Davies, Nicola. (2006). Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades 3-7.
Author Credibility:
Nicola Davies earned a degree in zoology before writing this book. She has written other children’s books. She has traveled to the Artic. In fact that trip inspired this book. This book is a Children’s Choice for 2006.
Summary:
The author begins by stating that compared to other animals humans are very fragile. The author then starts at the top, the North Pole. She discusses the challenges with living here. Then she discusses some of the animals that live here and how they survive. These animals include the polar bear, arctic musk, sea otter, bowhead whale, and emperor penguin (South Pole). Then the author discusses animals that can let there body temperatures drop and still survive. These include the hummingbird, bats, and frogs. Frogs, Springtails, and Ice Fish use antifreeze like substance to keep their blood from freezing. The author then moves into the desert where it is cold at night and hot during the day. She discusses how roadrunners, camels, and other desert animals survive. The author talks about animals such as spiders living more than 18 months without food. The author then moves to heat and into a volcano. Thermopiles live here, right inside the volcano. The author also talks about the squash factor deep on the floor of oceans. The author even shows animals that get chopped up and yet they survive. They regrow the parts they are missing. Then the author ends by introducing the toughest creature on earth, the tardigrade. This creature can survive extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme pressure, a vacuum, lethal X-rays, and poisonous chemicals. Through all of this the have survived.
Standards:
Science:
*Life Science
*Earth and Space
*Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Illustrations:
The illustrations were done by Neal Layton. They were done with ink and then digitally colored. They are humorous explanations of the text.
Access Features:
*Diagrams
*Section Titles
*Index
*Glossary
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book to discuss various animals and how they survive. It would also be beneficial when discussing the different environments in our world.
My response to the book:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot, and had fun doing it. The illustrations were comical and added an air of humor to the material. I had never heard of the toughest animal, a tarigrade. Scientists have done everything they could think of to kill these creatures, but they always come back. That was just amazing to me.
Related Texts:
Books relating to animals and how they survive would be great accompanying books.
*Gone Wild by David McLimans
*Life on the Edge: Amazing Creatures Thriving in Extreme Environments by Michael Gross
*Life at the Limits: Organisms in Extreme Environments by David A. Wharton
*Surviving the Extremes: A Doctor’s Journey to the Limits of Human Endurance by Kenneth Kamler
*Extremes: Surviving the World’s Harshest Environments by Nick Middleton
Other:
This book consists of 58 pages. It is logically ordered from cold to hot. The end pages are scattered with tardigrades, the toughest creature on earth. The font end pages and the front cover of the book jacket are blue and white to represent the cold. Creatures that survive in the cold are discussed at the front of the book. The back end pages and the back cover of the book jacket are orange and yellow to represent heat. Creatures that survive in extreme heat are discussed near the end of the book. When you remove the book jacket the front and back cover shows the tardigrade and different things they have survived, like being frozen to absolute zero. The verso and title page hook the reader’s interest by showing bacteria in “boiling, super hot mud.” In order to find out how the survive it encourages you to turn to p. 37. In order to better illustrate certain concepts pages are turned long ways. For example, when discussing jumping insects the illustrations are turned so as to show a tall building with insects jumping over it.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston
Aston, Dianna. (2006). An Egg is Quiet. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades K-3.
Author Credibility:
Aston has written several children’s books. Aston often goes on searches for eggs. This book is a Children’s Choice for 2006.
Summary:
This book describes different types of eggs. An aspect of the egg is presented then examples are given. These examples are then further described. The aspects described are: an egg is warm and cozy, an egg is colorful, an egg is shapely, an egg is clever, eggs come in different sizes, an egg is artistic, an egg is textured, an egg might be fossilized, an egg is giving, and an egg is noisy.
Standards:
Science: Life Science
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book were done by Sylvia Long. They are paintings done with ink and water colors. They are colorful, and they describe what is going on in the text.
Access Features:
*Captions accompany illustrations
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book in my classroom to study eggs. This book looks at the different aspects of an egg. There is so much more to a thing that seems so simple. You could also use this book to explore the animals that come out of the eggs.
My response to the book:
I really enjoyed reading this book. It seemed soothing to me. The illustrations were beautiful. I really did not realize there was so much to something as simple as an egg.
Related Texts:
* A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
*Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
*Eggs by Michel Roux and Martin Brigdale
Other:
The end pages of this book are blue and speckled like a robin’s egg. Additional end pages show a variety of different eggs. The name of the animal is listed under the eggs. Additional end pages at the back show the birds that come from the eggs. The name of the bird is under the bird. The words in the book are written in cursive. They are elaborate. Accompanying text further describes different types of eggs.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades K-3.
