Member: Alexiamacia

I enjoyed the children’s books that I read this semester. I can honestly say that I have never read so many books in such a short amount of time. I have always loved children’s books because they are so charming, but I can appreciate them now in a way that I didn’t before.

I have learned to really appreciate the illustrations and see them through a child’s eyes. Illustrations can add to the text of a book and emphasize the story, or it can completely change the meaning of the text and the book itself. I can appreciate the pictures and recognize the type of media that was used and see them as its own work of art. After completing the picture book author study assignment, I have learned how to recognize an author’s books by becoming familiar and studying their illustrations. I can also evaluate the books to notice the style of writing that the author likes to use, as well as the type of characters that are usually developed and what subjects the author tends to write about. I have learned to dissect children’s books, whether novels or picture books, and get the most out of them that I can. Thinking about how I would integrate the books I have read into my future classroom has been helpful. Learning the appropriate questions to ask children when reading to them has also been beneficial and I was able to practice during my read-aloud session.

I have read 112 children’s books including the required books and the ones I selected myself. The 52 tags that I’ve created to organize my collection will help me pick out the appropriate books I will be looking for when I start teaching. I have read 98 books that received awards and 13 multicultural books. The 13 books about disabilities that are in my library include characters with autism, cerebral palsy, Asbergers disease, blindness, mental retardation, and deaf ears. I plan on reading these books to my students in the future to promote awareness and acceptance, since children with these disabilities will probably be integrated into my classroom.

I have accumulated a diverse library that spans from books about adoption to books about children who come from divorced families and those who live with foster families. I have many award winning books, as I mentioned above, as well as fairy tales and fantasy books where children can escape the real world and dream. I have books about books and many easy books to enhance reading skills for very young children. I have also included science books and some on nature and bugs. From birthdays, art, colors, ABC books, manners, books that celebrate diversity, bullying, and multicultural picture books, I feel that I have a wide selection of children’s books that I will incorporate into my lesson plans.

Aside from the required books, I selected ones that seemed interesting from looking at the cover and reading the short synopsis at the back or inside cover of the book. I tried to select a variety of subjects that I figured I would be teaching or subjects that I thought may come up in the classroom, like bullying or race. One of my favorite books was by Becky Ray McCain and the title is, “Nobody Knew What To Do.” I enjoyed this book because it portrayed the teacher as a trustworthy figure that the student could share his feelings to, and the teacher was able to vindicate the child from the bullying experience. I absolutely loved the novel, “Masterpiece” by Elise Broach, and all three books of “The Hunger Games” trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

My new favorite author and illustrator is Chris Raschkca. His interpretations represent why I love children’s books. They are simple, short, easy, and so charming. The books in the easy genre are the ones I really love the most. They are so magical and child-like and most require an imagination. His books represent true children’s picture books for me.

posted by Alexiamacia at 5:47 pm (EST) on Nov 16, 2012