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.
Click Magazine: Opening Windows for Young Minds by the publishers of Cricket. ISSN 1094-4273, $24.95
Reader's Annotation: Cartoons, activities, information! There is something here for every child, especially those who enjoy learning about science and nature.
Summary: Click presents science-based articles, stories, and activities for children ages 4 to 6. With informational text, as well as stories that feature returning characters from previous issues, Click appeals to children who enjoy factual accounts as well as story narratives. The text is accompanied by a mix of cartoon-like illustrations, comic strip formats, and photographs.
Each issue focuses on a theme such as snow, the sea, going to the doctor, or insects, with content specifically selected to expand on the given theme. The magazine is approximately 36 pages in length, and is published nine times each year. A complimentary digital subscription is also available with the purchase of a print subscription.
Critical Evaluation: A member of the Cricket family of publications, Click offers informational articles about nature and science at a level appropriate for preschool and kindergarten-aged children. The narrative is clearly worded with a friendly tone that does not talk down to the reader. With recurring characters, such as Click the Mouse and Beatrice Black Bear, and a similar design layout and overall order of content in each issue, children will grow comfortable with the publication, and look forward to their favorite features with each new issue.
Many of the articles offer multiple levels of information that can suit the literacy levels of the young readers. The size of the text indicates the complexity of the content, with the largest text including simpler concepts and the smaller text requiring more complex comprehension skills. This design also encourages co-reading where an early reader could tackle the sections written in the larger typeface, while a parent or teacher could participate by reading the more challenging segments.
There is a great deal of information included in each issue that could prepare children for a STEM focused curriculum, once they begin elementary school. Additionally, the featured activities and interesting concepts that inspire further learning can establish a pattern of inquisitive information seeking that will serve young people well throughout their academic lives.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 6
Awards: A 2013, 2012, and 2010 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner,
2011 Teachers' Choice Awards for the Family
Why Included? This is a wonderful magazine to offer to children who prefer informational texts to fictional narratives.
Mighty Machines: Machines on the Job, NCircle Entertainment, 2007. UPC 843501006245, 90 minutes on DVD. $5.99
Annotation: Have you ever wondered how grapes are picked, how steel is made, or how newspapers are printed? Find out in this action-packed visual explanation of how all of these things are done.
Summary: This is just one of the many titles in the Mighty Machines DVD series which features machinery and heavy equipment on the job. The series originally aired on Canadian television from 1994 until 2008. The program is designed with live-action footage in a documentary style. Many of the machines are given names, and the narrator explains how the equipment works and what each piece does from the perspective of that machine character.
The harvest segment features a grape clipper and tomato picker, while the steel mill portion of the video explains what a slab hauler, ladle crane, electro-magnetic crane, and a fire quencher all do. The final segment in the compilation follows the production of a newspaper from loading the printing press to filling up the delivery trucks with finished papers. The machines go about their business getting their work done, and while the voices and story lines can be a bit silly, there is a good deal of information presented in each segment.
Critical Evaluation: Presenting the information about each job and industry from the narrated perspective of the equipment performing the work is rather ingenious, as it adds a personal connection between the young viewers and the big machinery. Due to the age of the original productions, some of the segments appear dated, particularly those that include footage of the people operating the machines. However, children are unlikely to pick up on this as their attention will be mainly focused on the equipment.
Additionally, because this television series was produced in Canada, some terminology in the program is different than that typically used in the United States, but again, this will not affect a child's enjoyment of the DVD. For children fascinated by construction, farm, transportation and rescue equipment, the Mighty Machine series will provide them with an entertaining and educational experience.
This series is very affordable, with individual DVDs available for $5.99 from the NCircle Entertainment website, and priced even lower on Amazon.com.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 2 to 6
Awards: Nominated for a Gemini Award in 1996 for Best Children's Television or Series
Why Included? Where else can you see a tomato harvester machine in action? Or get extremely close to fire-hot steel as it is being shaped into slabs? For those of us who don't get to see these things in our everyday lives, and for children interested in all sorts of equipment, this window into the world of big machinery is fascinating.
