Today's topic for book reviews for ReFoReMo 2017 is Nonfiction.
GIANT SQUID by Candice Fleming
Lyrical prose and amazing illustrations teach children about
giant squids, one of the big mysteries of the ocean. Much is known about them,
but so much is left to be learned.
The last four pages of the book are packed with information
about giant squids, including a diagram with labeled parts. Also, two of the
pages in the book unfold to reveal a giant squid illustration which is very
striking.
I'M TRYING TO LOVE SPIDERS by Bethany Barton
Do you like spiders? I don't. I really, really, don't like
spiders. I try to like spiders, but it's really hard to do.
This is a great book for anyone who doesn't like spiders
(like myself). It's filled with wonderful illustrations and interesting facts
and trivia about spiders.
The text is written with humor as the person who is
"trying to love spiders" keeps smashing them and then apologizing for
doing so. But, in the process, the person becomes a bit less squeamish and more
appreciative of these 8-legged critters.
It can be difficult to love spiders, but when you think
about how helpful they can be maybe you can come to love them, or at least, not
be afraid of them.
The front and back matter of the book has drawings of a
variety of different spiders. The illustrations throughout the book are
colorful and expressive. Kids are sure to love them (the illustrations, if not
the spiders)!
INFINITY AND ME by Kate Hosford
Have you ever stopped to think about what infinity is? Uma
has. One night when she sits under the stars, she wonders how many stars there
are. Are there an infinite number of stars?
She asks some people how they think of infinity. One person
says it's just a number that keeps growing and growing. Another person thinks
of it in terms of the symbol which she
says looks like the number 8 turned over on its side to take a nap so it looks like
a racetrack that you can drive around forever and ever. It seems like everybody
has a different idea of what infinity is.
That's the beauty of the word and the concept. It can be
thought of in many different ways. Author Kate Hosford does a great job of
describing and defining the term without being boring, preachy or know-it-all.
The illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska go
perfectly with the text. The author also includes an Authors Note in the back
of the book with some more thoughts and information about infinity.
This would be a great book to use in the classroom when
discussing the concept of infinity.
When Sunny's house gets a bit crowded and things get a bit
cozy, Sunny decides to go looking for a different place to live. He spends time
with different relatives. Even though he is welcomed everywhere he goes, he
can't find a place where he feels like he fits in. There's only one place where
that happens. I'm sure you can guess where that is.
While we read about Sunny, we learn a bit about the
different habitats of merkats. The text is enhanced with lift-the-flap
postcards that Sunny writes to his family from the places he visits.
ONE PLASTIC BAG: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of
the Gambia by Miranda Paul
Isatou lives in Gambia .
Her family and people in her village are very poor. When Isatou finds a plastic
bag on the ground, she is grateful to have it because her basket is broken and
can no longer be used. But, when the bag gets a hole in it, what is she to do
with it? When her basket broke, she just threw it on the ground where it would rot back into the earth in a short time. But when she throws the used
plastic bag on the ground, it stays there, for a very long time.
Over time, many more plastic bags end up on the ground. They they soon become a problem. The ground is covered with them. Goats who eat
them die. They are just a mess. But, what can Isatou do about it?
This is a story about how people in a village figured out
how to overcome a problem and turn it into something good. It's a great lesson
for everyone.
The story is well-written and has some great repetition, and
the story is based on real events. Author Miranda Paul uses some foreign words
in the text. She provides a glossary of the words at the end of the book. She
also provides an author's note about Gambria, West Africa .
OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW by Kate Messner
As dad and child glide over the snow on their skis, where
they see birds and animals going about their business, numerous other animals
are living their lives deep beneath the snow where they can't be seen.
This is a lyrical look at the world under the ground, where
life goes on unseen. An Author's Note at the end of the book provides
additional information about animals who live above and below the ground.
Author April Pulley Sayre takes the reader on a lyrical and
pictorial tour of raindrops. She incorporates the elements of lyrical prose,
some rhyming text, and beautiful photographs to talk about raindrops. She has
taken an otherwise ordinary event and turned it into something magical.
She includes an Authors Note at the back of the book that
explains some of the science behind rain and raindrops.
THE PHILHARMONIC GETS DRESSED by Karla Kuskin
A behind-the-scenes look at how the members of a
philharmonic orchestra prepare for a concert. The author takes us from bath
time, to actually getting dressed, to traveling to the auditorium, to getting
ready for playing and then to the start of the concert.
The text and illustrations work well together to make what
could otherwise being a rather boring ritual seem like fun for kids. I know
kids will love all the talk about taking baths or showers and getting dried off
and getting undergarments on. But, for me, I think the story/narration would
have been just a good with a little less detail and description about that
part. But, like I said, I'm sure kids will love it.
I love the last line of the book: "They are the members
of the Philharmonic Orchestra, and their work is to play. Beautifully."
WATER IS WATER by Miranda Paul
This book takes a look at water and where it comes from.
Author Miranda Paul uses delightful, lyrical verse to explain what water is and
the many types of water that exist - ice, steam, rain, etc.
The book begins: "Drip. Sip. Pour me a cup. Water is
water unless...it heats up" (then you get steam). Steam then changes into
clouds. Each type of water is illustrated with lyrical, rhyming verse and also
illustrated with detailed, life-like pictures (by Jason Chin).
There are four pages in the back of the book called
"More About Water." These pages include great reference material about
different types of water, a chart showing that almost everything contains
water, a map of the world showing water on the earth's surface, a paragraph
about why water is important, a list of books for "Further Reading"
and a "Select Bibliography."
This book would make a great addition to teaching and
reference materials for students learning about the water cycle.
WHAT IN THE WORLD? by Nancy Raines Day
The book starts out: "What in the world comes one by
one? A nose. A mouth. The moon. The sun?"
This format, with the words "What in the world"
starts each stanza, with one stanza used for each of the numbers 1 through 10. Each stanza
also rhymes.
This is a delightful, lyrical, rhyming look at nature by the
numbers.
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