very precise vocabulary and enhances the readers’ comprehension by adding in a definitions without making them feel like they wouldn’t already know these words. He, in no way, doubts the reader’s intelligence. He is able to slide the definition in subtly. For example, Snickett says, “the word rickety, you probably know, here means ‘unsteady’ or ‘likely to collapse” He assumes the reader knows, but wants to ensure the meaning for any readers who may not know. Snickett also incorporates his precise language to add a gloomy description to the setting, “The children looked from the well-scrubbed house of Justice Strouss to the dilapidated one next door.” the reader can see that the house is the opposite of the well scrubbed house, and the word dilapidated feels right in the setting.

While a narrator telling a story is fairly common, Snickett uses a very unique second person point of view in this story, allowing the narrator to tell the story, while also talking directly to the reader in certain parts of the story, when they need more information. For example, “Unless you have been very, very lucky, young have undoubtedly experienced events in your life that have made you cry. So unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better…” In this case, the narrator makes a connection between the reader’s life before continuing on with the story of the Baudelaire’s. That connection, the narrator assumes, will help the reader understand the story better and develop a more meaningful experience with the characters. In doing this, the narrator is including you in the story along with the characters, even though you are not necessarily a part of the Baudelaire’s story, you are now a part of the book.

The illustrations done by Brett Helquist, utilize simple, sharp lines that are very precise and unfluid, like they are set in stone. Some of the illustrations create an element of foreshadowing at the beginning of each chapter. In the illustration before chapter 3, we can see a dark sketching of a pair of very evil looking eyes, with only one eyebrow across the top. These eyes look menacing and mischievous. In this chapter, we later find out that this is a description of Count Olaf, whom the Baudelaires are meeting for the first time. This is a nice way to mysteriously engage readers to what they are about to experience. Within the story, similar style illustrations create a visual for the reader that show more details and create an extension to the depth of this story. These illustrations, while simply just lined with no color, are incredibly detailed and capture the reader’s attention.

While this book is a mystery, I unexpectedly really made a connection to Violet within this story. Violet, being the oldest like myself, felt a major responsibility to care for and protect her siblings. As the oldest it feels like your job, and I wholeheartedly connected to that as I feel I need to protect my younger sister and keep things from her sometimes for her own benefit. This insight and connection was not something I expected, yet gave me a personal connection to the story that a lot of other oldest children can relate to. I really enjoyed this mystery with lots of twists and turns and very unique characters. The Bad Beginning is a great start to the series. I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

Lemony Snickett has created such a unique and mysterious take on a children's story that is incredibly engaging. The illustrations are dark, and detailed to pull in readers to encourage them try to figure out what the images could mean. Not only do the illustrations pull the readers in, but the narrator speaking directly to the reader really makes them a part of the book, while also separating readers from the story itself. Along with the enhanced vocabulary choices Snickett uses throughout out the story, this makes for a very different take for a children’s book. It’s individual style engages readers right from the start and will keep readers trying to solve the mystery all the way through the series!

Snickett, L. (1999). The Bad Beginning. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

Islandborn

Photo credit Penguin Random House

“Ms. Obi hung the drawings on the wall. ‘Now our classroom has windows,’ she said. ‘Anytime you want to look at one another’s first home all you have to do is look out the windows” (Diaz). This is just the book we need right now to see windows into others’ lives that are different from our own. Islandborn by Junot Diaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa is a gorgeous story about being proud of where you came from and knowing that even if you leave, your home will always be a part of you.

The writing by Junot Diaz stands out with its beautiful descriptions and meaningful dialogue between the characters that Lola encounters. We can feel the connection that each person has to the island based on the way they describe it to her. The composition between the descriptions are also magically intertwined with the illustrations giving the reader a visual of what they are telling Lola about the island and how she is imagining it. Each character talks about something different about the island giving Lola a well rounded idea of not only the island but also who each person is that she is meeting.

The illustrations done by Leo Espinosa are incredibly colorful and really bring the story to life. The colors stand out and become brighter as she learns more and more about the island where she was born but knows nothing about. As the mood of the story changes, the illustrations gradually change on each page. In happiness and wonder, the colors are wonderfully bright and cheerful, yet when the story becomes not quite as cheerful, the colors turn dark and subtle. These color changes really enhance how the reader feels alongside the feelings of the main character throughout the story.