DK Find Out! Fun facts for kids on animals, earth, history and more. An educational website created by Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2015. Available at http://www.dkfindout.com/us/
Annotation: DK has done it again! This time, instead of a print edition of the well-designed and visually-oriented layouts of informational text that they are known for, the publisher has expanded to the internet and created a resource for curious kids who want to "find out more".
Summary: This is a cleanly designed website which is still in its beta phase, but even in this early stage, shows great promise as a resource that educates children about the world around them in such an engaging way that they won't even notice they are learning. With major categories such as "Animals and Nature", "Human Body", "Math", and "English", there is something here for every interest.
As shown in the screen shot below, the graphics are labeled with interactive buttons which, when clicked, open additional content or descriptive text.
There are fun quizzes to test your knowledge on particular subjects, videos, and photo galleries to explore. Currently, the site is available for educators, but there is a module coming soon for parents and children to use at home. There will also be a feature to save your favorite content for later reference that is currently in development.
Critical Evaluation: While this web encyclopedia is geared towards children at the high end of our target age range (and even older), it is a wonderful resource for the factual-oriented young person, and worthy of mention. DK's high standards for photography and overall design, as found in their print publications, are present here as well in the high-quality graphics and clean layout.
While DK Find Out! is offered through the internet, it is a secure site, and safe for children to use. The website is also available at no cost, which allows school, libraries, and families of all economic levels to have the same ability to access the content, an important factor to consider when combating the digital divide.
Also of note for educators is the curriculum-oriented content with suggested projects and assignments that relate to the subject matter on the website. It is evident that the developers of this site have put a great deal of thought into making it highly attractive to children, as well as practical and helpful to educators. A link to the DK Find Out! site would be a valuable addition to a school or library homepage or list of homework resources.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 6 and Up
Awards: ---
Why Included? This would be very useful in a school or library environment for children to reference particular topics for an assignment, or simply to browse the website for whatever strikes their fancy that day.
Muzzy Online. A language course for children created by Early Advantage, [n.d.]. Available on the websites of many American libraries.
Annotation: Travel with Muzzy, the clock-eating green monster, as he flies around the world, meets many interesting characters, and eventually ends up saving the day.
Summary: Muzzy began in 1986 as an animated film created by the BBC. It was later adapted to become a language course for children, and has now been updated to include interactive features in an online environment. Many American libraries offer Muzzy Online through their websites, free of charge to their patrons.
Muzzy loves to eat metal objects, clocks being his favorite, and as he lands his spacecraft in Gondoland, he meets a cast of characters including a king, a queen, and a princess, as well as a gardener who is in love with the princess, and an evil scientist. The story grows from there and involves an elopement, jail time, and computer clones.
While the plot sounds very mature, it is presented in an age appropriate manner. The movie segments are accompanied by language lessons and vocabulary building exercises that present the same words again and again, but in different contexts. It is thought that children learn language best when it is immersive and repetitious, and Muzzy Online utilizes this approach.
With eight world languages to choose from, two levels of difficulty, and the option of subtitles, the Muzzy Online site is incredibly versatile and offers a broad range of interactive language experiences.
Critical Evaluation: Muzzy (on DVD) and Muzzy Online are internationally recognized as the number one language course for children. Millions of children have learned a foreign language while enjoying animated videos and vocabulary exercises.
There are many glowing reviews and success stories featured on the Early Advantage website, which demonstrate the solid results that participants in the program have achieved. However, while the program was updated in 2013 with all-new animation and audio, the animation, voices, and music appear and sound dated, particularly in contrast to other current interactive apps or computer animated media for children.
Also, the layout of the various screens (which in many cases feature an active window within two larger frames, which are overlaid on an animated background) is distracting and draws attention away from the course content. Due to this overly complicated layout, there is often an awkward screen break which requires scrolling down to reach the area of the page where a mouse click is required to advance to the next segment of the lesson.
A redesign of the page layouts, and an update to the visual and audio portions of the course, would result in a more sophisticated and up to date presentation, which would be much more fitting to a language learning tool that has achieved such a high degree of international success.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 2 to 7
Awards: Parents Choice Gold Award; iParenting Media Award;
English Speaking Union Award
Why Included? In an increasingly global society, children who have foreign language skills will have a better chance of success in their career opportunities as adults. Muzzy Online is a language tool that public and school libraries can offer their youngest patrons and their families, in order to give them a head start towards meeting the demands of the future.
