Bodies from the Ice

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Deem, James M. 2008. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618800452.

PLOT SUMMARY

James Deem has put together an interesting study of glaciers and the mysteries they hold. Beginning with a couple’s discovery of 5000 year old Ötzi in the Niederjoch Glacier of the Ötzal Alps, Deem takes his readers on an exciting journey around the world, from glacier to glacier, as bodies in the ice are uncovered and studied. Deem explores the glaciers, which, despite their inanimate nature, advance and retreat, shifting and changing with sometimes astonishing rapidity. Each glacier studied, from mountain ranges across Europe to the Andes Mountains in South America to the Himalayas of Asia, has given up clues to mankind’s past. Deem relates factual information about glaciers and their formation and possible extinction. In addition, he shares some of the beliefs held by people of long ago who inhabited towns at the base of the glaciers. Through the use of sidebars, captions, and full-page essays, Deem includes stories of people who have studied glaciers and the bodies pulled from them.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Bodies in the Ice is a great book for browsing and reading about interesting bits of information, looking at the pictures, and reading captions. As a cover-to-cover read, it seems to lack focus. Is it about glaciers? Is it anthropological in nature? What are we learning here? Even though it is obviously necessary to know about glaciers in order to understand the significance of what these glaciers are beginning to give up and why, transitions between discussions about glaciers and the discussions about their yield were often confusing and did not flow together seamlessly. Throughout the book, Deem scatters tidbits of information about the melting of glaciers, and at the end focuses briefly on global warming. He leaves the reader wondering if that was what the book was about - the need to protect the environment in order to keep glaciers from disappearing forever.

Deem uses a wide variety of photographs of the actual bodies found in the glaciers, along with pictures of tools and clothing found with the bodies. There is a certain macabre air that is sure to appeal to those who enjoy looking at mummified remains and skeletons. In addition, he inserts artwork depicting artists’ perceptions of glaciers at various times throughout history. Deem has carefully documented the scientific trail that begins when each body is found. However, one glaring error (at least to this reviewer) within the text brings accuracy into question. In the story of “Women on the Glaciers,” Deem refers to Marie Paradis as a twenty-two year old in 1808 or 1809. Thirty years later, she is referred to as being sixty years old. While this is a small detail, it makes the reader question the accuracy of other details in the book.

This same story is an example of Deems inability to maintain focus on his topic. While the story of Marie Paradis in 1808 and Countess Henriette D’Angeville in 1838 ascending Mont Blanc is an interesting one, it has little to do with the topic at hand, namely, bodies in the ice.

Bodies in the Ice is full of captioned photographs, maps, essays, sidebars, and drawings. Each page has at least one graphic feature; often there are two or three.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

In spite of the awards and positive reviews this book has received, I do not feel that it is well written. A reader should not have to refer back to the title to ascertain what the book is supposed to be about. And while the error I found was a small one, it makes me wonder if there are other errors in the text or photos that I missed, because I don’t know enough about the subject matter.

When I read this book, my first impression was that this would be the kind of book that a pre-adolescent boy would enjoy browsing through, looking at the pictures and captions, studying the maps, and occasionally reading a page or two. To a young reader who is interested in the science of glaciers or anthropology or archeology, Bodies from the Ice might provide a sufficient overview and introduction to those topics.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus Best Children’s Books, 2008

Kirkus Book Review Stars, 2008

Notable Children’s Books, 2009; ALSC American Library Association

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2009; National Council for Social Studies

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2009; National Science Teachers Association

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2009; Honor Book United States

SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science, 2010; Finalist Middle Grades Science Book United States

School Library Journal Book Review Stars, 2008

Kirkus Review: “An intriguing read.”

CBC Reviewer: National Science Teachers Association: “Gripping stories of anthropological investigations are accompanied by highly informative expedition photographs of human remains discovered in glaciers around the world.”

CONNECTIONS

ü  If it is desirous to look at other bodies that have been preserved through natural means and processes, check out two other books by James Deem:

·      Bodies from the Bog. ISBN 9780618354023

·      Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii. ISBN: 0618473084

ü  Follow up with Deem’s suggestions to help the environment. Have students keep a personal diary of how they are following the guidelines offered in the book.

ü  Have students create posters to place around school that educate others in how we can all help the environment.

ü  Do a comparative study of the different places and cultures mentioned in the book.

