A delightful mixture of poetry and bird facts. The rhyming text on the left side of each page spread introduces a new bird and its situation in a playA delightful mixture of poetry and bird facts. The rhyming text on the left side of each page spread introduces a new bird and its situation in a playful manner, while the nonfiction text on the right describes the nesting habits of that species in more detail. A wide variety of birds is covered and the last two page spreads artfully link the idea of a nest to people.
Boldly colored modern illustrations are realistic enough to identify the types of birds featured and detailed enough to differentiate the many textures....more
Fun and interesting nonfiction picture book that highlights the inventive ways that some foreign communities get books into the hands of their childreFun and interesting nonfiction picture book that highlights the inventive ways that some foreign communities get books into the hands of their children. There's even an inset of facts about each country discussed. Highly recommend for small group discussions and activities about books/libraries. Children could even devise a mobile library of their own. ...more
Picture book biography of the woman who took over the supervision of the Brooklyn Bridge construction when her engineer husband fell ill in 1872. The Picture book biography of the woman who took over the supervision of the Brooklyn Bridge construction when her engineer husband fell ill in 1872. The text only briefly mentions how Emily dealt with the opposition over a woman dong a man's job during a time period when girls rarely even attended secondary school, but I craved more details on that aspect of her situation. The basics of bridge construction are discussed, yet the impact on the communities that the bridge connected is left out. Well-written back matter contains a short author's note, more biographical information on Emily Warren Roebling, a glossary, select bibliography, and further reading recommendations. I learned from the back matter that Emily and her husband had a child; this is never even mentioned in the book's body text. This is a sound biography, with a heavy dose of bridge engineering concepts mixed into the text, but much of the social context is missing. What makes Emily so unique is her refusal to allow her gender to define her potential, even though women were not recognized for their intelligence during Emily's lifetime; this biography touches on that but does not explore it fully.
Equations, mathematical measurements, and engineering terms are mixed directly into the illustrations to support the book's content in a meaningful way. The artist very effectively breaks down the engineering terminology and processes. The endpapers are especially impressive; the front endpapers contain photos of the original Brooklyn Bridge in the 1800s and the back endpapers contain modern photos of the bridge. ...more
Nonfiction picture book about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral procession. His name is mentioned only once near the end of the book. Beautifully Nonfiction picture book about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral procession. His name is mentioned only once near the end of the book. Beautifully written, but doesn't provide much historical detail for children to understand the context of the story or get to know the subject of this biographical book. That information is squeezed into a half-page of back matter, and not worded in a child-friendly manner. Watercolor illustrations extend the text by showing great crowds of mourners. ...more
Nonfiction picture book depicting modern life for the Cherokee people, written by a member of the Cherokee Nation. Bright, colorful, modern looking ilNonfiction picture book depicting modern life for the Cherokee people, written by a member of the Cherokee Nation. Bright, colorful, modern looking illustrations. Includes pronunciations for Cherokee words, a glossary, a Cherokee syllabary, and a personal author's note. There is also a classroom guide available online. This book is an excellent social studies text for elementary school. As a child, I would have loved learning the Cherokee words and traditions. ...more
A picture book biography of Noah Webster that is well researched and masterfully presented. The voice is both engaging and knowledgable. Collage illusA picture book biography of Noah Webster that is well researched and masterfully presented. The voice is both engaging and knowledgable. Collage illustrations mix authentic looking elements from Webster's time period, including actual historic newspapers and books, with fun characters. A fictitious (but very credible) Noah took his red pen to the manuscript and left editorial notes throughout the text. All these choices come together to make an impressive contribution to children's nonfiction. ...more
Picture book biography about Amelia Earhart, focusing mostly on her childhood activities, personality traits, and fText: 4 stars Illustrations: 3 stars
Picture book biography about Amelia Earhart, focusing mostly on her childhood activities, personality traits, and family influences. Does a good job of showing readers how Amelia's early years formed her adult self and paved the way for her later achievements. The modern art style doesn't quite support the historical context of the book, which isn't emphasized enough for the targeted age group....more
A solid picture book biography of Amelia Earhart with much emphasis on how she pushed boundaries and ignored stereoText: 4 stars Illustrations: 3 stars
A solid picture book biography of Amelia Earhart with much emphasis on how she pushed boundaries and ignored stereotypical gender expectations of her time period. Illustrations seem old-fashioned, owing at least in part to the age of the book (which was published in 1998)....more
Children's nonfiction picture book about the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the author of The Little Prince. TheText: 3 stars Illustrations: 5 stars
Children's nonfiction picture book about the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the author of The Little Prince. There is a lot of text regarding his livelihood as a pilot, but very little about his writing in general or The Little Prince in particular, which is really what I was interested in reading about. So I'm disappointed with the text. But the illustrations are glorious, in true Peter Sis fashion. ...more
Children's nonfiction picture book about Christopher Columbus's voyage to discover America. As with all of Peter SiText: 4 stars Illustrations: 5 stars
Children's nonfiction picture book about Christopher Columbus's voyage to discover America. As with all of Peter Sis's picture books, the illustrations provide talking points just as much as, if not more than, the text does.