How many Jelly Beans? A Giant Book of Giant Numbers by Andrea Menotti, illustrated by Yancey Labat. Chronicle Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4521-0206-1
Reader's Annotation: How many jelly beans are enough? Ten? Five Hundred? Ten Thousand? Two children and their dog explore this important question and discover the world of numbers in the process.
Summary: This exploration of ever-increasing numbers begins when Emma and Aiden's mother asks them how many jelly beans they would like to have. Beginning with ten, the children decide that they need more and more, until they reach a very large number that requires a jumbo fold-out spread to show all the jelly beans that figure represents.
In a clever visual aid, each number that the children consider is accompanied by an illustration which shows that exact number of colorful jelly beans. This graphic representation allows children to comprehend the quantities represented by numerals. As the jelly beans multiply, their quantities are shown in comparison to the children, household items, and even a tall building.
Will the children reach an agreement on how many jelly beans is enough? Will their dog ever get to eat any? Can you ever have too many jelly beans? Menotti's mathematical work has the answers.
Critical Evaluation: Quantity and how it is represented by numbers can be a difficult concept to master for many young mathematicians. By providing a visual representation of how many jelly beans are required to equal certain numbers, children will quickly grasp the true amount that each numeral equals.
Labat's choice of illustrating the children, dog, and other items in the surrounding environment in mostly black and white allows the jewel-toned jelly beans to really stand out. For the numbers up to one thousand, the jelly beans are also spaced nicely to better allow counting by determined youngsters.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 7
Lexile Level: ---
Awards: 2013 Cook Prize for the best STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) picture book from Bank Street College of Education.
Why Included? This is a wonderful way to introduce large numbers to children using one of their favorite things: candy. School librarians and teachers could utilize this work in a unit on quantities, and as a springboard for activities involving physical representations of numerical concepts.
Biblioburro: a true story from Columbia written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane Books, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4169-9778-8
Reader's Annotation: Luis loves books and reading so much that he wants to share them with the people of his country, Columbia. But how to get the books to the isolated villages? Book burros!
Summary: In the heart of the Colombian jungle lives a man named Luis who loves books so much that he fills his house with them. He decides to share his books with people who have none, and that the best way to reach these isolated people is with burros. Luis buys two strong little burros and names them Alfa and Beto, and builds special crates for them to carry that will be filled with books. He paints the word, "Biblioburro" on the side of the crates, which means "The Burro Library".
Every week Luis and his burros travel to remote villages on lonely, sometimes even dangerous trails, but once they reach the people of the village, they are far from lonely. The children that run to meet him are thrilled to see him again, and Luis reads them a story before they choose a book to borrow. Luis and his burros then make the long trek back home, back to dinner, and rest, and reading late into the night. Winter concludes with an illustration that demonstrates the impact that this one kind man has made on the people of the hills of Colombia.
In the Author's Note, Winter explains that the story of Luis and his book burros is true, and provides a more detailed account of his life, as well as the growth of the burro library program.
Critical Evaluation: In an interview on the website PaperTigers.org, Winter states, "I am drawn to true-life stories, and true stories that relate to world events. Stories about brave and courageous individuals are personally so inspiring to me, and I want children to know about these people. I feel that children have the capacity to understand the big issues of our lives, if in a simplified way." Winter's excels at taking an inspiring life story and adapting it for children without losing any of the important details that show the effect that each person can have on other people and wider society as a whole.
In telling Luis Soriano's story, Winter also highlights how valuable books truly are, which is something that children who grow up in an affluent country may not realize. To share the risks Luis takes, and the trouble he goes to to get books to the people of Columbia, Winter provides a perspective on reading that may not have been considered before reading her work.
Winter's illustrations are vibrant and jewel-toned, and her folk art style of drawing is ideal for telling the story of Luis and his burros. She includes plenty of native flora and fauna in her art, and her portraits of Luis contain a quiet dignity and sense of purpose.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 3 to 6
Lexile Level: 640L
Awards: Americas Award Commended Title; CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council); NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
Why Included? This is a story worth sharing with every child in your life. Luis Soriano has criss-crossed a region which has been severely impacted by a guerrilla war, even putting his life in danger, so that he can get books into the hands of isolated children. Reading is powerful, and so is what Luis has accomplished with his traveling library.
