So Happy! by Kevin Henkes

Genre - Picture book

Rating - 5/5

Age group recommendation - Grades K-3

The Scoop - A bored boy, a wandering rabbit, and a magic seed cross paths one rainy day.

The Story - This is a fun and fanciful book that is multicultural and universal at the same time (if that makes sense!).  The story never mentions where the family lives or anything particular to their culture; however, the illustrations are very specific to Mexico or the Southwest.  The colors and the clothing definitely indicate a Hispanic culture.  The story contains things many children can identify with - being bored until something happens, getting lost like the rabbit, and the excitement of a "magic" seed finally growing.  The illustrations are engaging and have a Van Gogh style that children could easily relate to. 

Educational applications
Georgia Performance Standards 

S1L1
Grade: 1
Description: S1L1 Students will investigate the characteristics and basic needs of plants and animals.

To be used in conjunction with the class planting and monitoring the growth of a plant from seed to sprout.  The book can be used in two ways.  First, the book could be read to the class before the project begins.  At the point in the story before the rain begins, students are asked what the magic seed needs in order to grow.  If the book is used after the seed lesson has begun, students are asked what the seed's life cycle wold have been like if it weren't "magic." Students can also name the parts of a plant that are visible when it begins sprouting after the rain.   

 
So Happy! by Kevin Henkes Illustrated by Anita Lobel
New York : Greenwillow Books, c2005

Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library

Clara & Senor Frog by Campbell Geeslin

Genre - Picture book

Rating - 4/5

Age group recommendation - Grades K-3

The Scoop - Clara is not excited by the magic tricks she sees everyday, but when she discovers the magic of art, she finds real magic.

The Story - The illustrations in this book are wonderful!  They remind me of another Mexican artist, Frieda Kahlo.  The style is a wonderful and colorful introduction to Mexican art.  The story is good as the illustrations.  It is very realistic, with the remarriage of Clara's mother, and at the same time, it is very fanciful and shows how art can be an outlet for creative thought.  This book is a fun way to show kids that they can be artists and create what they see in their heads.  There is a possibility that kids would find the illustrations creepy or a bit scary.  The surrealism could be too much for some younger kids to understand. 

Educational applications
Georgia Performance Standards

VAKMC.2 The student formulates personal responses.

The teacher introduces the concept of creating visual images and making connections with objects and personal experiences.  The media specialist reads the text.  At the end, the students are asked the following questions:

• What was the first thing/person Clara imagined differently from how it actually appears?
• Describe the objects/people that Senor Frog and Clara imagined differently.
• How would you imagine the shell/ice cream cone differently?

The media specialist presents several objects to the class - e.g. a pine cone, a brightly colored ball, a small animal figure (a rabbit), a piece of fruit.  Be sure to have enough objects for three-four students to closely look at one object.  Students then create an illustration of the object in an imaginative way. If the object reminds them of a person, the student incorporates something about the person into the drawing of the object.  If the object reminds them of an event, the student incorporates the event into the drawing of the object.  The teacher may choose the materials for the project.  Illustrations may be displayed in the media center. 

 
Clara & Senor Frog by Campbell Geeslin Illustrated by Ryan Sanchez
New York : Schwartz & Wade Books, c2007
Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library