ü  Examine how the earth will be a different place if the glaciers disappear.

Inside the Alamo

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Murphy, Jim. 2003. Inside the Alamo. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385325746.

PLOT SUMMARY

“Remember the Alamo” is a cry with which even those who live outside of Texas are familiar.  Why? What about the Alamo captured the attention of a young nation? Jim Murphy’s Inside the Alamo provides a fascinating glimpse not only inside the Alamo, but outside as well. Murphy gives a brief, but exciting look at the events leading up to the Battle of the Alamo, the personalities involved, and the aftermath of the battle and its effect on the fledgling republic. Names such as Santa Anna, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis are brought to life through short biographies that are interspersed throughout the book.

Through the use of paintings contemporary to the times, modern paintings, archival photographs, maps, and excerpts from letters and diaries, Murphy offers a balanced look at the conflict between Mexico and Texas. Inside the Alamo leaves the reader with the desire to learn more about this exciting time in Texas and American history.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jim Murphy has done a remarkable job in presenting a well-balanced view of the events and personalities of the Alamo. His look at this historic event, which has so impacted Texas history and fascinated generations of Texans, begins with Santa Anna and the Mexican army outside of the Alamo. Murphy then takes us back in time to give a brief history of the events leading up to the dawn of March 6, 1836. In the pages that follow the Battle of the Alamo, Murphy gives a succinct account of the capture of Santa Anna, the birth of a republic, and the annexation of Texas into the United States.

What is particularly remarkable about Murphy’s account of the history surrounding the events leading up to, during, and after the Battle of the Alamo is the care with which he approaches potentially controversial issues. He offers differing viewpoints that exist amongst the eyewitness accounts of the time and of historians, without passing judgment. For example, in relating the death of Jim Bowie, Murphy carefully recounts four different versions of Bowie’s death. He writes, “Which is true? As with many conflicting details about the siege and attack of the Alamo, there is no definite answer.” He then goes on to state why, based on historical knowledge of Bowie, some accounts of Bowie’s death are more feasible than others, and he leaves us with a quote accredited to Bowie’s mother, “I’ll wager they found no wounds in his back.”

Each two-page spread in Inside the Alamo contains a map, photograph, sidebar with interesting or pertinent information, painting, essay, or biography. The main text includes excerpts from letters and diaries of participants. Murphy’s biographies of the main players are just as well balanced as his narrative of the events of the Alamo. He does not attempt to sanctify any of his historic figures. While he obviously cannot include every detail of each man in a one-page essay, he manages to capture the essence of each, faults and all.

Inside the Alamo has an extensive range of both visual and verbal access features. In addition to a table of contents and index, notes and bibliography are included. Included also is a list of those inside the Alamo, with notations indicating survivors, couriers, and children. As noted above, there are photographs, paintings, maps, sidebars, and biographies as well. While browsing the book or using the index to pinpoint specific information can yield a wealth of information, this book is of an extremely readable nature, and once started, it will captivate readers and draw them through the book from start to finish.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

While I readily admit that my knowledge of history is not what it should be, I am a sucker for Texas history, especially when it is as well written as Inside the Alamo. This book was a far cry from a dry, boring account of the Battle of the Alamo and the events leading up to it. I enjoyed reading the sidebars, the personal accounts, and studying the maps and trying to visualize all of this in conjunction with what the Alamo looks like today.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Booklist Book Review Stars, 2003; American Library Association

H.W. Wilson: Children’s Catalog, 2004 & 2006; Middle and Junior High Catalog, 2004 & 2005

Kirkus Book Review Stars, 2003

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2004; National Council for the Social Studies

School Library Journal Book Review Stars, 2003

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004; American Library Association

Booklist Starred Review: “…this resource is not only a valuable addition to American history units, but also a great introduction to the historical writing method.”

Kirkus: “This is history writing at its finest - lively prose, sidebars, profiles of key players, an abundance of archival photographs, engravings, paintings, and maps, and an N.C. Wyeth painting gracing the cover.”

CONNECTIONS

§  Inside the Alamo could be an integral part of a study of Texas history. Additional resources could include the following books:

·      Nelson, George S. The Alamo: An Illustrated History. ISBN 9780965915908.

·      Tanaka, Shelley. A Day That Changed America: The Alamo. ISBN 9780786819232.

