The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux was written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering in 2003. It is intended for readers aged 7-10. This book follows the story of Despereaux Tilling; a brave little mouse on a quest to save a princess from a rat named Roscuro.

Despereaux is an unusually small mouse with large ears. His family tries to teach him to be afraid like a mouse, but Despereaux is curious, adventurous, and very brave. He meets a beautiful princess named Pea, and is instantly enamored by her. Roscuro the rat falls into the Queen's bowl of soup, which caused her death. Princess Pea was disgusted by Roscuro, and for that he intended to punish her. However, Despereaux does everything he can to stop Roscuro.

DiCamillo uses an interesting style in this book. This fantasy story is divided into four books; three following the story of a different character and the fourth follows all. One major theme of fantasy is a struggle between the forces of good and evil. Despereaux was born upstairs in the light of the castle and Roscuro was born in a dungeon, in the darkness; the protagonist and antagonist are literally light (good) and dark (evil). Throughout the story, DiCamillo refers to the reader, like she is talking to you; it seems like a great attention getter. That's something I don't see often when reading. I enjoy her use of the word reader, because it makes the story seem more personal. The illustrations depict a certain line from the book. They are even captioned with the quote, giving you an idea what the picture is showing. They appear to be black and white sketches of the scene being mentioned.

I love this book. I read this somewhere between third and fifth grade and could not put it down. Kate DiCamillo did an excellent job when writing this book. This was by far one of my favorite childhood books.

Other books by Kate DiCamillo include:

• Because of Winn-Dixie
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
• Flora & Ulysses 
• The Tiger Rising
• The Magician's Elephant

Motivational Activities:

• Write a paragraph about one time that you had to be brave. Explain how you felt in that situation.
• Compare and contrast rats and mice. What makes them so different? Which animal do you like better?

Reader Response Questions:

• How would you react if you saw a rat? A mouse?
• What makes Despereaux unusual for a mouse?
• Why do you think Pea liked a mouse more than a rat?

DiCamillo, K., & Ering, T. B. (2003). The tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Romeow & Drooliet

Romeow & Drooliet was written and illustrated by Nina Laden. The book was published in 2005.

This story takes an interesting twist on the classic love story of Romeo & Juliet. Romeow the cat, and Drooliet the dog, meet by chance at a party thrown by Drooliet's family. They instantly fall in love and nothing can keep them apart, not even Turbo; a Rottweiler in Drooliet's cat hating family.

Picture books use words and pictures to tell a story. The words tell us things that the illustrations leave out, creating a story within both the words and illustrations. I think Nina Laden did an excellent job with her illustrations. They portray the story, as well as tell their own.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was really good. The way the author wrote this picture book  made it an interesting way for kids to read a classic love story. It's a great way to teach children that anything is possible if they believe. Some other works by Nina Laden incude:

• The Night I Followed the Dog
• Clowns on Vacation
• When Pigasso Met Mootisse
• The Blues of Flats Brown
• Once Upon a Memory 

Motivational Activity:

• Romeow almost loses Drooliet, someone he loves very much. Write a letter to someone that you love, telling them so.
• Compare and contrast Romeow & Drooliet with the original Romeo & Juliet.

Reader Response Questions:

• How would you feel if you were friends with someone your family did not like?
• What do you think of Turbo? Is he unreasonable for not wanting Romeow and Drooliet to get married?
• What do you think would have happened if Romeow and his pals never went to Drooliet's party?

 Laden, N. (2005). Romeow & Drooliet. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 

My Name is Maria Isabel

My Name is Maria Isabel is a story about a hispanic girl in an American school. Her teacher insists on calling her Mary Lopez, but all she wants is to be herself; Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez. This book was written by Ada Flor Alma in 1993 and illustrated by K. Dyble Thompson, intended for grades 3-5.

Maria is unsure of going to a new school in a place where she is unfamiliar. She is not sure she will like it, or if she will be able to make any friends. Her teacher wants to call her Mary instead of Maria, because there are already two more Marias in the class. Maria does not recognize the name Mary and never answers her teachers questions when she is called on. She does not get a part in the classes winter pageant since she did not realize the teacher was asking her about it. Maria's teacher asks the class to write an essay about "My Greatest Wish". In Maria's essay, she tells her teacher that she would like to be called Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez and that she would also like to sing in the winter pageant. The teacher then realizes this is important to Maria and accepts her request.

This contemporary realistic fiction book will teach children that it is very important to be true to themselves. Things of importance should be recognized, no matter who you are or where you are from. Maria's experience could be a problem that any child may face. It may teach them how to handle this kind of situation. I really liked this book and I think it is a great book for children to read, especially if they can relate to Maria's situation. Alma Flor Ada has written many children's books and poetry, such as:

• Dancing Home
• Island Treasures
• Love, Amelia 
• Gathering the Sun
• Dreaming Fish

Motivational Activity:

• Maria's family is very important to her; that is why her name means so much. She is named after her grandmothers and grandfathers. Create a family tree of your family going back as far as you can. Write something important about each family member. 
• Ask your parents why they chose your name or what it means. Write a paragraph about what it means and the importance it may have.

Reader Response Questions:

• How would you react if your teacher wanted to call you by another name?
• Would you tell your teacher to call you by your given name? How would you tell her/him?
• Would you change your name if given the choice? Why or why not?
• What do you think it would be like living in a new place and going to a new school?

 Ada, A. F., & Thompson, K. D. (1993). My name is María Isabel. New York: Atheneum.