Hugo Cabret

I also really enjoyed Hugo Cabret, and I had the same feeling before I started reading the book. I would agree with the post below that it would be a good transition of a picture book to a chapter book. After talking with my group, I found new thoughts about the book that I never really considered. I had not thought about the thief impression that it would give to the younger kids. But thinking more closely about it, I agree with the fact that the author does not do a good job of showing that being a thief and liar are bad attributes to have. He kind of shows that if you are a thief and a liar, you will be able to achieve your dreams. I really enjoyed having the pictures in the book. It does take away from the imagination a little bit, but I really like how they were in black and white. They still allow the reader to imagine color in the picture and it also corresponds with the fact that the first movies shown were in black and white.

Hugo Cabret= a fun read!

I really liked The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I thought it would be a fun book for young kids who have yet to make the leap into more in depth chapter books to start with Hugo Cabret. When I first encountered the book I thought it was going to take forever to read and I was not very excited about it but once I started it,  I could not put it down. I truly enjoyed the pictures in the book and I thought it made for a fun book to read. I was the intertextual person for our discussion group and the research I found really helped me see the book in another way. I learned the book was meant to be like a silent movie film strip and, also the author and illustrator Brian Selznick of Hugo Cabret has only personally written four books but has illustrated countless books for other authors. I also learned in an interview that he tends to write about things that he is interested in, for example, Selznick originally graduated college with the intent of designing stage displays for the theaters. After he had worked in a children's book store in Manhattan, New York for about three years, he decided he wanted to write his own children's books. Selznick said he had and always will be interested in the film industry and that was how he first decided to write Hugo Cabret. 

Hugo Cabret

This book was thick but it was easy to read. It is a historical fiction and I liked the pictures a lot. I think the author drew them black and white in order to make the old time mood in Paris. When the each picture gets closer and closer, It feels like as if I am watching a video. My favorite picture was when he was confused with all stories going around him and dreamed about his dad, automanton and Isabelle. I thought Hugo is quite matured even at his age when he said, “Sometimes I come up here at night, even when I’, not fixing the clocks, just to look at the city. I like to imagine that the world is one big machine…So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” He thinks that there is always a reason for everyone to exist in the world. I would recommend to read it for 4~5th grade.

Encouraging Reading in Children and Teens article

I recently found an article about ways to get kids excited about reading. This is an issue that I've thought a lot about since being in this class. I know that it's often difficult to get kids reading for fun and in their spare time, so this article had some good ideas for what parents can do to encourage their children to read and facilitate a good reading atmosphere at home.
The first part of the article focused on young children. The "10 Ways to Help You Raise Kids Who Love Reading" are:
1. Read aloud to your children every day.
2. Get a library card.
3. Take your children to the library once a week.
4. Discuss children's books with your child.
5. Take your children to storytimes, author visits, and other public programs.
6. Buy books that you know will interest your child.
7. Create a comfortable reading space for your child.
8. Visit the Web sites of favorite authors and illustrators.
9. Once a week, cook together using a children's cookbook.
10.Buy your children a good dictionary and use it regularly.

I thought a lot of these suggestions were good and would definitely help kids start to enjoy reading. I like the idea of parents getting a library card for the kids and making trips to the library once a week. I remember my mom taking me to the library and I was always so excited when I could pick out my very own book. I also like the idea of parents dicussing books they read with their kids and obviously, reading together will make reading fun and a quality time as a family. I thought that the idea to cook from a children's cookbook once a week was a little bit of a stretch, but other than that these 10 ideas for raising a reader seemed like they would really work!
The potentially more different thing to do is encourage your teen to be a reader. Teens are often busy and can become less engaged by books as they grow up but these tips for encouraging a teen (or "tween") to read sounded pretty good to me. The tips for Motivating Your Tween To Read are:
1. Read What's Popular
2. Consider Magazines
3. Start a Club
4. Enlist Their Help
5. Prioritize
6. Set an Example

