Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, Christopher Paul. 1999. Bud, Not Buddy. New York: Delacorte. ISBN 978-0385323062.

Plot Summary
In this Newberry and Corretta Scott King award winning tale we meet Bud - not Buddy. The tale is set in Depression Era Michigan and told by ten year old Bud Caldwell. An orphan from the age of six, Bud has lived in his share of foster homes. In the final foster home, he flees after he realizes staying could be a detriment. His hope lies in the one flier carried in his briefcase that may hold the key to finding his father.

Analysis
With the first sentence of the book: Here we go again, I was captivated! I immediately asked, “What happened in the past? Were the character’s past experiences horrid? Christopher Paul Curtis does a superb job of painting a vivid picture of the Depression, and all the while presenting a captivating storyline with enduring, yet hilarious characters.
Curtis educates the reader as he describes numerous icons of the Depression: soup lines, redcaps, labor organizers, unions, and Hoovervilles. Curtis describes the breakfast lines at a mission in the following way:

The only sound you could hear was when someone scraped a spoon across the bottom
of their bowl.

Another gripping description is of a Hooverville. One of the residents of Hooverville states,

“All these people..are just like you, they are tired, hungry and a little
bit nervous about tomorrow.”

To provide a balance of the harsh reality of the Depression, Curtis presents us with humorous and enduring characters that I saw as Bud's guardians, such as the librarian or Mr. Lefty that picked Bud off the side of the road . Bud possesses a fantastic imagination and incredible buoyancy in spite of the difficult hand life has given him. He is the creator of Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things to Have a Funner Life and Make a Better Liar Out of Yourself. My favorite is Rule # 83:

If adults tell you not worry, and you weren’t worried before, you better hurry
up and start ‘cause you’re already running late.

One of the first phrases my students found amusing was, “I was on the lam.” They stated that was how they knew this book was from the past. The book made a fantastic read aloud! In spite of presenting the hard facts about the Depression, the book leaves us with hope and reminds us that perseverance will ultimately be rewarded. In a Afterward presented by Curtis we learn of the inspiration for this book and are encouraged to:

Go talk to Grandma and Grandpa…By keeping their stories alive, you make them and
yourself, immortal.

This is a beautiful book and one I intend to share with my children and my children’s children.

Reviews
"While the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis imbues them with an aura of hope, and he makes readers laugh even when he sets up the most daunting scenarios," - From Publishers Weekly

"Curtis says in an afterword that some of the characters are based on real people, including his own grandfathers, so it's not surprising that the rich blend of tall tale, slapstick, sorrow, and sweetness has the wry, teasing warmth of family folklore. "- From Booklist

Connections
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from the Children of the Great Depression by Robert Cohen
Other books by Christopher Paul Curtis:
The Watson go to Birmingham-1963
Bud, not Buddy was also released in Spanish.


Bud had a great collection going: Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. Students could be encouraged to add their own rules to Bud's list or use his rules as journal response starters.

Whoever You Are

Fox, Mem. WHOEVER YOU ARE. 1997. Illustrated by Leslie Staub. Harcourt Books: New York. ISBN 9-780152-164065


PLOT SUMMARY
With short, repetitive sentences and rich, colorful illustrations Mem Fox and the illustrator, Leslie Staub, present the many characteristics of children from around the world. While the characteristics seem to point out differences, Mem Fox directs the readers to the many similarities the children of the world share.


ANALYSIS
This picture book is a celebration for the senses! The detail provided in the colorful illustrations with accuracy in the smallest details is superb: the various hues in the skin color of the children, the school and home settings, the clothing worn by them, their modes of transportation, even the different types of hair styles. In spite of this celebration, a child that was not of color is also represented and thus I dare to say that a child that was not of color, listening to this book would also see a reflection of him/herself.
While the book quickly sets the stage for exterior comparison to come,

"Little one, whoever you are, wherever you are, there are little ones just like
you all over the world. Their skin may be different from your, and their homes may be different from yours."

Fox then turns to our similarities - that happen to be internal,

Smiles are the same, and hearts are just the same- wherever they are, wherever you are,
wherever we are, all over the world.

This concept is not one that a young child will capture, yet that is what makes this a fantastic choice for young adults!
Each illustration is within a beautiful golden and jewel covered frame. The rhythmic and melodic feel to the reading and the color rich-illustrations will keep young children tuned in. My three year old has quickly learned to state the repetitive stanza. This book is a definite must for all libraries, school and home.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
"The simple text and bright illustrations helps readers to accept differences between people, to recognize similarities, and to rejoice in both." -From Children's Literature
"The faces of the little ones in Staub's paintings are as appealing as dolls', and a beatific paternal figure in a sky-blue suit printed with clouds floats through the pages with a bevy of children in his arms. An essential book that acknowledges in the simplest of terms our common humanity." - From Kirkus Reviews



CONNECTIONS
This book lends itself to compare and contrast. Many students may have never left their neighborhoods, so this books helps them travel the world. Children as young as Pre-K could articulate/draw the different homes children live in, discuss the differences they notice in their schools, and in their lives. Children could then relate what we share in common with the children presented in the book.
Mem Fox's website provides insight to the genesis of several of her books, provides tips for teachers, parents and would-be writers. http://www.memfox.com/welcome.html