Slade MorrisonCritiques

Adapted Aesop’s fable with questions and activities.

The story of a little girl who encounter many sad and frighten thing on her way to the library, where her imagination and books she read bring her happiness, comfort safety and knowledge She learns to understanding her feelings of sadness and fears through library books..

Age: 3-5 years
Source: Pierce College Library

Joyful exuberance abounds in this mother-son collaboration that celebrates family ties and the joys of eating peanut-butter fudge. Mother leaves her three children in the care of Nana with a long list of virtuous instructions (lunch: peas, carrot sticks, fish fingers) that seems imperiled by a grandmother who wears high-top red sneakers. And in danger they are. To a playfully rhyming text, the whole crew starts out with a nap, followed by a story, a potato-sack hop, a yummy lunch (biscuits and ham; no carrot sticks visible), dancing, games and finally the fudge recipe, which is a “family secret.” Mother returns and—thank goodness—memories (in misty black and white) of preparing that same recipe quickly erase her horror. Cepeda’s brightly rendered oil paints in hot shades of green, pink, blue and yellow can barely contain the mayhem and mess. A fast-paced read-aloud that celebrates intergenerational love with a mixing-bowl–ful of humor and just a teaspoon of irreverence. Fudge recipe included. (Picture book. 4-7)

-Kirkus Review

Age 4-8 years old

This is a vibrant book about three children who stay with their
grandma while mom is away at work. Before she leaves, mom insist they
eat healthy

Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford;
February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist
noted for her examination of Black experience (particularly Black female experience)
within the Black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Slade Morrison was the late Toni Morrison’s son. He died at 45 years old
of pancreatic cancer in 2010

Age: 4-8

What do children think of the grown-ups in their life who are always setting rules and giving directives? This book is from a child's point-of-view, as it describes children's view of the "mean people" in their lives. This book made me think of the importance of the tone of our voice when we speak to children.

This is a vibrant book about three children who stay with their grandma while mom is away at work. Before she leaves, mom insist they eat healthy The author does a good job at bringing back my memories of my visits to my grandmother as a child. Before mom leaves she insist they eat healthy foods, but who can resist Nanna’s “ Peeny Butter Fudge”?½

Patty, Mickey, and Liza Sue all live in a big box. The box contains everything they need, but they are not allowed to explore the world outside. I enjoyed reading this book. As a parent, this book has made me question my own response to my child's behavior.I can recall at times becoming annoyed when my children would always want to touch things. This book gives a good description of how children feel when they are not allowed to be themselves.½

I absolutely loved this book. The perspective was incredible and the message was powerful and beautifully delivered, not thinly veiled by the story. I loved that the language was patterned and followed an ABAB rhyming scheme. Rhymes appeal to children and make the story more engaging and more memorable. The illustrations truly enhance the story by adding to the overall mood. In the beginning of the story the illustrations are darker and contain less color, but as the story goes on and Louise discovers the power of books, the illustrations become brighter and more rich in color. The point of view was in second-person, which made the book feel as though it was a story being told by a caring adult; it felt very comfortable and familiar. The message of this book is that while the world can be gray, it can also be what you make it. Louise is able to make her world happier because she knows the power books can give her. She knows that books teach her how to recognize her emotions, in addition to all of the other wonderful knowledge they give her.

I love this book because it reminds me of a meme where two guys were stuck in a box and tried to get out by drawing a door. The characters in the story have their own unique things that are contributed inside the box like a picture of a sky or a pair of Nike Shoes. The message given in the story is that you can imagine anything one person wants.