I really liked these suggestions because they seemed realistic (except for maybe the starting your own book club idea). Tip number one encourages parents to show children books that are popular, like books from a movie that they like or one that a lot of their friends might be reading to make reading "cool". I liked that the author of this article encouraged reading of magazines if the teens aren't into reading books, reading is reading so any source or topic is still beneficial. The tip about enlisting teens help discussed having the teen help younger siblings, neighbors, or younger kids they babysit for to learn to read. This will allow the teen to work on their reading skills and be able to help a younger child enjoy reading. The one tip I didn't really like was the prioritize one. This said that parents should set aside time for reading by turning off all games, phones, and the TV and making their teen read. Part of the reasons teens may not enjoy reading is because it becomes mandantory so I didn't think this would help them enjoy reading. Lastly, the best tip may be to set an example. For both children and teens, if they see adults that they look up to reading and enjoying books, they will most likely want to try it and may even encourage reading together.
Overall these were interesting articles with good tips that definitely apply to what we talk about in class!

Behind Hugo Cabret

At first i wasn't sure about Hugo, i just didn't think the topic really interested me, but I actually really enjoyed it. I took a film class last year and we watched several of the old movies mentioned in this book, and i also learned a bit about Georges Melies, and how movies were first made... it was interesting in that class, but it was also really cool the way it was incorporated into a children's book. I thought it was amazing how Brian Selznick took a true story of Georges Melies and the film industry, and added in a fictional story to go along with it. Because i knew the true parts of it , it was really cool to read this, and the way he wrote it made it really believable, and i had to check and look which parts were real and which weren't. I'm not sure how other people thought of the book if they hadn't had the background info about the films and Georges, but i thought it was awesome. Check out the website for Hugo : www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/ It gives alot of extra information i thought was really cool, and there's other links on the page for more information about all of the old movies mentioned, and Georges Melies, etc... check it out, this author put a lot of work into this book and it's cool to see where it all came from. ( there is also some extra info in the back of the book itself)

Library and Bookstore

I went to the East Lansing Public Library and Barnes and Nobles. I liked the bookstore more than the library. I don't know if it is because "library" makes me feel like to study while "bookstore" entertains with lots of interesting things. For example, I loved the storytelling stage that was places on a side of the children's book section. There was the picture of forest with animals on the wall and some chairs in front of the stage. By acting or storytelling, children can enjoy reading books and become close to the literature. But I would recommend to change the stage design season by season because when I went to the Barnes and Nobles 2 years ago, it was the same background. Since there are young kids aged around 4~5, I would put the books lower so the kids can reach easier. I liked the round tables where children can study and the toys.

Library Assignment

The Library/Bookstore Assignment opened my eyes a lot more to how children are perceiving books now. Most students spend time in their school libraries now a days, but I don't feel like a good amount spend that much time at the public libraries compared to the bookstore. Personally, I feel as though the bookstore is a complete market spot. There are good reading books that you can find there. However, I feel as though if a child and parent go to the bookstore, they will probably find a book or two, but then they will also find a toy or game to go with it. To me, this takes away from the learning and adventurous aspects of books. I have always loved going to bookstores with my parents when I was younger. Yet, when I look back on it I was always choosing a book last minute because I was looking at all of the other things in the bookstore. I think it is important, as a teacher, to promote libraries more often in order for students to expand their imaginations in a good book.

Hugo Cabret

After the book discussion on Hugo Cabret, I was opened with many more ideas about the book that have been helping me create an artistic response. I was having a lot of trouble coming up with an idea, which seems weird since there is so much one can do to portray their thoughts on the book. I finally came up with an idea, and after we had the book discussion in class it really helped me to tighten my plans on my project. This book was put together really well, in my opinion, and I thought that it was great to put all the pictures in to give the readers a chance to make up their own story while seeing what is going on in the author's head. The fact that there is no color gives the readers a chance to use their imagination and make color if they want or keep it in black and white to make the story seem like it is in the olden days. I like the way the main character is fictional, but the character George Melies is really one of the first people to come up with the movie idea. I thought it was great to show how George used his imagination to create the movies and how he started as a magician, just like Hugo was interested in magic. It showed that they had a connection even when they hadnt met. The message that I found in the book was to never give up on your dreams, no matter what has happened in the past. The way the events that took place that led up to the discovery of George Melies all the way to the end when Hugo finally has a family again, can show kids that things can work out in the end if you never give up.