Author Credibility:
Aston has written several children’s books. Aston often goes on searches for eggs. This book is a Children’s Choice for 2006.
Summary:
This book describes different types of eggs. An aspect of the egg is presented then examples are given. These examples are then further described. The aspects described are: an egg is warm and cozy, an egg is colorful, an egg is shapely, an egg is clever, eggs come in different sizes, an egg is artistic, an egg is textured, an egg might be fossilized, an egg is giving, and an egg is noisy.
Standards:
Science: Life Science
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book were done by Sylvia Long. They are paintings done with ink and water colors. They are colorful, and they describe what is going on in the text.
Access Features:
*Captions accompany illustrations
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book in my classroom to study eggs. This book looks at the different aspects of an egg. There is so much more to a thing that seems so simple. You could also use this book to explore the animals that come out of the eggs.
My response to the book:
I really enjoyed reading this book. It seemed soothing to me. The illustrations were beautiful. I really did not realize there was so much to something as simple as an egg.
Related Texts:
* A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
*Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
*Eggs by Michel Roux and Martin Brigdale
Other:
The end pages of this book are blue and speckled like a robin’s egg. Additional end pages show a variety of different eggs. The name of the animal is listed under the eggs. Additional end pages at the back show the birds that come from the eggs. The name of the bird is under the bird. The words in the book are written in cursive. They are elaborate. Accompanying text further describes different types of eggs.
3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet by Bob Raczka
Raczka, Bob. (2007). 3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet.Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades K-8.
Author Credibility:
Bob Raczka studied art at the University of Illinois. He is now a creative director at an ad agency. He has written several other books about art. This book is a Children’s Choice Book.
Summary:
The author goes through the alphabet and discusses different types of sculptures. Each letter is accompanied by a photograph of a sculpture. Text accompanies this letter and photograph, and explains the different aspects of the art discussed. Also found on each page is the name of the sculpture, the artist, when it was done, and where it is located.
Standards:
Art:
Using knowledge of structures and functions
Illustrations:
The illustrations consist of photographs. These photographs are of actual sculptures. Credit to these photographs is given in the “Photo Credits” section. Page numbers are included in this section.
Access Features:
*Additional Reading
*Photo Credits
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book to discuss art in my classroom. It makes you look at art in a different way.
My response to the book:
This book really made me look at art in a different way. The sculptures in the book were amazing. They cover such a wide range of aspects.
Related Texts:
*Art Is… by Bob Raczka
*More than Meets the Eye: Seeing Art With All Five Senses by Bob Raczka
*No One Saw by Bob Raczka
*Here’s Looking at Me: How Artists See Themselves by Bob Raczka
*Unlikely Pairs: Fun with Famous Works of Art by Bob Raczka
Other:
The cover art is a photograph of a sculpture. The edges of the words 3-D in the title are raised to make them 3-D.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades K-8.
Author Credibility:
Bob Raczka studied art at the University of Illinois. He is now a creative director at an ad agency. He has written several other books about art. This book is a Children’s Choice Book.
Summary:
The author goes through the alphabet and discusses different types of sculptures. Each letter is accompanied by a photograph of a sculpture. Text accompanies this letter and photograph, and explains the different aspects of the art discussed. Also found on each page is the name of the sculpture, the artist, when it was done, and where it is located.
Standards:
Art:
Using knowledge of structures and functions
Illustrations:
The illustrations consist of photographs. These photographs are of actual sculptures. Credit to these photographs is given in the “Photo Credits” section. Page numbers are included in this section.
Access Features:
*Additional Reading
*Photo Credits
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book to discuss art in my classroom. It makes you look at art in a different way.
My response to the book:
This book really made me look at art in a different way. The sculptures in the book were amazing. They cover such a wide range of aspects.
Related Texts:
*Art Is… by Bob Raczka
*More than Meets the Eye: Seeing Art With All Five Senses by Bob Raczka
*No One Saw by Bob Raczka
*Here’s Looking at Me: How Artists See Themselves by Bob Raczka
*Unlikely Pairs: Fun with Famous Works of Art by Bob Raczka
Other:
The cover art is a photograph of a sculpture. The edges of the words 3-D in the title are raised to make them 3-D.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman (2 BK)
Freedman, Russell. (2006). Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. New York: Holiday House.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades 4-8.
