Book Musings with Cattau

Written by Susan Hood and Greg Dawson  Published by HarperCollins in 2022 ISBN 978-0063083905 Plot Summary: The story is set in the Ukraine during World War 2. Zhanna (who goes by Anna to blend in) is a musical prodigy who falls in love with music and it is her escape from the world around her. Her musical gifts don't start out as planned as she despises going to her teachers house and throws all her sheet music into the stove. Zhanna must leave the conservatory when the Germans invade with her sister Frina. She is captured by the Germans but manages to escape with her sister who refuses to return back to their home which ultimately saves her life. She and her sister put on several concerts all around Europe during the war and ultimately tell their story to hear about the perseverance that comes when everything seems to be lost.  Analysis: This story has heart wrenching details about life on the march towards the concentration camps and tales of the heroic efforts that Zhanna and

978-1534424944  Written by Margarita Engle Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez Published by Simon and Schuester in 2015 ISBN- 978-1481435222 Plot Summary: This is an autobiography that is written in the form of a series of poems that tell the story of Margarita Engle and her early life growing up during the Cold War as a Cuban American. Margarita has many memories to tell and each of the poems fills in a story or detail that happened to her and how it made an impression on her. She writes a lot about traveling and uses the details of flying to describe many of her adventures and thoughts. She talks about the harrowing experience of waiting to die as the nuclear bombs are being threatened to launch and about how the rich have taken everything underground and that as a poor person she will be left to die if the bombs do go off. This book takes place around the first 15 years of her life.  Analysis: Margarita has a beautiful way of incorporating not only serious topics such as the cold war but

Written by J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian Illustrated by Jeremy Holmes Published by Schwartz & Wade Books in 2014 ISBN- 978-1984894472 Plot Summary: This is a book of poems that have to do with whatever comes to the author's mind about what cars could be like and all the functions that they have. From the giant bookmobile that makes sure that everyone has lots to read to the 23rd century motors that run on cow power this book has a wide variety of automobiles that comes from the two author's imagination. Each of the pages is a new car with abilities and characteristics that take on the form of whatever object the author thinks up and the poetry is full of verses that you can read and then go on an adventure in your imagination.  Analysis: The author knows how to captivate the reader's attention through his very well written verses. He uses a rhyme scheme on some of the poetry and goes free verse on others. It was very interesting as I flipped through the pages won

  Written by Walter Dean Myers Illustrated by Christopher Myers Published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011 ISBN- 978-0060523107 Plot Summary: This book is a history of america told through the form of poetry. The author starts before the settlers arrive with the Native Americans and their view of what the United States looked like before settlers came and ends with the present day of everyone coming together to make the country look the way it does. The story includes people from different backgrounds including African Americans who haven't been taken to America yet, the history of the Civil War and the people that died for our freedom, and the immigrants that came during the industrial revolution to help create the country that we live in now.  Analysis: The author uses a free verse style of poetry that highlights immigrants especially and how we are all Americans even though we come from very diverse backgrounds. He highlights the important events that helped shape t

  Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner Published by Clarion Books in 2001 ISBN: 978-0618007011 Plot Summary: The big bad wolf comes along and blows down the house of straw and sticks of the first two pigs and eats them. The 3rd pig built his house out of brick and was safe and decides to escape when the wolf doesn't see them. The other 2 pigs magically come out of the wolf's stomach as they travel with the 3rd pig through a paper airplane to another land where they meet the cow that jumped over the moon and the prince who tries to slay the dragon but the dragon is rescued by the pig. The dragon travels back with the 3 little pigs and once the wolf tries to blow the house down again, the dragon goes and saves the pigs lives by scaring away the big bad wolf and the dragon and the pigs live happily ever after.  Analysis: This story is mash up of different fairy tales and nursery rhymes and is told through the lens of the 3 little pigs when they go on adventures through stories

Written by: Anne Issacs Illustrated by: Paul O. Zelinsky Published by: Schwartz and Wade Books in 2010 ISBN: 9780375867224 Plot Summary: Swamp Angel is a woman who is too big to fit in her state as she is the size of Paul Bunyan. She has to leave her home of Tennessee and she finds that the wide open spaces of Montana is the perfect fit for her homesteading ways. Through a series of challenges, Angel helps create a good home for herself by planting mountains for shade, planting giant crops that take the cows with them, and wrestling a dust storm that turns out to be a horse. Angel tames the dust devil horse and finds out that some outlaws are terrorizing the state of montana so with the help of her trusty steed she is able to trick the outlaws into jail and saves the day.  Analysis: This story falls along the Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan with a sprinkle of Pecos Bill thrown in. The story is engaging and shows that sometimes things aren't always what they seem. The story explains some

