Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi

Before reading this novel, I thought I had a fairly good grasp of World War II and its effects around the world. This novel proved me wrong. Sook Nyul Choi's compelling story transported me to Korea where I learned about her country's rich history along with the great sorrows and tribulations faced by people in Korea at this time. First the Japanese controlled Korea followed by Russia in North Korea following the war. There was that one glimmer of peace and happiness when neither Japan or Russia dominated Korea, but of course, that was short-lived. I love books that take me to a different time and place, and Sook Nyul's Choi writing did just that. I was 10-year-old Sookan living each moment with her, feeling her struggle, her fears, her determination, and most of all her enduring spirit.

Sookan surprised me by being wise beyond her years. She already felt such a strong devotion to her family and was the protector of her little brother, Inchun. As I read, I felt as though I was experiencing a story combining both a Korean Holocaust and the Underground Railroad. Every step along the way was an obstacle, every day a never-ending struggle. The sock factory, the high price of food, and the long days reminded me of the Jewish ghettos at this same time. That Japanese school also made me cringe. The constant reminders to be loyal to the Heavenly Emperor and empire along with the militaristic command of the school proved strenuous and damaging to the psyche. I can't imagine suffering through that as a 10-year-old.

The idea of group mentality also arose in this book as following the war, many North Koreans welcomed the Russians with open arms thinking that this time things would be different with the Russians. The Communist marches, the meetings, the wearing of red were really just new forms of a country suppressing and controlling Korea. Unfortunately, many Koreans didn't recognize Russia as another oppressor and succumbed to Russia's messages. Sookan's ability to see beyond the confines of the Russian message again showed the wisdom inside this 10-year-old. My emotions were stirred the most when Sookan and Inchun became separated from their mother on the escape trip to the south. Much like the days of the Underground Railroad during slavery, it's hard to know who to trust and even harder when you're that young. Without the help of the old man at the train station, I don't know what would have happened to the children. I feel as though a little luck or fate guided them. Their courage to move forward and continue their journey took dedication and heart.

I think too often in schools, we hear about the European version of World War II. Year of Impossible Goodbyes can open students' eyes to the impact of war around the world and also war's aftermath. To me, history is a combination of stories and a combination of perspectives. Everybody has their own history, and this story demonstrates this. The final scene of the children digging to freedom brings together every aspect of the book in terms of facing adversity, maintaining strength and resiliency, and preserving hope in oneself and the human spirit.

Grandfather's Journey, Written and Illustrated by Allen Say

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, Grandfather's Journey is the rich and touching account of author Allen Say's grandfather. I love stories about the past, especially when they are true, heartfelt tales like this one is. Traveling from Japan to America, Say's grandfather travels America's terrain, reveling in the differences between Japan and America. He marvels at the the farm fields, the desert, the towering mountains, and the industrialized cities. Settling in, Say's grandfather marries his childhood sweetheart and brings her to America, and the couple has a daughter. However, Say's grandfather's begins to long for his old friends and his old homeland. His wife, his daughter, and he return to Japan where their daughter falls in love and eventually has a son, Allen Say. A sincere sympathy emerged from me when I discovered that this family was affected by World War II and the destruction of their city. Say's grandparents lost their home. I didn't expect this to be part of the story, but this piece relays underlying wounds. Relaying the history isn't always positive. It's filled with challenged and struggles.

At the age of 16, Allen Say also immigrates to America. I found it interesting how Say connects even more with his grandfather now that he is in America. They share similar attachments and cross-cultural experiences. The simplicity of the second to last page stands in contrast with the rest of the books' illustrations, and I think Say may have done this on purpose. Only words are on this page-no pictures. It shows the inherent desire to be two places at once. No matter what, whether in Japan or America, there is a longing for the other. As Allen Say states, "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other. I think I know my grandfather now." Although that one particular page didn't need a picture, the pictures included in the story are amazing. The pictures tell the story more than the words on the page. Say's brilliant use of watercolor paintings depict the grandfather's journey thoroughly. Each picture is framed and set apart from the text. Due to this layout, several of the pictures appear as snapshots or portraits- specific moments in time.

