Nonfiction Review #1

Book Review For:

Fleming, Candace. 2011. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART. 1st ed. ed. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375841989

            At first glance, a reader may think this black, white, and gray book is too lengthy and dry, but don’t be fooled! The black and white photos help lend an air of authenticity to the times in which Amelia Earhart lived, and there are plenty of interesting photos throughout. The gray pages help the reader identify the time period when Amelia went missing and lure the reader in right away with suspense. The white pages tell all about her life in a way that is not stilted, but includes ordinary details like how she pinned her map to her pant leg while in the cockpit or how she cut her hair an inch every day so that her family wouldn’t be subjected to a dramatic change. These ordinary details help readers connect with Amelia. By switching back and forth from the gray pages to the white pages, Fleming keeps readers engaged and mindful of Amelia’s mysterious disappearance.

            Subheadings are clearly written and even photos and excerpts are labeled and placed appropriately, giving readers a welcomed variation and break from the main text. For example, there is a side note in gray labeled “Amelia’s Teacher” that includes a brief, refreshing description of Neta Snook, a photo of Neta, and the photo’s caption “Neta Snook posing with her Canuck (Fleming, 2011, p. 35).”

            Fleming has created a truly wonderful biography with source notes and references to verify details, and she begins her book by stating what a tremendous job it was to sort out fact from fiction. Not only were there ample, made up stories about this legend, but it seems that Amelia herself was prone to fibbing to enhance her public image. It is refreshing that Fleming presents us with facts and, when in doubt, states her doubt to let readers come to their own conclusions.

            For follow-up activites, an educator could segue into Geography by having students plot Amelia’s flight paths on a global map. For a Writing activity, students could be given the prompt to write a story in which knowing the Morse Code saved the main characters. A Venn Diagram could be created to help students distinguish facts from speculations or rumors, etc.

            AMELIA LOST has won the 2012 Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction (“Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Awards and Honors”, n.d.) and the Kirkus Reviews states, “Handwritten notes, photos, maps and inquisitive sidebars… complete this impeccably researched, appealing package (“Book Review: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, n.d.).” Also, the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books states, “Fleming cleverly structures this biography to give the tale of tragedy a fresh and dreadful impact…(“Book Review: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, n.d.).”

 

References

"Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Awards and Honors." Candacefleming.com., accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.candacefleming.com/books/bk_amelia.html.

“Book Review: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.” Candacefleming.com, accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.candacefleming.com/books/bk_amelia_rev1.html.

 

 

Fleming, Candace. 2011. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART. 1st ed. ed. New York: Schwartz& Wade Books.

Nonfiction Review #2

Book Review For:

Montgomery, Sy. 2006. QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO: AN EXPEDITION TO THE CLOUD FORREST OF NEW GUINEA. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 9780375841989

            Anyone who likes animals, relishes a good adventure, has asthma or other disabilities, or has extraordinary interests will enjoy this book. Colorful pictures of rare animals and plants indigenous to New Guinea and pictures of various people traveling with and engaging with the expedition team enhance every single page. Subheadings are in bold, capital letters and captions accompany the pictures, and colored maps are present, making it entertaining and easy for the reader to follow along.

 

            Sy Montgomery, the author, and Nic Bishop, the photographer, documented this adventure firsthand, so the information, along with the pictures to back it up, seems highly authentic.

            Lisa Dabek, the scientific leader of the expedition team, is inspiring to many individuals in light of how she overcame her asthma problems, ignored teachers’ criticism of her obsession with animals while she was growing up, and led the team to do exactly what other “experts” called impossible. On page 74, she even gives advice to children who are interested in studying wild animals.

            The author encourages readers to think about various aspects of a scientific field study, specifically by encouraging them to convert the body temperature of a tree kangaroo from Fahrenheit to Celcius and including a quote from Lisa in which she explains that studying wildlife involves science, math, art, and politics.

            Educators could have students work in groups to plan imaginary field trip studies of their own in which they could name the animal they are studying, where they would have to travel, the means of their travel, and their supply lists. Also, other endangered animals and the scientists who have studied them and aided their cause could be explored. Best of all, an educator can arrange to have their students correspond with children in Papua New Guinea through www.zoo.org, a site of the Woodland Park Zoo (QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO: AN EXPEDITION TO THE CLOUD FORREST OF NEW GUINEA, 2006).

