Book Review Module 1

Orlev,Uri. Run, Boy, Run. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. ISBN 0-618-16465-0
Originally published in Hebrew, the book was translated by Hillel Halkin.

Summary
Run, Boy, Run is the story of a young Jewish boy hiding from the Nazis during World War II. Eight year old Srulik Frydman is taken with his family from their Polish village to the ghetto in Warsaw. Srulik and his mother are trying to find food in a dumpster when Srulik becomes separated from her. When soldiers discover him, he escapes into the woods. Amazingly Srulik finds his father on the run and his father tells him that he must do whatever it takes to survive. He must change his name and learn to act like a Christian. Srulik becomes Jurek Staniak, a Polish orphan, rather than a Jewish boy on the run. Will his new identity help him survive the war?

Analysis
Srulik is told to forget his identity as a Jewish boy, but there are cultural markers that prevent him from hiding it. He is told never to take his pants off. Srulik doesn't understand why and it is explained to him that only Jews are circumcised. This cultural marker comes up several times in the story. When he knocks on a farmhouse door, half-dead, a woman gives him a bath and feeds him. He was afraid that she would not help him after giving him a bath. Later in the story when Srulik injures his arm a doctor in the hospital refuses to operate on his arm because he is Jewish. Eventually he develops gangrene and his arm is amputated. At the end of the story when Srulik is taken to a children's home for Jewish orphans, the fact that he is circumcised convinces them that he is Jewish.

Most Holocaust books are very emotional, but this book is not. The book is written in a very matter of fact way. The boy doesn't expand on his emotions or even explain how he feels. It feels more like the boy is just trying to survive and doesn't have time to sort out his feelings.

Amazingly, this book is based on a true story. Srulik Frydman (Jurek Staniak) grew up and moved to Israel where he became a college professor. The author of this story, Uri Orlev, heard the story and was moved to tears. He decided to write about it. Orlev is a Polish man who spent time in the Warsaw ghetto as a child. In 1943 he was taken with his brother and aunt to Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp. After the war, he went to Paris with other orphaned children and eventually to Israel. Besides being interesting and well written, the experiences of the author, Uri Orlev, help make this book very authentic.

Review Excerpts
"Part survival adventure, part Holocaust history, these novels tell their story through the eyes of a Polish orphan on the run from the Nazis. Orlev is a Holocaust survivor, and his award-winning novels about being a child in the Warsaw ghetto, including The Man from the Other Side (1991), are widely read. This new story is not based on his own experience, but it does come from real life--the experience of an illiterate ghetto survivor who escaped into the Polish countryside, stealing, foraging, begging, working (Hazel Rochman, 2003)."

"Orlev tells his tale with few flourishes, the straightforward narration oddly unemotional; it is through Srulik/Jurek's actions that the reader divines his inner state, not narrative revelation. As declarative sentence leads to declarative sentence, the story marches to its conclusion, Srulik/Jurek's ultimate inability to sort out his own fact from the fiction he has been living speaking quiet volumes (Kirkus Reviews, 2003.)"

Connections
This book can be used in a Holocaust unit. Many Holocuast stories for kids take place in concentration camps and this book doesn't. it can be used to compare and contrast different World War II experiences.

Works Cited
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 20).

Rochman, Hazel. 2003. Booklist, Oct. 15, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 4).

Internet

There are many websites about children's literature. As a future school librarian, I was looking for a website that will help teachers with reading and technology. I was browsing a website Dr. Vardell mentioned, readwritethink.org, and I found a link to 100 Best Books for Children. That page is found on a website http://www.teachersfirst.com/. Besides the 100 Best Books, www.teachersfirst.com is full of ideas to help teachers use technology in their classroom. It is supported by grants and investments so the site is free, and there is no advertising. The site is dedicated to bringing the best of the web to teachers. It will be a great site to share with teachers when I am in a school library.
Alison

multimedia

When a librarian works with children, it is likely that they will have to read aloud to them. When reading to children, readers should make sure that they are choosing the right books are reading them in a way that will keep the children's attention. Here is a video I found on youtube.com that explains what you need to know to be able to do an excellent job reading to children.