While the colors demonstrate the moods, the details within the illustrations add so much complexity and depth to the storyline and create an engaging story within just the illustrations themself, yet also enhancing the text. Readers can see the thoughts of the character and the stories being told by the elders who knew the island before her. The details from the description of the island that each person Lola encounters, shares about the island, the illustrations become those descriptions and take the reader to the island along with Lola as she’s learning. The window to the island is shared throughout the wonderfully descriptive illustration.

Islandborn really connected to my teaching background and this assignment and how meaningful it was to the students was really wonderful to see. I think it is important to know your background and history of where you are from or what your ancestors have been through. It really is a part of you and learning about brings together a community, like in Islandborn, or a family. This book is beautifully written, and I think it’s an important book about diversity that I would recommend not only for children, but for all readers. I give Islandborn 5 out of 5 stars.

Islanborn is definitely a must read in today’s multicultural society, to promote love and acceptance of both where we come from and where others come from. Each part of us includes different background experiences, cultures and ancestry that we can all be proud of. With it’s wonderfully engaging dialogue, it’s moving illustrations that allow us to become immersed in color while gathering extensive details, make this an engaging book right from the start. I highly recommend not only reading Islandborn, but also making it a part of any library or classroom!

Diaz, J. (2018). Islandborn. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

The Rainbow Fish

Photo credit Scholastic

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is a beautifully written children’s book that will not only capture the reader’s attention with its eye catching illustrations, but also provide the reader with a wonderful story that leaves a lasting impression. Float along with Rainbow Fish as he learns an important lesson in sharing and caring while making friends.

While Pfister provides readers with a simplistic plot about sharing and making friends, there are a few unexpected insights that are in place for readers to discover for themselves. While Rainbow Fish learns about how sharing can help him make friends and feel happy, the octopus also tells him, “You will no longer be the most beautiful fish in the sea, but you will discover how to be happy.” Essentially the fish is learning that beauty is not the most important thing in life. There are greater things to life than beauty, such as kindness, friendship, giving to other who are less fortunate than you, and happiness. These are the major components in life and Rainbow Fish is discovering them along with the readers, through the simplistic act of sharing his sparkly scales that were once his most prized possessions.

The illustrations create a textural look with the Rainbow Fish’s shiny scale to draw the reader’s eye to these special scales. The scales are not only differentiated from the other illustrations on the page because of their sparkle, they also create a textural look with the small circles that are layered on top of each other to make a bumpy, shiny feel. Only the special scales that are very important to Rainbow Fish are illustrated using this textural feel, ensuring that the reader can tell that these are different from both the other fish and his other scales.

The colors that the illustrator uses really enrapture the reader to feel as though they are in the ocean along with the other fish. The different color hues of blue and green with a little bit of purple really create a cool, underwater feel. These cool hues demonstrate how the uncaring and proud the Rainbow Fish is until the other fish no longer admire him. As he begins to share the hues seem to brighten up while still keeping the underwater feel.

I agree with Pfister, that beauty is not the most important thing in the world and that sharing what makes us special can make the world a better place. When we share our kindness, our friendship, our happiness and our possessions with others, we can add to their lives which impacts our families, our communities and our world. I think this story does a good job at not being too didactic and providing these lessons in ways that the reader has to pull back like layers of an onion. I think Rainbow Fish is an engaging story that will capture the hearts of young children and adults! Overall I think this book deserves four out of five stars!

The Rainbow Fish intertwines it’s beautifully colored illustrations with a plot line that helps students learn that there are more important things in life than beauty. The characters are illustrated to show their differences from Rainbow Fish and his sparkly scales. So much can be discovered through this story, and it’s a great read to spark wonderful discussions!

Pfister, M. (1992). The Rainbow Fish. New York, NY: North South.

The Giving Tree

Photo credit ShelSilverstein.com

What if we all gave a little more of ourselves to others, like the giving tree gives to the boy? The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a beautiful story, about a boy who loves the tree, but grows up and continues to return to the tree for support. This book has made it across a wide passage of time, going on over 50 years and has become a classic.  

The personification of the tree as a she really adds her as a character to the story as well as figuratively makes her feel like the boys mother. She is always there for him when he needs her and never asks for anything in return. If the boy is happy, then she is happy. The illustrating even show the way the tree uses her branches like arms to call the boy to her and play hide and go seek along with the boy. These small details really create a unique and wonderful character.

Silverstein creates his illustrations utilizing a thick black line with white fill in. While this seems simple, the lines are still able to engage the reader in the amount of details with the simplistic line and color. The lines are very fluid which creates movement within the scenes. The tree seems to be a main focal point that pulls in the reader the same way it pulls in the boy who played with her everyday and grew up with her gifts.