i like that library and bookstore assignment. i went to the East Lansing Public Library and Barnes and Nobles on Grand river ave. first thing i felt in Barnes and Nobles is that there are a lot of interesting and intriguing stuff to children. i believe that it encourage children to visit bookstore as well as read book. moreover, i felt there are a bunch of parent and kids are enjoying being there and employee also encourage them enjoy rather than forcing to buy a book. So. i felt inducing interest is the most important part of children reading. In public Library, it is like playground rather than reading place. there are a lot of toys, games and pictures on the wall. i thought inviting children to Library and bookstore is the first step to interest children in reading book.

Bookstore and Library Visit

I really liked this project. I went to my hometown to complete this project. The children's section of the library had been redone since I had last been there (which I suppose was when I was younger and reading books from that section). First of all the children's section has its own floor, sure it is the basement but it gives kids their own space in the library. When you go down the stairs you can either turn left or turn right. If you go to the left you are in the main part of the children's section. I was blown away by how big and nice it was. They had about 20 computers for children to use, which I thought was pretty cool. This gives kids who don't have the resouces at home to use a computer. The thing I was most impressed with was that they had a little section for parents, teachers, and other professionals. I thought it was cool that the library had a spot for parents and teachers to find book on helping kids how to read. If you went to the right at the bottom of the stairs you found a room for early readers. This gives younger children their own space. They aren't bothering the older children and all of their books are in one spot. There are also games and toys in there. I loved all the changes to the children's section and kind of wished I was a kid again so I could go there more often.
I was really dissapointed with the bookstore however. I went to the Borders in my hometown and it is about two miles away from the library. The section was really small and seemed like they were more concerned with making money than children actually reading. Which I guess this makes sense, since Borders is a store. I guess from my point of view it is more important that kids are actually reading instead of just playing with toys and games which is what Borders seemed more interested in.
I did enjoy this project though. I liked going to the different locations and thinking about the differences between the two. I concluded with that the library was moreconcerned with providing children with books and computers, while also entertaining them. And the bookstore was more concerned with making money by providing a lot of games and toys. These games and toys were the first thing the child sees and would probably lose interest in a book.

"And Tango Makes Three"

I came across an interesting article detailing the controversy of a children’s picture book titled “And Tango Makes Three.”  The story tells of the true story when two male penguins adopted a fertilized egg and raised the baby. Parents in a Shiloh, Illinois school district don’t want their children having uncensored access to books with themes like same sex partnerships.  The book was written for children ages 4 to 8 years, however parents want age restrictions placed on the book or they would like parental consent to be given before a child can check the book out of the library.  According to zoology departments penguin adoption like that of “And Tango Makes Three” are incredibly common. 

I found this to be an interesting topic because it strikes up issues of what is appropriate while also representing all realities of our world, both human and animal. 

