What I have learned in English 360

Seeing how this is the last blog entry for the semester (sigh of relief), I wanted to write about my experience in this course and what I have learned over the course of this semester. When I was told about this course from my mother, who took this course at Texas A&M University over twenty years ago she told me how much she learned and how the class prepared her for becoming a mother and teaching books to her children; my experience in this course has been no different. I have learned much more than the basic plot and character analysis of books. Throughout this course I learned how to take the text and try to figure out what the author was possibly implying. From the first day of class I was amazed at the between-the-lines meanings of some of the fairy tales we read, such as Little Red Riding Hood. Overall, this course has taught me how to better analyze text and to always look beyond the meaning of the words on a page.

Themes Present Throughout Harry Potter

The students that attend Hogwarts demonstrate the themes that are carried throughout this book: coming of age, responsibility, friendship, love, death, and good versus evil. Whether the student is fun loving and clumsy like Neville Longbottom or a bully like Draco Malfoy, each student’s personality is shaped by how they respond to the important situations that unfold throughout the book. The adults also experience struggles and must navigate through the many events that occur within the magical walls of Hogwarts. The characters in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone are complex, multidimensional and interesting, which is probably the contributing factor to the success of J.K. Rowling’s books in the adult world as well as the child world. This book would be an excellent addition to this course because this course is aimed towards reading books that “express the notions of nature of childhood and shape those notions within a culture” (Robinson). While some argue that Harry Potter is unacceptable for children, I argue that there are fundamental qualities throughout the Harry Potter books, in particular Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, making this book both entertaining and educational.

Concepts learned in Picture Books

Picture books are frequently used by teachers and parents as a way to introduce children to concepts such as counting, division, fractions, Geometry, measurement, multiplication, size, subtraction, time as well as other various concepts. The majority of these books are recommended for children between the ages of 4-8; however, some books will work for younger children as well. Based on the previous concepts listed above, below are lists of picture books that fall into each category.

 

Counting:

 

Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek by Eileen Christelow

One Bear at Bedtime by Mick Inkpen

One Gorilla by Atsuko Morozumi

One Hundred Days of Cool by Stuart Murphy

Over in the Meadow by Jane Cabera

The Shopping Basket by John Burmingham

Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo LeSieg

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Division:

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

Henry’s 100 Days of Kindergarten by Nancy Carlson

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems

Safari Park by Stuart Murphy

Fractions:

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

Emily’s Wonderful Pie by Jane Cornish

Geometry:

The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle

The Wing on a Flea by Ed Emberley

Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Measurement:

Cook-A-Doodle-Doo by Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens

Counting on Frank by Rod Clement

Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs

Multiplication:

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet

Anno’s Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Anno

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

Leaping Lizards by Stuart Murphy

Size:

All Shapes and Sizes by Shirley Hughes

The Bad-Tempered Ladybird by Eric Carle

The Blue Balloon by Mick Inkpen

Hop! Plop! by Corey Schwartz

A House for Birdie by Stuart Murphy

Just Teenie by Susan Meddaugh

Pardon? Said the Giraffe by Colin West

Shrinking Mouse by Pat Hutchins

Tall by Jez Alborough

Titch by Pat Hutchins

Watch Out Big Bro’s Coming! by Jez Alborough

Who Sank The Boat? by Pamela Allen

Subtraction:

Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio and Howard Fine

Dora’s Chicks by Julie Sykes

5 Little Ducks by Wendy Straw

Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping by Eileen Christelow

Hardworking Puppies by Lynn Reiser

Safari Park by Stuart Murphy

The Shopping Basket by John Burmingham

Six Chicks by Henrietta Branford

Time:

All in One Hour by Susan Crummel

The Bad-Tempered Ladybird by Eric Carle

Cluck O’Clock by Kes Gray

Five Minutes Peace by Jill Murphy

Mr Wolf’s Nursery Time by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins

My Grandmother’s Clock by Geraldine McCaughrean

One Hundred Days of Cool by Stuart Murphy

What Time is it Mr Crocodile? by Judy Sierra

 

Analysis of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

In class we defined picture books as a work that contains minimal or no text and pictures. Both elements are required in order for the book to relay its message. By far this section of reading has been my favorite because going back and reading these popular picture books as an adult brings an entirely different meaning to each book. For example, when I read The Tale of Peter Rabbit as a child, I was completely entertained by the risk-taking rabbit that ventured into Mr. McGregor’s garden; however, reading the book some15 years later, I realize the book contains much more underlying meaning than that of an adventurous rabbit. For example, after our class discussion I realized this book teaches important lessons regarding obedience, motherhood, love, compassion, and nurturing. I really enjoyed looking at all of the qualities that has made this book a main-stay in children’s literature. 

The Stinky Cheese Man

My favorite book growing up was The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales written by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. I was amazed by the originality of pictures, characters, font, layout, and content. This was the first book I had ever read that was not written in the typical boring font!  The first page hooked me with the comedic value the authors were able to incorporate. They were able to make fun of typical features books contain, such as the title and table of contents. Another aspect of this book I enjoy so much is the fact that they were able to keep the typical fairy-tale story lines while giving them a creative and unique characteristic that make them unexpected and unique. While this book is probably intended for a somewhat older child audience, it is a great way to get children interested in old classics such as “The Ugly Ducking” and “The Little Red Hen.” 

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are written by Maurice Sendak is a vivid book that describes a mystical world of monsters. Max, the main character is a child that disobeys his mother. Max wonders into the land where the wild things are. Because of his behavior, his mother tells him to go to bed without supper. While asleep, Max dreams and his room slowly turns into a jungle surrounded my vines.  At first Max is frightened by the Wild Things; however, they eventually learn to respect him and make him king of the Wild Things. After a while Max “wanted to be where someone loved him best of all” (Sendak) so he gave up being king and went back home. When he finally returned home his supper was waiting there for him, still warm. In my opinion, the best quality in this book is the vividness of the imagery and the repetition of key words. For example, words such as the monsters yellow eyes, and their terrible claws give the reader an actual image of what these Wild Things look like. Another great addition to this award-winning book is the wildly imaginative pictures that accompany the text. While the text is extremely vivid, without the incorporation of pictures the book would not contain the same meaning. 

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter is a wonderfully imaginative book about a mischievous rabbit that strays from home and finds himself in a world of trouble. The discussion we had in class yesterday about the definition of a “picture book” really aided in my own understanding of what a picture book actually is. While reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit, I was amazed at how well the illustrations added to the text. Without the stunningly visual pictures the text would not have the same effect on the audience. My favorite aspect of the pictures is that emotions the artist was able to evoke throughout the book. When Peter has just about given up, he begins to cry; at this specific time the audience is able to sympathize with Peter.  While Peter has gotten himself in this terrible situation we all want him to escape, and eventually he does.