Ann Cameron (1)Critiques

Oh that Julian. What a fibber.

Kidnapped at the age of 11 from his home in Benin, Africa, Olaudah Equiano spent the next 11 years as a slave in England, the U.S., and the West Indies, until he was able to buy his freedom. His autobiography, published in 1789, was a bestseller in its own time. Cameron has modernized and shortened it while remaining true to the spirit of the original. It's a gripping story of adventure, betrayal, cruelty, and courage. In searing scenes, Equiano describes the savagery of his capture, the appalling conditions on the slave ship, the auction, and the forced labor. . . . Kids will read this young man's story on their own; it will also enrich curriculum units on history and on writing.

-Amazon description

excellent - Katrina

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Replaces rather beat-up Scholastic copy.

Juan es un niño guatemalteco de siete años. Al ser abandonado por su madre, se va a vivir con su abuela, tíos y primos que son muy pobres. Como necesitan dinero, Juan aprende el oficio de limpiabotas. Pero quiere hacer algo más. Aprende solo a leer. Y gracias a su enorme interés, es aceptado en la escuela. En el amor de su abuela encuentra el lugar más bonito del mundo.

Spunky is a little dog who tells about his life with the Bates family. He explains how dogs think and learn and especially the importance of his nose and smelling things. Sometimes his nose gets the best of him, and after an incident with Ralph's (the father) socks, the family concludes he needs a friend. Julian and Huey the two boys pick out a white cat. According to Spunky, she smell like foolishness and he wants nothing to do with her. However, he can't help but keep her out of trouble and the two of them form a lasting friendship.

I would read aloud this book just for pleasure to an early elementary class or perhaps when teaching a unit on point of view or humorous fiction. It would also be fun to read when doing a unit on pets.

Any dog lovering kids will adore this book that is told from the Spunky, the dog's point of view. This book explores friendship, loyalty, and acceptance. I believe it would make kids laugh with its wit and and page-turning action. Great for engaging students in an easier read.

Summary: Spunky is a dog who can talk, although his silly human family has trouble understanding him sometimes. Life was good until - oh no!! - here comes Fiona, the new cat. It take a while for her to warm up to Spunky, but after he saves her life a few times when she stuck in the toilet and the fridge, they become friends as he teaches her the ropes of the house.

Personal commentary / reflection: I'm a huge animal lover, especially dogs as I grew up surrounded by at least two happy and slobbery golden retrievers at all times. This is a great book told from the perspective of Spunky the dog, as he struggles to bond with his human family. I liked reading about the bond between him and cat- an animal-to-animal connection that I think sometimes gets overlooked in the world of young literature. It was a great read- perfect for a young reader who likes dogs and cats :)

All of Ann Cameron's Huey and Julian stories are great. Full of humor and imagination, they portray African American families dealing with everyday life in positive ways. Huey has a wild imagination and a lot of determination. Children will identify with his desire to right the wrongs of the world, from dying sunflowers in the garden, to his Dad's smoking habit, and yet young readers can laugh a little at Huey's imaginative approaches that inevitably land him ,is older brother Julian, and neighbor, Gloria, in hot water with the grown ups. My kids and I love these books.

Julian and his little brother Huey are full of imagination that sometimes gets them into tight spots with their parents, but kids and adults will admire the courage with which they explore new ideas and experiences. This series is one of few gentle, positive portrayals of growing up black in America. The parents are individual characters with humor and imagination themselves. Any family would enjoy this series, which is targeted for seven to 12 year olds, but families of color (like mine) will especially find it a rare gem.

This book is about a dog named Spunky and he loves his family very much. He likes to speak to them but they can't understand him. One day his family adopts a cat named Fiona. Spunky doesn't like Fiona at all. However some things happen and they become friends.

In this book, Spunky is a dog who loves his family very much. He often speaks to them but they can't understand him. One day his family adopts a cat named Fiona. They do not get along, but through different events they become friends.

The theme of this book is to give a new person a chance and not to judge them right away. This early chapter book is perfect because it transitions children from picture books to more advanced reading. It still has a fun way of keeping children interested. Sporadically throughout the book there are illustrations that help with the continuation of the plot.

Great book and very relatable to ELLs.

Gloria's Way is a book filled with a different story in each chapter. The stories are about a girl named Gloria and how she gets through some difficulties she comes across. Gloria learns many lessons with each situation she gets herself into; from learning what a real gift is, to fixing friendships, and helping her friends. I think students would really enjoy this chapter book because each story line is short and sweet; and once you fall in love with Gloria and her friends you are excited to see what the next chapter will hold.

INV

This is the story of the family dog Spunky who likes to get a lot of attention and also get into a lot of trouble. He goes into quite specific details to describe the members of the family and eventually a new member, a feisty siamese cat. This book has a very unique take on the animal story in that it tells the narrative from the dog's point of view.

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Spunky tells all is a story about a dog, named Spunky, that tells us of his experiences living with the Bates family. He talks of the things he likes, dislikes, and of the mischief he gets into. He tells us how he can understand the humans but they can't understand him. About halfway through the family decides to get a cat, and through them getting a cat Spunky grows.

This is a cute story told from the perspective of Spunky, the Bates' dog. He is a well-intentioned dog who loves his family and tries hard to be understood. He understands Human but they don't understand Dog, which leads to some misunderstandings, especially when the family decides to adopt a cat, Fiona, because they think that Spunky wants a friend. This story takes you through Spunky's adventures, from trying to learn more about Ralph through his socks to rescuing Fiona from the freezer!

This story told from the perspective of Spunky the dog, describes how Spunky does not want his family to get a cat, but he eventually learns to be friends with this new cat. Several black and white illustrations accopany this chapter book.

This is a wonderful book that has many important underlining themes. Told from the perspective of a dog, the story teaches us to be accepting of cultures and traditions different from our own, and that something that may seem normal to us may be completely bizarre to someone of another culture. The story is also one of acceptance and friendship. Although Spunky can not understand all of Fiona's cat ways he learns to accept her for who she is, a cat. The end of the story also shares a great message about finding one's purpose in life.