Hugo Cabret

For Hugo Cabret, my role was critical response. Below is an excerpt from my paper that mainly focused on the power struggles throughout the book between different characters. These power struggles were based on class, gender, and age.
By calling Hugo a thief, people are relating him to someone who is poor and cannot support themselves (homeless). This incident now places the power with the rich rather than the poor due to the old toy booth man’s demanding words, “It is no longer your notebook. It is mine, and I will do with it what I want…Perhaps I will burn it” (Selznick 60). Even though there are differences between the rich and the poor i.e. the toy booth man (Georges) vs. Hugo, Hugo still holds power because he owns the “notebook”. Georges is somehow threatened by the fact that Hugo has this notebook and quickly takes it from him because of the power that he holds over Hugo, not only because of his higher status (booth owner vs. homeless boy), but because of his age as well. There is not only a power struggle between Georges and Hugo because of social class, but also between other characters in the book. For example, on page 338, “you are too small and too dirty, and you must be accompanied by an adult” (Selznick).
Throughout the beginning of the book, the reader will also notice the power struggle between Hugo and Isabella (Georges goddaughter). On page 103, the power is in the hands of Isabella because she has the ability to get the notebook back that Georges has already stolen. However, her power changes on page 165 when Hugo states, “you better not look inside…he had to keep secrets” (Selznick). Because Hugo is keeping this secret from Isabella and demanding that she does not look within his notebook, she is being subordinate to his demands.
Finally, one moment that stood out the most dealing with the ability to make someone’s life a better one came within the character Georges. George’s parents wanted him to work in the shoe factory, but he hated shoes. He dreamed about getting away and becoming a magician because he knew it would entail a better life than the factory would offer him. I connected his wants to become a magician rather than a shoemaker to the issue of power. Even though Georges would not hold ultimate power, he would receive a better life being a magician rather than do what his parents expected him to do. This shows the differences between social classes and how the differences in power and money can change the opinion about what a person wants to pursue for a career.
In conclusion, there were many examples of the struggles of power between several characters within the book. Children will have the ability to see this through the differences in class and gender. However, I believe that the whole book is tied around one quote that has nothing to do with the struggle of power. This quote can really teach children to focus on what they want, even though it may not bring them all of the power. “If you lose your purpose…it’s like your broken” (Selznick 374). If children focus on their dreams, rather than their fight for power and money, they will learn to be a happier person.

Library experience

Last Wednesday i went to the East Lansing Public Library to do the library portion of the assignment. Sadly enough, i realized i hadn't been to a public library ( besides university libraries) in a very very very long time. Way back in the day my mom sometimes would take me and my brother to check out a book, but it's been many years. It was really cool to get back in a library and see what's going on. In higher level education, as far as research goes , the number of times i've actually looked in a book for reference as opposed to finding something online is a very little number. Everything's online now..and so easy to find, so it was actually really cool that there are that many books there, and that children are still being exposed to them and enjoying them. I saw several kids browsing and they looked like they really enjoyed being at the library. Something happened while i was there which i thought was really cute and amazing. While i was sitting drawing my diagram, a girl walked into the children's section, saw two kids and started talking to them. She explained that she had to do a lesson plan for a 4th grade classroom, and asked for their help ( I think she was in TE 402).There was one boy and one girl that just happened to be in 4th grade, looking through the books. They were so excited to help her, and even gave her several different genres and difficulty levels to choose from. I was amazed at how interested the kids were in the books and how well aware they were of the teaching aspect of it. They told her certain books that were better to use for a lesson and ones that were for more at home ( ex. ones with violence). They made sure to give her books with both male and female main characters, ones with animal characters, etc. It was awesome. I only wish the girl would have been more appreciative of their help as she simply said " thanks guys" and left... I just hope thost kids are there when i need help with a lesson plan!

HUGO CABRET

When I first looked at this book, I thought I would never have the time to read it, and I didn't even know what it was about. However, once I began reading, I found that I couldn't put it down and had read/looked at over 100 pages. This book is so unique with its text, drawings and still photographs. To add to the appeal of this book, the story line is captivating. The author has captured the power of a mystery novel. Not only is this book fun to read, it is also based off of true events, which make it even more wonderful. I think this book could help students find a hobby in film or magic, given the interesting story told here. I really enjoyed how the author would tell a chapter in the "past" but wouldn't clarify that, and the reader had to figure it out on their own. I never knew what to expect while reading; the unique text layouts varied from full pages to paragraphs. I think this book would appeal equally to both genders because a young boy is the main character, but his "side-kick" is a mysterious girl. Overall, I would gladly recommend this book to any school aged child, or anyone looking for a quick, riveting, and enjoyable read, regardless of age. :)