I would have liked just a bit more detail in the text. Specifically I want to know more about the hardships faced during the actual voyage. The book mentions "the rebellious crew," but what did Columbus do to lead them to victory, other than lie about the number of miles travelled? The ending is a bit vague. Columbus never knew he had reached America, but didn't he figure out at some point in his life that he wasn't in the Orient?
But Sis does a good job of distilling the information and relating what life was like for Columbus. This book provides a good starting point to entice children into reading a fuller biography of Columbus. ...more
A picture book biography of Rosa Parks, one of the books in the Ordinary People Change the World series. The fact that Rosa Parks looks like a child tA picture book biography of Rosa Parks, one of the books in the Ordinary People Change the World series. The fact that Rosa Parks looks like a child throughout the book, even when she has grown up, is confusing. The use of first-person narration as well as the invented dialogue place this book in an odd hybrid category blending fact with fiction, perhaps most appropriately labelled as historical fiction rather than biography....more
Picture book of acrostic poetry about animals found in Africa. Stellar examples of acrostic poems, and not only with the firsText: 5 stars Art: 4 stars
Picture book of acrostic poetry about animals found in Africa. Stellar examples of acrostic poems, and not only with the first letters of the lines. A couple poems use both the first and last letters, and one poem has a staggered system.
Photographs of the animals accompany the poems. An explanation of acrostic poems appears in the back of the book, as well as further information on each of the animals featured in the poems, and a note from the photographer about the nature reserve in Namibia where the photos were taken. Excellent resource for a children's creative writing workshop or a classroom poetry unit. ...more
Nonfiction picture book about the history and development of money. Just the right amount of information for upper Text: 5 stars Illustrations: 5 stars
Nonfiction picture book about the history and development of money. Just the right amount of information for upper elementary school children. I'm not an expert on this subject, but the material seems well researched. Sadly, though, there is no bibliography. (I usually take a star off for that omission, but I really like this book.) The text is informative, clear, and interesting. Published almost 25 yrs ago, the mainly historical focus, coupled with some discussion of modern banking structure, help this book to keep its relevance.
Lovely illustrations. Fascinating array of old coins. Some very useful maps are included. Great for use in a classroom or as a resource for school reports. ...more
Nonfiction picture book that traces the life of a single penny. The one-cent narrator really shines with a lot of pText: 5 stars Illustrations: 5 stars
Nonfiction picture book that traces the life of a single penny. The one-cent narrator really shines with a lot of personality. Illustrations add to both the whimsy and the understanding of the text. This is a brilliant way to start a discussion about money in an elementary school classroom or group setting. But entertaining enough that it could be independent reading as well....more
Nonfiction picture book about the history, uses, and logistics of money. The text barely skims the surface, leaving Text: 2 stars Illustrations: 1 star
Nonfiction picture book about the history, uses, and logistics of money. The text barely skims the surface, leaving holes and unanswered questions.
The illustrations feel chaotic and lack coordination. The photo-like representations of bills look out of place among the cartoonish art. Uncle Sam is just goofy. And the Native Americans are really kind of insulting. ...more
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