Module 13 The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

Summary: This a graphic novel based on the actual 9/11 Commision Report that was released in 2005 describing the events that happened before, during, and after the September 11, 2001 tragedy.  

Jacobson, S. & Colón, E. (2006). The 9/11 Report: A graphic adaptation. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

My Impressions: I was very impressed with the concept of using a graphic novel to depict the 9/11 events.  I thought the timelines and maps added to the understanding of what exactly happened that day.  There were times I found the illustrations too busy and the writing felt a little scattered, but overall an excellent book that made me more knowledgeable about this tragic day in American history.

Professional Review:

"Jacobson and Colón intend this adaptation to bring to the commission's report readers who would not or could not digest its nearly 800 pages, and they have the blessing, acknowledged in this book's foreword, of the commission's chair and vice-chair to do so. Neither lurid nor simplistic, it presents the essence of the commission's work in a manner that, especially in the opening section, is able to surpass aspects of any text-only publication: the four stories of the doomed flights are given on the same foldout pages so that readers can truly grasp the significance of how simultaneous events can and did overwhelm our national information and defense systems. The analysis that follows in the subsequent 11 chapters cuts cleanly to the kernels of important history, politics, economics, and procedural issues that both created and exacerbated the effects of the day's events. Colón's full-color artwork provides personality for the named players-U.S. presidents and Al-Qaeda operatives alike-as well as the airline passengers, office workers, fire fighters, and bureaucrats essential to the report. This graphic novel has the power and accessibility to become a high school text; in the meantime, no library should be without it." — Francisca Goldsmith

[Review of The 9/11 Commission Report: A Graphic Adaptation by F. Goldsmith]. (2006, December 1). School Library Journal.  Retrieved from www.titlewave.com

Library Use: This book would be perfect to use when students are conducting research for 9/11.

Module 12 The Boy on Fairfield Street

Summary: This is the first picture book biography of  Ted Geisel aka Dr.Seuss. It is about his childhood and how he was inspired to become the famous author and illustrator that he came to be.  It also informs us as to why he went by his pen name of Dr. Seuss instead of his German name, Ted Geisel. 

Krull, K. (2004). The boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel grew up to become Dr. Seuss. New York: Random House.

My Impressions: I learned more about Dr. Seuss in this short picture book than I did when I read some of his other biographies.  He was just young boy that did not fit it, was picked on because he was German, and decided to do what made him happy. I thought it was really interesting that his unique and exaggerated animal illustrations came to him because of his dad working at a zoo.

Professional Review:

“Once upon a time, there lived a boy who feasted on books and was wild about animals.” So begins this young biography of Dr. Seuss. Taunted at school because he was German, his escapes were drawing, the comics he loved, and the zoo, where his father was the parks superintendent in Springfield, Mass. His high-school art teacher warned him he’d never be successful at art; in Dartmouth he was voted “Class Artist and Class Wit,” and he left Oxford to draw and write verse. Truly only about his youth, the narrative ends at age 22, when Seuss goes to New York City to launch his career. Four following pages provide a synopsis of his life and a timeline up to his death in 1991. Bordered, full-page oil-on-gessoed-paper illustrations evoke pertinent scenes, while spot art of Seuss drawings dot the opposite pages. Some of these original images are absolutely haunting; the magic of his name will make this a huge hit, but it’s the lively writing that puts the hat on the cat. (bibliography, citations, Web sites) (Picture book/biography. 7-11)

[Review of The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel grew up to become Dr. Seuss]. (2003, December 15).Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/kathleen-krull/the-boy-on-fairfield-street/?spdy=2004

Library Use: This would make for a great storytime during Dr. Seuss week.  Most kids  nowadays are familiar with Dr. Seuss and his books, but hardly anybody knows his real name or his real story.

Module 11 Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow

Summary: During WWII, children in Germany joined the Hitler Youth, not knowing the extent of evil that the Nazi Party and Hitler were guilty of. This book follows 12 of these children and their involvement with this organization from 1933 to the end of the war in 1945. 

Bartoletti, S.C. (2005).  Hitler youth: growing up in Hitler's shadow. New York, NY. Scholastic Inc.

My Impressions: I thought this book was very well written and it is very evident that the author definitely did her research when she wrote this book. I was both moved and horrified by the words and the images depicted in this story.   


Professional Review: 
Gr 5-8-Hitler's plans for the future of Germany relied significantly on its young people, and this excellent history shows how he attempted to carry out his mission with the establishment of the Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, in 1926. With a focus on the years between 1933 and the end of the war in 1945, Bartoletti explains the roles that millions of boys and girls unwittingly played in the horrors of the Third Reich. The book is structured around 12 young individuals and their experiences, which clearly demonstrate how they were victims of leaders who took advantage of their innocence and enthusiasm for evil means. Their stories evolve from patriotic devotion to Hitler and zeal to join, to doubt, confusion, and disillusion. (An epilogue adds a powerful what-became-of-them relevance.) The large period photographs are a primary component and they include Nazi propaganda showing happy and healthy teens as well as the reality of concentration camps and young people with large guns. The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself. Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Medlar, A. (2005, June 1).

[Review of Hitler's Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=4b32f2cb7e1e87368fe5b0b1612cbe42

Library Use: This book can be used when students are conducting research on WWII, Hitler, Germany, The Nazi Party, etc...