intrinsic versus extrinsic

I am very conflicted on the issue presented in "A Lot of Fat Kids Who Don't Like to Read". On the one hand I totally agree that it is detrimental to students to be constantly bombarded with extrinsic rewards for performance in school. With only extrinsic motivations, students lose the real value of the material they are learning. They will never seek knowledge for knowledge's sake. On the other hand, what if as teachers we did the opposite? What if no teacher ever praised or rewarded students for doing a good job or working hard? It is my hypothesis that if there was never any sort of acknowledgment or praise for hard work then the vast majority of students would simply give up. Many students would reason that no one cared what they did or how well it was done, thus why should they waste their time. I don't know how to reconcile this debate in my mind, but I think the key lies in a balance between the two.

I really enjoyed doing the jigsaw activity yesterday in class because it allowed us to see the different viewpoint of each other on two different issues. I found the Fat Kids article to be the most interesting because I agreed with somethings but others I didn't agree with. There was one point that I couldn't make up my mind about. The article said that eventually kids will lose interest in the reward if they continue to receive it over and over again. I think this can be true but I think that it is also age dependent. For instance if you have kindergarten kids I think that they will continue to always want to receive the top prize or reward for getting something done. I think that their maturity level is key in this point. Kindergartners I don't think are mature enough to say "hey I've been getting this reward for a while now for doing the same thing and its not benefiting me down the road so I'm not going to try anymore." But I think when you get into older more mature kids they will realize that the reward will only be a short time thing and that it will do nothing for them down the road.

Esperanza Rising!!!!!

I wanted to comment on this book because this book i enjoyed very much!!! I thought it was very interesting how it went through her whole life story and the struggles she had to face with her family when her father had been killed. The book showed thats its ok to start over and to start a new life, i feel like a lot of people can connect to this book because im sure there are a lot of people out in the world today that have had to start there whole life over or if not parts of it. Like moving out of the state, starting a new job, dealing with divorce and all those types of things. It also shows that life isn't handed to us on a platter, when you want something or want something to work out your going to have to work at it. If at first you don't succeed, try try again! Just how esperanza felt when she first moved to california with making new friends and finding out that everyone wasn't always particuliarly nice to her. Even when she had to learn how to sweep, even though that may seem like a very simple task and everyone should know how to do it that she had no clue about. She struggled with it at first and then she got some help on how to do it and it worked just fine for her and she began to enjoy it.

Midterm

Didn't realize we needed to post this for our midterm, i know its a little late....sorry!!!
I Love You So….

I love you so is a great children’s book. The pictures are very colorful and fun to look at. This book is conversational with a question and answer format which is great for having young kids follow along. I love you so was written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond, published in 2005 by Marianne Richmond studios. It’s a great children’s that represents the unconditional love parents have for their children and will love them no matter what they do.
I love you so doesn’t have a set setting it’s a bit of everything. This child, didn’t specify a name, asks his mom all sorts of questions about her love for the child. The child starts off by asking how much she loved him/her and the mom simply answers I love you this much and gives specific metaphors. For example, “I love you as brilliant as each sparkling stars, and as way out as space, I love you that far.” The child continues asking well do you love me even when I do naughty things or when I am really sick. The mother simply replies I will love you always and my “love you” will never change. The book starts off when the children are camping then moves to the zoo then into the house and into an ice cream shop. It shows a regular everyday life of children.
The pictures in this book are almost messy but well articulated. The pictures are acrylic, unrealistic and look somewhat messy. The images where more rounded and curvy and makes the reader for comfort and safe. The pictures in the book took up the entire page and the texts where always in different spots on every page they where never consistent. This book used a lot of metaphors on how much a parent loves there child to help them better understand how great their love is for them. This book sent out an overt message about a parent’s unconditional love for their child. I love you so would be age appropriate for kids from around three to six years old, its easy reading and would be easy for children to understand. It was pretty conversational. It was in question and answer format. It’s a very comforting story and like the author said, “It’s like a warm hug and lets the child know that love is for always.”