Author Credibility:
Russell Freedman has written numerous nonfiction children’s books. Three sections at the end of the book are dedicated to listing his sources. These sections include: Chapter Notes, Selected Bibliography, and Acknowledgements. This book received several awards including: Orbis Pictus 2007, 2006 Cybil Award Winner, Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and Sibert Informational Honor Book.
Summary:
Jo Ann Robinson boarded a bus just before Christmas. She sat down in the fifth seat. The bus driver made Robinson get up. Robinson left the bus upset. She joined the Women’s Political Council (WPC), and she vowed to do something about segregated busing.
White passengers entered the front of the bus and took a seat in one of the first five seats on the bus. Black passengers paid their fare then had to reenter through the rear of the bus, and sit in one of the last five seats on the bus. If the white section filled up black passengers had to give up their seats for the whites. Robinson became president of the WPC and she worked towards better seating on buses.
Claudette Colvin was asked to give up her seat as the all white section of the bus filled up. Claudette was sitting in the black section and felt it was her right to sit where she was. She did not give up her seat. She was arrest for this offense. E.D. Nixon wanted a case like Claudette’s to take the matter to the federal courts. Nixon felt Claudette was a little to young and prone to emotional outbursts to be this test case, so they waited.
Rosa Parks boarded a bus after a long day of work as a seamstress in 1955. Rosa refused to give up her seat in the black section of the bus to white people. She was arrested. They decided to make Rosa’s case the test case in the federal courts. Robinson and her friends met at the college, and they made fliers that encouraged blacks not to ride the buses on Monday, the day of Rosa’s trail.
Montgomery’s black leaders met after the trail to decide whether or not to continue the boycott. Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped up and said he wanted to do something. Before he knew it he was president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). King spoke at rallies that encouraged many African Americans in Montgomery. There were huge turn outs for these rallies. King always advocated nonviolence.
To help with the bus boycott a massive car pool was established. Also walkers were singled out at mass meetings and praised as boycott heroes. Boycotter’s demands were not met with the segregation laws of the South like they were. Soon the bus companies announced that they were losing money. The officials of Montgomery were doing everything they could to discourage the boycotters. Car pool drivers were targeted and given tickets on a regular basis. Many were arrested. The KKK also set out to discourage boycotters by using violent methods. They threw bombs into houses of high ranking black citizens. The black leaders were indicted for their role in the boycott. It was against the law to boycott “without a just cause or legal excuse.” These people turned up at the courthouse to turn themselves in. When they were released they found crowds of cheering people supporting them. Many blacks found it an honor to be arrested for the cause. Slowly Africans Americans started the legal battle. On June 4th segregation on city buses was found to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed. They walked for 5 more weeks until official paperwork reached Montgomery. Finally, they boarded the buses once again, able to sit wherever there was a free seat.
African Americans still faced discrimination. They were shot at. Bombs were set off. There was still work to be done.
Standards:
Social Studies:
*Time, Continuity, and Change
*People, Places, and Environments
*Individual Development and Identity
*Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
*Power, Authority, and Governance
*Civic Ideals and Practices
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book consist of black and white photographs. These photographs correspond with the text. Captions accompany these photographs and explain what is happening in the picture.
Access Features:
*Table of Contents
*Map
*Introduction
*Photographs with Captions
*Chapter Notes
*Selected Bibliography
*Acknowledgements
*Index
How I would use the book in the classroom:
This book would be excellent to use in a study of the Civil Rights Movement. Books like this help the students to see that these are real people and not just old people in a book. I think a book like this would be great to use with a litature discussion group. It would provide so many topics to discuss.
My response to the book:
I really enjoyed reading this book. It really brought to life some of the people I had heard about, but didn’t really connect to. Also, I did not realize that there were others before Rosa Parks that would not give up their seat on a bus. I had never heard of Claudette Colvin before reading this book. It amazed me that they walked for over a year. They walked through both winter and summer. I can’t imagine walking everywhere I went in the summer heat we have in the south, not to mention the cold wind in winter. They stuck together though, and brought about change without violence.
Related Texts:
Any books relating to the civil rights movement would go along with this text. Some accompanying books include:
*The Walking City: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956 by David J. Garrow
*The Walked to Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Kenneth M. Hare
*Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Lydia Bjornlund
Other:
This book has 114 pages with access features. It is divided into chapters. The chapter titles describe what will happen in that chapter. Freedman takes a neutral stance and tells the reader what happened during this time.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades 4-8.
