Krull, Kathleen and Johnson, Steve and Fancher, Lou. 2004. THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS. Random House: New York.
ACCURACY
The author has written several biographies including some of the “Lives of . . .” series.
The biographies contain mostly drawn or painted illustrations. Her website is: http://www.kathleenkrull.com/. On page forty-three there are a few works listed for further reading as well as some websites. This work is a picture book biography. It introduces is early life mostly and then touches on his adult years. The majority of the book reads as a story and at the end are a few pages of mostly facts and details with dates and titles of the books.
ORGANIZATION
The book is organized sequentially from his birth until twenty-two. Then the last few pages give more detail of his adult life but it is not written in story format. There is an index of all the written works by Dr. Seuss.
DESIGN
The design of the book is appealing. Even the cover illustration tends to draw you to open the book. The illustrations are appropriate and flow with the text.
STYLE
The story holds your attention. The author is clearly motivated to share Ted Geisel’s life with the reader. The story provides just enough information to entice you to find more resources on the subject to gain more knowledge. There is just enough information provided so a young person can understand the message and not be complicated reading.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Positive review Kirkus
Texas Bluebonnet Award
Utah Beehive Award
New York State Reading Association’s Charlotte Award
North Carolina Children’s Book Award
New Jersey Garden State Book Award
New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to read on March 2nd, Ted Geisel’s birthday, on Read Across America Day. You could provide cross-curricular activities in math, spelling, reading, art, science and social studies all surrounding his books. You can even cook up some green eggs and ham!
Monday, October 26, 2009
LS 5603 - Genre 4- BONES
Simon, Seymour. 1998. BONES. Morrow Junior Books. New York.
ACCURACY
Seymour Simon is the author of over 250 science related books. He has an excellent reputation and has received a lifetime achievement award for his work. The illustrations and text are accurate.
ORGANIZATION
The book starts discussing generally about bones and then moves onto specific bones and their purpose. There is mention of how the bones work with the tendons and muscles. There is not a table of contents or index but there are captions for the illustrations.
DESIGN
The graphics are a combination of: photographs, x-rays, magnified images, models and drawings. They are placed with supporting text. The design is appropriate to the text.
STYLE
The text is very informative. It is not written to “speak” above the reader bur it focused to fourth graders and above. There is just enough information to encourage the reader to discover more interesting facts about the human body or a more intensive look at bones. The author clearly enjoys and has a passion for science and wants to share that passion with his readers.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children ( NSTA/CBC)
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Asimov’s Science Fiction
School Library Journal
ALA Booklist
CONNECTIONS
I would use this book along with the others in the series in a unit about the body. The design lends itself easily to open discussion. This in turn could lead into a discussion of how to keep our bodies healthy which could include the school nurse, the cafeteria manager and the physical education teacher.
ACCURACY
Seymour Simon is the author of over 250 science related books. He has an excellent reputation and has received a lifetime achievement award for his work. The illustrations and text are accurate.
ORGANIZATION
The book starts discussing generally about bones and then moves onto specific bones and their purpose. There is mention of how the bones work with the tendons and muscles. There is not a table of contents or index but there are captions for the illustrations.
DESIGN
The graphics are a combination of: photographs, x-rays, magnified images, models and drawings. They are placed with supporting text. The design is appropriate to the text.
STYLE
The text is very informative. It is not written to “speak” above the reader bur it focused to fourth graders and above. There is just enough information to encourage the reader to discover more interesting facts about the human body or a more intensive look at bones. The author clearly enjoys and has a passion for science and wants to share that passion with his readers.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children ( NSTA/CBC)
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Asimov’s Science Fiction
School Library Journal
ALA Booklist
CONNECTIONS
I would use this book along with the others in the series in a unit about the body. The design lends itself easily to open discussion. This in turn could lead into a discussion of how to keep our bodies healthy which could include the school nurse, the cafeteria manager and the physical education teacher.
LS 5603 - Genre 4 - AN AMERICAN PLAGUE
Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793. Clarion Books: New York.
ACCURACY
The book is referred to as “meticulously researched”. The author has written over thirty books on American History. The book contains extensive sources broken down by type. There are also acknowledgements, notes about the illustrations and an index. The facts surrounding the events in 1793 are clearly explained. The illustrations and the text are correct.