In my opinion, Please, Louise is a fantastic book that I really enjoyed reading. The language present throughout the book is super easy for younger readers to follow with rhyme schemes that interconnect each sentence. The book starts off following the life of Louise, who is afraid of everything. The first illustration shows her leaving her house just before a rainstorm, equipped with rainboots and an umbrella. This picture is extremely fitting for the message being portrayed, since the author wants the reader to reminisce on a time in which they were in a difficult situation and didn’t know how to resolve it. The narrator follows up this request with a powerful quote, reminding both Louise and the reader that “If you are sometimes lonely or sometimes sad, know that the world is big but not so bad”. This urges both the main character and the reader to broaden their perspective of things and think outside of the box in order to see the word in a more optimistic way. In the illustrations that follow, Louise is seen walking in her neighborhood, passing by things that may initially be seen as scary or unfamiliar to younger children such as street performers, dogs, and an abandoned house. One of the main reasons why I recommend this book so much is the fact that the narrator follows up with an optimistic perspective after each item is pointed out. For example, Louise is illustrated walking past a junkyard where she thinks to herself “Is that a junkyard? Or a dangerous trap, where ghosts live and monsters nap?” and the narrator follows up by saying “Scary thoughts are your creation, when you have no information”. This reminds Louise that although unfamiliar sights may seem scary, it’s up to her to become more informed so she can alter her perspective on it.
The use of light/dark colors matches Louise’s mood throughout each scene. She is seen wearing a bright yellow rain jacket and boots along with a red wagon and yet her unfamiliar surroundings are illustrated in dark hues, such as gray or black. This enhances the story as it matches her apprehensive thoughts as she travels through her unfamiliar neighborhood. She finally reaches the library, where she discovers that she can read books to “explore, dream, discover, think, learn, and know much, much more”. The hues used in the illustrations that follow once she enters the library shift towards a variety of colors, representing that she feels safe and open after acquiring knowledge on the things that initially frightened her.
The final scene is my favorite, where she is in her now fully-colored neighborhood reading books with the dog she once found scary.
The big message that the author wants the reader to take away is not just about reading imaginative books and finding comfort in going to a library. Rather, it’s about encouraging reading to young children so that they can see past their misinterpretations on things to form a positive outlook on the world. Toni and Slade Morrison did a fantastic job accomplishing this, creating a great book that I would recommend for all ages.

This is a good book for teaching children to embrace their differences and know that is is okay to be different and you dont have to confine to what society believes is the norm.½

This book keeps you guessing and trying to figure out what is going on. Page by page you think you are getting closer to what is really going on in the big box and yet page by page your thoughts change. The roller coaster of influences that change your mind are subtle and if you don't think about them you could just read the book and never notice but then at that point your not really reading now are you.You might become frustrated and decided to wait for the end of the book so you can find the true significance of all these parts of the book that have changed your opinion at every new page.But the author will not have any of that instead the book end with out telling you about the significance of these factors so that way you are forced to think about it for your self.½

I loved the message of this book! It shows that not all people are the same. Some may be different, but thats okay! We need to appreciate everyone!

I really liked this book! By the time the author was done describing and talking about the first character, Patty, I knew the general theme was going to be putting people or students in this metaphorical “box” that society has created. These three children were put into this box for various reasons but all of them being generally because they (the children) acted out of the “social norm”, even though I believe what they were doing or what was seen as “acting out” in the book is just typical elementary school behavior, like paper airplanes or playing ball. This book opened my eyes and I will be showing it to my mom who is a social worker because I know she will be able to use it in some of her classes. I agree with the books message, that everyone is different and we as humans must allow everyone to be their true selves.

This is an amazing book and allows students to really think and engage with the reading. A child reading this could make so many inferences while reading, but by the end can see the bigger picture of the book. This book allows children and even adults see that no one child is the same. It allows children to see that they hold the key to their life, and their life is what they make of it. This book is even an eye-opener for adults like me. It allows you to see in a different perspective that you can't categorize children the same because they are all unique in their own ways. I highly recommended this book.