Before John was a Jazz Giant: a Story of John Coltrane written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Sean Qualls. Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8050-7994-4
Reader's Annotation: When John Coltrane was growing up, he heard sounds of all kinds: birds, instruments, music, parades, singing, and turned them into his own kind of sound.
Summary: John Coltrane was a star in the world of jazz for his abilities on the saxophone, but growing up in the South in the 1930's, John was just a child listening to the sounds around him. From natural sounds like the singing of birds, to musical sounds like his father playing the ukulele, and his mother playing their gramophone, John took it all in. At church he heard hymns and preaching, and outside he heard the whistle of steam trains and the music and marching of parades.
The saxophone solos on the radio called to John, and when he picked up a horn and blew into it, all of the sounds he had heard melded together into his own signature style of music. John grew up to become an incredibly talented musician, and Weatherford's picture book biography of Coltrane provides a window into his early influences.
The Author's Note provides an in-depth account of Coltrane's life, from his childhood in North Carolina, to his time in the Navy, and highlights from his lengthy musical career. Suggested recordings are included, to allow young readers to hear Coltrane's music for themselves. Additionally, items for further reading are recommended to expand a child's understanding of John's life.
Critical Evaluation: The narrative text, illustrations, and information included in the author's note and biographical references combine to provide a complete portrait of one of our nation's greatest saxophonists. The narrative includes simple repetition, rhythmic phrasing, and a focus on the auditory qualities of everyday life. The illustrations are primitive in style, but are full of movement, and representative of life for African Americans in the South of the 1930's.
The palette is restrained, mostly blues, grays, blacks, oranges, and pinks, which may be a result of the illustrator not wanting the visual aspect of the story to compete with the focus on the sounds Coltrane heard and played. Each spread includes ribbon-like clouds of sound, as well as bubbles and circles to represent what John was hearing.
With mentions of popular culture of the era, such as Bojangles and Jitterbuggers, the author and illustrator have provided just enough detail through context and imagery to pique the interest of curious children who may want to find out more. This picture book biography has been well-researched, and invites the reader to explore the early days of jazz culture through both sound recordings and further reading.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 8
Lexile Level: 1090L
Awards: 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book; 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Why Included? This is a wonderful picture biography of a jazz legend. The rhythmic text and the movement in the illustrations almost form a musical statement themselves, and made me want to go put some jazz on the radio.
Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan / Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane Books , 2014. ISBN 978-1-14814-2294-9
Reader's Annotation: Here are the true stories of two brave young people, Malala Yousafzai and Iqbal Masih, who were both shot for speaking out for freedom and education in Pakistan.
Summary: Malala was born in 1997 in a small town in Pakistan, and greatly enjoyed her studies at the local school until the Taliban began to make it difficult for girls to attend. When Malala was eleven, she began to speak out about the rights of girls to have access to education, but due to her brave public statements, she began receiving threats, and was gravely injured when a Taliban fighter shot her on her way home from school.
Malala was rushed to hospitals in Pakistan, but when the Pakistani doctors did not have the ability to heal her, she and her family flew to England where she was treated and began to recover. As Winter so eloquently states, "The shot fired at Malala is heard the world over". Malala's story does not end here, but continues as Malala transcends above the hatred and ignorance that wounded her, and carries on in her efforts to fight injustice.
Fifteen years before Malala was born, Iqbal was born in another village in Pakistan, but unlike Malala, who was lucky enough to attend school, Iqbal began working at the age of only four, as a bonded worker in a carpet factory. He was shackled to the loom each day, and his existence was little better than a slave's.
When Iqbal was ten, he was freed from his bond by the Bonded Liberation Front of Pakistan, and began to speak out against child labor. His brave words were heard around the world, and he traveled internationally to share his childhood experiences. Iqbal dreamed of studying law, to help others who continued to suffer under unjust labor practices, but when he was just twelve, he was shot and killed as he was riding his bicycle. His murder was never solved, but it is suspected that the assassin was hired by the carpet industry.