Author Credibility:
Russell Freedman has written numerous nonfiction children’s books. Three sections at the end of the book are dedicated to listing his sources. These sections include: Chapter Notes, Selected Bibliography, and Acknowledgements. This book received several awards including: Orbis Pictus 2007, 2006 Cybil Award Winner, Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and Sibert Informational Honor Book.
Summary:
Jo Ann Robinson boarded a bus just before Christmas. She sat down in the fifth seat. The bus driver made Robinson get up. Robinson left the bus upset. She joined the Women’s Political Council (WPC), and she vowed to do something about segregated busing.
White passengers entered the front of the bus and took a seat in one of the first five seats on the bus. Black passengers paid their fare then had to reenter through the rear of the bus, and sit in one of the last five seats on the bus. If the white section filled up black passengers had to give up their seats for the whites. Robinson became president of the WPC and she worked towards better seating on buses.
Claudette Colvin was asked to give up her seat as the all white section of the bus filled up. Claudette was sitting in the black section and felt it was her right to sit where she was. She did not give up her seat. She was arrest for this offense. E.D. Nixon wanted a case like Claudette’s to take the matter to the federal courts. Nixon felt Claudette was a little to young and prone to emotional outbursts to be this test case, so they waited.
Rosa Parks boarded a bus after a long day of work as a seamstress in 1955. Rosa refused to give up her seat in the black section of the bus to white people. She was arrested. They decided to make Rosa’s case the test case in the federal courts. Robinson and her friends met at the college, and they made fliers that encouraged blacks not to ride the buses on Monday, the day of Rosa’s trail.
Montgomery’s black leaders met after the trail to decide whether or not to continue the boycott. Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped up and said he wanted to do something. Before he knew it he was president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). King spoke at rallies that encouraged many African Americans in Montgomery. There were huge turn outs for these rallies. King always advocated nonviolence.
To help with the bus boycott a massive car pool was established. Also walkers were singled out at mass meetings and praised as boycott heroes. Boycotter’s demands were not met with the segregation laws of the South like they were. Soon the bus companies announced that they were losing money. The officials of Montgomery were doing everything they could to discourage the boycotters. Car pool drivers were targeted and given tickets on a regular basis. Many were arrested. The KKK also set out to discourage boycotters by using violent methods. They threw bombs into houses of high ranking black citizens. The black leaders were indicted for their role in the boycott. It was against the law to boycott “without a just cause or legal excuse.” These people turned up at the courthouse to turn themselves in. When they were released they found crowds of cheering people supporting them. Many blacks found it an honor to be arrested for the cause. Slowly Africans Americans started the legal battle. On June 4th segregation on city buses was found to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed. They walked for 5 more weeks until official paperwork reached Montgomery. Finally, they boarded the buses once again, able to sit wherever there was a free seat.
African Americans still faced discrimination. They were shot at. Bombs were set off. There was still work to be done.
Standards:
Social Studies:
*Time, Continuity, and Change
*People, Places, and Environments
*Individual Development and Identity
*Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
*Power, Authority, and Governance
*Civic Ideals and Practices
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book consist of black and white photographs. These photographs correspond with the text. Captions accompany these photographs and explain what is happening in the picture.
Access Features:
*Table of Contents
*Map
*Introduction
*Photographs with Captions
*Chapter Notes
*Selected Bibliography
*Acknowledgements
*Index
How I would use the book in the classroom:
This book would be excellent to use in a study of the Civil Rights Movement. Books like this help the students to see that these are real people and not just old people in a book. I think a book like this would be great to use with a litature discussion group. It would provide so many topics to discuss.
My response to the book:
I really enjoyed reading this book. It really brought to life some of the people I had heard about, but didn’t really connect to. Also, I did not realize that there were others before Rosa Parks that would not give up their seat on a bus. I had never heard of Claudette Colvin before reading this book. It amazed me that they walked for over a year. They walked through both winter and summer. I can’t imagine walking everywhere I went in the summer heat we have in the south, not to mention the cold wind in winter. They stuck together though, and brought about change without violence.
Related Texts:
Any books relating to the civil rights movement would go along with this text. Some accompanying books include:
*The Walking City: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956 by David J. Garrow
*The Walked to Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Kenneth M. Hare
*Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Lydia Bjornlund
Other:
This book has 114 pages with access features. It is divided into chapters. The chapter titles describe what will happen in that chapter. Freedman takes a neutral stance and tells the reader what happened during this time.
One Grain of Rice by Demi
Demi. (1997). One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades K- 4.
Author Credibility:
Demi has written over 130 children’s books. A traditional version of this tale is also known as “Sissa and the Troublesome Trifles.” It can be found in Trickster Tales by I.G. Edmonds.