            This book has won the 2007 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award and is a 2007 Robert F. Sibert Honor book (“Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forrest of New Guinea”, n.d.). A Booklist review states,” As usual, Bishop's color photographs are exemplary and extend the excitement in stunning close-ups of creatures and of the team at work (Engberg, n.d.)”, and a School Library Journal review claims, “The book's fascinating glimpses into a little-explored region will hold the attention of anyone interested in unusual creatures and the efforts to study them (Piehl, n.d.).”

References

Engberg, Gillian. "Editorial Reviews from Booklist." Amazon.com., accessed October 30, 2013, http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Tree-Kangaroo-Expedition-Scientists/dp/B005EP2T0U.

 

Montgomery, Sy. 2006. QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO: AN EXPEDITION TO THE CLOUD FORREST OF NEW GUINEA. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Piehl, Kathy. "Editorial Reviews from School Library Journal." Amazon.com., accessed October 30, 2013, http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Tree-Kangaroo-Expedition-Scientists/dp/B005EP2T0U.

"Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forrest of New Guinea." Juniorlibraryguild.com. Junior Library Guild, accessed October 28, 2013, http://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/books/view.dT?isbn=0618496416.

Nonfiction Review #3

Book Review For:

 

Kerly, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?: HOW ALICE ROOSEVELT BROKE THE RULES, CHARMED THE WORLD, AND DROVE HER FATHER TEDDY CRAZY! 1st ed. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319

            Brimming with colorful collages filled with movement, WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE is a visual feast depicting Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter’s energy and enthusiasm for life. Every now and then throughout the story, Barbara Kerly interjects bold font with a slight flourish to emphasize quotes like “eating up the world” and “best official behavior”, and the text is arranged in a different format and position on every page. These pictures and varied text, combined with little tidbits of Alice’s life and adventures (like when she jumped into a swimming pool fully clothed), are sure to peak a young reader’s interest. The added space between lines makes reading easier on the eyes, too.

            An author’s note and listed references are included on the very last page and inside of the back cover in this particular edition, which lends credibility to the facts throughout the picture book biography.

            After reading this story with children, an educator could follow up with a study of famous, historic, eccentric individuals like Albert Einstein. Students could also learn quirky facts about past presidents. A discussion about how unique individuals may not have fit into society perfectly but still made great contributions to the world could additionally be initiated.

 

This book has won many awards, including the following:

·         Sibert Honor Book

·         Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book

·         Irma Black Award Honor Book

·         Parents Choice Award

·         A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year

·         A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year

·         A KIRKUS REVIEWS Best Book of the Year

·         An ALA Notable Book (“Children's Book Author Barbara Kerly”, n.d.)

 

This book has also received the following glowing reviews:

"Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was....  Kerley's text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line....  The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art."                                                                          

         Booklist, starred review (“Children's Book Author Barbara Kerly”, n.d.)

"Kerley's text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject's antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp  her style, dives fully clothed into a ship's swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father's trusted advisers.... Fascinating."
                                                                

      School Library Review, starred review (“Children's Book Author Barbara Kerly”, n.d.)

 

References

"Children's Book Author Barbara Kerly." Children's Book Author Barbara Kerly., accessed October 30, 2013, http://www.barbarakerley.com/Alice.html.

POETRY #3

Book Review For:

 

 

Frost, Helen. 2008. DIAMOND WILLOW. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374317768

            DIAMOND WILLOW is a verse novel about a lonely twelve-year-old Alaskan girl named Willow, who struggles to be more independent and prove her worth. She makes plenty of mistakes and learns more about herself while trying to save the life of her dog, Roxy. She inadvertently discovers a family secret and contributes toward the healing and renewed closeness of her family.

            On each page written from Willow’s point of view, the verse poetry is written in the shape of a diamond, with key words typed in bold near the center of the diamond to reveal a shortened synopsis of the entry or a clue as to what Willow is secretly thinking. The diamond shape is connected to how she got her name and the family “secret”. (I don’t want to give it all away!) Other chapters tie in more closely to her heritage and are written in prose from the viewpoints of her (and other characters’) deceased ancestors who currently reside in the form of an animal that observes or partakes of Willow’s adventures.