Critical Evaluation: Winter has taken a difficult subject, and adapted it with sensitivity to the developmental level of her young readers. Her passion for the rights of children everywhere is clearly evident in her telling of these two biographical tales. By combining these two life stories with the picture book format, Winters has created a lovingly crafted tale that can be shared with children much younger than the typical reader of juvenile biographies.
The illustrations are representational of the true accounts of these child heroes, but are drawn in such a way, and with a jewel-toned palette, that the combination of the text and images never allows the tone of the work to become frightening or overly graphic.
The two stories are published back to back, and are connected by a single spread that can be enjoyed as it is reached from either segment of the book. It shows Malala and Iqbal flying kites towards each other across the night sky and the mountains of Pakistan. This page can be appreciated at numerous levels, literally, spatially, or spiritually, depending on the maturity of the children who are reading the book.
In our modern world, where an appreciation for multi-culturalism, and an awareness of global human rights issues are necessary, Winter's picture book biographies provide an excellent starting point for young children to develop these character qualities.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 5 to 9
Lexile Level: 640L
Awards: Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature, Best Multicultural Books of 2014; Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People - 2015, Kindergarten to Second Grade; 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List, Early Readers, Nonfiction
Why Included? The sharing of stories like Malala's and Iqbal's is so very important in our country, where children are born into freedom. Growing up without an awareness of the plights of others less fortunate will result in a child who takes his or her own freedom for granted, and who may be less likely to realize that part of a free person's responsibilities is to help those who are not free themselves.
Locomotive by Brian Floca. Atheneum Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4169-9415-2
Reader's Annotation: A telegram dated May 10, 1869, and addressed to Elizabeth Peckham in Omaha reads: "All is ready in California. Come West as soon as you are able. Love, Papa". Climb aboard with the Peckham family as they ride the new Trans-Continental Railroad westward.
Summary: "Here is a road made for crossing the country, a new road of rails made for people to ride". Locomotive opens with these lines, and readers embark on a journey full of fascinating details about how the Trans-Continental Railroad was built, the crews that man the trains, the nuts and bolts of how steam trains run, the landscape and landmarks along the rails from Omaha to San Francisco, and what it was like to travel by rail in the 1860's.
Told from the perspective of a mother and her two children, this informational narrative includes glimpses of a vanished America. As they travel through the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains, across the Great Basin, and up and over the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific Ocean, Floca has created an account of the steam era like no other.
Critical Evaluation: Not only are Floca's illustrations full of movement and detail, they realistically depict this period in our nation's history when steam engines were driving industry and speeding up the pace of life. Floca's muted palette perfectly represents the dusty, smoky environment of train yards and stations, as well as the parched landscape of the West.
The text contains an incredible amount of information, but is broken into short paragraphs interwoven with the illustrations, which provides resting points between segments - very important for newly independent readers. Floca uses italics, typefaces varying in style and size, and many instances of onomatopoeia to create a complete, multi-sensory experience.
With so many entry points for children with varying interests, this book will appeal to far more readers than a typical book about trains. History, engineering, mechanical principles, geography, travel, and of course railroads are all included in this account of trans-continental transportation at its start.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 10
Lexile Level: 840L
Awards: 2014 Caldecott Medal; ALA Notable Children's Books; Robert F. Sibert Award Honor Book; NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Why Included? Locomotive is a wonderful example of informational text at its best. There is so much that can be learned from the writing, and so many details to examine in the illustrations, that you feel almost as if you had ridden the rails yourself. Floca's narrative voice is warm and engaging, particularly when giving advice to young travelers, like when he suggests, "If the chicken tastes like prairie dog, don't ask why". This book is charming from beginning to end.
How did That get in my Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti. Candlewick Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-7636-5005-6
Reader's Annotation: One of the best parts of a school day is opening your lunchbox to see what's in there. Find out how the food in your lunch, from fruit to cookies, was grown, harvested, made, and transported so that it could end up in your lunchbox for you to enjoy.
Summary: Young children know that their parents buy food at the grocery store, but where did the food at the store come from? Butterworth has taken a typical selection of lunch food and traced each item from it's source until it is transported to market. Bread, cheese, tomatoes, apples, carrots, chocolate chips, and clementines are followed on their journey from harvest to lunch time.