citation pearl growing search

A citation pearl growing search is when a searcher builds on each search, zeroing in on what they are looking for. I wanted to learn more about parents reading to children at home. I used the Project Muse database. I entered the search terms parents, reading, and children. I got 6,877 hits. The fifth hit was an article called The Contribution of Parenting to Ethnic and Racial Gaps in School Readiness by Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Lisa Markman. One of the subject headings of the article was Readiness for school--social aspects--United States. I clicked that and was taken to a subject heading list and I chose the reading -- parent participation tab. There was one article and it was useful and interesting. Here is the hit.

McArthur, Duncan.Adamson, Lauren.Deckner, Deborah F.As Stories Become Familiar: Mother-Child Conversations During Shared ReadingMerrill-Palmer Quarterly - Volume 51, Number 4, October 2005, pp. 389-411 - Article[View PDF] Subject Headings:Mother and child.Reading -- Parent participation.Children -- Books and reading.Abstract
The interactions of 24-, 30-, and 36-month-old children and their mothers reading two initially unfamiliar books were observed three times over a 2-week period. Coding characterized both the content and the role of their utterances as they discussed the stories. Utterance content depended on child age but changed little with increasing story familiarity. Focus on narrative intangibles such as characters' feelings and explanations of actions increased from 24 to 30 months, and the number of children who asked questions about these intangibles also increased with age. In contrast, utterance role depended primarily on story familiarity and varied only slightly with child age. The implications of these findings for the child's emerging narrative competence are discussed.

specific facet search

Sometimes when searching, a searcher can enter just one term and get exactly what they are looking for. I used the Books in Print database. I wanted to find a recent book about Pluto. Since Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006, I wanted to see what new children's books are available about Pluto's new status. I went to the Children's Room section of the database. I used the advanced search option and I asked for books currently in print about Pluto. I limited the search by publication years 2007-2008 and I entered one subject keyword, Pluto. I got 15 hits, all of which were pertinent. Here is the second hit.

Title:
Pluto: From Planet to Dwarf
Author:
Elaine Landau
Publication Date:
March 2008
Publisher:
Scholastic Library Publishing
Imprint:
Children's Press
Country of Publication:
United States
Market:
United States
ISBN:
0-531-14794-0
ISBN13:
978-0-531-14794-8
EAN:
9780531147948
Item Status:
Active Record (Readily Available)
Binding Format:
Perfect
Edition:
illustrated
Pages:
48
Price:
$6.95 (USD Retail) (Publisher)
Also Available Through:
Alibris ; Baker & Taylor Books; Brodart Company; Ingram Book Company; NACSCORP, Incorporated
Current Language:
English
Series Title:
A\True Booktrade;: Space Ser.
Age Range:
8 to 10
Grade Range:
Third Grade to Fifth Grade
Audience:
Juvenile
Bowker Subjects:
PLANETS_JUVENILE LITERATURE
General Subjects (BISAC):
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Astronomy
Children's Subjects:
PLUTO (PLANET)
Physical Dimensions (W x L x H):
7.04 x 8.38 x .13 in..25 lbs.

specific facet into successive fractions search

In this class I have learned that searching the Internet is much more effective if you choose the right search appropriate to the topic. I have been practicing different types of searches. One type of search is a specific facet search. With this type of search, a specific facet or search term is searched first. After entering a specific facet, if you get 30 hits, or less you can stop searching. If the results are not narrow enough, a second facet is added. If you still get too many hits the a third facet is added. Here is an example of a specific facet into successive fractions search. My blog topic is children’s literature which is rather broad. I am interested in being able to find quality books for every child – especially kids who say they don’t like to read. I think if they find the right book, they may learn to love to read. So I did a successive fraction search for motivating children to read. I searched ERIC and the first term I used was motivating. I got 3,228 hits – too many. I added another term, librar*, and got 109 hits. I decided to narrow the results more, so I used the subject elementary education and I got 16 hits. About half of the hits were what I was looking for and the 4th hit was the best.

