My Friend Rabbit

Rohmann, E. (2002). My friend rabbit.  Connecticut: Roaring Book Press.

Grade Level: Pre-K- 2

Genre: Picture Book- This book is primarily composed of illustrations that tell the story and is aimed at young readers.

Summary: My Friend Rabbit features a cute story about friendship along with terrific illustrations.  The story is about a friendship between a mouse and a rabbit that always seems to find trouble.  They are playing with an airplane when it becomes stuck in a tree.  That’s where the adventure begins. Not to worry, though.  Rabbit has a plan.

Reflection: Rohmann’s Caldecott-Winning illustrations are very striking with the thick black lines that surround all the characters and the illustrations. In one part of the book, you have to turn the book vertically to see the picture as it fills two pages, a composition feature that adds to the story. Rohmann does an excellent job of taking you on Mouse and Rabbit’s adventure through his expressive illustrations and letting the reader determine the personalities of all the characters through their expressions. In using this book in the classroom, it would be great for analyzing characters and asking students of they would choose Rabbit for their friend and tell why or why not. The story itself is quite simple, but uses plenty of literary elements. Rohmann foreshadows the conflict in the story in the first two lines of the book, “My friend Rabbit means well. But whatever he does, wherever he goes, trouble follows.”  He uses personification in his story, having Rabbit and Mouse playing with a toy airplane. Rohmann is an excellent storyteller and this is truly an enjoyable story to read. There is a lot to be said about the quirks of friendship and Rohmann took one quirk and turned it into a relatable story.  Everyone has or will have at some point, a friend like Rabbit.

Animalia

Base, G. (1996). Animalia.  New York: Puffin Books.

Grade Level: K-4

Genre: Alphabet Picture Book- This book uses illustrations to showcase the letters of the alphabet.

Summary:  Animalia is an intriguing, detailed alphabet book with colorful illustrations and rich vocabulary.

Reflection:  Animalia is wonderfully illustrated with fantastic characters from dragons to hogs to newts to unicorns.  Each alphabet letter is given characters that represent it in vivid drawings, with each of the drawings done in one dominant color scheme.  For example, ‘C’ is represented by “crimson cats,” with the color scheme being predominantly red, or crimson.  Each illustration also has a phrase that goes along with the letter it represents.  Each of those phrases skillfully uses alliteration, a wonderful way to expose children to a literary tool.  For example, “Proud Peacocks Preening Perfect Plumage.” Animalia is also a useful tool for teaching critical thinking and observational skills.  Each illustration features many elements that represent the chosen letter.  It is not always easy to name the pictures depicted, sometimes requiring a little research. In addition, this book could be used to teach fantasy and could be a beginning point for several small stories about the characters and setting of each alphabet letter. For older students, it could be used to have students write a play and design costumes based on the illustrations. In each illustration, Base inserts a hidden picture of himself as a child, a challenge in the reader’s observational skills.  These illustrations took Base three years to complete, but will offer the reader a lifetime of enjoyment.  I have looked at it repeatedly trying to find something I missed the other times I looked at it! This book is highly recommended. 

A Little About Me...

My name is Tia Smith. I am a kindergarten teacher at New Haven School in Nelson County, KY. This is my fifth year teaching and all five years have been in kindergarten! I enjoy kindergarteners because, well, they love you. They think your drawings are great and your stories are funny.:) It is such a rewarding grade to teach because you are there as the door to reading opens for them and they are amazed.

We have a reading series that we use in the classroom, but I am always looking for special books to sneak in there. I love going to the library and looking around for the newest children books or ordering them from Scholastic. When I am reading for myself, I enjoy reading a variety of books. I recently married, so a lot of books I have read lately are books recommended by our pastor about having a successful marriage. I have also been on an Abraham Lincoln kick, reading different historical perspectives on his life and times. In addition, I am drawn to reading books that are being made into movies. I often find I like the book better than the movie!


In addition to teaching and reading, I enjoy spending time with my son and new husband. We like to ride four-wheelers, go to movies, visit family and friends, play with our dog Roxy and our cat Sophie, and sometimes just relax!