Your Name: Max McElligott Date: 9/18/2014 Genre: Emergent Picture Book

Literary Analysis

Bibliographic Information: Pallotta, J. & Masiello, R. (1989). The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book.
Watertown, Ma: Charlesbridge Publishing.
Plot:
Plausible and Credible: The series of events in the book match with the purpose of this book. On each
page there is a different existing reptile that begins with the letter of the alphabet specific for that page.
The book progresses from A-Z in alphabetical order.
Logical Series of Happenings: The way in which the letters are addressed in alphabetical order makes
logical sense to the reader. The children reading the book will most likely predict what letter will be
addressed on the next page, yet leaves the readers imagination guessing as to what type of reptile it will
be. For example, you would think that L would stand for lizard, but the author has a surprise for readers.
Setting:
Where the Story Takes Place: The natural setting of the story makes it a quality piece of literature for
children. It adds a non-fiction aspect to the book. The illustrated setting is always a realistic habitat for
each reptile complete with shrubbery and rock/sand. Naturally occurring vegetation/diet are illustrated
nicely such as cacti, grass, or insects.
Setting Affecting Action of Characters: When the reptiles are in their natural environment, they are
depicted as behaving as they would if they were out in the wilderness. Lizards sunbathe on rocks, while
turtles appear to be suspended in water. This also adds to the authenticity of the book.
Theme:
Emerging Naturally: For every letter of the alphabet, there is a reptile whose name starts with that letter.
This theme emerges naturally in the book, and remains true throughout.
Worth Imparting to Children: Even I learned about new species of reptiles after reading this book, so
yes, it definitely is worth transferring the knowledge within the pages to young students.
Characterization:
Revealing Characters: The author reveals characters through narration combined with illustration.
Twenty-seven reptiles and amphibians are mentioned in alphabetical order and they are classified as
Alligators, Crocodiles, Caimans, Gavials, Turtles, Lizards, Snakes, and Amphisbaenas. There is also a
special lizard that has been on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs. This ties in nicely to the prehistoric
scene that the book leaves you with.
Convincing Characters: The illustrator of the book does a fantastic job of keeping the contours and
textures of the animals bodies realistic. The loggerhead turtle looks exactly like the one I saw in real life
off the coast of Key West while I was snorkeling. Children who read this book will hone their alphabet
skills and discover new animals to add to their conversational repertoire.
Style:
Appropriate for Subject: The big colorful pictures coupled with the easy to read and informative text
takes the young reader on an age-appropriate adventure through the world of reptiles. The author
combines habits of the animals with facts about where and why they do the things they do. This book is
very non-fictional, and being so calls for a serious tone of writing which the author delivers.
Straightforward or Figurative: How the author shows each reptile is very clear cut similar to the other
reptiles. Only one instance did I see where the author created a frog on one page with his tongue
protruding across to the next page that you have to flip to see. Other than the diversifying image of the
frog, the other reptiles appear to be presented in a straightforward manner.
Point of View:
Appropriate to Book: The point of view is indeed appropriate for the book. The text reads like a non-
fiction book; filled with facts and descriptive language. The reader would feel as if they were reading
academic text.
Limit or Enlarge Horizons: I feel as if the point of view of the story limits readers horizons more so
than it enlarges it. This is due to the talked at feeling of the book, where the author rarely asks questions
to the reader to promote comprehension. Also, no outside resources are mentioned in the book.
Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
Value:
The books medium was painted pictures of animals done as realistically as possible by the artist. Some
reptiles in the book are basking in the sun and casting a shadow behind them on the ground.
Content:
The book was an alphabet book, and it did well in that sense because each letter was in large print
juxtaposed as capitalized and lower case. There is about 2-4 sentences of information for each animal,
which can help it become easy reading for children.
Format:
It is particularly sensitive to childrens phonemic awareness in that it displays the Knob-tailed lizard and
the Komodo dragon. The book even explains why they have both lizards uniquely and specially
implemented. The title is the yucky reptile book, so naturally children will agree with the books cover
and feel more inclined to read it.
Reflections: As far as alphabet books go, this one is very informative and can be a must-read for any
boy student who is inquisitive about lizards and reptiles as most of them are. I would have this one in my
classroom library if I were in a K-2 classroom to solidify alphabetic awareness. The words must be read
aloud slowly so that students can pay attention to each part of every word. A couple science standards
could addressed with a reading response activity, and in turn students are learning more about the world
around them.

























