Module 1

5420/Module1/ June 7-13

Book 1 for this Module:
"The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes

Summary: This book is about two girls who pick on one girl because she says she has 100 dresses in her closet. But once the girl they have been picking on moves schools they feel sorry that they picked on her and want to find a way to say sorry.

My impressions:
I really liked this book. I liked the lesson behind it. It really made me think about how children are teased and how much it hurts their feelings. I feel like this is a good book to use for children in school. Children who might be being teased or children doing the teasing.

Reviews: My first experience with this book was the audiobook I borrowed from the library. It makes for a great read-aloud. It wasn't until a year or so later that I finally saw the actual book. I was mesmerized by the illustrations. Even though it's about dresses, I think young boys (at least sensitive ones) would like this story, too, because it's really about kids' relationships with one another and what it's like to be the outsider.- Carter 2008

Beautiful book for young readers, especially girls.
A group of fourth-grade girls taunt a poor Polish classmate who wears the same dress to school every day. The book teaches the golden rule, and shows that we might not be given a second chance to apologize for behavior. I cry every time. -Dani 2008

Use in Schools: Elementary school students should definitely read this book. I think it will help them understand someone's point of view if they have never been teased or if they have ever teased someone. The Librarian could ask opinions on if they think what is in the book is right or wrong.

Estes, Eleanor. (1944). "The Hundred Dresses".Orlando,FL, USA: Harcourt Inc.

Book 2: "Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans

Summary:11 girls and Madeline live under the care of Miss Clavel. Madeline's appendix burst and she is rushed to the hospital and all the other girls want to go to the hospital and have their appendix out because Madeline is like the leader of the group. But while in the hospital Madeline gets candy, care and ends up with a great scar that all the other girls want.

My views: I love Madeline. I adore how the book rhymes and is an enjoyable story. The illustrations are also really beautiful and help bring the story to life.

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly

As with last year's pop-up version of Beatrix Potter's Two Bad Mice, this book seems born to the form. A spread showing ``the old house in Paris'' has lift-open windows so that the ``twelve little girls in two straight lines'' can be viewed; Madeline leans forward to ``pooh-pooh'' the zoo tiger and teeters on the wall ``to frighten Miss Clavel.'' When Miss Clavel turns on her light, readers can pull the tab and banish the darkness. And Madeline's hospital stay, with movable doll carriage and a tossable ball, looks enviable indeed. With all the bustling in these pages and tabs to tug, the book will immerse both old fans and new readers in the joys of knowing Madeline. Ages 3-8. (September)

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Madeline/Ludwig-Bemelmans/e/9780670445806/?itm=1&USRI=madeline

Lisa Bankey
What I really love about the Madeline books are the illustrations. Bemelmans illustrations fascinated me as a child. I love them because they are not perfect. Most of the picture books I read when I was young had beautiful illustrations. I did enjoy those books as well, but I felt frustrated that I could not draw like that. But I did (and still do) draw more like Bemelmans’ style for the Madeline books. I delight in studying the details of his quirky illustrations, the chandeliers, the ivy covered walls, and the Paris landmarks. Madeline.com talks about how he also contributed illustrations for New Yorker, Bazaar, and Fortune magazines. Bemelmans also painted murals at New York's Carlyle Hotel.

http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/books/madeline-by-ludwig-bemelmans/

Uses: This is a great story book for children. It gives them a look at France and the differences it has from the USA. It also it just a really fun rhyming story for children to read.

Bemelmans, Ludwig. (1958). "Madeline". New York, NY: Penguin Group.