Jared's Book Reviews

This is the current list of books I have reviewed on this blog in alphabetical order and by Pre-K to 6th and 7th through 12th Pre-k - 6th The Blackbird Girls Bodies Are Cool Drum Dream Girl Jinxed Knight Owl Llama Llam Hooray For New Friends! Slime Doesn't Pay! We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga Who Was Michelangelo? Your Pal Fred 7th - 12th Alone Out Here Murtagh The Poet X Someone is Always Watching We Deserve Monuments

  Due to the subject matter We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga is a multicultural banned picture book. The targeted age group from the publisher's wesbite, Charlesbridge.com classifies the book being around the age range of 3-7. We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga defines otsaliheliga as an expression of graditude by members of the Cherokee Nation and the book follows an entire year of celebration with through all the seasons. This book was chosen because it was listed on a list of banned books from 2023 (San Franciscco Public Library, 2024). The book has been banned in a few states particularly in Pennsylvania due to it "promoting critical race theory" (Marshall Libraries, 2022). In evaluating this book I'm looking at illustration, imagery, and motif. So, first looking at the illustrations, the art if vibrant and is enhanced by the writing to showcase the themes of the story. The art is like a painting with flat art and detailed environments. The coloring adds to an engaging la...

  Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder is a LGBTQ+ children's picture book. From the publishing house, Penguin Random House the age range for the book is 3-5 year olds. Bodies Are Cool forgoes a traditional plot and instead shows the many times of bodies that are are and how cool that is and that everyone should love their body because of how many different bodies there are in the world. This book was chosen because it fits within the parameters of an LGBTQ+ book by showing members of each sexuality. This book was also chosen after finding it on the New York Times of recommened LGBTQ+ books from librarians and this is the first recommendation. For this evalation I will be looking at three aspect which include illustration, rhyming and motif. To start of, looking at illustration they are used to inform the words that are on the page. Providing characters in a cartoonish style we see both an exaggerated look at them as well as paying close attention to the parts tha make them all different...

  Genre for Drum Dream Girl is an Asian America/Caribbean historical children's picture book targeted at grade levels K-2nd grade. (Social Justice Books, 2024) Drum Dream Girl is inspired by a true story of a girl that wants to play the drums in a time where only men can. She persists and a teacher sees her potential and teachers her everything he knows, eventually ending with the girl changing things and allowing girls to be drummers too. This book was chosen after finding it on TeachingBooks.net where it was awarded the 2016 Pura Belpre award. It was chosen as well for it being a multicultural story and inspired by a true story with fictional elements attached. In evaluating this I have chosen to explore the setting (illustration), alliteration and the motif. First, by looking at the setting, the author conveys this by using an artstyle akin to the location it takes place in with a South American/Caribbean artstyle with bright colors and abstract human faces and characters that a...

Knight Owl  is a children's fantasy picture book and winner of the Caldecott Honor Award The targeted age group for this book is preschool to 3rd grade and on the Accelerated Reader it has an AR Reading Level of a 2 meaning it is second grade reading level. The book follows an owl who wants to be a knight, succeeds and is positioned as a guard. He defends a tower from a dragon and discovers they are very similar and become friends. Knight Owl  was chosen to be examined because it appeared on Bookshop.com as a recommended title under books that have recieved the Caldecott Medal. It is also a more recent release from 2022. This book in comparrison with the previous read are night and day in their effectiveness. Llama Llama was able to tell its story through the writing more so than the art. Here I would say the art informs the story as much as the writing. The art here is full a vibrant with rich earthtones that either stick to a singular page or are spread out over two pages. S...

  Llama Llama Hooray for New Friends! is a children's fiction picture book catagorized under disability fiction for its content. The targeted age group of this book is 2-5 years of age and the grade level specifically is Kindergarten. Llama Llama is nervous about meeting the new neighbors but soon befriends their daughter who has a prosthetic leg and one arm, but she can still do sports and he supports her realizing she can do anything. This book was chosen because it focuses on showcasing disability in a positive light in fiction, but more importantly the Llama Llama books are popular with children because on top of being a series of books it has also been a TV series. It is a popular series for children to check out especially for Kindergarteners which is one of its target audiences. This book would be chosen because children will check it out because of the popularity of the character. When looking at the personification of the book it is easy to determine this. The book uses an...