Maria had a Little Llama = Maria Tenia una Llamita by Angela Dominguez. Henry Holt & Company, 2013. ISBN 978-0-8050-9333-9
Reader's Annotation: Maria's little llama follows her everywhere, through to countryside and into the town, but what will happen when he follows her to school?
Summary: Dominguez has created a Peruvian take on the familiar nursery rhyme, Mary had a Little Lamb, with text in both English and Spanish. "Maria has a little llama, whose fleece was white as snow". Maria and her llama are inseparable, and explore the landscape and Incan landmarks around their home together. One day, the llama follows Maria into town and right into the village school!
Maria's fellow students are delighted to have a llama in class, but of course, the rules won't allow it. Maria's teacher kindly sends the llama outside to wait. And what a joyful reunion they have when the school day is over!
Critical Evaluation: This charming re-imagining of a classic rhyme offers a window into the world of village children in this region of Peru. With bilingual text, and illustrations featuring regional dress and the village band performing at the end of the rhyme, Dominguez has successfully incorporated many cultural details into this simple story.
The tale highlights the loving bond that develops between children and their pets in every country around the globe, no matter the continent or type of animal. The roughly shaded illustrations include a multitude of textures and patterns, well-suited for depicting the mountainous landscape surrounding Maria's home and village.
While the book ends rather abruptly, it is true to the original children's rhyme, and the sweetness of Maria's musical celebration with her llama helps to make up for the sudden finish. Although geared to a younger audience, the inclusion of a map featuring several Incan ruins, and the depiction of Peruvian musicians and instruments could spark an interest for further research in slightly older readers.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 2 to 5
Awards: 2014 Pura Belpré Award, Honor, Illustrator; ALA 2014 Notable Children’s Books, Younger Readers
Why Included? It is wonderful to imagine a place so different from my own small village. Where we have dogs and cats, Maria's village has llamas. We have the sea and Maria has mountains. Our oldest buildings date to the 1600's, while Maria is surrounded by ancient Incan monuments. Fascinating!
National Geographic Little Kids: the Magazine for Young Explorers by the National Geographic Society. ISSN 1934-8363
Reader's Annotation: With articles like "Hanging with Fruit Bats", "Jaguars Grow Up", and "The Moon up Close", children will experience a learning adventure with each issue's arrival.
Summary: A magazine for the very youngest nature explorers filled with spectacular photographs and short informational articles about subjects of interest to children. Interspersed among the articles are activities such as naming games, seek-and-find challenges, jokes, and matching fun.
Each issue also includes removable Wild Cards that feature images of animals, insects, and sea life on one side, with fun facts on the reverse side. The wonders of nature, space, and science are presented in a dynamic format and small size perfect for curious preschoolers.
Critical Evaluation: The National Geographic Society continues its long tradition of quality educational publications with this title for the very young. Preschool children are inherently curious about the world around them, and Little Kids provides age-appropriate informational articles about nature and science in a format that supports both learning and entertainment.
The factual articles are enlivened with many photographs and the text placed on the page in such a way to allow the pictures to figure prominently. Additionally, colored headings, varying sizes of type, and easily understood design layouts encourage reading and browsing by the very young.
The only drawback to this publication is the cost: a yearly subscription of six bimonthly issues costs $15. Each issue averages just 24 pages, and young families may find the subscription price prohibitive when it is weighed against the frequency of issue delivery and quantity of content.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 3 to 6
Awards: Parent's Choice Gold Award
Why Included? I have been a lifelong fan of National Geographic Magazine, and Little Kids is a perfect introduction to this wonderful educational organization and its many publications.
Lifetime : The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. Chronicle Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4521-0714-1
Reader's Annotation: Animals accomplish all sorts of things during their lifetimes, and now, thanks to this beautifully illustrated volume, children can discover and count the marvels of nature. From alpacas to alligators, and from one to one thousand, this book adds up to a perfect 10!
Summary: Schaefer has created an informational narrative which shows how many times a particular animal does something during its lifetime. Beginning with a single spider's egg sac, and progressing with ever increasing numbers through alpaca fleeces grown, woodpecker nests created, and kangaroo babies born, until reaching 1,000, the simple text and supporting illustrations offer a visually quantifiable look at the lives of the featured animals.
Neal's crisp, mixed media illustrations clearly demonstrate the animal in its habitat, and include the countable items, prominently placed and ready to be tallied. Detailed information about each of the animals highlighted in the book is provided after the main body of text. Additionally, the author offers an explanation of the concept of "average", and incorporates several examples of how averages are calculated.
Critical Evaluation: The animals, insects, and birds selected for inclusion in this title are unusual enough that most children will not have a detailed knowledge about their habits before reading Lifetime. Schaefer's writing tone is conversational and friendly, and includes humorous asides. Neal's artwork portrays the animals in an attractive style, and makes even potentially frightening animals like the alligator appear worthy of closer examination and counting.
Besides the fascinating facts and engaging illustrations, one of the strong points of this book is the multiple levels of literacy and mathematical comprehension that it appeals to. Pre-readers (and counters) will enjoy the imagery of the animals and their surroundings. Children in kindergarten and first grade can read about and count the featured objects for themselves. Second and third graders will grasp the higher math concepts and be challenged by developing a deeper understanding of how averages and lifetime counts are determined. This truly is a book that children can enjoy for years, returning to it again and again as their abilities and comprehension grow and deepen.
Age or Interest Level: Pre-K to Grade 3
Lexile Level: 860L
Awards:NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12: 2014;
2014 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book
Why Included? The accessibility of this book for such a wide range of ages and abilities is impressive. Also, informational works in picture book format are a valuable introduction to the world of facts for early learners.