"A lot of Fat Kids who Don't Like to Read"

I found this article extremely interesting and surprisingly very true.  I remember being in elementary school and earning countless book it coupons for reading, yet I obviously didn't find it strange until I was older.  But honestly, what benefits are children gaining if they have the mindset that you read to earn pizza.  It really does result in "fat kids who hate to read" and that is a sad phenomenon facing society. Reading or learning in general should not be a negative habit, but by offering prizes for reading it is not encouraging students to read for enjoyment whatsoever.  If children grow up constantly expecting to be rewarded for either learning, completing tasks, or good behavior, they are surely in trouble.  As the article says this problem arises because these reward devices are used to manipulate behavior and it is a scary thought for teachers.  If my students have no motivation to learn without being handed a "treat", we as teachers have quite the goal in front us to change the mindset of students.  Overall, this article brought up good points that do need to be addressed and we need to show students that the feeling of pride is enough for earning a good grade, it is not just about earning money for succeeding.  

Uglies

I really enjoyed this book because I felt that the message it can send to children is very powerful. I liked that the characters were intriguing and that a student could find themselves in the character. I personally liked Tally; she was unsure of herself, but as time went on, she figured out who she really was and made choices based on her, and not of what others thought about her. I think that too many younger students are already preoccupied with how they look. This surge in negative self images is unnecessary and unfortunately this is reinforced by the media. The celebrities we see in magazines have "perfect" bodies, faces and hair. The part that people forget is that these people don't wake up looking like that. It generally takes a team of stylists to put these people together. I have two younger sisters who sometimes have poor body image, and I find myself reminding them that they are perfect just the way they are. You always want something you don't have, so will we ever truly be happy? I hope that the students who read this book step back and question the way they look both at themselves and at others and realize it is our differences that make us beautiful, not the same hairstyle as thirty other girls, or the same shirt as a dozen other boys.

A Lot of Fat Kids Who Don't Like To Read

This was an article that really stuck out to me. Not only because it was short and easy to read, but because it was one that I felt I could really relate to. When I first started reading, I admittedly thought that the author didn't know what he was talking about. I thought "well my teachers used this type of reinforcement, and I think it got the job done". I also thought about my psychology 101 class where we learned how successful positive reinforcement could be.
As I read on I remembered the reading competitions we did in elementary school where we tried to finnish more books than the classroom next door in a given month. I also remember having the "caught being kind" awards given out. As I thought about the example of rewarding kids for doing nice thing, my thoughts shifted to when I worked at a daycare this past summer and we attempted to do a similar thing with the kids. What resulted was a bunch of kids running around all day pointing out to us how nice they were to Johnny or how they picked up their own toys after playing with them, pretty much defeating the point of being "caught" and going out of your way to do nice things.
So I started to realize what the author was talking about a little more. If we as educators are constantly offering rewards for things that we want kids to be doing, they will not only not recieve the bennefits of the actions we are encouraging, but they will not do the acts on their own, which is the whole point. Especially with reading, we want kids to enjoy the learning and new informationg, imagination, and excitement that comes with reading! We don't want kids to be focused on finishing a book to get their points on the chart but then forget the book a day later. Like the author said, the kids will "temporarily comply" and finish a few books, but the real goal should be for the kids to "tap into their natural desire to make sense of the world". We want our kids to enjoy reading and appreciate the value of learning through resources.
One other thing that I really like about this article was the part where the author asks teachers to focus on how their students are motivated (intrinsically or extrinsically). This ties in with getting to know your students and the ways that will best help them leran. The author aslo made a good point about it being our job as educators to produce engaging tasks involved in reading and learning so that school doesn't become boring, monotonous, and only important to kids if they get rewards.
Overall, I really liked this article. It made me think a little differently about how to get kids involved with reading and the ways that I was rewarded in school. I think we all can take away some good advice with this article.