·      Walker, Paul Robert. Remember the Alamo: Texians, Tejanos, and Mexicans Tell Their Stories. ISBN 9781426300103.

§  If time and resources allow, and one of the museums listed in the picture credits is nearby, visit and take a tour. Students can find the photographs and paintings used in the book, and locate others that exist, but were not used in this particular history of the Alamo.

§  Using the excerpts from diaries and letters found in the book, have students choose a perspective (Alamo defender, Mexican army, or citizen of Bexar) and write an account of the events of the 12 days leading up to the Battle of the Alamo.

§  And of course, if San Antonio is within striking distance - take a trip and see the Alamo in person!

The Llama Who Had No Pajama

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 1998. The Llama Who Had No Pajama. Ill. by Betty Fraser. San Diego: Browndeer Press. ISBN 0152001115

PLOT SUMMARY

In The Llama Who Had No Pajama, Mary Ann Hoberman has brought together 100 of her favorite poems from over 40 years of writing. This collection offers a wide variety of poems, from silly to serious, from alligator to whale, through the seasons, and through childhood celebrations. The simple illustrations by Betty Fraser bring the poems to life as they delicately grace each page. Teachers and parents alike will find poems for every occasion to recite to and with young people.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Hoberman’s anthology of poetry covers a wide range of topics. There is a large section of animal poetry, as well as poems about family, the seasons, and many other things. The poetry is not grouped or arranged in any particular manner, although there are a table of contents and first-line index. Some poems are remarkably short, while others cover an entire page. Humorous poems are mixed among more serious poems.

Rhythmic elements are an important feature of Hoberman’s poetry. In some poems, it is easy to find the rhythm and to recite the poem aloud: Riddle: No matter where I travel/No matter where I roam/No matter where I find myself/I always am at home. Other poems felt awkward, with the number of syllables in a line breaking the flow of the poem: Brother (excerpt): But he said one little brother/Is exactly like another/And every little brother/Misbehaves a bit, he said.

Hoberman’s work does evoke images of childhood and is filled with the wonder of childhood. Poems such as Whenever bring back memories of spinning around and around until the world seems to continue spinning even when you have stopped. It is these images that make The Llama Who Had No Pajama suitable for use in a classroom.

The illustrations, by Betty Fraser, are, for the most part, as varied as the poems they illustrate. In some places, soft pastels dominate the page. In others, deep yellows, reds, blues and greens evoke a different feeling. Some drawings have an almost Oriental quality, with the look of paintings done on a rice paper screen. There is an abundance of white space on most pages, with the drawings scattered about on the page, depending on the number of poems on each page. While the drawings appear simple, upon further investigation, there is quite a bit of detail that is evident. The drawings, art themselves that could stand alone, do not distract the reader from the written word.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

While I can see uses for this book, especially in the context of the classroom, it is not a style of book or poetry that I personally embrace. This is not a book that I would pick up, sit down, and read. I am not a fan of the style of illustration, either. As a teacher, I can see pulling out a poem or two to use in conjunction with a particular unit of study or story in reading, but I am not sure this anthology would be my first choice. I would be more tempted, I think, to choose humorous poems from Shel Silverstein, or thoughtful poems from A. A. Milne. When I actually had this book available for the students in my classroom to pick up and read, very few showed interest in it.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Best Children's Books of the Year, 1999; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Books to Read Aloud to Children of All Ages, 2003; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Books of Distinction, 1999; Riverbank Review; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children's Literature Choice List, 1999

School Library Journal: “Good for beginning or experienced readers of poetry, this should indeed become a favorite.”

The Horn Book: "This collection of some forty years of Hoberman verse is a charmer."

CONNECTIONS

ü  Use The Llama Who Had No Pajama as a resource to introduce poetry into thematic units or to pair with a story from your reading anthology

ü  Using some of the simpler poems, have students do dramatic interpretations or create visual aids to present a poem to a younger class.

ü  Create a classroom anthology of favorite poems by favorite authors.

ü  Create a classroom anthology of poems written by students.

