The Best Bad Thing by Yoshiko Uchida

Uchida, Y. (1993). The best bad thing. New York: Simon & Schuster.

I read this book for my reading journal in fulfillment of the requirement to read a book by Yoshiko Uchida. I enjoyed the characters in this book and the honest emotions displayed by the main character, Rinko. When Rinko is sent to live with a family friend and her two sons, she is skeptical about the plan. It is nice to see that the author does not try to hide Rinko's uncertianty of the idea. One particular piece of this story that I enjoyed is a part when the "old man" takes Rinko kite flying. This reminded me of flying kites with my father as a child. I also enjoyed the Japanese cultural elements included in this book. It was interesting to learn a few simple things about Japanese culture as I read.

Although I have not yet read any other books by Uchida, he has written several. Some of his other titles include A Jar of Dreams, Journey Home, The Bracelet, and Picture Bride. The Best Bad Thing reminds me a bit of a book written by Laurence Yep titled Child of the Owl. Like The Best Bad Thing, Yep's book portrays intersting cultural aspects. Child of the Owl however, focused on Chinese rather than Japanese culture.

My Friend Rabbit - Caldecott Medal Winner

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

I read My Friend Rabbit for my reading blog because this book is a Caldecott Medal winner. My Friend Rabbit is an amusing story about Mouse and Rabbit and their wonderful friendship. Although things do not always go well for Rabbit, Mouse sticks by his side. This story relates a comical adventure they share when playing with an airplane.

The thing that I most enjoyed about this book was the illustrations. This makes sense since the Caldecott Medal is awarded to illustrators of highly noted picture bocks for children! Although this story is a bit short on words, the pictures really help tell the story. One reason that I enjoyed this story so much is that it is about friendship. Anyone who has ever been a friend or who has friends knows that friends aren't always perfect. True friends though, stand beside each other regardless of their faults. This happens to be the case with Rabbit and Mouse.

It is interesting to compare this book with other children's books that rely on words more than pictures to tell the story. For example, although Dr. Seuss books have wonderful illustrations, the illustrations are not necessary to understand the story. On the other hand, a reader would not be able to fully understand My Friend Rabbit without seeing the illustrations.

A new thing that I have learned about Children's literture in reading this book is that stories do not have to be complex in order to be wonderful My Friend Rabbit is a very simple story, but it is also very touching and appealing to children.

Hello!

Hello LME 518ers! I am totally new to this blogging deal - hopefully it will be fairly simple. Now I just have to get reading so that I can post something on here!