The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (2004 Newberry Medal Winner)

I'm not really a good person to compare movies with the books from which they take their stories. I spent most of the time I was reading Despereaux thinking about everything that the movie got wrong. I do the same thing with every movie/book combination. I can't think of a single movie that I thought was better than the book.

One of the biggest differences is that Despereaux isn't brave. He does act bravely, but he isn't a brave mouse. In the movie, we see Despereaux carrying his sword from the beginning and stealing cheese from traps and not being bothered by the cat. This isn't the mouse we get in the book. In the book, Despereaux doesn't act like a frightened mouse not because of his bravery, but because of his wonder with the world around him.

Despereaux follows his wonder to reading the book in the library with the tale of a knight that fills his mind. His wonder also leads him to follow the music of the King. It also brings him into the presence of the Princess, with whom he falls in love.

These are some reasons why I enjoyed the book more than the movie. Let's talk about the book on its own though.

Despereaux is born as the last and smallest member of his littler of mice. He lives in a French castle, and his mother and father a dismayed at how unusual of a mouse he is. His is so small for a mouse. He doesn't tremble. He even opens his eyes and looks at the sun, which no mouse baby has ever been known to do. I mentioned the acts that get him banished from the mouse community because of his unmouselike behavior.

Meanwhile in the dungeon, there is a rat that becomes obsessed with the light of the world, but because he lives in the dungeon, he cannot share in the light. He travels to the banquet room of the castle and accidentally scares the queen to death when he lands in her bowl of beloved soup. He vows revenge.

There is also Miggery Sow to consider. Mig is a young girl whose father sold her to another man for a red table cloth, and a handful of cigarettes. Mig finds herself living and working in the castle which takes her one stop closer to her dream of becoming a Princess, but this makes her a bigger target for a certain rat.

Things get complicated, and I don't want to give too much away even if you have seen the movie. (Things progress differently than the movie suggests.) The important thing to know is that this story hinges on Despereaux overcoming his fears and becoming the hero he found in his books.

This is an important lesson for students to discover and can provide a great amount of discussion with your children.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead (2011 Caldecott Medal)

Let's take a journey through a typical day of zoo keeper, Amos McGee. He has a very specific pattern to his day. He makes tea, he gets dressed, he rides the bus to the zoo, then he spends time with each of the animals-play chess, reading stories, and many other things.

One day Amos gets sick and cannot go to work. His friends at the zoo miss him, so they take the bus to Amos' house to visit him. Amos gets to enjoy all of the activities that are usually only enjoyed at work, and it helps him feel much better.

Stead is both writer and illustrator, and the illustrations are breathtaking and yet simple. Stead does a great job of telling the story through the art and making the visuals compelling. Not everyone can act as author and illustrator, but Stead does a fantastic job with this story.

We used this with preschooler when we were talking about being thankful and talked about being thankful for being healthy, but you can also hit on friendship and the things that friends might do. It would also be great to combine with a trip to the zoo. You can talk about the animals you might see at the zoo, or what animals you had seen at the zoo after you had already been there.

*A quick correction-The Caldecott list shows Erin E Stead as the illustrator, and I just noticed that so does the picture of the cover I have listed. Sorry for the confusion.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1995 Newberry Medal Winner)

I've know about Sharon Creech for several years. I first encountered her from reading Love that Dog, a collection of poetry written by a young boy learning about poetry in school, and followed closely by Hate that Cat a continuation of that tale. I also stumbled upon Heartbeat, the story of a young girl who loves to run, but doesn't want to be a runner, also told in poems.

When I saw her name on the list of Newberry Medals, I half expected to find a book of poetry, but instead we get the tale of Salamanca Tree Hiddle as she travels with her grandparents telling them the story of her friend Phoebe and her mother. This story helps to illuminate Sal's own troubles with her mother leaving their family.

Sal and her father have moved from Bybanks, Kentucky to Euclid, Ohio to be near a woman, Mrs. Margaret Cadaver with whom her father has become attached. Sal hates leaving her home and the connection that home has with the mother she loved so dearly.

Sal believes that if she can arrive in Lewiston, Idaho by her mother's birthday, then Sal will be able to bring her home. Sal knows that this is a foolish belief, but that doesn't stop her from wanting it to be true. She is travelling with her grandparents on her father's side. They are an odd duo, and they love listening to the story of Peeby (the name they use for Phoebe) and Sal's part in that story.

Phoebe is a fun character to read about although I'm not sure that I would actually want to spend much time with her. Her first reaction to most situations is to come up with a horrible explanation. What happened to Mrs. Cadaver's husband? She killed him and buried him in the back yard. Why did her mother disappear? A lunatic took her away.

Phoebe is the perfect foil to unravel the story of Sal's mother's disappearance. Both girls have similar stories about mothers that leave, and we get to understand Sal much better because of this parallel.

Oh, I should talk a little bit about Sal. She is an only child although her parents had wanted to have a large family. She loves the outdoors, especially the outdoors of her home in Bybanks, Kentucky. She misses her mother, and can't let go of the past because of that love.

This is a fun adventure. I especially enjoy getting to know Sal's grandparents. They also have a fun story to experience. Even several days after finishing the book, I still find myself saying, "Huzzah, huzzah."