ü  Explore other books by Mary Ann Hoberman, such as:

Hoberman, Mary Ann. The Seven Silly Eaters. ISBN 9780152024406

Hoberman, Mary Ann. A House is a House For Me. ISBN 9780142407738

Hidden

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, Helen. 2011. Hidden. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 9780374382216

PLOT SUMMARY

This novel, written entirely in verse, is the story of two young girls who encounter one another in scary and unsettling circumstances. Wren becomes an accidental kidnap victim when Darra’s father, West, steals the minivan in which Wren is hiding. Wren struggles to escape, aided anonymously by Darra. Years later, the girls meet for the first time at summer camp, each recognizing the name of the other. Their chance meeting allows suppressed memories about what happened to resurface for both Wren and Darra. By coming to terms with the emotions each arouses in the other, they are able to find answers about what happened to each of them as a result of West’s actions. As a result of their shared past, they manage to find a common ground on which to base a true and lasting friendship. The title, Hidden, is revealed to have many different layers and meanings throughout this story. Wren is hidden from West; Wren buries (hides) her past in her memory; Darra’s past is hidden in her words through the use of an end-word story.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Frost uses two forms of poetry to reflect the personalities, backgrounds, and experiences of the two girls. Wren, who is from a typical, happy nuclear family, is written entirely in free verse, described by Frost as flowing “musical notation.” In part one, each section of poetry is numbered to reflect the passage of time as Wren searches for a way out of her predicament. Wren’s voice is clear and concise, but reflects great depth of feeling: “Like a small rabbit/that knows a cat is close by,/I paid attention. I didn’t/twitch.”

Darra’s voice is heard through a form invented especially for this book. There is little or no punctuation, and there is an end-word story embedded in the long lines. The text looks and feels “heavier,” reflecting Darra’s conflicted childhood, a childhood with a father whom she loves in spite of his emotional and physical abuse. It is in the end-word story that the reader experiences the happy and sad times “hidden” in Darra’s past: “the/summer/I/was/ seven/Dad/took/me/fishing/on/a/lake…he/didn’t/know/I/saw/him/

crying/the/day/he/got/laid/off”.

Hidden creates a strong emotional impact through Frost’s use of vivid imagery. The reader feels Wren’s fear as she hides in West’s garage: “I’d never get out./I couldn’t stop crying./I wiped my nose on the sleeve of the sweatshirt./Smell of cigarettes. Sweat. Dead fish?/West./I cried harder. Darra’s fear is tangible when Wren loses control during a water exercise at camp: “Only--I don’t surface--I stay/under. She’s holding me down/and I can’t get away. I tap her three times--/she won’t let me up--Wren! I don’t care if she pulls out/a fistful of my hair--I need air!

Wren and Darra exhibit emotions that are born out of their backgrounds and experiences. Throughout this poem, they show great strength of character: one as she struggles to escape and survive this one traumatic experience, one as she struggles to help in whatever small way she can, in spite of living traumatic experiences daily. As they work through the feelings created by the experiences of their younger selves, they discover that the bond created through that common experience is a bond that becomes the basis for a true friendship.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

I opened up this book expecting not to like it. If asked, I would say that I don’t care for poetry. I was wrong, and someday, I might remember to keep an open mind and be open to new experiences. This book is remarkably well crafted. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the used of the two voices of the girls, and how each form of poetry reflected the personality and life of each. It wasn’t until I read Frost’s note at the back that I made the discovery of the long line end-word story. How clever! I found the layers “hidden” within the book fascinating. This book offers an interesting view of perspective, of how we, as individuals, each experience events we share with others.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist: “Like Frost’s Printz Honor Book, Keesha’s House (2003), this novel in verse stands out through its deliberate use of form to illuminate emotions and cleverly hide secrets in the text.”

School Library Journal: “Smoothly written, this novel carries a message of healing and hope.”

American Library Association Notable Books for Children

CONNECTIONS

• This book would be a great introduction to poetry for middle school students. Consider featuring Hidden during National Poetry Month in April or Young People’s Poetry Week in the third week of April.
• Use Hidden to introduce or continue work with older students on perspective. Encourage students to work in pairs, do an activity together, either teacher- or student-planned, and then write about the experience from their own perspectives. Have them compare and contrast how they each saw the event play out.
• Read other works by Helen Frost and study the forms of poetry that she uses. Other works could include:

Frost, Helen. Crossing Stones. ISBN 9780374316532

Frost, Helen. Diamond Willow. ISBN 9780312603830

Frost, Helen. The Braid. ISBN 9780374309626

• Let students try their hands at hiding a poem within a poem as Frost does with her long line end-word story.