Graphic Novel: To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel

Title: To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel 

Author: Siena Cherson Siegel 

Illustrator: Mark Seigel

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006 

ISBN: 978-0-689-86747-7

Summary: This story is actually a memoir written by Siena Cherson Siegel. She talks about her dreams of dancing when she was only six years old. She takes readers on her journey of dance starting on the beaches of Puerto Rico, moving to studios in Boston, and then finally performing on stage with the New York City Ballet. The story not only tells, but also shows through her comic strip format, her journey of dance.

Evaluation: I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I feel like it is sometimes hard to find graphic novels that are geared toward young girls. However, this one really speaks to them. It takes readers on a journey of an aspiring dancer. The illustrations in the book are great, and they really go with the theme of the graphic novel. They are sketch like while also appearing cartoon like at the same time. I like that the graphic novel has a true story behind it, and that it is inspiring to young girls.  This graphic novel also is a Robert F. Sibert Honor book. 

Rating: I would give this graphic novel 5/5 stars. 

Graphic Novel: Nursery Rhyme Comics

Title: Nursery Rhyme Comics 

Author: Multiple, Introduction by Leonard S. Marcus 

Illustrator: Individual for each nursery rhyme 

Publisher: First Second, 2011 

ISBN: 978-1-59643-600-8

Summary: This is a very unique book.  It takes many of the nursery rhymes that all children know and turn them into comic strips for children to read. This book is unique also in that it has multiple authors and illustrators for each nursery rhyme.

Evaluation: I really enjoyed this book. It took the classic nursery rhymes that children are used to and switched them up a bit by putting them into the comic strip form. Some of the nursery rhymes are easier to follow than others. Some have text and illustrations all over the place, and it is hard to tell where to read and in what order to read the text. Overall though, I think that the book has the nice touch of taking something all children know well and putting a new, different twist on the topics.

Rating: I would give this graphic novel 4/5 stars. 

Graphic Novel: Hiccup!

Title: Hiccup!

Author: Mike Herrod 

Illustrator: Mike Herrod

Publisher: Blue Apple Books. 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-255-3

Summary: This is a cute story in comic form of a bunny who has a play one day at school. He is very nervous about the play, and tries to get out of going to school, but his dad does not fall for his tricks. Then, the bunny gets the hiccups after eating a big breakfast. He and his friends spend all day trying different things to get his hiccups to go away before the big performance. In the end, the bunny's hiccups go away just in time for him to be a star in the play.

Evaluation: This was a cute story, and it was fun to read it in a graphic novel form. It could have easily been written in more of a picture book style, but the comic form made it very interesting to read. The illustrations went very well with the story. They were very cartoon like and colorful and enhanced the comic strip theme very well. Overall, this was a funny story about a bunny who has the hiccups told in a long comic strip form, and it was done very well. It was easy to follow the speech bubbles, which is something I sometimes have difficulty doing with certain texts, so that was a plus.

Rating: I would give this graphic novel 4.5/5 stars. 

Poetry: Little Poems for Tiny Ears

Title: Little Poems for Tiny Ears

Author: Lin Oliver 

Illustrator: Tomie DePaola 

Publisher: Penguin Group, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-399-16605-1

Summary: This book is a poetry book filled with a lot of nice, short poems for the youngest audience. The poems are about things that infants and babies are learning about, such as walking, their toes, their first word, peekaboo, and daddy's beard. The poems are all very unique and are focused for the smallest children. 

Evaluation: I thought this poetry book was just adorable. I never thought of poems for babies, but after reading a bunch of the poems it makes perfect sense. I like that the poems are geared toward such a young age, and that they are aimed for learning. The poems are all about things that curious babies are always interested in or wonder about. The rhyming is also good for babies, as it can be soothing to them. The illustrations are also engaging...they are bright and colorful, and feature all small babies. 

Rating: I would give this book 5/5 stars. 

Poetry: Book Speak! Poems about Books

Title: Book Speak! Poems about Books 

Author: Laura Purdie Salas

Illustrator: Josee Bisaillon

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-22300-1

Summary: This is a book that is filled with poems about books and reading. The book has many little poems within it. All of the poems relate to reading in one way or another, whether it be a poem about paper, or a poem about the aspects of books, such as the index.

Evaluation: I really liked this poetry book! The illustrations were amazing and really kept me engaged. Also, the fact that the book is filled with poems about books and reading is genius to me. It's a way for kids to learn about reading and learn about elements of reading while physically reading a fun book as they do it. 

Rating: I would give this book 5/5 stars. 

Poetry: A Family of Poems

Title: A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children 

Author: Caroline Kennedy

Illustrator: Jon J. Muth

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005

ISBN: 00-7868-5111-2

Summary: This is a big book full of multiple poems for children. In the beginning, the ooh actually has a table of contents, which breaks the poems down into categories. Some categories are About Me, That's So Silly!, Animals, The Seasons, The Seashore, Adventure, and Bedtime. There are even foreign poems in other languages that are part of this poetry book. 

Evaluation: This book is full of awesome poems for children. All of the ones that I read I really enjoyed. Each poem also has an illustration with it, which can make it more fun for children. Some poems are short and some are long, but they are all entertaining. I like that the author specifies in her introduction that these are her favorite poems specifically for children. The book is full of color, life, and poems. 

Rating: I would give this book 5/5 stars.

Historical Fiction: Pink and Say

Title: Pink and Say

Author: Patricia Polacco

Illustrator: Patricia Polacco

Publisher: Philomel Books, 1994

ISBN: 0-399-22671-0

Summary: This is a book about the Civil War. In the story, a young 15-year-old white man named Say is shot, and a young black man finds him, named Pink. Say talks about how he had never seen someone of color up close before. Then, Pink carries the wounded Say all the way back to his mother's home, where they stay to heal. While at home, the boys each talk about their war experiences, and how they survived. Pink also tells Say about the days of being a slave in the south, as he and his mother still live on the rubbles of the plantation where he was born.  The boys then made a plan to leave and head back to war, as staying at home was putting the mother in danger. Before they could leave, though, the marauders were at the door, and everyone was in danger. In the end, the mother gets shot trying to protect the two boys, and the boys try to escape, but end up in a Confederate camp.

Evaluation: Overall, this book was very informative about the events that went on during this time period. It not only talked about the war, but it also talked about slavery too, which added even more history to it. The illustrations were well done and seemed to go with the time period, more than being modern. The text was sometimes hard to follow, as it was written with accents in it, and it was even hard for me to sometimes figure out what the character meant to say. I definitely think that this picture book is aimed at an older audience. There are some harsh illustrations, and the story itself is mature and tough to read. However, it is extremely informative and would teach a lot to children about this historical time. 

Rating: I would give this book 4/5 stars.