Anton Can Do Magic! (Ole Könnecke)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Könnecke, Ole. 2011. Anton Can Do Magic. Translated by Catherine Chidgey. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Gecko Press. ISBN 9781877467370

PLOT SUMMARY
Anton is excited to try out a few magic tricks after obtaining a “real” magic hat. At first his magic is not successful, but soon Anton is amazed at his new abilities. Readers will laugh as both Anton and his disbelieving friend, Luke, are tricked into believing that Anton really can do magic!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Könnecke demonstrates that he is a master of simplicity in Anton Can Do Magic! He skillfully  approaches the difficult task of conveying an entertaining and memorable story with minimal words and restrained illustrations. Each page contains bold, colorful, and thick lined artwork reminiscent of Charlie Brown cartoons. The simplicity of the text and artwork allows even beginning readers to feel success as they read, understand, and laugh at the engaging plot.

Although originally written in German, the story will fit perfectly amongst other childhood favorites in the United States. The skin and hair color, along with common Germanic and Polish names of the characters give clues to the story’s origins, but the story itself transcends culture. Children will feel quite intelligent when they realize what Anton and his friend do not- that Anton’s magic is merely happy coincidence. The book’s universal theme shows the benefits of daring to believe in oneself despite ridicule and in the process discovering who you are. In Anton’s case he dares to believe he can do magic despite what others say and in the process realizes the importance of treating friends with kindness.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
2012 USBBY Outstanding International Book

Publishers Weekly: “celebrates kids' belief in their own abilities”

School Library Journal: “told with a spare, easy-to-read text; it's the illustrations that tell the true story and add much humor.”

CONNECTIONS
Begin an author study by reading one of Könnecke’s other books available in English. View the covers of several of his untranslated books and discuss the process of translating books.
Könnecke, Ole. Anthony and the Girls. ISBN 0374303762
Könnecke, Ole. The Big Book of Words and Pictures. ISBN 978-1877579059

Enjoy these similarly humorous picture books. Extend learning by leading discussions on how to read and write with expression.
Jeffers, Oliver. Stuck. ISBN 9780399257377
Gormley, Greg. Dog in Boots. ISBN 9780823423477
Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, ISBN 9780786819881
Shannon, David. Duck on a Bike. ISBN 978-0439050234

Koala Lou (Mem Fox)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 1988. Koala Lou. Ill. by Pamela Lofts. Orlando: Voyager Books. ISBN 0152005021

PLOT SUMMARY
Koala Lou is the much loved eldest child in a growing family. However, Koala Lou longs for reminders of how much she is loved as her mother becomes increasingly busy with the care of Koala Lou’s younger siblings. When Koala Lou learns of the upcoming Olympics, she hatches a plan to win a gum tree climbing race, and more importantly, win her mothers attention. As the heartwarming story unfolds, Koala Lou and the reader are reminded that a mother’s love is unconditional.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Koala Lou is a universal tale of a mother’s enduring love. Set in the beautiful Australian bush, illustrator Pamela Lofts gives energy to the story with vivid illustrations of Australian foliage, such as the gum and eucalyptus trees. She brings Mem Fox’s cast of native Australian animals to life. Each koala, kangaroo, emu, and kookaburra has been depicted with soulful eyes and animated facial expressions that will engage readers of all ages. An air of playfulness was added to the Bush Olympics with illustrations showing each animal wearing a colorful hat and one lucky numbat carrying the olympic torch.

Readers will find themselves making personal connections to Koala Lou as they sympathize with the plight of many older siblings around the world. Many young readers, thrilled with the quick paced tale, will be appalled when Mem Fox takes a departure from the typical children’s book and allows the Koala Lou to lose the big race.  Upset readers will be assuaged, however, when Koala Lou gets what she really wanted all along- the loving reassurance of her mother. The book will leave readers with a smile, cheerfully repeating the story’s catch phrase- “Koala Lou, I DO love you”.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews- “Another winning import from one of Australia's favorite authors.”