I would call this realistic fiction because the reader can look at the big brown box in a realistic way or metaphorical but the plot itself is something that many children deal with when growing up. I thought it was interesting that Morrison's son Slade was the creator of this book when he was nine years old. I think that is an age when a lot of children are first starting to 'stretch' and explore their boundaries. Toni Morrison added the verse to the writing to complete the repetitive theme. By the end of the book I was wishing that the two Morrisons had found different ways of expressing the children losing their freedom rather than repeating the same verse but there was enough alternative information for every child that it still worked. I really loved how detailed the illustrations are. They give so much detail to the book without it needing to be overly wordy and they really let you dive into these children's worlds and personalities. Each one is a fully developed and characteristic person. Definitely odd but a great conversation starter on children's behavior and how to know where limits are and when to be humbled by an adults desires and when even as a child to speak up and plead your case. There is a difference between talking back and actually defending yourself and a lot of children's opinions get over looked or written off by adults who 'know better'.

the book shares about a family and their family recipe peanut butter fudge, the adventures of making it and tasting it with family
ages 4-8 years old
source;pierce college library

The Book of Mean People is written by a bunny who writes down all of the mean people he has met. In his book he acknowledges that mean people come in all shapes and sizes, making all kinds of faces, talking soft and loudly, and so on. The main character acknowledges that people are mean for all types of reason, even when they are not meaning to be mean. However, in the end the main character realizes that although the people surrounding him are mean, he can live his life smiling and not being mean anyway. The book is written and illustrated with two page spreads. The Book of Mean People can teach readers how to overcome dealing with those who are mean by turning the other cheek and going on living life as a nice person, although everyone else may be "mean."

Three different children are locked away in a big box by their parents "for their own good" because of their inability to adhere to society and their parents' rules.

This book addresses the way that children can be shut down and punished for not fitting the mold that society want them to and whether or not it is right to restrict someone's freedom simps because they do not do things the way you believe they should. I remember getting this book from my mother when I was four and feeling a freedom from reading it, I thought it was also cool that it was written by one of the people I was named after and she wrote it the year I was born because perhaps she knew that I needed it to help navigate the world.

It is about from the perspective of a young anthropomorphized bunny addressing who he thinks is mean in his life and the different forms that meanness can take. From adults that give confusing and often contradicting directives to those who fails to see things from your perspective.

This book validates the perspective of a child. Highlights the ways that adults get irritated with kids unnecessarily instead of explaining the situation properly. It also encourages children to keep their happy disposition despite how many frowning adults are in their life. Love this book, I remember there being a disagreement between my mom and other parents about the appropriateness of this book in the classroom, they thought the book encourage children to think of their parents and other adults as mean.

In my opinion this is a very heartfelt book. I believe the different illustrations and different perspectives make the book this warming. For example, in the beginning of the book it pushes readers to remanence on a time that was once difficult or is still difficult; the author than said the powerful quote “If you are sometimes lonely or sometimes sad, know that the world is big but not so sad.” I believe this is a quote that everyone can relate to. Although the book may have started out in a gloomy feeling, the middle and end gave hope! I loved how gloomy perspectives were made positive. For example, when the author had Louise walking past a broken and old house, she described it haunted. The author than followed Louise negative comment with a positive one; the author reminded her that although the house is now old it had great family memories many years before. The illustrations in this book also made the book very heartfelt. One of my favorite picture was of a big black scary bird staring Louise down. The author explained that although in the dark he might seem scary and mean, in the sun he is a beautiful Eagle. I also like the book’s illustrations because it sets the mood. In the beginning of the book the pictures are very dark and depressing but when the book starts to become positive the pictures become brighter and brighter!
In conclusion, I believe, Toni and Slade Morrison, are trying to show readers that having a positive and open mind can change a person’s life and perspective for the better. This is a great book and I would recommend it for all ages!

3 grandchildren are spending time with their grandmother and doing all the fun things that one can do with their grandparents.
1 book

I really enjoyed reading this book! Please, Louise is about a little girl who is afraid of everything. The narrator shows Louise that even though some things look scary, they are not always what they seem. In the end, Louise finds herself in a library learning about the world and when she leaves, everything is less scary. I really enjoyed the message of this book. I know that a lot of children are easily scared because the world can seem so big. "Is that a junkyard? Or a dangerous trap, where ghosts live and monsters nap? Scary thoughts are your creation when you have no information." I also enjoyed that Louise appears to be of Asian descent. I think that this is important so that children of Asian descent can see themselves in literature and it can help them to relate to the stories.