The illustrations create depth with more added detail that the reader can only get from reading the images along with the words. We can see throughout the illustration how the tree encompasses the boy in her branches and encourages him to take what he needs from her. From the illustration the reader is show a more personal side of the tree, along with the way that the boy grows and becomes an aging man who needs different things from the tree. The connection between the boy and the tree is an engaging relationship that can be seen through the depth of details that Silverstein creates.  

The Giving Tree creates an emotional connection for me that really agrees with my values of being selfless and giving to those we love without asking for anything in return. It’s a very motherly way of thinking and it reminds me of my own mother who still selflessly gives to me to do everything she can to make me happy. While I do think that selfless love is great, I feel like a little reciprocation and loving in return is necessary, but we all show our love in different ways, just as the boy did with the tree. I really love this book and think it’s a must read for just about anyone, and I will say that it has different connections to people at different times in our lives. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

I think with this book’s beautiful creation of a unique and personified tree as a main character, along with the amazingly simplistic yet engaging illustrations, I think this book is a great addition to any library or classroom collection. This book makes for a great bedtime story, a great read aloud, or an adult read out of nostalgia. We can all get a meaningful yet unique experience with this book making, which is what has helped it stand the passage of time over all these years. Shel Silverstein has created a story that gives and gives to others throughout their entire lives.

Silverstein, S. (1964). The Giving Tree. United States: Harper Collins Publishers.

We Are in a Book!

Photo credit Pigeon Presents

We Are in a Book!

Written and illustrated by Mo Willems

How would you feel if you suddenly realized you were in a book being read by someone? That is exactly what happens to Gerald and Piggie in this hilarious picture book. Not only do we get to see their reactions to being in a book, we get to be a part of the book and interact with Elephant and Piggie, who love to be read again and again.

Mo Willems does a wonderful job of pulling us into the story with only dialogue bubbles from Elephant and Piggie. Through the dialogue, we can tell that Gerald and Piggie have very different reactions to being in a book. Piggie decides that he can make the reader say a word, which he chooses “banana” and sends both Gerald and Piggie into hysterical laughter. Gerald, questions Piggie until he realizes that the book can end which sends him into a fit. “The book is going too fast! I have more to give!” The calmness of Piggie and his idea to ask the reader, “Will you please read us again?” balances out Gerald, which makes them the perfect pair.

The illustrations add so much detail to the story by enhancing the characters’ expressions and emotions that we as readers feel as though the characters are real and believable and relatable. We can see the shock and surprise with Gerald’s ears shooting up. This action gives us no doubt about how Gerald is feeling. Piggie on the other hand stays calm and we can tell from his facial features such as the squinted eyes and pointy ears, when he is thinking of a good plan. The illustrations have so much detail that we can read how the characters are feeling just by looking at them, which helps children associate facial expressions to informal communication.

The composition of the characters’ actions and expressions with the dialogue bubble of text flows seamlessly throughout the story. My favorite page is when Elephant and Piggie fall into a uncontrollable fit of giggles and they are surrounded by the, text “Hee”s and “Ha”s, which fits so well. The sizing of the text also changes depending on what is being expressed, such as when Gerald is upset that the book ENDS, the text is shockingly large to display his surprise and fear. The way the text and illustrations flow together make this a really fun and engaging read that flows seamlessly and creates a unique reading experience that kids are sure to enjoy!

Elephant and Piggie are such engaging, hilarious characters that are totally brought to life by Mo Willems’ illustrations. I think the characters are hugely entertaining. This book really challenged my thinking about what I would do and how I would feel if I realized my life was suddenly taking place in a book and people were reading it. It leaves so much for the reader to connect to and build upon while also just being a very fun read aloud experience.

I highly recommend We Are in a Book! to anyone and everyone! Kids (and adults) of all ages can enjoy this lighthearted reaction to Elephant and Piggie being trapped in a book! If you’ve ever wanted to be trapped in a book, I would highly suggest that it be alongside Elephant and Piggie, because with them, you know it’s never going to be boring.

Willems, M. (2010). We Are In a Book!. New York, NY: Hyperion.  

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Photo Credit CommonSense Media

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares encompasses all that a reader could want in what seems like a lighthearted book about friendship from the cover. This book, while being lighthearted and fun, also takes a dive into very realistic challenges that teens today are facing, while providing the reader with some unexpected insights about life and love and friendship. With a beautiful writing style, this book becomes another friend of your own.

