Your Name: Sierra OHern Date: 10/16/2014 Genre: Emergent Picture Book

Literary Analysis

Bibliographic I nformation:
Sierra, J., & Sweet, M. (2009). The sleepy little alphabet: A bedtime story from Alphabet Town. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Plot:
Tells A Good Story: All of the letters in the alphabet have to get ready for bed, but wait-what if they are
not ready for bed? This book tells a good story because it uses humor to get the theme across.
Enjoyment: This story would be easy for young readers to enjoy because it is funny and entertaining.
This story takes place in Alphabet Town and it is a good bedtime story to read to young children. The
story goes through each letter as they get ready for bed, ending on Zzz all of the letters finally go to
sleep.
Setting:
Setting affects characters: The setting takes place at nighttime in Alphabet Town. The setting affects the
characters because all of the letters are getting ready for bed and they go into different rooms to see how
each letter gets ready for bed.
Author indicates time: The author indicates time by the illustrations being centered around nighttime. All
of the letters are wearing their pajamas and it is dark outside.
Theme:
Does it have a theme?: I dont think this picture book had an exact theme, but if I had to guess it would
be that even though we might not feel tired, we must all go to sleep. *After we get all of our wiggles out,
of course. Another theme that the author may be trying to get across is that we should listen to our elders.
On each page there is an adult letter trying to get the kid letters to settle down and go to sleep. We must
all learn to listen to our elders, for they usually know best.
Characterization:
Convincing characters: Each letter is its own character in this story. The author gave the letters human
like characteristics so children could easily relate to them. For example, all of the lower case letters
represent the children in the story while the upper case letters represent the parents. The author gives
humanistic characteristics to the letters by how they are dressed and how their facial expressions are.
Style:
Appropriate: The style of writing is appropriate because the author uses large print in her style of writing.
The author also uses uppercase letters to represent the parents and lowercase letters to represent the
children in the story. The author uses language that is appropriate for younger children. For example, I
and J jump on the bed. The author also uses humor and bright colors to engage the reader.



Point of View:
Primary point of view: The story is told by the point of view of the parents when they are trying to get
their children ready for bed. I say parents and children loosely because the author gives human-like
characteristics to the letters. It can sometimes be hard to get children to go to sleep and this story takes us
on a journey into how the letters of the alphabet get ready for bed.
Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
I llustrations: This picture book is great for emergent readers because it could be read to them or they
could read it themselves. The author uses bright colors, large print and humorous illustrations which
appeals to young children (and adults alike).
Appropriate Content: This picture book is appropriate for young children because it is easy to read and
uses vivid imagery to portray the themes of the book.
Reflections:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Not only is this story entertaining, it shows real life
struggles that parents face when trying to put the children to bed. I can myself not only having this book
in my classroom library, but also reading it to my future children when I tuck them into bed. I noticed that
the illustrator made good use of the pictures to reaffirm the sound that each letter makes. For example, on
the page with letters f and g the picture includes a frog, a fish, flowers on the rug, a lot of things are
colored green, the dad is even holding a book titled Flowers in the Garden.

















Your Name: Sierra OHern Date: 10/16/2014 Genre: Classic Picture Book
Literary Analysis

Bibliographic I nformation:
Carle, E. (1987). The very hungry caterpillar ([Rev.]. ed.). New York: Philomel Books.
Plot:
Tells a good story: This book tells a good story because it can be very enjoyable by all ages. It tells about
one caterpillars journey through metamorphosis.
The story moves: First, as he begins to grow he gets very hungry. Then, he begins eating a little and then
he eats a lot. He eats through so much food that he got a stomachache. To feel better he ate through one
green leaf. He turned into a big fat caterpillar after he ate all of the food and the leaf. He made a cocoon
around himself where he stayed for more than 2 weeks. Finally, when he emerged from the cocoon he
was a beautiful butterfly!
Setting:
Location: The setting starts on a leaf, where the caterpillar hatches from an egg, then moves to different
kinds of food and eventually ends inside a cocoon. After he emerges from the cocoon, the caterpillar
transforms into a beautiful butterfly.
Theme:
Theme emerges naturally: This book shows children how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly through a
process called metamorphosis. The theme of this book is to appreciate nature. The author does a great job
of exploring the world of a caterpillar and makes it easy for children to understand.
Characterization:
Convincing: This story is convincing because the author portrays a life-like caterpillar and tells a fictional
story about a non-fictional event. Metamorphosis is real, but how a caterpillar eats through a hole of each
food item is not real. The author tells a story of a caterpillar from his first moments in life and through the
stages of metamorphosis.
Style:
Appropriate: The style of writing is appropriate for young readers because the author takes up most of the
pages with a picture, and makes the words smaller.
Mood: The mood of this story is upbeat and colorful. Through the use of bright and colorful pictures, it
keeps the reader engaged throughout the story. The dialogue used is natural and suited to the character.
Point of View:
Primary point of view: The story is told by a third person point of view. The story is told by an outsider
on how the process of metamorphosis happens.
Appropriate: The point of view is appropriate for the purpose of the book because the author is telling a
story about a caterpillar and what the caterpillar encounters on his journey through metamorphosis.

Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
Appealing to children: This classic picture book is great for all levels of reading. For younger children,
you can read it to them and older children can read it themselves.
I llustrations: The author does a great job of ensuring that the pictures directly correlate with the text, so
even is a child cannot fully read they can still understand what is happening in the story just by looking at
the pictures.
Reflections:
I have read this book to many children and they all love it! I really like the way that the author
made the pages with the food smaller than the other pages. I also really enjoy the use of bright colors and
life-like imagery throughout the book. I will definitely have this book in my classroom library. The author
could have used any food that he wanted, but he used food that most children like to eat. At first, the
caterpillar ate through healthy food, but he was still hungry. Then the caterpillar ate through some not
so healthy food. I found it interesting that after the caterpillar ate the unhealthy food he got a
stomachache. I think that that the author did that intentionally to unconsciously reinforce the fact that
unhealthy food is bad for us.



















Your Name: Sierra OHern Date: 10/16/2014 Genre: Fictional Picture Book
Literary Analysis

Bibliographic I nformation:
Kittinger, J., & Gonzalez, T. (2012). The house on Dirty-Third Street. Atlanta: Peachtree.
Plot:
Well constructed: The plot of this story is well constructed. It starts when a little girl and her mom move
into a new neighborhood. At first glance their new house looks worn down, dirty and the little girl does
not like it at all. The street name is Thirty-Third Street, but the little girl calls it Dirty-Third Street. One
day the little girl goes to church and asks them to pray that her mom can still see the house with eyes of
faith.
Respect: This story shows children that you should respect other groups, because they may end up
helping you in the end. For example, the following days after the little girl goes to church multiple people
stop by their house and offer help to fix it up. By the end of the book they have a fixed up house and a
bunch of new friends.
Setting:
Location: The setting takes place on Thirty-Third Street. The story takes place in a house that the little
girl and her mom just moved in to and shows how a seemingly run-down neighborhood that turns out to
be a very nice and helpful community.
Theme:
Worth imparting to children: The theme of this book is that even if a place looks run down, with a little
faith and help you can turn any seemingly bad situation into a good one. Another theme is this book is
friendship. Even though the little girl had to move away from her old friends, she learns that she can make
friends anywhere and her new friends help make her new house a home for her and her mother.
Characterization:
Convincing: The author did a great job making this story feel real. The author made all of the characters
very friendly and neighborly.
Character development: The main character, the little girl, changed h throughout the book. Her character
developed from a little girl who thought she was moving into a dump to a girl who saw the house
through eyes of faith.
Style:
Appropriate: The author uses writing that would be appropriate for a young girl to use. At first the young
girl just saw the outside of the house looking run down and immediately said it looks horrible to me.
Throughout the book, the authors style of writing stays the same, but as the little girls character develops,
her tone of voice changes into a more mature and positive sounding girl.




Point of View:
Primary point of view: This story is told through the little girls point of view and is appropriate to the
purpose of the book because it gives the reader insight into how hard and terrible moving to a new pace
can feel. The story shows how one little girl struggles with the change but ultimately learns to love her
new neighborhood.
Authors choice: The author chose to write this story from the little girls perspective probably because it
made the story easy to relate to. I would like to read this same story from the moms point of view.
Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
Appropriate content: This fictional picture book has appropriate content because this book tells a realistic
story of a little girls point of view about moving into a new house in a new neighborhood.
I llustrations: The pictures are very detailed and well designed. This book takes a large concept, such as
fear, and turns it into a relatable experience.
Reflections:
I liked how this book touched on a good theme that most people have to face in life. That is even
in tough situations a little bit of help and a smile can go a long way. This book took a big theme and made
it relatable to young children. I can see myself having this book in my classroom library and even reading
it aloud to my class to teach them about acceptance. The illustrator made good use of line, shape and
color throughout this book. I noticed how even on the publishing page there are pieces of ripped and
crumbled paper to relay the message of dirty. Even the font in the title reaffirms the message that the
author is trying to get across to the reader. I found it very interesting that in the beginning of the book,
when they were talking about the house being run down, all of the pictures were mostly in black and
white and the characters had a sad look on their face. Towards the end of the story when their neighbors
came to help fix up the house, the pictures began to have color. By the last page, there is a colorful sunset
and all of the characters are wearing brightly colored clothes with smiles on their faces.