Publishers Weekly- “Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully”

The Horn Book- “A first-rate choice for bedtime, story hour, or reading aloud”

CONNECTIONS
Introduce students to traditional Australian animals through an assortment of entertaining books, including Koala Lou of course! Afterwards allow students to pick their favorite animal and begin a fact search.
Bancroft, Bronwyn. An Australian ABC of Animals. ISBN 9781877003974
Fox, Mem. Hunwick’s Egg. ISBN 9780152163181
French, Jackie. Diary of a Wombat. ISBN 9780547076690
Knowles, Sheena. Edwina the Emu. ISBN 9780064434836

Explore the Olympics and enjoy a few topical read-alouds.
Christopher, Matt. Great Moments in the Summer Olympics.  ISBN 9780606261593
Hamm, Mia. Winners Never Quit!, ISBN 9780439849302
Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman. ISBN 9780152020989
Osborne, Mary Pope. Hour of the Olympics, Magic School House 16. ISBN 9780679890621

Begin an author study and explore a few more of the popular works of Mem Fox.
Fox, Mem. Possum Magic. ISBN 9781862910959
Fox, Mem. Time for Bed. ISBN 9780152881832
Fox, Mem. Whoever You Are. ISBN 9780152060305

Run, Boy, Run (Batcheldor Award Novel)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Orlev, Uri. 2003. Run, Boy, Run. Translated by Hillel Halkin. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 0618164650

PLOT SUMMARY
Run, Boy, Run is the harrowing true story of Srulik Frydman’s determination to survive against all odds during the Holocaust. The reader is introduced to Srulik, an eight year old Jew, as his family struggles for survival in the Warsaw ghetto. Young Srulik appears happy and content amongst the chaos with little awareness of his dire situation. However, life changes quickly for Srulik when he finds himself alone. Taking the advice of a friendly cobbler,  Srulik escapes to the Polish countryside. With a quick wit and the sporadic help of others, Surlik learns to hide his Jewish identity and outlast the horror of the Holocaust. Srulik does not survive unscathed and must come to terms with all he has lost in the war, including his identity.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Run, Boy, Run has been skillfully translated by Hillel Halkin from its original Hebrew taking care not to disrupt the cultural authenticity of Orlev’s novel. The names of characters have been kept in their original Polish, German, and Jewish forms, including the respectful titles of Pan (Mr.) and Pani (Mrs.). Careful attention to details aid in the realistic depiction of the life of farmers, widows, soldiers, and orphans.

Srulik spends the majority of the book surviving one day at a time, with little thought to all that was lost.  In order to survive he abandons his Jewish name in favor of a Polish name and denies himself the memories of his family and birth place. Srulik learns traditional Polish greetings and Catholic mannerisms until they become second nature. 

As the story concludes, his final challenge goes beyond basic survival and in some ways becomes a more perilous journey. Srulik is finally safe and is then forced to reconcile the facade he had expertly mastered during the war with his slowly reemerging memories of his family and Jewish heritage. Run, Boy, Run is a thoughtfully crafted book that displays the very real courage of a young boy who survived and chose to remember, just as his father had requested, that he was a Jew.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Mildred L Batcheldor Honor Award

Publishers Weekly- “authentic, childlike and wrenching”

School Library Journal- “reverberates with courage and determination”

Kirkus Reviews- “mesmerizing and memorable”

CONNECTIONS
Supplement learning about the Holocaust through these books.
Johnston, Tony. The Harmonica. ISBN 9781570914898
Volavkova, Hana (ed.). I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezín Concentration Camp, 1942-1944. ISBN 9780805210156
Wiviott, Meg. Benno and the Night of Broken Glass. ISBN 978-0822599753

Make connections to other historical events with these stories told through the eyes of children.
Halse, Laurie. Chains. ISBN 9781416905868
Loyie, Larry. As Long as the Rivers Flow: A Last Summer before Residential School. ISBN 9780888996961
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz: a Story of the Japanese-American Evacuation. ISBN 9781890771911