Written by: Jessica Gunderson Illustrated by: Cristian Benardini Published by: Picture Window Books in 2016 ISBN: 978-1479586257 Plot Summary: This book is told from the point of view of the wolf and how he has an issue with blowing too hard wherever he goes. He is ostracized from his pack as they make of him so he goes off in search of friends. He gets to the first pigs house and blows it over and the pig ends up in the soup he was making and the wolf eats him as ham. The wolf goes to the second pigs house and after blowing it over the pig ends up in the frying pan and becomes bacon. The wolf goes to the 3rd house and can't blow it over but he wants to talk to the pig so he goes down the chimney and ends up talking to the 3rd pig who shows him that he can use his power of blowing too hard for good. The wolf ends up helping out others and the 3rd pig and the wolf become friends.  Analysis: The story is one of the classics but with the point of view being changed it gives us insight

  Written By: Joseph Bruchac Illustrated By: Bill Farnsworth Published By: Wisdom Tales in 2015 ISBN: 978-1937786434 Plot Summary: This story is about a hunter who goes out on expeditions in order to find food and skins so that he can survive. The hunter is mystified at the fact that he brings food and skins home and when he wakes up the next day everything is hung up and dried. He finds out that he has a wife and a son and his wife tells him to remember his family. Because he is so good at hunting, he is noticed by the chief who wants him to marry his daughter. The hunter refuses but the chief's daughter has the ability to put a spell on the hunter and makes him marry her. The hunter goes out with the chief's daughter to hunt where he finds that his wife and two sons are waiting at the lodge. The hunter realizes that he has been put under a spell and after his wife and sons transform into moose, the hunter transforms as well to be with his family.  Analysis: This book shows

  Written by Jon Klassen  Published by Candlewick Press in 2012 ISBN: 978-0763655990 Plot Summary: A small fish has stolen a hat from a big fish and is very proud of himself for seemingly getting away with it. The big fish is sleeping so that little fish thinks he is in the clear as he doesn't believe the big fish will know that it was him. The big fish ends up waking up and while the little fish is hiding from him, the crab rats out the little fish to the big fish who then takes his hat back and is wearing the hat at the end of the story.  Analysis: This is a very simple story about thinking that you are in the clear when you have done something wrong and it ends up coming back to bite you. The author uses very simple language to get across the message that stealing is wrong and that owning up to your mistake is always better in the long run. The illustrations are on a black background for most of the story which represents the ocean. There isn't another illustrator given cred

  Written by Janette Sebring Lowrey Illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren Published by Golden Books a division of Random House Inc in 1942 ISBN:  978-0307021342 Plot Summary: This story is about 5 little dogs that get up to no good as they dig holes underneath their fence to explore the world around them. The 4 dogs get into many different things around them while the main character goes off on his own. When the dogs get back, they get into trouble with their mother as they left their home but the poky little puppy misses out on the scoldings and gets rewarded with lots of different desserts that his siblings don't get as they are sent to bed. Alas, the poky little puppy gets in trouble as his siblings fill the hole and he can't get back in. He doesn't get the final dessert and feels sorry for himself.  Analysis: This book is written for the people in life that don't always follow the rules and sometimes get rewards for doing so. The author teaches us the lesson that it's

  Written By Doreen Cronin Illustrated by Betsy Lewin Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2002 ISBN:  978-1481465434 Plot Summary: Farmer Brown is going on vacation leaving his brother Bob in charge of all the farm animals. Farmer Brown leaves instructions for his brother in order to best care for all the animals. Chaos ensues as the Duck changes all the instructions to things that he thinks the animals will like. With everything from pizza for the animals to bathing the pigs in bubble bath and letting the cows pick a movie, this book is a hilarious take on what happens when someone thinks they know better than the owner on how to best care for animals.  Critical Analysis: The author of this book uses humor to tell a story about what happens when a mischievous duck circumvents instructions that will help take care of the animals in the best possible way. This book is written so that people of all ages can enjoy some laughter and humor in a lighthearted tale of what c

Written by Carole Lindstrom Illustrated by Michaela Goode Published by Roaring Book Press in 2020 ISBN  978-1250203557 Plot Summary: This book starts out with a grandmother telling her granddaughter that water is the first medicine. The girl learns that she comes from water and that water is the source of life. It delves into the story that there is a black snake that is going to come and destroy the land which is a metaphor for the oil pipelines that are built through tribal lands. The girl rallies her people to get rid of the black snake in order to protect mother earth and the creatures that inhabit it. The girl is successful in organizing her people to fight the thing that is destroying their land.  Analysis: This book and it's illustrations are very poignant as it tells the story through word repetition and beautiful illustrations that show that the people are there to band together and fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The watercolors that are used as well as the full