Reading Youth Literature

5720 Module 2 Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by James Howe, Deborah Howe, Alan Daniel (Illustrator) Summary:   The Monroe family returns from the watching the movie “ Dracula ” with a cute little bunny they found in the cinema.  Ann Monroe, the mother, gives it a combined name of Bunny plus Dracula to form ‘Bunnicula’. The other two pets, Harold the dog, and Chester the cat notice strange events occurring in the night; including a bunny that is nocturnal and vegetables that have turned completely white. Harold likes the bunny, but Chester is suspicious and stays up at night to watch him.  He believes that Bunnicula is a vampire that is sucking the life out of the vegetables.  Moreover, Chester feels obligated to put an end to it.  The book does not resolve the issue, but leaves the reader hanging and wondering the truth about Bunnicula. My Perspective :  One of the strengths of Bunnicula is that its told from the perspective of Harold the dog....

Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans Summary:   Madeline, the tiniest orphan at an orphanage in Paris, finds herself in trouble when she falls off a bridge during a field trip.  She is rescued by a brave dog who is then adopted by the orphanage and named Genevieve.  Genevieve becomes part of the school culture until the board of trustees remove the dog due to a “DOGS AREN’T ALLOWED IN SCHOOL” rule.  The orphans quickly go out to search for her but to no avail.  But the instinctive Ms. Clavel finds Genevieve and allows her back.  The story ends with a delightful surprise for all the orphan girls. My Perspective: The story of the fearless, little Madeline is an endearing story. Her behavior keeps the head nun, Ms. Clavel, on her toes.  Yet, as stern as Ms. Clavel is, she also has a soft side.  In this story, Ms. Clavel allows Genevieve the dog to return to the orphanage with the school.  She had, after all, rescued Madeline from th...

Love You Forever  Written by Robert Munsch, Illustrated by Sheila McGraw There are a number of books that adults enjoy reading to children. Books that teach morals, ones that are emotionally charged, and one that are just plain cute.  One example, is the books, Love you Forever , written by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw (Firefly Books, 1986). The story tells of a mother who rocked her baby while repeating the song: "I'll love you forever,  I'll like you for always,  as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." As the years passed by, she sneeked into his room while he was sleeping.  She'd pick him up and rock his saying her favorite phrase.  The deep devotion to her son is apparent throughout his life.  But the bond between mother and son only deepens when she is elderly and unable to hold her son.  He in turns picks up his mother and repeats the phrase back to her.  The son, returns home to pick up his own da...