Summary:
This folktale takes place in India. There was a raja that ruled a province in India. The people in this province were rice farmers. The raja told the people they had to give him nearly all of their rice. He would store the rice and when a famine hit the land they would have food to eat. So the people did as the raja said. They only kept enough rice to survive on. This went on for years.
Then a famine struck the land. The raja decided he could not give the people any rice because the raja had to have enough to keep up his lifestyle. One day the king decided to throw a party. He sent elephants to the storehouses to get rice. Along the way a village girl named Rani saw rice falling out of a hole in one elephant’s basket. She gathered the rice as it fell, and returned it to the raja. The raja was so impressed he wanted to thank her, so he asked what she wanted. She told the raja she wanted one grain of rice. The raja told her he should reward her more plentifully than that. Rani said to double the rice you gave me the day before for thirty days. The raja agreed. The rice quickly added up to over a billion grains of rice. Even as the numbers increased the raja vowed to keep his promise. Eventually the raja ran out of rice. Rani declared she would give the rice to the hungry people. She even gave a basket to the raja.
Standards:
Math:
Numbers and Operations
Problem Solving
Measurement
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are paintings done by Demi. She was inspired by traditional Indian paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The artwork was done by Chinese brushes. The colors stem from a variety of paints and inks.
Access Features:
Table – from one grain of rice to one billion
How I would use the book in the classroom:
This book would be excellent to help children with adding. The numbers in this book add up so quickly. One thing I would ask students while reading is do they think Rani made a good deal with the raja. You could also use this book to introduce some aspects of Indian culture.
My response to the book:
I enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations were beautiful. At first you would think Rani did not make a good deal, but she did. She outsmarted the raja, and was able to provide rice for the hungry people. I thought the chart in the back would be very useful.
Related Texts:
*Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno
*Spaghetti and Meatballs for All by Marilyn Burns
*How Much is a Million? By David M. Schwartz
Other:
This book consists of 35 pages. It has short text and is easy to read. The cover is decorated with colorful Indian style drawings. A red boarder separates the illustrations on each page. The text is to the side of the illustrations. The type font for the title and the author’s name is elaborate. They are also placed on top of a background of gold. Gold backgrounds are used often throughout the book.
Grade Level:
I would recommend this book for students in grades K- 4.
Author Credibility:
Demi has written over 130 children’s books. A traditional version of this tale is also known as “Sissa and the Troublesome Trifles.” It can be found in Trickster Tales by I.G. Edmonds.
Summary:
This folktale takes place in India. There was a raja that ruled a province in India. The people in this province were rice farmers. The raja told the people they had to give him nearly all of their rice. He would store the rice and when a famine hit the land they would have food to eat. So the people did as the raja said. They only kept enough rice to survive on. This went on for years.
Then a famine struck the land. The raja decided he could not give the people any rice because the raja had to have enough to keep up his lifestyle. One day the king decided to throw a party. He sent elephants to the storehouses to get rice. Along the way a village girl named Rani saw rice falling out of a hole in one elephant’s basket. She gathered the rice as it fell, and returned it to the raja. The raja was so impressed he wanted to thank her, so he asked what she wanted. She told the raja she wanted one grain of rice. The raja told her he should reward her more plentifully than that. Rani said to double the rice you gave me the day before for thirty days. The raja agreed. The rice quickly added up to over a billion grains of rice. Even as the numbers increased the raja vowed to keep his promise. Eventually the raja ran out of rice. Rani declared she would give the rice to the hungry people. She even gave a basket to the raja.
Standards:
Math:
Numbers and Operations
Problem Solving
Measurement
Illustrations:
The illustrations in this book are paintings done by Demi. She was inspired by traditional Indian paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The artwork was done by Chinese brushes. The colors stem from a variety of paints and inks.
Access Features:
Table – from one grain of rice to one billion
How I would use the book in the classroom:
This book would be excellent to help children with adding. The numbers in this book add up so quickly. One thing I would ask students while reading is do they think Rani made a good deal with the raja. You could also use this book to introduce some aspects of Indian culture.
My response to the book:
I enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations were beautiful. At first you would think Rani did not make a good deal, but she did. She outsmarted the raja, and was able to provide rice for the hungry people. I thought the chart in the back would be very useful.