Your Name: Max McElligott Date: 9/18/2014 Genre: Classic Childrens Picture Book
Literary Analysis

Bibliographic Information: Numeroff, L. J. & Bond, F. (1985) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. New
York: Harper & Row Publishing.
Plot:
Originality: Stories who tell the tale of strangers meeting and then unique events unfolding meet the
requirements of an original story. A small mouse appears on the front lawn of a young boys house one
day looking as if he had just gotten done with school. The mouse is carrying a mini-backpack to depict so.
The narrator begins the story by saying If you give a mouse a cookie, hes going to ask for a glass of
milk. The boy gives the small mouse a cookie and a glass of milk, yet everything that the boy does and
gets for the mouse causes the mouse to realize he wants to do even more. The two have an adventurous
day through the house playing and cleaning with all sorts of items.
Basis for Cause and Effect: One of the themes in the book can be easily identified as the notion of cause
and effect. The entire book is basically just a chain of If, then statements. The events in the story cause
the mouse to be effected differently each time, cueing in the need for the boy to fetch something else.
Setting:
Where the Story Takes Place: The setting is the home of a young boy who appears to have already
gotten home from school. The start of the story showed the outside of the house, and slowly went farther
and farther into the interior of the house. I feel this is a depiction for that if you help a stranger with
something and continue to help them with their life, then you are inviting them further and further into
yours.
Setting Affecting Action: The setting is a house, making the activities related to interacting with
everyday household items such as cleaning supplies, refrigerated items, and art crafts.
Theme:
What the storys theme is: You had better have plenty of activities to do and refreshments available if
you have guests over.
Does Theme overpower Plot: The theme does not overpower the sequence of events in the story, rather,
it goes hand in hand with them. The theme becomes apparent only after reading through the story a little
ways and finding out that this mouse is one active little critter.
Characterization:
Introducing Characters: The first page of the book is where we first meet the mouse who appears to be
coming from school carrying his books. The boy leans over and offers the mouse a cookie, and he puts on
a very excited face. The mouse becomes a very needy individual and constantly notices new things to do,
asking the boy to get necessary materials the whole time. The two character are intertwined for the rest of
the story even until the end.
Consistent Behavior of Characters: The mouse and the boy look as if they should be in Elementary
school. Children will jump on any opportunity to do an activity, provided that someone else gives them
the materials to do it with first. The boy shows a much more mature side of the story when he cleans up
after the mouse. The mouse is your typical child who gains joy with coloring and eating a cookie.
Style:
Straightforward or Figurative: The author doesnt leave much to imagination when he created this
book. His goal is for readers to look at the pages and get a clear understanding of whats happening. The
pictures in the book are styled so that the main idea of the text is presented in each picture. For example,
the mouse looks in the mirror and notices he needs a trim. The picture for this part of the story is a mouse
looking exasperated with the singular strand on his head that is too long. The next text part of the book
says So hell probably ask for a pair of scissors, which shows the young boy running off the page to go
get them.
Author setting the Mood: The light shades of color and smiling facial expressions of characters leads the
reader into an atmosphere of positive vibes and friendship. Once the good mood has been set, then the
author gets the ball rolling with If you give a mouse a cookie The mood of the rest of the story gets
more and more frantic, yet never loses its positive roots.
Point of View:
Changing point of view: The point of view doesnt change in the story. The point of view is a third
person narrator who could be the boys parents.
Why this Particular Point of View: The author chose a well thought out point of view scheme for
childrens literature because the characters are always in action instead of talking most of the time. This
styling makes more room for the characters to cause action instead of dialogue, as is apparent in the story.
Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
Color:
The use of color brings the images to life and adds a happy expression to the story. Each item the mouse
uses is colored realistically and dimensionally so that readers will be able to possibly identify what some
of those items are through background knowledge.
Rhythm:
The way the pictures flow with each other make for enjoyable reading. The linear aspect of the text
progresses readers through the book while reading the text at the same time.
Point of View:
Creating a hypothetical point of view by starting off the story with If causes the reader to feel as
though they are the ones controlling the story. The young boy in the story can be a relatable factor for
emergent readers. The mouse is also very rambunctious, and can represent the wild spirit of childhood.
Reflections: I love this book and always have. I think that I should have it in my classroom library
despite the reading level. There is a good lesson that can be learned from reading; Clean up after yourself!
A strategy for using this book in childrens lit. is to bring in certain items from the book for students to
interact with hands on.






















