RM Winter 2017

who, feeling the need to contribute financially to the family, seeks a job at the local greasy spoon, The Cluck Bucket. While there, the town’s funeral director, Mr. Ray, offers him a job working at the funeral home instead. As resistant as Matt is, this ends up being an opportunity for him to daily confront the grief of losing his mother, just months earlier, to breast cancer. Each day is a different, new challenge; even his friends treat him differently and he is separated from the life he knew before his mother’s passing. Through his job at the funeral home, where he puts on his black suit to act as armor, Matt seeks out solace in the grief he shares with others and he experiences a catharsis by observing their outward expressions of grief. Reynolds writes about Matt’s community with a familial presence, where each member teaches Matt about his mother, his world, and himself. Through his boss, Mr. Ray, Matt learns life lessons such as how to play the cards that life deals you and appreciate the important things in life. Matt also discovers his own strength and independence when his father (who begins to drink in order to deal with his grief ) is seriously injured and forced to rehabilitate in a medical facility. Through a beautiful new crush, Love, Matt learns how to care for others and how to let the negative snapshots of your life develop into a beautiful picture. Love also teaches Matt how to be tough. She has seen her share of troublesome times too, although she never cries. Matt’s mother, Daisy, also teaches him life lessons through a cookbook they began writing together before she died. The Boy in the Black Suit provides strong male role models and illustrates authentic portrayals of meaningful relationships. Each supporting character is complex and rich with emotional layers of their own. When Matt forges relationships with these people, he learns about their life mosaic, which helps him create his own.

lemonade to only each other, to losing their hats in their freshly raked pile of leaves, and even battling a winter cold. Ling and Ting can have fun in rain or shine, as long as they are together. Ling and Ting’s personalities shine not only through the text, but also through the illustrations. Ting is even differentiated by her jagged bangs. The illustrations show the twins’ humor and their true feelings towards events throughout the story. In chapter 1, Ling and Ting claim to be just surprised from the storm, but you can tell by the way they are hiding under the covers that they are actually terrified. These illustrations can help students infer the characters’ emotions through illustrations. The twins in this series know how to make the most out of every day of the year, and make reading double the fun.

Reading Matters Literature Matters

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

Marshall, Joseph III. (2015) Illus. by Jim Yellowhawk. 166 pages. Abrams. 978-1- 41970-785-8 $16.95 (Intermediate)

– Hannah Kate Christopher

Knowing the ancestry of one’s family is important so that children can understand who they are and where they come from. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse Jimmy

learns just that. He is concerned with the children at school teasing him because he claims to be a Native American though he has “blue eyes and light-brown hair” (p. 2). Nyles High Eagle, or Grandpa Nyles, uses that summer vacation to teach Jimmy about his Lakota background and the Native American Hero, Crazy Horse, who fought for his people’s land and freedom--and like Jimmy had light skin and brown hair. They visit Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, places Jimmy has never been to see battle fields, old Indian Reserves, and trails used during westward explanation so that Grandpa Nyles can teach him all there is to know about his history. This novel teaches children important historical facts about Native Americans from a Native American perspective. It shows the important relationship between family and identity and teaches a lesson about the significance in knowing where you come from. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse may lead children to explore aspects of Native American history while compelling them to search for and understand their own individual family histories.

What a Wonderful World (as sung by Louis Armstrong) Thiele, Bob &Weiss, George David. (2014). Illus. by Tim Hopgood. Unpaged. Henry Holt. 978-1-622779-254-7 $17.99 (Primary) – Jaclyn Bruton

This classic song was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in

1967 and has since sold more than one million copies and been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Tim Hopgood takes readers on an adventure with a young boy who experiences the beautiful world in which we live. Each page presents a line (e.g., “I see trees of green”) from“What a Wonderful World”with illustrations, created “using pencil, calligraphy ink, wax crayon, and chalk pastel,” that truly bring this song to life. The illustrations are filled with images such as hearts, butterflies, and birds that capture the essence of the lyrics. No matter the age of the reader, this book can bring warmth to people’s hearts and a smile to their face. The book concludes with the complete lyrics and a note from the author about his feelings related to this song. Don’t miss the chance to travel on this vivacious journey that will leave a person more and more appreciative of our “Wonderful World”!

The Boy in the Black Suit Reynolds, Jason. (2015). 255 pages. Atheneum. 978-1-44245-950-2 $17.99 (Young Adult)

– Katie Thomas, guest reviewer from the University of Tennessee

Jason Reynolds brings us a great piece of realistic fiction dealing with the complex process of adolescent grief. The Boy in the Black Suit tells the story of seventeen-year- old Matt Miller,

Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | scira.org | 71 |

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