Orbis Pictus Award or Honor Books (3)

Title:  Through My Eyes        Author:  Ruby Bridges Articles and Interviews Compiled and Edited by: Margo Lundell

Book Length:  64 Pages

Category of Book: Orbit Pictus Award or Honor Books

Citation:

Bridges, R. (1999). Through my eyes. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Genre/Type: Biography

Summary: Ruby Bridges tells her story of when she was 6 years old and was escorted by federal marshals into an all white school. As an icon of the civil rights movement, Ruby Bridges lays out her story in her own biography Through My Eyes. The pictures are sepia photographsthat chronicle Ruby Bridges story and her life.

Awards: 2000 ALA Notable Children's Book, 2000 Orbis Pictus Winner

How does this book relate to young children?
 Children need to understand the bravery that young people their age had to have and the horrors that they went through when they were barely school age. I think this story, told by Ruby Bridges, is very powerful and compelling and that students will get a lot of information and it will be a reality shock.

How would you share/use this book with young children? 
 This would be great to introduce the civil rights movement or to talk about Ruby Bridges during Black History Month (or any month...). The author has written the story while the editor has put in many facts and quotes from that time on each page throughout the book. Children are able to read bits and pieces and get out of the book what they want to learn. There is a lot of text, but each page is broken down apart from the rest of the story with a title on the top of the page.

Title: Black Whiteness: Admiral Byrd Alone in the Antarctic  Author: Robert Burleigh  Illustrator: Walter Lyon Krudop

Book Length:  40 Pages

Category of Book: Orbis Pictus Award or Honor Books

Citation:

Burleigh, R. (1998). Black whiteness: Admiral byrd alone in the antarctic (W. L. Krudop, Illustrator). New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Genre/Type: Biography

Summary: This story recounts Admiral Byrd's 5 month trip to the Antarctic. It is told through poems and journal entries from Admiral Byrd's very own journal. The story has very dramatic and powerful illustrations to help show the seriousness of the situation that Admiral Byrd was in. There are also small blue pictures on the pages that seem to have been outlined into the page that has a picture of somethinng that was spoken about on the page.   Awards: Orbis Pictus Honor Award Book

How does this book relate to young children?
This shows how dedicated Admiral Byrd was and how much he wanted to study his surroundings. Against all odds, Admiral Byrd survived his expedition and he even returned to Antarctica later in life. I think this shows kids about perseverence and courage, Admiral Byrd never gave up even when other people would have said he had no chance of survival.

How would you share/use this book with young children? 
This book mixes many different elements, you have poetry, diary entries as well as facts and a biography mixed together to make one compelling book. This book is targeted towards 7-12 year olds. After reading the book with the children, you could have them attempt to make their own poem about Admiral Byrd's exploration.

Title: Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship  Authors: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu           Photographer: Peter Greste

Book Length:  40 Pages

Category of Book: Orbis Pictus Award or Honor Books

Citation:

Hatkoff, I., Hatkoff, C., & Kahumbu, P. (2006). Owen and mzee: The true story of a remarkable friendship . New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Genre/Type: Non-Fiction, Informative

Summary: This chronicals the story of Owen, a baby hippo, who is saved from a tsunami by a man named Owen. The rescuers tried to take him someplace where he could be cared for but Baby Owen was scared and kept running at people and attacking them. It didn't seem like Owen would make it until he was placed in a habitat with a giant Aldabra Tortoise name Mzee. Over time, Owen and Mzee became great friends and took care of each other. This is a great example of friendship. The photographs are of Owen's rescue and they show how Owen and Mzee came together and took care of each other.

Awards: American Library Association Notables (2007); School Library Journal Starred Review (2006); Publishers Weekly Best Books (2006); Publishers Weekly Starred Review (2006); American Booksellers Association Book Sense Children's Picks (Summer 2006). 2007 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book

How does this book relate to young children?
This is a remarkable story on true friendship. With the way the two species are, Owen and Mzee never should have become friends, but against all odds they became best friends and their lives changed for the better because of it.

How would you share/use this book with young children? 
You could use this to teach certain vocabulary words and have them do a compare and contrast venn diagram. Have them look at how hippos and tortoises typically interact with each other. Also, have them brainstorm why they think that Mzee finally begins to accept Owen as a friend?