At the end of the text, the author has included two-page spread which demonstrates a full plate of food which has been divided proportionately into the food groups that make up a balanced diet, with a short summary about each group. With a deeper understanding of where food comes from, and how much effort goes into getting it to our grocery stores, children will hopefully gain an increased awareness of why we should not waste food. Reading this book to a picky eater will most certainly be more persuasive than the old, "Clean your plate, there are children starving in China" strategy.
Critical Evaluation: Butterworth has created a wonderfully informative picture book that includes a large amount of detailed, step-by-step processes, but that does so in small, manageable bits that are appropriate to the reading and interest levels of the audience. Gaggiotti's illustrations complement each segment of the text, and demonstrate exactly how each step happens. For example, the process of making bread is described and illustrated during the stages of harvesting with a combine and tractor, grinding the grains at the flour mill, mixing the flour into dough at the bakery, and finally baking the loaves.
The mixed media illustrations are one-dimensional with a very retro feel. The illustrated figures are drawn as cartoon figures, yet are represented in a realistic fashion as they go about their work with the food. Just enough detail is incorporated into the illustrations of the machinery and equipment used to harvest and process the food to present an accurate depiction of the methods used, while still ensuring the content is not over the heads of young readers. Furthermore, Gaggiotti's use of vibrant color in the artwork has resulted in an eye-catching and attractive informational text that invites close examination.
Age or Interest Level: Kindergarten to Grade 3
Lexile Level: 870L
Awards:American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture Book of the Year 2011; NSTA (National Science Teachers Association)-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books For Students K-12 2012.
Why Included? Our food takes quite a journey to reach us! This book is a lovely way to explain and visually represent that journey. I'll certainly never look at a chocolate chip in the same way again, now that I understand the complete chocolate making process.
Weeds find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliott, illustrated by Carolyn Fisher. Beach Lane Books, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4424-1260-6
Reader's Annotation: "Weeds find a way to live where other plants can't grow". This is an eye-opening read that will have you not only looking for weeds, but appreciating them as well.
Summary: A little girl and her dog explore the outdoors together and encounter weeds growing in the most unlikely of places. From sticky burrs that get stuck in socks and fur, to weeds growing in sidewalk cracks, to sprouting seeds in a birds nest, weeds are everywhere!
The text follows the girl and her faithful companion throughout the seasons, and readers will learn how weed seeds are carried by rain and wind, how they defend themselves, why they flower, and how they wait out the winter. At the end of the narrative, the author has included an in-depth explanation about native and invasive plants, and how they reproduce and spread, as well as an illustrated listing of the weeds featured in the text with additional information about each plant.
Critical Evaluation: This book is a marvelous introduction to plant reproductive strategies which is written at a level that can be easily understood by preschoolers, yet the inclusion of more detailed information about each featured weed species will appeal to first and second graders.
The light-hearted approach to describing the weeds in the narrative, such as "Weeds find a way [by]...surprising hungry insects with sap so tart, it could turn a tongue inside out", makes nature approachable, and gives the plants personalities. Each two-page spread contains just enough text to keep the attention of the youngest readers, and the even pacing would make this a fine read-aloud.
Fisher's digital collage illustrations are vividly colored, and are filled with movement. The textures in the artwork are highly variable and range from strong paintbrush stokes in the fur of the dog to fuzzy chalk lines and wispy clouds, but always add depth and interest to the somewhat naive style of illustrating.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 3 to 7
Lexile Level: 910L
Awards:ALA Notable Children's Books; Eureka Nonfiction Honor Book
Why Included? This accessible guide to the world of weeds will give children an appreciation of plants that many adults love to hate.
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.
14 Cows for America. Written by Carmen Agra Deedy in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. Peachtree, 2009. ISBN 978-1-56145-490-7
Reader's Annotation: When the Masai of Kenya learn of the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, they search their hearts for a way to extend compassion to America. What could a small African tribe offer to a giant nation half a world away?
Summary: Kimeli returns from his studies in America to visit with his family and village in an isolated corner of Kenya. His heart is both jubilant at seeing his people again, and heavy with the suffering and grief he witnessed in New York City on September 11, 2001. America had become his second home, and many Americans had treated him like their own son while he was studying to become a doctor.
