EDU 337- Literature Collection Blog

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke  Summary Zita the Spacegirl explores the tale of a young girl who is trying to save her friend who was abducted by an alien. Zita finds herself on a strange planet fighting robots and space creatures as she unexpectedly makes her way to becoming an intergalactic hero. Personal Reflection This is a book series that I would add to my classroom library. Its graphic novel format is appealing to young readers. I enjoy the themes of friendship throughout the story accompanied by the elements of an ordinary girl striving to do the impossible.  Story Elements This text would be classified as science fiction due to it literary elements of futuristic time travel, intergalactic travel, mutein and alien characters, and use of scientific technology throughout the plot. Themes about humanity and relatable main characters are also components that would classify this text as science fiction.  Illustrations The illustrations of Zita throughout the graphic n...

 There's a Wolf at the Door By Zoe B. Alley Summary Within this fantasy book five classic folktales are combined to create a humorous new tale. Story elements and characters from The Three Little Pigs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing, and The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids are combined in a clever way that draws readers in who have heard the classic tales time and time again. The story depicts Wolf as a well dressed character who is down on his luck and just trying to have a good meal. His attempt at a roasted pig dinner fails as does his attempt eat sheep as they are guarded by the boy who cried wolf. He stumbles upon a fashionista in a red hood that brings him no luck. The tale ends with an exasperated Wolf that reflects on becoming a vegetarian after all the troubles of his day.  Personal Reflection This story personally makes me smile as Wolf makes his way through five familiar tales with a literary twist to each tale.  Poor...

A Stick Is an Excellent Thing by Marilyn Singer Summary        A Stick is an Excellent Thing  by Marilyn Singer is a collection of 18 poems that celebrating children playing outside. Beautiful illustrations throughout the poems feature imaginative displays of children playing with bubbles, looking at the stars, splashing in puddles, and excitedly exploring the world around them. One can infer from reading the title that the poems within the book explore play through natural resources and things commonly found in nature such as sticks.   Personal Reflection One of my personal favorite poems in the book was A Stick is an Excellent Thing, because it reminded me of the childhood joy of imaginative play. With the world at our fingertips on a daily basis, I see less and less of this form of play. This book is a an excellent reminder of the simply joys  and timeless activities that can be created right outside your door. Poetry shows us how to look at th...

All People are Beautiful  by Vincent Kelly https://a.co/d/49D9x5q Summary      The book All People are Beautiful by Vincent Kelly celebrates multicultural differences and shares with children how being human brings us together and highlights our beauty. The author creates a key theme that all people are beautiful, but it does not matter how you look-it matters how you treat each other.  Literary Elements Kelly uses creative rhymes and colorful imagery to captivate readers and illustrate how our features makes us unique. I would classify this story as contemporary realistic fiction as the story is set in modern times with settings and characters that could exists in the real world. Throughout the text, readers are encourages to learn greetings in different languages through colorful illustrations. Vincent writes, "We all speak different languages. There are so many things to learn from each other, so we need all of these" (Kelly, 2021). Because our lived experie...