Ann Brashares created four distinctly unique, yet completely relatable characters whose lives intertwine beautifully in their friendship journey. Carmen, who is Puerto Rican, confident and very sure of how she feels. Tibby who is very pessimistic on the outside, yet a wonderful friend underneath her hard exterior. Lena, the beautiful yet shy friend, who is very reserved yet thinks with her whole heart. And Bridget a confident athlete who knows what she wants and goes after it. The letters each friend writes to another really tells a lot about each character and is an intriguing way to show the reader who each girl is as opposed to just saying what type of person they are.

For example, in one letter, Bridget writes, “Tibba-Dee, you would hate this place. Wholesome, all-American people doing sports all day. High fives are common. I even witnessed a group hug. Sports cliches all day long. Almost makes you happy to be at Wallman’s don’t it?... of course, I love it. But everyday I’m here, I’m glad my real life is not like this, full of people like me, ‘cause then I wouldn't have you would I? Oh, I’m in love. Did I tell you that yet? His name is Eric. He’s a coach and 100% off limits. But you know how I get.” Just from this letter, we can infer a lot about both Tibby and Bridget in a way that makes us feel closer to them. Each of the four main characters gets their own story within the book, following them through their own trials and tribulations during their summer apart where we become a part of their summer through each letter. Each character faces things we may all face in life, yet they face their challenges in different ways, making them relatable, believable characters.

Along with the vivid characters, the figurative language that Brashares uses creates amazing imagery for the reader. When Lena gets to Greece, it is described as “The water was a darker copy of the sky, teased by the wind just enough to make it glitter and shine. The thin semicircular island hugged the wide expanse of water.” This one sentence gives the picture perfect description of the island. Brashares also uses figurative language to describe some of the other characters that the girls encounter, such as when Tibby meets Brian. “He was both skinny and doughy at the same time, his skin as white blue as skim milk.” Again, the figurative language provides a clear picture of their first impression of Brian. These types of figurative language added throughout the story provides meaning quickly and with emotional entisity. It provides the reader with a more specific, clear, powerful images to help visualize the story.

Within the plot line of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, some unexpected insights. A memorable insight came from 12 year old Bailey when she says, “I’m afraid of not having enough time. Not enough time to understand people, how they really are, or to be understood myself. I’m afraid of the quick judgements and mistakes that everybody makes. You can’t fix them without time. I’m afraid of seeing snapshots instead of movies.”This is such an unexpected insight into life from a 12 year old who is wise beyond her years. Lena also had an unexpected insight when she realized that “she was sad that people like Bee and Kostos, who had lost everything, were still open to love, and she who’d lost nothing, was not. Love is such a vast and overwhelming concept, and everyone believes they are open to love, yet Lena learns that she is not, even though she has lost nothing to cause her to resent the idea of love. Tibby also had an unexpected insight as she looked at everyone around her and realized that, “Maybe happiness was just a matter of the little upticks - the traffic signal that said “Walk” the second you got there - and downticks - the itchy tag at the back of your collar - that happen to every person in the course of a day. Maybe everybody had the same allotted measure of happiness within each day.” These insights about fear, time, love, life and happiness were unexpected in what looked like a light fun novel about friendship, yet they added so much meaning to the story.  

This text really connected to my feeling and backed up my views of the world. I think friendship and love and happiness are important, but so is the grief felt by the hardships that we go through in life. This text was a realistic view of what every human goes through and what they can learn from it. Just like Carmen had to consider the question, “Do you think it’s easier to be mad at people you trust? Why is that? Because you trust that they’ll love you anyway.” Trust is such an important part of life and love and trust go hand in hand. Both of these values are a part of the human experience. We must all question the trust we hold in our loved ones. This text does a great job of capturing the reader’s heart and connecting them with values that apply to all humans through the experiences and insights of the characters. Overall I highly enjoyed this book, it was entertaining, and funny, and sad and hit all of my emotions in a nice package about friendship and love. I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars! I really connected to the characters and cannot wait to continue reading the series. I hope their friendship stays strong and they participate in more adventures that impact their human experience.

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants is like a lifelong friend that you can take on your own journey through life. It’s a beautiful story about friendships and provides opportunities for the readers to find themselves in either the distinct characters, the experiences that they go through, or the unexpected insights that the characters learn about life along the way.  Don’t let the cover fool you! This book has a lot more to offer than just a story about magic pants and friendship. I think this is a great coming of age story, that even adults will enjoy.