Motivating Students To Read.
Patricia Green; Christine Kandyba; Colleen McDonald; Tricia Stevens2000
English Document (ED) 92
This report describes a research study in which motivational strategies were used to increase student enjoyment of reading and to foster a life-long love of reading. The targeted populations consisted of primary and middle grade students in three different urban midwestern settings. The problem of motivating students to read was documented through parent and student surveys, observations checklists, and student interviews....
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Accession No:
ED449493
Title:
Motivating Students To Read.
Access ERIC:
FullText
Author(s):
Green, Patricia ; Kandyba, Christine ; McDonald, Colleen ; Stevens, Tricia
Publication:
2000-12-00
Description:
92 p.
Language:
English
Abstract:
This report describes a research study in which motivational strategies were used to increase student enjoyment of reading and to foster a life-long love of reading. The targeted populations consisted of primary and middle grade students in three different urban midwestern settings. The problem of motivating students to read was documented through parent and student surveys, observations checklists, and student interviews. Analysis and intervention implementations regarding motivational reading strategies were supported by the hypotheses that students can be motivated to read more often, therefore, leading to a higher level of reading enjoyment. Solution strategies conducted consisted of lending libraries in the classroom, national incentive reading programs, backpack book activities, and Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R). These interventions were based on the analysis of related research and suggested strategies from renowned specialists in the reading field. Post intervention data indicated an increase in student's motivation to read and to choose reading as a leisure time activity. Contains 32 references, and 4 tables and 8 figures of data. Appendixes contain 4 reading survey instruments, checklists, and reading lessons. (Author/RS)
Peer Reviewed:
No
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:
Action Research Elementary Education Reading Programs Recreational Reading Student Attitudes Urban Education (Major): Instructional Effectiveness Literature Appreciation Reading Attitudes Reading Motivation
Note(s):
Master of Arts Action Research Project, Saint Xavier University and SkyLight Professional Development.
Document Type:
Document (ED)
Publication Type:
Dissertations/Theses; Tests/Questionnaires
Availability:
Level: 1
Date of Entry:
2001; RIEJUL2001
Database:
ERIC

Alison

Building Block Search

Almost everyone uses computers to locate information. Most people use google and perform simple searches. There are several types of searches. Here is an example of a building block search. I used the LibLit database available through the library at TWU. In order to get as many hits as possible, I used three synonyms for each search term. The first term I used (S1) was recommendations or suggestions or advice. I got 5,616 hits. I added a second term (S2), children or kids or adolescents and got 750 hits. When I added the third search term (S3), literature or books or reading materials, I got 547 hits. When I narrowed the search by hits published between 2005-2008, I got 75 hits. 75 is a workable number, but not until the 32nd hit did I find what I was looking for: recommended books for kids. This is what hit 32 looked like.

Title:
2007: Best, Notable, & Recommended
Journal Name:
Teacher Librarian
Source:
Teacher Librarian v. 34 no. 4 (April 2007) p. 8-22
Publication Year:
2007
Abstract:
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN WERE COMPILED BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR LIBRARY F-SERVICE TO CHILDREN AND FOR YOUNG ADULTS BY THE YOUNG ADULT SERVICES ASSOCIATION, DIVISIONS OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Subject(s):
Children's literature/Book lists; Young adults' literature/Book lists; Motion pictures for children/Bibliography; Video recordings/Bibliography; Computer software/Bibliography; Talking books/Bibliography; Young adults' literature/Paperback books; Readability and readable books/Bibliography; Association for Library Service to Children; Young Adult Library Services Association
Peer Reviewed Journal:
ISSN:
1481-1782
Language of Document:
English
Document Type:
Bibliography
Database:
Education; Library & Information Science
Accession Number:
200709106345003
Persistent URL:
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Alison