Mrs. Reynolds Reads

Lucas at the Paralympics is a heartwarming and educational picture book for kids. In this picture book Lucas is a boy who was injured when he was younger so he can't walk. However, he still loves riding his bike what doesn't require the use of your legs. This special bike is called a handcycle. One day he meets another friend who also rides a handcycle who tells him about a competition called the Paralympics. Together they go watch people from all over compete in many different competitions and make friends along the way. The illustrations in this book are very colorful and fun while still being educational. Children reading this book can learn a lot about how people with disabilities can still do many of the same things they can, and do them very well! This book also highlights that while participating in sports you can make many friends along the way and that's what's most important!  By: Igor Plohl Illustrated by: Urska Stropnic Sonc Because of Winn Dixie is a contem...

 This week I read two charming folklore children's books: Imani's Moon by Janay Brown-Wood and Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales. These two stories both have strong cultural ties, beautiful illustrations, and lively characters. In Imanis Moon a young girl was bullied by members of her tribe for being small so her mother inspired her to reach for her dreams by telling her stories. She then went on adventures with talking animals and other magical elements to achieve her goals. I especially liked the magical elements and unique stories throughout the book. The author took inspiration from the Maasai oral tradition . The illustrations were done in watercolors and colored pencils and had lots of bold colors and movement.  Some of the stories included a moon Goddess who fought a battle against the sun God and a brave spider who captures a snake. The moral of this book was to never stop trying to achieve your dreams. Just a Minute on the other hand didn't seem to have a moral of t...

There are many ways to tell a story, especially in children's literature. Whether it's with the pictures, words, or both authors and illustrators are able to tell stories that get children excited about reading. There are different levels of words and pictures used that affect how the book is classified. A story with no words at all is considered a wordless picture book (for obvious reasons). I came across an amazing wordless picture book called I See You by Michael Genhart. In this book, the viewer is experiencing the life of a homeless woman who isn't seen by anyone, except a young boy who helps her. The concept combined with the illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff makes this a powerful story.  A story with a small number of words that use illustrations to aid the telling of the story is considered a picture book. I found a fun picture book by Sergio Ruzzier called ironically This is not a picture book! In this story, a duck finds a book that doesn't have any pic...

  The Giver by Lois Lowry is a book that stands out from my childhood. My fourth-grade teacher Mr. Fazzio loved reading and throughout the year would play audiobooks during our work time. I loved this because the books he would choose were always interesting, and it gave the class a reason not to be talking during work time.  I know I loved The Giver , but looking back I couldn't remember much about the book. I thought it would be interesting to re-read The Giver now with a new perspective as a soon-to-be teacher instead of a student. After listening to the audiobook and occasionally reading along I understand why this book was such a favorite of mine. The descriptive language in this book is amazing. Jonas grows up in a community where they've taken away deep emotions, colors, animals, free choice, and love. In this community, they also highly value exact descriptive speech. As Jonas begins his journey of becoming the receiver of memory for this community he gets to experien...

 Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a wonderful book to read, or just to look at. In my opinion, this book definitely deserves its Caldecott award for its combination of surrealism and cartoon artwork. This book also seems to pull from Maurice's own childhood and how he confronted the monsters in his own life. When Maurice was a child he found out that he had lost many family members in the Holocaust. At that point in his life, he had never thought of the horrors of reality, and he became a sickly child with many fears. As he grew older he was able to confront the horrors of life by acknowledging the beauty. The illustrations in this book are shown in a similar way combining both terrifying and beautiful aspects to make a visually interesting composition.  Maurices' stylistic choices help the reader know it's written distinctly from a child's point of view. The organic shapes, the active texture, and the energetic linework show fun movement that make the ill...

       As a child, I was always an avid reader. I accredit my love of reading to my grandma who would dedicate time every day to read books with me and my sisters. Even before I could read I loved spending that intentional time with her and loved the enthusiasm she had for reading.      After I learned to  read I was in love with the Nancy Drew books. At my grandma's house, she had a full bookshelf dedicated to the series. I would sometimes read out loud and try to talk like my grandma would when she read books to us, changing voices for every character, and always enthusiastic. The Nancy Drew series always make me feel like I was in a different world when I was reading. I believe reading about a strong, smart woman made me motivated to become like her. It's important for young girls to be able to see, read, and hear about accomplished women.      There are so many great children's books now that are filled with diverse characters, ...