ORGANIZATION
The text is laid out sequentially by time. There is a clear progression of events that occurred on the various dates. There is a table of contents and captions by the illustrations. There are some specific characters mentioned in the book as well as generalizations.
DESIGN
The illustrations are interesting since they are: newspaper clippings from the time period, drawings from various historical societies or museums, death notices, advertisements, hand written communications and maps of the area. They are very clear and appear with supporting text. The illustrations help to convey the attitude of the time.
STYLE
The author clearly enjoys writing historical accounts. You can tell as you read that the story becomes personal to the characters. The text is written so that you want to continue reading to see what comes next in the story. The last chapter encourages the reader to know the facts since the Yellow Fever never had a true cure.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Newbery Honor Book
The Robert F. Sibert Medal
National Book Award Finalist
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
ALA Notable Children’s Book
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
SLJ Best Book of the Year
Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Positive Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews – Editor’s Choice
School Library Journal – Starred review
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
Publisher’s Weekly
The Washington Post
VOYA
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to compare with other world wide loss of life due to illness. The Black plague of Europe would be a good start for a comparison.
ACCURACY
The book is referred to as “meticulously researched”. The author has written over thirty books on American History. The book contains extensive sources broken down by type. There are also acknowledgements, notes about the illustrations and an index. The facts surrounding the events in 1793 are clearly explained. The illustrations and the text are correct.
ORGANIZATION
The text is laid out sequentially by time. There is a clear progression of events that occurred on the various dates. There is a table of contents and captions by the illustrations. There are some specific characters mentioned in the book as well as generalizations.
DESIGN
The illustrations are interesting since they are: newspaper clippings from the time period, drawings from various historical societies or museums, death notices, advertisements, hand written communications and maps of the area. They are very clear and appear with supporting text. The illustrations help to convey the attitude of the time.
STYLE
The author clearly enjoys writing historical accounts. You can tell as you read that the story becomes personal to the characters. The text is written so that you want to continue reading to see what comes next in the story. The last chapter encourages the reader to know the facts since the Yellow Fever never had a true cure.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Newbery Honor Book
The Robert F. Sibert Medal
National Book Award Finalist
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
ALA Notable Children’s Book
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
SLJ Best Book of the Year
Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Positive Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews – Editor’s Choice
School Library Journal – Starred review
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
Publisher’s Weekly
The Washington Post
VOYA
CONNECTIONS
This would be an excellent book to compare with other world wide loss of life due to illness. The Black plague of Europe would be a good start for a comparison.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
LS 5603 - Genre 3 - DIAMOND WILLOW
Frost. Helen. 2008. DIAMOND WILLOW. Frances Foster Books Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York.
Rhythm
The majority of the book text is printed in a diamond shape on the page. Within these diamonds there are words in bolded print that emphasize a statement. However, these bolded words are not all on one line you simply read them on their own. The remainder of the text is printed in a normal layout. The rhythm of the text is not very noticeable. It reads like a verse novel.
Rhyme
There is no definitive rhyme as far as matching sounds for the last word in the line of text to another line of text.
Sound
There is no representation of alliteration, assonance, consonance or onomatopoeia. The text does not show a reliance on certain vowel or consonant sounds.
Language
The personification of the animals as the characters ancestors was striking. The animals were following the characters to watch over them. However, the characters did not know who they were and in a few instances were concerned by the animals. The Maternal Grandmother in the story uses riddles with the other characters to see if they are being observant. The main character, Diamond Willow, also has many lines of text of her speaking to herself in her head. This provides an insight to her actions in the book.
Imagery
The descriptive use of text makes it easy for the reader to visualize the setting and actually begin to feel as if they are in the story themselves. The reader could “see” the twists in the trails and “feel” the snow on their face as they were reading the text.
Emotions
In the moments of distress I found myself willing the characters to do certain things or putting myself in their place. The emotions the reader feels while going through the story are very real. They come naturally to you as you progress through the book. The major events in the book really pull you in emotionally. The reader will notice their body responding to the text.