            Symbolism is spread throughout the story, like how it was a specific spruce tree that she camped under and provided her shelter and in sentences such as on page 65:

“All my doubts come circling in as soon as I’m alone. It’s like I’m a mouse and they’re hawks that have been watching, out of sight, and now they see their chance to swoop down on me.”

            The chosen language is highly poetic and vivid. “The THWACK of Grandpa’s ax”, “Grandma listens with her hands and ears and eyes”, and “clear pure brown, shining like the sun itself” are a few examples. Thus, it is a delightful read, almost like an intriguing puzzle.

 

            DIAMOND WILLOW has won numerous awards (Honors and Awards for DIAMOND WILLOW):

·         Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award in 2009

·         Mitten Award--Michigan Library Association in 2008

·         The Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry - A 2009 Honor Book

·         Winner of Best Books of Indiana, Children and Young Adult Book in 2009

·         CCBC Choices List in 2009

            I would suggest educators follow this story with having children explore different shapes and styles of poetry. Social Studies lessons can tie in to the culture and heritage of Alaska, and artwork of sled teams could be studied.

References

 

"Honors and Awards for Diamond Willow." Helen Frost: Poet, playwright, children's writer., accessed October 9, 2013, http://www.helenfrost.net/item.php?postid=25.

POETRY #2

Book Review For:

 

 

Sidman, Joyce. 2007. THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 9780618616800

 

            THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS is a topical anthology containing apology-related poems by sixth grade students and the poetic responses they received from others. The quaint, colorful illustrations, sometimes decorated with typed words, draw the reader in right away. On the front cover, a girl releases a bird carrying a letter from a cage, symbolizing the release of the apology and the bad feelings associated with it, and the drawn binding and stitches indicate that talented novices created this special book.

            The introduction by one of the sixth grade students informs readers of the context in which the book was made, and the classic poem THIS IS JUST TO SAY by William Carlos Williams is presented to indicate the example apology poem that the students used as a springboard for their own poems.

            I thought it was unfortunate that the book was divided into two parts: the first for apologies and the second for the responses. I had to flip back and forth to find out how the apology was received. Nonetheless, the variety of poem types, from haikus to two-part poems, and the many different subjects were highly entertaining. This book of poetry is likely to hold children’s attention, and since it was written by children, they will be able to identify with the situations and subjects.

            One poem, BROWNIES – OOPS!, uses phrases like “a wafting wave of chocolate-ness” and “thick brick of brownies” in a poem of smooth flowing couplets.

 

            The essence of the book is about the expression of feelings to others. If an educator/teacher of children notices a common difficult issue that children are struggling with, it may be beneficial to have them write their own poems on that topic, which would provide a time of reflection. Reciting and performing their poems in front of the group may then lead to interactive discussions and provide closure, healing, a bonding of sorts, or needed skills to deal with the selected topic. What a wonderful way to communicate, understand, and connect with other individuals!

            It is no wonder that this book of poems received glowing reviews from the School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist!

POETRY #1

Book Review For:

Florian, Douglas. 2007. COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS: SPACE POEMS AND PAINTINGS. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 9780152053727

            COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS is a bright and colorful collection of poems about outer space by Douglas Florian. Each poem and its illustrations cover two pages, sprawling out in an imitation of space itself. Cut out circles and other shapes invite readers to touch the pages. Painted strokes create a wispy sky or space, and scattered here and there are digital-like pictures, cut and pasted in. The table of contents and titles are in a more bold print, which makes it easy to read. It is truly a visual feast for the eyes.

            Douglas Florian describes the planets and other space-related things with comparisons to items and concepts children are familiar with here on earth, making them understandable and not so distant after all. THE BLACK HOLE poem, for example, mentions “black ink” and “lumps of coal” for imagery and “giant…broom”, which are familiar, concrete items that children can relate to. Florian adds one last comment to the poem: “Wish I had one in my room”, creating a mental image in readers’ minds of a black hole sucking up the mess of objects in their rooms. The rhyming is comforting and the sound of “wish” after the mention of the broom is reminiscent of the sound a broom makes while sweeping. Thus, a fun, light, participatory mood is created throughout the whole delightful book.

            Children could recite the poetry with volunteers reading a line or two, or the children’s painted space artwork, complete with added cut out, printed pictures, could be displayed around the room or on a refrigerator at home. Connections to science vocabulary would be beneficial, as well as following up with a field trip to a planetarium.