Dragons Love Tacos

Photo credit Penguin Random House

Hey, Kid!

Did you know that dragons love tacos?

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri will have you loving tacos as much as dragons do! This fun colorful picture book engages the readers from the first page, putting them right into the story with the main character! If you love dragons or tacos, then this is the book for you!

Adam Rubin does a great job of using music in his language. The things dragons love (tacos) or hate (spicy salsa) is told in a way that is repetitive and predictable making it a great read aloud choice or shared reading experience for young children to follow along with. The pattern goes from “dragons love tacos” to all the different kinds of tacos they like to asking, “why do dragons love tacos?” Maybe it’s for these reasons… but the dragons never tell us why they love tacos for sure. This pattern creates emphasis especially when the author switches to what dragons hate. The element of prediction and foreshadowing from this pattern make for a great class discussion with students. The humor in the narrator's precise language choice is also a big hit.

Daniel Salmieri enhances this story will his colorful illustrations that really add details to the story that are much better seen than heard! My favorite detail added within the illustrations has to be the dragon’s reaction when asked, “Hey dragon, how do you feel about spicy taco toppings?” We then see the dragon rolled over with his legs in the air like a dead bug, his eyes rolled to the top of his head and his tongue out! That’s a pretty strong reaction to spicy taco toppings, and while the author could have just written that dragons hate spicy taco toppings the humor and depth added by this illustration really make the story come to life. How relatable is that reaction to a food? How many times have we pretended to be dead when we felt strongly about something? This dragon is personified on the page and creates a unique element to the story without even having to say anything!

Within the detailed illustrations, Salmieri also extends the plot. When we reach the climax in the story, the words disappear and all we are left with are the pictures telling the story, and boy do they tell a story! We see bright, dramatic colors, detailed reactions of both the dragons and the young boy with his dog. We can tell what is happening just by looking at these detailed, exciting illustrations, that moves the story from climax to directly afterwards before picking up the story’s words again. It is as though there were words there all along, the story continues to move forward. The incorporation of the images to move the plot along is a nice touch that helps children visualize the story and understand that the pictures are just as important as the words when reading.

Just like the dragons, I too love a good taco party! This book was a fun, humorous, imaginative story but still hit me in the gut! The dragons were so sweet to help clean up after the taco party went awry, and the boy was so kind to try his best to make friends with the dragons by finding out what they liked and trying to throw them a party they could all enjoy! This book is not only about tacos, but also about friendship and helping one another. Even though we are all different, we can find out what others like and join in with them to connect with them and build friendships! I found this book wildly entertaining! The illustrations really drew me in and kept me captivated throughout the whole story!

I think children and adults of all ages can enjoy this book! Readers are engaged right from the get go with the hilarious title and the colorful cover illustrations. The silliness of the story is sure to bring a smile and a laugh throughout the story. Readers will find something new and unexpected on every page! If you love dragons, tacos or parties, I highly recommend this book! I give it two thumbs up and bucket load of tacos!

Rubin, A. (2012). Dragons Love Tacos. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

One Proud Penny

Photo credit Macmillan Publishing

“I am a penny.

A proud penny

A single cent.

But there is nothing simple about me.”

One Proud Penny by Randy Seigel, illustrated by Serge Bloch is a book that is not so simple about a single cent. This story takes us on a ride with a penny who knows he is worth a lot, even if he’s no dollar bill. While informational, One Proud Penny reads like a fun fiction book, while also providing students with an engaging history of the penny, from the Penny himself.

Roger Seigel chose to write this informational text from the point of view of the Penny, and the Penny takes us on a wild ride to learn about his history and his journey across the world. Seeing the world from the Penny’s point of view engages readers and makes Penny feel like a friend talking about his proud achievements. Penny states that “as my man Lincoln once said, whatever you are be a good one. Which is the law I live by, so I try to be the best penny I can be.” The Penny describes his challenges and proudest achievements in a funny and engaging way to help the world make sense of cents!

Serge Bloch, the illustrator, incorporates lines in his illustrations to create 2 dimensional, flat illustrations that lay over a real image of a penny. The lines illustrate the personification of the penny who is telling the story and incorporate it alongside drawings of people to show how they are connected along the penny’s journey. The lines provide details to the story and help the reader visualize accompanying the penny to all of his places on his journey and his accomplishments and facts along the way. The lines within the illustrations are simple, yet captivating and create a unique view of information about pennies.