Related Texts:
*Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno
*Spaghetti and Meatballs for All by Marilyn Burns
*How Much is a Million? By David M. Schwartz
Other:
This book consists of 35 pages. It has short text and is easy to read. The cover is decorated with colorful Indian style drawings. A red boarder separates the illustrations on each page. The text is to the side of the illustrations. The type font for the title and the author’s name is elaborate. They are also placed on top of a background of gold. Gold backgrounds are used often throughout the book.
Through Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Rodriguez
Rodriguez, Rachel. (2006). Through Georgia’s Eyes. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Grade Level:
I would reccommed this book for students in grades K-3.
Author Credibility:
Rachel Rodriguez tells the reader in the author’s note that she read all she could about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life. The author also includes a bibliography. This is a Children’s Choice book for 2006.
Summary:
Georgia was born in Wisconsin in 1887. She roams the prairie carrying a sketch pad. She takes painting lessons, and wants to become an artist. But, artists during this time were only boys. She paints for hours and hours. Nature speaks to her. Painting helps her express herself. She moves to New Mexico were she paints things such as bones. Everything in nature is beautiful to her. She paints trees and hills, canyons, a line of cows, and a range of hills like elephants. You can see the world through Georgia’s eyes in her paintings. She paved the way for women painters.
Standards:
Social Studies:
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individual Development and Identity
Illustrations:
The illustrations were done by cut-paper collages. They are inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings.
Access Features:
*Author’s Note
*Illlustrator’s Note
*Biblography
*More About Georgia O’Keeffe
How I would use the book in the classroom:
This would be great when discussing nature, how to express yourself, art, women and how things have changed for them, and metaphors.
My response to the book:
I enjoyed reading this book. I was not familiar with Georgia O’Keeffe’s work before this book. I loved the illustrations in this book. That was my favorite part.
Related Texts:
*Georgia’s Bones by Jen Bryant
*My Name is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter by Jeanette Winter
Other:
This book is a picture book. The author uses a lot of descriptive language. Metaphors are used throughout the book. The end pages are green, which for me represents Georgia’s connection to nature.
Grade Level:
I would reccommed this book for students in grades K-3.
Author Credibility:
Rachel Rodriguez tells the reader in the author’s note that she read all she could about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life. The author also includes a bibliography. This is a Children’s Choice book for 2006.
Summary:
Georgia was born in Wisconsin in 1887. She roams the prairie carrying a sketch pad. She takes painting lessons, and wants to become an artist. But, artists during this time were only boys. She paints for hours and hours. Nature speaks to her. Painting helps her express herself. She moves to New Mexico were she paints things such as bones. Everything in nature is beautiful to her. She paints trees and hills, canyons, a line of cows, and a range of hills like elephants. You can see the world through Georgia’s eyes in her paintings. She paved the way for women painters.
Standards:
Social Studies:
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individual Development and Identity
Illustrations:
The illustrations were done by cut-paper collages. They are inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings.
Access Features:
*Author’s Note
*Illlustrator’s Note
*Biblography
*More About Georgia O’Keeffe
How I would use the book in the classroom:
This would be great when discussing nature, how to express yourself, art, women and how things have changed for them, and metaphors.
My response to the book:
I enjoyed reading this book. I was not familiar with Georgia O’Keeffe’s work before this book. I loved the illustrations in this book. That was my favorite part.
Related Texts:
*Georgia’s Bones by Jen Bryant
*My Name is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter by Jeanette Winter
Other:
This book is a picture book. The author uses a lot of descriptive language. Metaphors are used throughout the book. The end pages are green, which for me represents Georgia’s connection to nature.
Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg… by Ann Bausum
Bausum, Ann. (2006). Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement. Washington D.C: National Geographic.
Grade Level:
I would reccommed this book for students in grades 4-8.
Author Credibility:
Ann Bausum has written several children’s books for National Geographic. A few of her other works include: With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote, Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, and Our Country’s Presidents. A National Geographic Staff were assigned to help work on the book. They are listed on the Verso. This book has won several awards including: Sibert Honor Book, Top of the List, Booklist 2006 Editors' Choice, 2006 Notable Children's Book, Best Books for Young Adults 2006, Orbis Pictus Awards, Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, 2007 Books for the Teen Age, Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People.
Summary:
The Foreword of this book included two sections one written by John Lewis and the other written by Jim Zwerg. The author then introduces the Freedom Riders and their cause. They fought against Southern segregation customs. They planned to sit together and eat together. That sounds simple enough, but in the South old customs died hard. They Freedom Riders would face a difficult journey. The author explains that all of the Freedom Riders were important, but in this book she will focus on John Lewis and Jim Zwerg.