Your Name: Max McElligott Date: 9/18/2014 Genre: Realistic Fiction Picture Book
Literary Analysis

Bibliographic Information: Krauss, R. & Simont, M. (1962) A Good Man and His Good Wife. New
York: Harper & Row Publishing.
Plot:
Does the Story Move?: The story moves from calm and descriptive in the beginning to silly and atypical
in the end. There is a man and his wife who live together in a house. They live quite comfortably accept
for one small problem. The wife keeps moving things around the house to new and different places all the
time because she says I get so tired of things being in the same place all the time. This drives the man
absolutely crazy and he keeps shouting This is ridiculous! every time he cant find something hes
looking for necessities such as books or his clothes. He devises a plan that will surely stop his wife from
continuing to move stuff around. Wearing his trousers for a shirt, and his shirt for pants, he dresses all
sorts of silly and sits on the kitchen table eating his dinner backwards. His wife finds him and cant
believe what she sees. He simply says My dear, I do get tired of things being in the same place all the
time. She comprehends his point and they live happily ever after together in a tidy and user-friendly
home.
Identifiable Climax: The scene where the wife enters the kitchen and finds the husband with his clothes
on in strange places would be the climactic vertex of the story. Her reaction to his misdoings is a turning
point in the story, and the start of the resolution.
Setting:
Where Does the Story Take Place?: The setting of the story takes place in a house that has a garden and
a chimney. The setting is a well thought out place to tell a story of a husband and wife. The idea of
marriage can be an unknown phenomenon for a lot of children, and this book sets the scene very quaintly.
Story Transcending: The lesson in the story can transcend the pages of its time in order to teach a
universal lesson that can be used today. The tale of the man and his wife is set in a pre-modern household
setting with a cookie cutter American family as the characters (Wife, Husband, and Dog). Since it so
closely resembles modern American households, this tale can reach beyond the years of its pages into the
future and teach readers a lesson in relationship etiquette.
Theme:
Avoid Moralizing: I found this book to be rather sexist in a way. The husband goes behind his wifes
back to hatch an evil plan all the while he could have just talked to her about it nicely. They dont even
mention items that she moved that were hers. They could have made an agreement that she would only
move around her stuff or something prosocial, but not in this book.
Motifs or Symbols: The author uses repetition to symbolize the buildup of anger in the husband over the
items that he cant find. Repeated exposure to examples lead the reader through an evidence based
journey into the motives behind the husbands decisions.
Characterization:
Revealing Characters: The first page introduces all of the important characters in the story. There is the
man who is sitting in his comfortable chair, the dog who is laying down on the rug in front of the fire, and
the mans wife who is crocheting with threads and needles in her rocking chair. The scene is almost too
perfect, and represents a cookie cutter model of American families. There are no children in the story
however, which could mean that they never had kids, or they are off to college and beyond.
Diverse groups represented: The books illustrations led me to believe that the family was white. To
diversify the book for children, I feel as if the author could have done this by making the book a little bit
longer by including other neighboring families of different ethnicities displaying the same tendencies.
They could behave differently towards their wives in unique ways, ushering in conversation about which
students would side with a certain familys decisions about the moving around items issue.
Style:
Straightforward or Figurative: One of the things the author likes to do in this book is to create
suspense and a sense of asking What is going to happen next? Keeping students guessing seems more
figurative than straightforward to me. The author will put events that happen primarily at the top of the
page, then work down to progress the story. For example, page 21 illustrates the man up at the top of the
page frustrated. The sequential text tells the reader that he is going to create a brilliant plan to fix the
situation, and finally the mans facial expression at the bottom of the page has changed into a diabolical
smile.
Derogatory Overtones: The woman is never seen as correct in this story until she is obeying her
husbands wishes. This to me seems a bit too ignorant towards positive marital practices for young
children to read.
Point of View:
Changing Point of View: The author changes the point of view in the story when the husband is caught
all silly in the kitchen. The wife now becomes horrified at the out of place items, thus connecting the two
characters through showing the other ones point of view on the situation.
Limit or Enlarge Readers Horizon: I feel like the narrator wants the reader to side more with the man
than the woman in the story and has a borderline sexist point of view on the whole situation. The narrator
is third person, but the focus of the story is heavily on the good mans perspective and him solving his
dilemma with his wife. I believe this limits the readers feelings towards the wife in the story, and helps
move her emotions out of the picture.
Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:

Space:
Winning a Caldecott Medal means that you are successfully able to utilize space in a picture book to the
readers advantage and enjoyment. Some of the illustrations are small enough for the page to read
vertically, and some are large enough for the page to be seen as one big picture to be analyzed.
Color:
There are hues of brown, red, and black throughout the whole story and no other colors. This technique
may have been a must-draw fad back in the 60s, but todays modern world of information calls for
quality pieces of childrens literature to have more than three colors unless they are absolutely
outstanding in content.
Format:
The story is sort of formal in a sense, so the imaging matches with the feel of the story. The story has a
lesson that it is trying to teach, and ultimately depicts a real life story through a logical series of events.
Reflections: This book is a quality piece of childrens literature only if an adult is reading alongside
the child as to avoid any synthesizing of misinterpreted ideas. I will use this book as an example of how
people can get on each others nerves if they move other peoples stuff around all the time. I can lead a
lesson on respecting other peoples property using this book. I can explain that the good man and his wife
were sharing space just like how we all share space in a classroom.