Kimeli knows he must do something to help heal the pain left in so many hearts after the terrorist attacks. He shares the story of that tragic day with his tribespeople and decides to offer his one cow as a gift to America. He asks his village elders to bless the cow so that it becomes a sacred symbol of peaceful solidarity.
This act of kindness ripples throughout the entire village, and when the American diplomat arrives at the Maasai village to meet with Kimeli's people, the tribe has arrived at a plan to demonstrate their affection and respect for the people of the United States.
Critical Evaluation: Through Kimeli's firsthand account of his experiences in America and Kenya, Deedy has created a compassionate and genuine tale of true kindness between two very different groups of people. Without including specific details of the events of September 11, she has still achieved an accurate portrayal of the world's reaction through the emotional response of the Maasai upon hearing the story.
The inclusion of both narrative and illustrations that elaborate on the sacredness of the cow to the Maasai serve to emphasize the gravity of the tribe's gift to America. "To the Maasai, the cow is life", and this relationship is depicted beautifully in many of Gonzalez's illustrations, which practically glow with light from the brilliant African sun. The glorious reds of the tribe's robes are in striking contrast to the earthy browns, golds, and greens of the Kenyan landscape, and Gonzalez has captured the spirit of the Maasai people through his lifelike portraits which feature extremely detailed facial expressions.
The images of the Maasai people, their vibrant clothing, and the livestock and surrounding landscapes offer a realistic view of this region of Africa. This authenticity further supports the sincerity of the emotions and sacrifice documented in this work. Kimali's tale is deserving of inclusion in a social studies unit focusing on acts of terror and how people can respond in a way to offer continued hope for a better future.
Age or Interest Level: Grades 1 to 4
Lexile Level: 540L
Awards:Parents' Choice Gold Award, E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor
Why Included? This poignant story is a wonderful account of empathy and caring among strangers, something that is worthy of attention, and a necessary counterpoint to the many distressing headlines in the daily news.
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & her Family's Fight for Desegregation. Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams Books, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4197-1054-4
Reader's Annotation: "You don't belong here!" and "No Mexicans allowed!" were the harsh words that Sylvia Mendez heard as a young Mexican-American girl in 1940's California. Will her family win the battle against this discrimination so that Sylvia and her brothers can attend the nearby school?
Summary: In 1944, the Mendez family moved to Westminster, California where Sylvia's father had leased a farm. When trying to register Sylvia and her two brothers for school that fall, Mr. Mendez is dismayed to realize that his children will not be allowed to attend because they are Mexican-American. The Mendez children are sent to the "Mexican school", which lacked quality teachers, a sufficient building, and a playground.
Sylvia's father founded the Parents' Association of Mexican-American Children and, with the assistance of attorney David Marcus, dedicated all his time to ensuring that Mexican-American children in California would have access to quality, desegregated education. Other families and social justice organizations joined the effort, and the lawsuit filed to fight this injustice traveled all the way to the State Court of California where a ruling was made that forever changed our nation's history, and the opportunities available for thousands of Mexican-American children.
Critical Evaluation: Tonatiuh has crafted an account of our country's troubled history of segregation that is drawn from many primary sources, including interviews with Sylvia Mendez herself. Many informational books can focus so heavily on facts that the text becomes dry and uninteresting, but Tonatiuh has achieved the opposite effect: a factual accounting of true events that is not only interesting, but also inspiring.
The courage and tenacity of the Mendez family in the face of discrimination offers an excellent example for children facing their own battles today. As Tonatiuh points out in the author's note, educational segregation towards Black and Latino children is on the rise again, and the struggles faced by Sylvia Mendez and others like her, remain extremely relevant.
His style of hand-drawn and collaged illustrating is modeled after ancient Mexican art, and is strikingly different from most current children's book illustration. This unique work would be valuable in a study of equal rights, and could encourage empathy and fair-mindedness among children of all races.
Age or Interest Level: Grades 2 to 4
Lexile Level: 870L
Awards: 2015 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book; 2015 Pura Belpré Award, Honor, Illustrator; 2015 Robert F. Sibert Medal, Honor Book; ALA Notable Books for Children 2015, Middle Readers
Why Included? This is a fascinating account of a little-known chapter of American history that resulted in a tremendous change of attitudes and opportunities for many, many people.