Awards and recognitions
Positive reviews
VOYA
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Rhythm
The majority of the book text is printed in a diamond shape on the page. Within these diamonds there are words in bolded print that emphasize a statement. However, these bolded words are not all on one line you simply read them on their own. The remainder of the text is printed in a normal layout. The rhythm of the text is not very noticeable. It reads like a verse novel.
Rhyme
There is no definitive rhyme as far as matching sounds for the last word in the line of text to another line of text.
Sound
There is no representation of alliteration, assonance, consonance or onomatopoeia. The text does not show a reliance on certain vowel or consonant sounds.
Language
The personification of the animals as the characters ancestors was striking. The animals were following the characters to watch over them. However, the characters did not know who they were and in a few instances were concerned by the animals. The Maternal Grandmother in the story uses riddles with the other characters to see if they are being observant. The main character, Diamond Willow, also has many lines of text of her speaking to herself in her head. This provides an insight to her actions in the book.
Imagery
The descriptive use of text makes it easy for the reader to visualize the setting and actually begin to feel as if they are in the story themselves. The reader could “see” the twists in the trails and “feel” the snow on their face as they were reading the text.
Emotions
In the moments of distress I found myself willing the characters to do certain things or putting myself in their place. The emotions the reader feels while going through the story are very real. They come naturally to you as you progress through the book. The major events in the book really pull you in emotionally. The reader will notice their body responding to the text.
Awards and recognitions
Positive reviews
VOYA
Alan Review
Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
LS 5603 - Genre 3 - PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY
Lewis, J. Patrick and Stone, Kyle M.2005. PLEASE BURY ME IN THE LIBRARY. Gulliver Books Harcourt, Inc.: Orlando.
Rhythm
The poems do have tempo when read aloud. Most of the poems are arranged in line groupings. There are only a few poems that have continuous text on the page. In certain poems there are italicized text, extra space within words and the titles of the poems are in a different color and larger.
Rhyme
All of the poems do not contain lines that rhyme. When present the rhyme does not sound forced and the text makes sense in the poem.
Sound
The text read aloud had a good flow. The reader can “feel” where they need to pause while reading aloud. There are a few poems that have the same first word for each line.
Language
There are a few play-on-words within the poems. Some of the poems require the reader/listener to push their thinking outside of the normal realm of literature to the abstract. The poems are not direct in their line of thinking and could be difficult to follow.
Imagery
The eyes of the characters were very important to the illustrator. They are very expressive and convey feeling. Some of the images for the poems are unexpected, some are whimsical. They mostly contain real objects in the background, most of the characters are real and some of the animal characters take on human characteristics.
Emotions
All of the poems deal with books and/or reading. If the reader enjoys reading and books then they will feel a connection with the poems. If the reader does not enjoy reading they may have a difficult time with this book.
Poetry Books
The book is a collection of fifteen of the author’s poems with a table of contents and an acknowledgements page at the end. There is an illustration for each poem. There are some brief statements about the author and illustrator on the back edge of the book jacket. This book would be best suited for second grade and higher students. I do not know how well it will be received due to the abstract nature of some of the poems.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Children’s Literature
Rhythm
The poems do have tempo when read aloud. Most of the poems are arranged in line groupings. There are only a few poems that have continuous text on the page. In certain poems there are italicized text, extra space within words and the titles of the poems are in a different color and larger.
Rhyme
All of the poems do not contain lines that rhyme. When present the rhyme does not sound forced and the text makes sense in the poem.
Sound
The text read aloud had a good flow. The reader can “feel” where they need to pause while reading aloud. There are a few poems that have the same first word for each line.
Language
There are a few play-on-words within the poems. Some of the poems require the reader/listener to push their thinking outside of the normal realm of literature to the abstract. The poems are not direct in their line of thinking and could be difficult to follow.
Imagery
The eyes of the characters were very important to the illustrator. They are very expressive and convey feeling. Some of the images for the poems are unexpected, some are whimsical. They mostly contain real objects in the background, most of the characters are real and some of the animal characters take on human characteristics.
Emotions
All of the poems deal with books and/or reading. If the reader enjoys reading and books then they will feel a connection with the poems. If the reader does not enjoy reading they may have a difficult time with this book.