Bausum starts at the beginning for each of these men. In the first chapter she describes the childhood of John Lewis. Lewis was born in Alabama, and from the very beginning knew he had to get out. The school he attended had no playground equipment, no furnace, no running water, and no bathrooms. Every material they received was a hand-me-down from white schools. His home was in the same shape as the school. As a young boy Lewis was given the nickname “Preacher.” As he grew older he traveled to Tennessee to American Baptist Theological Seminary. He faced a lot of the segregation issues all throughout his childhood.
Jim Zwerg was born just three months before John Lewis, but the contrast in childhoods was dramatic. He did not see a black person until he was about four years old. Then he thought it was a white person that needed a bath. Throughout his childhood he had very little encounters with people from different races. Zwerg’s house had electricity, running water, three bathrooms, central heating, and even a rec room in the family’s basement. It was not until college that Zwerg finally experienced diversity. He made many African American friends. Zwerg ended up at Nashville studying Sociology.
Both men join the Civil Rights movement while in college through the Nashville Student Movement. The groups first target was segregated theatres. They held stand-ins, when they were refused tickets they went to the back of the line to try again, over and over. The two men joined the freedom riders. The author tells of the trials that they faced along the way. They were attacked by mobs on several occasions. Many thought they would die on these trips. They were also arrested on several occasions. But, through it all they preservered. In Montgomery they were attacked by a fierce mob. The police did not come for at least ten minutes. The Freedom Riders were beaten mercilessly. Medical attention was also slow arriving. Laying in a hospital bed Zwerg held an interview that inspired many to join the Freedom Riders. Many of the Freedom Riders were arrested when they arrived in Jackson, MS. They eventually ended up at Parchman. Lewis spent 27 days in Parchman, and more than 6 weeks in jails across MS. In 1961 regulations were put in place that helped inforce the Supreme Courts earlier desissions about segregation.
The author ends by telling what happened to the two men after these Freedom Rides. John Lewis is elected to represent Georgia in Congress. Jim Zwerg becomes a preacher, then works in the local business community in Arizona. They did meet again for the 25th anniversary of these rides.
Standards:
Social Studies:
*Time, Continuity, and Change
*People, Places, and Environments
*Individual Development and Identity
*Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
*Power, Authority, and Goverance
*Civic Ideals and Practices
Illustrations:
The illustrations of this book consist of black and white photographs. They are accompanied by captions that tell what is happening in the photograph. The photographs complement the text, visualizing what the author is discussing. The illustrations are all credited in the book.
Access Features:
*Table of Contents
*Foreword
*Introduction
*Photographs with Captions
*Map
*Partial Roster of Riders
*Chronology
*Resource Guide
*Research Notes and Acknowledgements/Citations/ Bibliography
*Index
*Illustration Credits
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book when doing a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. This book helps to bring the people of the movement to life. They are more than people you read about in a book. They are real people who put their life on the line for equality. Using this book (or other books like it) will give students such a clearer picture of the struggles during this time.
My response to the book:
I seem to have read a lot of books on the Civil Rights Movement lately, and they are all so powerful. The sacrifices so many people had to make to gain individual rights is overwhelming. I had never heard of the Freedom Riders and what they done before reading this book. They knew they were going to face opposition, but the pussed on anyways. What bravery they had to have. I had also not heard a lot about white people and the role they played in the Civil Rights movement, but there where some that put their lives on the line for justice and equality.
Related Texts:
Any books relating to the civil rights movement would go along with this text. Some accompanying books include:
*Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice (Pivotal Moments in American History by Raymond Arsenault
*Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
*The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by Freedom Writers and Zlata Filipovic
*Freedom Ride: A Freedom Rider Remembers by Ann Curthoys
*Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
Other:
This book has 67 pages plus the access features. The author took a neutral stance and just informed the reader of the things that took place. Access features were very helpful, including a partial roster of the riders. An inspirational quote heads the page at the top of each chapter. Chapter titles are vague, but they are meant to capture the reader’s attention. The resource guide includes music and videos, and places to visit in person and online.
Grade Level:
I would reccommed this book for students in grades 4-8.
Author Credibility:
Ann Bausum has written several children’s books for National Geographic. A few of her other works include: With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote, Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, and Our Country’s Presidents. A National Geographic Staff were assigned to help work on the book. They are listed on the Verso. This book has won several awards including: Sibert Honor Book, Top of the List, Booklist 2006 Editors' Choice, 2006 Notable Children's Book, Best Books for Young Adults 2006, Orbis Pictus Awards, Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, 2007 Books for the Teen Age, Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People.
