"Where's the Light?"

Raven - by Gerald McDermott

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Copyright: 2001 (reprint edition)

Pages: 32

This book has a grade reading level of K-3. This children's story is classified as a western genre, however, it also falls into the category of folklore and myths. 

Summary

In this story, the whole world is dark and Raven wants to bring light to the people, but he needs to find where the Sky Chief put it. He needs to find a way to get it without getting caught or in trouble. So can this wise Raven bring light back for the people or will he be shunned for trying?

Book Use

This book has weird twists and turns in it that we wouldn't expect in a more modern book. It relates well to Native Americans because it is a book of their people and has been passed down in the tribes. This book would help me get students understanding the difference between fiction and non-fiction because even though there is an animal in this book, it is a fictional character and this whole book wouldn't ever really happen. To bring in Native Americans studies to the classroom I would get them to make a traditional headdress as seen in the book and get them to research more about what they mean. I think that this would be a great way in incorporating this book!

                                        <3<3<3                    <3<3                     <3                             No <3

Rating System
Theme	If the theme is well developed and the message is portrayed very clearly.	The theme makes sense; however, it could be more developed.	The message is hard to find in the story and there isn’t much of a theme to go off of.	There isn’t a theme at all.
Plot	The plot is very well developed and everything flows smoothly.	The plot has a few gaps, but the story still is capable of moving along.	The plot has gaps that makes it hard to move the story along.	There is no plot in this book.
Characters	All the characters are developed well in the story.	There is more detail that could be added to the characters.	Characters are very poorly developed.	Characters aren’t developed at all.
Setting	The setting is described in detail and is necessary for the story to make sense.	The setting is described alright and still is needed to help the story make sense.	The setting is described alright, but it isn’t needed to help the story move along.	The setting provided is not necessary for the story to occur.
Illustrations	The illustrations are very detailed and help move the story along.	The illustrations are good, but don’t help the story move along.	The illustrations aren’t the best.	There are no meaningful illustrations at all.

Theme <3<3 - I gave the theme of this book two hearts because to me it takes a lot of searching to find what a good theme would be. The ones that can be found throughout this book don't get developed well enough.

Plot <3<3 - The plot gets two hearts as well because it flows alright but there are just a few gaps that make the story a little confusing. 

Characters <3<3<3 - The characters were well developed in the story and they were necessary to keep the story moving. They also acted according to their personality.

Setting <3<3<3 - The setting did make sense to the story and it was necessary to know that the world was dark in order to understand why he was looking for the sun. The setting was also helpful in making the story move along and helped with the clarity of it all.

Illustrations <3<3<3 - The illustrations are beautiful and they really develop the story well. The effects that each picture has is amazing because it really brings together the setting and the story line.

Opposite Styles

Town Mouse and Country Mouse - by Susanna Davidson

Publisher: Usborne books

Copyright Date: 2013 (new edition) 

Pages: 24

The hard thing about finding the copyright for this book/tale is because it is an Aesop tale and there is really no original author to note. These tales were told down from generation to generation based on oral stories. 

This book is a reading level for students from kindergarten to the third grade. This book falls under a few different genres. It is classified as a fable, myth, and folktale. 

Summary

In this book there are two different mice. A mouse that lives in the town and one that lives in the country. They are cousins and the town mouse goes to visit his country cousin every now and then for the peacefulness. Both of these mice have their differences and the country mouse wonders if living in the town will be a better for him.

Book Usage

I would use this book in helping students understand comparisons. This book does a good job at looking at both the country and the town. I would get students to choose two places that are different and brainstorm different attributes of each. As a creative side to this I would get them to draw and color each place and then be able to present their creativity to the class. This helps them to gain confidence when it comes to talking in front of people.

                                       <3<3<3                  <3<3                        <3                              No <3

Rating System
Theme	If the theme is well developed and the message is portrayed very clearly.	The theme makes sense; however, it could be more developed.	The message is hard to find in the story and there isn’t much of a theme to go off of.	There isn’t a theme at all.
Plot	The plot is very well developed and everything flows smoothly.	The plot has a few gaps, but the story still is capable of moving along.	The plot has gaps that makes it hard to move the story along.	There is no plot in this book.
Characters	All the characters are developed well in the story.	There is more detail that could be added to the characters.	Characters are very poorly developed.	Characters aren’t developed at all.
Setting	The setting is described in detail and is necessary for the story to make sense.	The setting is described alright and still is needed to help the story make sense.	The setting is described alright, but it isn’t needed to help the story move along.	The setting provided is not necessary for the story to occur.
Illustrations	The illustrations are very detailed and help move the story along.	The illustrations are good, but don’t help the story move along.	The illustrations aren’t the best.	There are no meaningful illustrations at all.

Theme <3<3<3 - I gave the theme of this story three hearts because the theme and moral of the story comes off well and is a very easy book to take main thoughts out of.

Plot <3<3<3 - The plot of this story moves smoothly and even though it is a fiction folktale, the progression of the story can be related to everyone.

Characters <3<3<3 - The characters in this story, both mice, are described well and act according to where they live. They fit in well with their surroundings and are developed a good amount.

Setting <3<3<3 - In this story there are two main settings and those are in the town and in the country. They are things that are easy for people, humans, to understand even though the main characters are mice. 

Illustrations <3<3<3 - The illustrations get three hearts because they were well drawn and they helped the story move along in a clear manner. They weren't confusing or out of place.