Annotations

 

Xiong, Blia & Spagnoli, Cathy. (1989). Nine-in-One, Grr! Grr! San Francisco: Children’s Book Press. 0892390484.

In a clever Hmong folk tale, this simply illustrated picture book offers an explanation for why there are not many tigers inhabiting the Earth. Utilizing a character named Bird, this tale exemplifies the trickster character common in folk tales across the world. As Tiger tries to remember a chant, which promises her nine cubs each year, Bird purposely distracts her and makes her forget her song. Instead, Bird saves his own species from too many tigers by “reminding” Tiger of a different rhyme, stating she will have only one tiger every nine years, thus keeping the tiger population down.

Cofer, Judith Ortiz. (2004). Call Me Maria. New York: Scholastic Inc. 0439385784.

A novel written in a mix of prose and poetry, Call Me Maria beautifully captures the difficulty of a teenage girl caught between worlds. The obvious tension develops early in the novel, as Maria must choose to live with either her father or mother. When she decides to join her father in his native New York barrio and leave her mother’s Puerto Rican island life, she must reconcile her own island past with her new American present, all while trying to negotiate the world of an adolescent caught between being a child and an adult. Ortiz Cofer brilliantly explores the challenges of living between two worlds in each of these instances.

Hautman, Pete. (2007). Rash. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. 97800689869045.

Set in 2076 in the United Safer States of America, Rash explores the limitations of a world where citizens are literally forced to be careful. Following the story of 16-year-old Bo Marsten, a teenager who first gets in trouble for calling names and is later incarcerated for hitting another student, this novel questions what would happen if society becomes too “safe” for its own good. Hautman charms his readers with a dichotomy of old-fashioned, grandmotherly over-protectiveness and futuristic, technological invasiveness. Through this dichotomy, Bo must maneuver between his family’s natural tendency to rebel and his own experiences with the outcasts of society. This novel adeptly questions a future where safety has become more important than freedom and focuses attention on one brave teenager who must make his own choices.

Vaughan, Brian. K. (2006). Pride of Baghdad. Ill: Niko Henrichon. New York: DC Comics. 9781401203146.

This insightfully illustrated graphic novel, at times beautiful and at times haunting, explores the complicated concepts of freedom, loyalty and survival in times of war. Based on the actual escape of four lions from the Baghdad Zoo during the 2003 American invasion of Iraq, Vaughan and Henrichon utilize a family of feline characters to examine very human issues.  An intriguing, engaging plot grips the reader’s attention while stunning illustrations and an amazing use of color reinforce the emotion involved in the chaos of war. A perfect example of the additional depth illustrations can bring to a story, Pride of Baghdad is a graphic novel complex enough for serious discussions. among both teen and adult readers.