Poetry Books
The book is a collection of fifteen of the author’s poems with a table of contents and an acknowledgements page at the end. There is an illustration for each poem. There are some brief statements about the author and illustrator on the back edge of the book jacket. This book would be best suited for second grade and higher students. I do not know how well it will be received due to the abstract nature of some of the poems.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive Reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Children’s Literature
LS 5603- Genre 3 - MONSTER MUSEUM
Singer, Marilyn and Grimly, Gris. 2001. MONSTER MUSEUM. Hyperion Books for Children: New York.
Rhythm
The text is arranged in a way that when read aloud you hear a beat or can keep a tempo. The words make sense as you read the poem and does not lose tempo. The text itself is written in short sentences that do not span from one margin to the other. They are almost centered on the page for some poems and then others have two sets of text side by side.
Rhyme
The poems range from five lines to thirty-one lines. The poems do have some lines that the last word will rhyme with the last word of a line below the first line. The rhyming words chosen for the text do not detract from the meaning.
Sound
Within the book there are several poems where a grouping of text will begin with the same word for the first line or the same word for all of the lines in the group. In a few poems there is repeating text.
Language
The language used within the text is refreshing. The subject is a Monster Museum so there are several different types of monsters in the book. There is a “Glos-Scary” with definitions for all of the monsters listed in the poems. This will be helpful to readers who are unfamiliar with the verbiage. The text used will enrich the vocabulary of the reader. For example, the word “vocation” is used along with the word “job”.
Imagery
The illustrations for the poems are creepy but not scary. The monsters are drawn with some cartoonish qualities along with the backgrounds and props. The children visiting the museum are “taken” by a monster as you read through the book. The ending of the book explains why this happens to the children. This is not explained in the text until the end.
Emotions
This poem book is for pure enjoyment. I can see the reader laughing in some parts and cringing at others. This would make a good read aloud in October.
Poetry Books
The book is arranged with twenty-one poems and the “Glos-scary”. The book is appropriate for first grade and above. This book of poems would appeal to children. The poems are in the order that the children, in the story, take a tour of the Monster Museum.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Connections
This would be an excellent book to read to the class is students are having discussions of Monsters in October. The illustrations are non-threatening and many are humorous. I would also pair this with Maurice Sendak’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. You can extend this farther by including monster writing and a monster art activity. The monster art activity can be extended by using recyclable materials.
Rhythm
The text is arranged in a way that when read aloud you hear a beat or can keep a tempo. The words make sense as you read the poem and does not lose tempo. The text itself is written in short sentences that do not span from one margin to the other. They are almost centered on the page for some poems and then others have two sets of text side by side.
Rhyme
The poems range from five lines to thirty-one lines. The poems do have some lines that the last word will rhyme with the last word of a line below the first line. The rhyming words chosen for the text do not detract from the meaning.
Sound
Within the book there are several poems where a grouping of text will begin with the same word for the first line or the same word for all of the lines in the group. In a few poems there is repeating text.
Language
The language used within the text is refreshing. The subject is a Monster Museum so there are several different types of monsters in the book. There is a “Glos-Scary” with definitions for all of the monsters listed in the poems. This will be helpful to readers who are unfamiliar with the verbiage. The text used will enrich the vocabulary of the reader. For example, the word “vocation” is used along with the word “job”.
Imagery
The illustrations for the poems are creepy but not scary. The monsters are drawn with some cartoonish qualities along with the backgrounds and props. The children visiting the museum are “taken” by a monster as you read through the book. The ending of the book explains why this happens to the children. This is not explained in the text until the end.
Emotions
This poem book is for pure enjoyment. I can see the reader laughing in some parts and cringing at others. This would make a good read aloud in October.
Poetry Books
The book is arranged with twenty-one poems and the “Glos-scary”. The book is appropriate for first grade and above. This book of poems would appeal to children. The poems are in the order that the children, in the story, take a tour of the Monster Museum.
Awards and Recognitions
Positive reviews
Publisher’s Weekly
School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
Connections
This would be an excellent book to read to the class is students are having discussions of Monsters in October. The illustrations are non-threatening and many are humorous. I would also pair this with Maurice Sendak’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. You can extend this farther by including monster writing and a monster art activity. The monster art activity can be extended by using recyclable materials.
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