I'm sure few of our future students' grandparents immigrated to the United States, but this would be such a worthwhile book so students can begin to see the importance of the past and the importance in stories. One activity I might have students do would be interviewing their grandparents. They can learn what life was like for them when they were children. After all, we only have a limited time to spend with our grandparents. When someone passes, their stories go with them. Also, this book shows a new perspective of history because it tells the story of aJapanese man coming to America rather than the usual story we hear about European families immigrating to the United States. Students can compare and contrast immigration experiences faced by people from different countries. So many different directions and so many possibilities emerge from this story.

Harriet and the Roller Coaster, Written and Illustrated by Nancy Carlson

While I was wandering through the children's section at the public library, I came across Nancy Carlson, one of my favorite children's authors when I was young. I eagerly looked through her different books and found Harriet and the Roller Coaster. I don't know why, but ever sense I was a little kid, I have had this youthful love for amusement parks. Whether I actually go to one, see one in a movie, or read a book about it, I get excited and fall for the splendor of the amusement park experience. I enjoy the thrill. That is why I loved this book as a kid and found out I still love it as a young adult.

For their last day of school, Harrriet and her classmates go to an amusement park. In the days leading up to the field trip, George taunts Harriet, saying that she'll be to scared to go on the roller coaster. Harriet internalizes George's words and has trouble sleeping the night before the field trip. On the day of the field trip, both George and Harriet buy tickets for the roller coaster, and in a turn of events, it's George, not Harriet, who realizes he doesn't like roller coasters.

Although this is a simple story, it's full of colorful illustrations and fun-loving, good-natured characters. Nancy Carlson definitely has the likability factor working for her due to both her pictures and easy-flowing writing style. I especially liked the two-page spread of just the roller coaster itself. It's a high-thrill ride for sure with quick drops and multiple loops. For students who really enjoy this story, there are other books about Harriet's adventures.

Kids reading Harriet and the Roller Coaster may be able to guess the ending because it's common to have a plot focusing in on the main character's dilemma and then the main character proving herself/himself in the end. While reading, students could make predictions about what they think will happen. For the primary grades, this can also be an introductory story about peer pressure, the overcoming of fears, and courage. Students should be able to make connections with the story about a time whe they too felt scared and the process of what they did to overcome their fears. This story suggests that students need to be able to stand up for themselves, but also at the same time, they should be willing to try new (safe) things. You never know until you try.

Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Laura Regan

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to visit the rain forest? What would you see? What would you hear? What would it feel like? Jane Yolen activates and brings to life the tropical rain forest in Welcome to the Green House. Yolen gives the reader a complete tour of the rain forest by first describing the warm, wet days. While envisioning the rain forest while reading, I felt myself clam and warm-up as though it were summer. Yolen describes the towering trees and the plethora of animals including the sloth, the capuchin monkey, hummingbirds, and the golden toads. Yolen doesn't merely list the animals, but she describes the animals and some of the animals' actions. The sloth is a "slow, green-coated sloth," while "waking lizards lunge" and silver fish plunge." Yolen appeals to the reader's auditory sense too as long-horned beetles "crinch-crunch" and bees "pick-buzz-hum-buzz." All of the sounds are set off in italics to emphasize them. Yolen explores both the daytime and nighttime.\.

Although rich in its writing style, Welcome to the Green House is also rich in its illustrations of the rain forest. Each illustration covers the entire two-page spread. A closeup of both the canopy and down on the ground floor are shown. The sun can only peak through narrow gaps in the canopy. Silver fish swim through the stream. In some pictures, the reader sees the intricacies of a leaf or the toad's habitat in the rain forest. All of the illustrations help to show just how much activity takes place in the rain forest simultaneously.

This book is a great resource to guide students in adding their own sensory details, accurate descriptions, or vivid illustrations to a piece of writing. Rich adjectives flow endlessly in this book. On one page, Yolen lists all different shades of green visible in the rain forest: "dark green, light green, emerald green, bright green, copper green, blue green, ever-new green house." Even without the illustrations, I think readers would be able to visualize the rain forest.