The composition of the words and illustrations provides readers with an engaging immersion of art and language . Balancing short simple sentences with small illustrations across the pages really engages the reader along a visual and literary adventure that is fun and engaging that draws the readers’ eyes to the illustrations and words together in one complete picture. Words and illustrations bounce across the page in different ways to demonstrate the bouncing journey of the penny to bounce the eye across each page. It feels as though you are alongside the penny while he is telling about his history.

The story of the penny is universal. Everyone uses pennies, but not everyone knows about the history of the penny. It was interesting to learn new facts about the penny in a fun, unique way. As the Penny states, “Some folks think pennies are worthless, but I know we are worth a lot.” I too was one of those people who thought that pennies were worthless, but learning all the interesting facts and becoming friends through the personification of the penny, it seems their history is worth a lot. I think for children, this book can open their eyes to the importance of the penny and how far it has come within its history.

I think that children learning about the different coins or even just historical topics will love this fun penny story and come away with lots of facts about the penny that they can share with others. The Penny’s style puts a good spin on informational writing and makes a great contribution to any collection. I think my favorite fact that I learned about the penny was that his “great uncle who was grey because he was born in 1943 and made out of steel”. This can be a great discussion point for students about why the penny was made out of steel in 1943 and how it connects to the illustration of the soldiers walking alongside the penny.

One Proud Penny is a great book for anyone who wants to make sense out of cents! The wonderful illustrations bring the story to life and the real life images of the penny can help young children become familiar with it in their everyday lives. The humor and penny’s point of view on his journey through his history is an exciting tale and one that will have everyone knowing the penny is worth a lot!

Seigel, R. (2017). One Proud Penny. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Iggy Peck, Architect

Photo credit andreabeaty.com

“Young Iggy Peck is an architect and has been since he was two, when he build a great tower - in only an hour - with nothing but diapers and glue.” Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts, takes the nature of young children to build to a whole new level. Young Iggy is not like other toddlers and continues his passion for architecture in exciting new ways!

The style in which Andrea Beaty writes with musical rhyming language brings so much fun and engagement to this story. The precisely chosen words to enhance the rhyming poetic tone of the story is magical. Lines such as “When Iggy was three, his parents could see his unusual passion would stay. He built churches and chapels from peaches and apples, and temples from modeling clay” increase the strength and appeal of this story, while not distracting from the well defined plot of the story. The consistent rhythm and cadence throughout the whole story makes for a fun read aloud experience.

Along with the musical language, David Roberts creates illustrations that utilize very precise lines that mimic the style of an architectural blueprint, which adds a nice touch. The details within the illustrations provide an extensive look at different architectural elements such as the St. Louis Arch, the Great Sphinx, and Big Ben out of everyday materials is beautifully done. The thin, precise lines look very nice and neat and as the story goes on the illustrations eventually end up being overlaid over lined graph paper to show how the illustrations utilize the straight lines that architects are typically known for.

Together, the musical language that flows in unique ways to add details to the story unifies along with the illustrations to create a lovely package of a book. My favorite example of the wonderful composition of text with the illustrations is the page where the bridge on their field trip collapses and the words “footbridge collapsed, and Miss Lila Greer started to scream” zig zag down the page like the are falling along with the bridge. This was a wonderful visual enhancement with the text. Another great example of the composition is the text, “After twelve long days that passed in a haze of reading, writing, and arithmetic, Miss Greer took the class to Blue River Pass for a hike and an old-fashioned picnic” flow up and down the pages with the class walking on top of them, like they are walking over hills.

I think the quote that stuck with me the most and that I wholeheartedly agree with is, “It all became clear to Miss Lila Greer, as she crossed that bridge over the stream. There are worse things to do when you’re in grade two than to spend your time building a dream.” Allowing students to pursue their passions from an early age is so vitally important. We all have unique talents and gifts that should not be stifled just to fit the mold of someone else. While this is a big theme for a picture book, it is clearly defined within all the wonderful illustrations and musical text making it a high quality picture book that I think lots of little builders will enjoy just as much as I did!

Each page is so visually appealing and sure to engage readers of all ages. The text and illustrations flow together so effortlessly and really enhance each other. The unique words that the reader experiences because the author wanted to continue the cadence and rhyme throughout the whole story seem so effortless, but are precisely perfect. The simple, clean, yet detailed illustrations were so captivating that this book is a perfect choice for both read alouds and visual literacy. The interconnectedness of text and visuals is seamless. I cannot recommend this book enough! Now young Iggy Peck can be seen following his dream and you too can do the same!

Beaty, A. (2007). Iggy Peck, Architect. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.