Summary:
The Foreword of this book included two sections one written by John Lewis and the other written by Jim Zwerg. The author then introduces the Freedom Riders and their cause. They fought against Southern segregation customs. They planned to sit together and eat together. That sounds simple enough, but in the South old customs died hard. They Freedom Riders would face a difficult journey. The author explains that all of the Freedom Riders were important, but in this book she will focus on John Lewis and Jim Zwerg.
Bausum starts at the beginning for each of these men. In the first chapter she describes the childhood of John Lewis. Lewis was born in Alabama, and from the very beginning knew he had to get out. The school he attended had no playground equipment, no furnace, no running water, and no bathrooms. Every material they received was a hand-me-down from white schools. His home was in the same shape as the school. As a young boy Lewis was given the nickname “Preacher.” As he grew older he traveled to Tennessee to American Baptist Theological Seminary. He faced a lot of the segregation issues all throughout his childhood.
Jim Zwerg was born just three months before John Lewis, but the contrast in childhoods was dramatic. He did not see a black person until he was about four years old. Then he thought it was a white person that needed a bath. Throughout his childhood he had very little encounters with people from different races. Zwerg’s house had electricity, running water, three bathrooms, central heating, and even a rec room in the family’s basement. It was not until college that Zwerg finally experienced diversity. He made many African American friends. Zwerg ended up at Nashville studying Sociology.
Both men join the Civil Rights movement while in college through the Nashville Student Movement. The groups first target was segregated theatres. They held stand-ins, when they were refused tickets they went to the back of the line to try again, over and over. The two men joined the freedom riders. The author tells of the trials that they faced along the way. They were attacked by mobs on several occasions. Many thought they would die on these trips. They were also arrested on several occasions. But, through it all they preservered. In Montgomery they were attacked by a fierce mob. The police did not come for at least ten minutes. The Freedom Riders were beaten mercilessly. Medical attention was also slow arriving. Laying in a hospital bed Zwerg held an interview that inspired many to join the Freedom Riders. Many of the Freedom Riders were arrested when they arrived in Jackson, MS. They eventually ended up at Parchman. Lewis spent 27 days in Parchman, and more than 6 weeks in jails across MS. In 1961 regulations were put in place that helped inforce the Supreme Courts earlier desissions about segregation.
The author ends by telling what happened to the two men after these Freedom Rides. John Lewis is elected to represent Georgia in Congress. Jim Zwerg becomes a preacher, then works in the local business community in Arizona. They did meet again for the 25th anniversary of these rides.
Standards:
Social Studies:
*Time, Continuity, and Change
*People, Places, and Environments
*Individual Development and Identity
*Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
*Power, Authority, and Goverance
*Civic Ideals and Practices
Illustrations:
The illustrations of this book consist of black and white photographs. They are accompanied by captions that tell what is happening in the photograph. The photographs complement the text, visualizing what the author is discussing. The illustrations are all credited in the book.
Access Features:
*Table of Contents
*Foreword
*Introduction
*Photographs with Captions
*Map
*Partial Roster of Riders
*Chronology
*Resource Guide
*Research Notes and Acknowledgements/Citations/ Bibliography
*Index
*Illustration Credits
How I would use the book in the classroom:
I would use this book when doing a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. This book helps to bring the people of the movement to life. They are more than people you read about in a book. They are real people who put their life on the line for equality. Using this book (or other books like it) will give students such a clearer picture of the struggles during this time.
My response to the book:
I seem to have read a lot of books on the Civil Rights Movement lately, and they are all so powerful. The sacrifices so many people had to make to gain individual rights is overwhelming. I had never heard of the Freedom Riders and what they done before reading this book. They knew they were going to face opposition, but the pussed on anyways. What bravery they had to have. I had also not heard a lot about white people and the role they played in the Civil Rights movement, but there where some that put their lives on the line for justice and equality.
Related Texts:
Any books relating to the civil rights movement would go along with this text. Some accompanying books include:
*Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice (Pivotal Moments in American History by Raymond Arsenault
*Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
*The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by Freedom Writers and Zlata Filipovic
*Freedom Ride: A Freedom Rider Remembers by Ann Curthoys
*Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
Other:
This book has 67 pages plus the access features. The author took a neutral stance and just informed the reader of the things that took place. Access features were very helpful, including a partial roster of the riders. An inspirational quote heads the page at the top of each chapter. Chapter titles are vague, but they are meant to capture the reader’s attention. The resource guide includes music and videos, and places to visit in person and online.
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