On the final page of this book, there is a Did You Know? section that talks about the current human threat to rain forests. As the School Library Journal notes, this book would be "ideal for introducing rain forest ecology in the primary grades...The next best thing to a guided tour." Perhaps this could be the opener for a unit on activism, persuasive essays, and/or persuasive letter-writing. Why should we save the rain forests? What can we do to preserve them? I feel that students like to a have a purpose when they write. It always helps to write about something that matters and is relevant. What better topic then is there than the rain forest?

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble, Illustrated by Stephen Kellogg

Let me give you a summary of how The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash goes. Something happens. Why did it happen? Because this happened. Why did this happen? Because before that, this happened, and so the story goes. If you need to teach students cause and effect, this is the book to do it. Like other Jimmy's Boa stories, Meggie relays the day's events to her mom. In this case, her class went on a field trip to the farm. While at the farm, all kinds of events transpire. The story unwinds bit by bit as pieces of the puzzle slowly come together. Jimmy takes his boa into the hen house to meet the farm animals, but the boa scares the hens, which in effect makes a hen get so excited that it lays an egg, which makes the kids start throwing eggs, and so the story goes. Finally, Jimmy's boa does in fact eat the wash.

I enjoyed this book because of how the story unfolds. Kids will get a kick out of the variety of events taking place. I also like how this book is a story within a story since Meggie is telling the story to her mom. Throughout the course of the book, Meggie's mom asks questions to clarify the story which leads to another ridiculous explanation of everything that occurred. Perhaps students can experiment with telling a story within a story during writer's workshop and explore the possibilities. I try to remember any book that sparks ideas for writer's workshop.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash can be used in reader's workshop too. This is one of those books that I think it would be useful to do a picture walk with students before reading. There are so many things happening that if students get a general idea of the events in the story, it will be easier for them to follow the train of thought. Also, there are not too many words on each page, so the pictures equally tell the story. The illustrations are well-crafted, full of bright colors and pictures that add humor to the story. This book is an ideal opener for a unit on cause and effect since cause and effect examples are so prevalent. All of the events in this story happen for a reason. Whether reading for pleasure or with a teaching purpose in mind, as a teacher, you can take this story in many different directions.

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, Illustrated by Harry Bliss

I really didn't have very high expectations for Diary of a Worm, but it turned out that I loved it! It was filled with so much "worm" humor that I found myself chuckling to myself. Told from the perspective of a young worm, the worm seemed rather human. He went to school, did his homework (and ate it), and had all kinds of adventures. Filled with so much life and energy, the worm also went through typical worm experiences and worm experiences you wouldn't really think about. Typical experiences mentioned included digging deeper to avoid being used as bait and being on the sidewalk after a rainstorm. Unusual worm experiences included only being able to put your head in during the Hokey Pokey and making macaroni necklaces in art class. One noodle slipped over the worm's body.

I thought this was a very unique picture book. Often diaries and journals are used for children's novels, but this was the first picture book I have read that uses the diary format to tell its story. The worm's story was so wholesome and down-to-earth (pun intended) :) . This worm definitely likes to experiment and try out new ideas that don't always work. When the spider tells him to walk upside down, he realizes he can't. When he decides to be nice and says "Good morning" to one of the ants, he ends up staying at the same spot all day saying "Good Morning" to over 600 ants. Through this diary format, students can enter the life of this worm and develop a new idea when considering perspective in their writing. Perhaps they can pretend to be an animal, or perhaps they can write about themselves in a diary format with brief stories from their life.

The illustrations in this story only added to the story's effectiveness. Harry Bliss is an award-winning cartoonist, and the cartoonist feel comes through in the pictures. The pictures were very kid-friendly. Even the minor details in the pictures develop a framework for the story. As a cartoonist would do, at times word bubbles were used above the characters' heads. My favorite one was "Must make tunnel-help Earth breathe!" Words in large font were also used for sounds like CHOMP and THUD. With his worm family, he's 100% happy.

Cute quirk after cute quirk about being a worm makes this story memorable and a must-read for kids! I would definitely recommend getting this story for your classroom library! Get on it!

Glogster