Football Records, part of Blastoff! discover. Incredible sports records series, is a quick “dip your toes into the stats” kind of book. Glossy action shots of various record holders with short paragraphs and extras in scattered text boxes will leave the casual reader satisfied and the sports fanatic ready to explore more (which will be simple, given that there are extra print and internet resources listed in the back of the book). Highlighted words are defined in the glossary and an index is a nice quick reference. This will be a good purchase if you are looking to update your sports collection.
This book is part of the Tough Truck series and, as such, describes one make/model of vehicle. The reading level is 5.7 and the book is targeting the 3-6 grade reader. Chevrolet Silverados are described – including their history, distinctive parts (bow tie shaped logo, square grill and tailgate spoiler),lots of color photos and specifications for the model. Typical nonfiction aspects include table of contents, glossary, index and extra resources list.
While this is a great book for the target audience, it isn’t really a stand-alone book, because truck aficionados are loyal to their brand, even at an early age. Therefore, there might be limited circulation. Because it is part of a six book set of different makes/models, one should buy the entire set or none of them. The entire set would be fun to have in the library, because one can just imagine the heated arguments in the 600’s section over the best truck out there!
Dragsters, part of the Full Throttle series, is full of color, action and facts that will make your readers’ hearts race. This book describes a drag race, the history of drag racing and parts of a dragster. Color photos, a timeline, index, glossary, short paragraphs and a list of further informative resources make this a good choice for its target audience – the high/low reader. This is an adrenaline rush of a book that is very accessible and it will have your auto junkies begging for the rest of the series.
Space and astronauts are popular subjects, given the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. It is not often that K-3 crowd gets a good nonfiction book on those topics. This book should fit the bill. It discusses the origin of the space station, life on the space station today and more. Each two page spread has a full photo with a short paragraph describing the picture. Highlighted words are in the glossary. Other nonfiction elements include a table of contents, index and extra resources listed.
This book is considered a level “3” and deemed a transitional text for those students that are becoming more independent in their reading. It will also work well for the those higher grade/lower level readers, who will enjoy the great illustrations. Pick up this book for your library – it will be checked out often!
Farmers, part of the Community Helpers series, informs students about the work of farmers, including text boxes labeled “Farmer gear” and “farmer skills”. Sentences are short and highlighted words are identified in the glossary. There are numerous color photos showing farmers that are a mixture of gender, ethnicity and ages. Farmers are working with their hands and using equipment.
This is a nice introduction to farmers and farming. The photos of the many types of people that farm is realistic and timely. There is one part of the book that will need some discussion. It describes where farms are located – in the countryside (obviously), but also in cities and towns. Hmmmm….young students will wonder what that means, given the rural nature of the photographs included. This will be a good discussion point for classes – what defines a farm? Can we all be farmers?
Add this book to your collection for those grades that study community helpers. This series includes fourteen different community helper profiles. If this book and the cover art of the others are indicative of the helpers highlighted (age, race, gender), then this is a series that will resonate with most children, who will see themselves (no matter who they are) in those roles.
Surviving a Shipwreck: the Titanic is a narrative nonfiction following the timeline of the sinking of the Titanic, from its launch and sinking in 1912 to its discovery in 1985. The book begins with a hook on the first page – a single paragraph detailing the moments after the ship struck the iceberg. Text is interspersed with historical captioned photos to move the reader through the maiden voyage and sinking as well as the rescue and eventual changes in law (United States and Great Britain) concerning safety measures so that this type of disaster would never occur again.
Typical nonfiction features – table of contents, index, glossary, source notes and so forth are present in this book. An interesting diagram of the sinking itself, from hitting the iceberg to the ship breaking in half and sinking in two pieces is included. Another interesting addition is the short biography of Margaret Brown, who tirelessly aided her fellow passengers as they loaded lifeboats, went on board the Carpathia and later when they got to New York. One last page of note is the guide to surviving disasters with steps to take to keep safe in the unlikely event of a ship sinking.
Pair this book with some of the newer fictional stories about the Titanic to give students more history about the event. Surviving a Shipwreck: the Titanic will be a riveting read for your upper elementary readers and a nice addition to the nonfiction about the event.
Toucans is a colorful informational book about a bird that most students will not see outside of a zoo. Short sentences with labeled photos are accessible to the beginning readers. Maps, labeled diagram, glossary and index pack a lot of information into a slim volume and the internet links for further reading add more for the inquisitive student.
This book is part fo the Animals of the Rain Forest series. Look at this series if your younger students are studying biomes, environmental science or just want to read about these cool birds!
The Frog Book is a 33 page mix of glorious illustrations and amazing facts about some of the over 6,000 (that we know of so far) amphibians that inhabit most parts of the world. Information is presented in small bites under such page headings as “What is a frog?” and “Finding a mate”. While this information could tend to be somewhat dry if presented in a flat, fact-filled tome, it is nothing short of incredible in this incarnation. Many of the pictures are presented half life-sized, except for a few notables (the largest and smallest, fore example). Some of the illustrations are labeled and there is a fine two page spread of the life cycle of a typical frog. Students will love the detailed information given in this book and, I am sure, will ask to share some of the more ‘interesting’ facts such as the facts that the golden poison frog has enough poison to kill ten adult humans and the hairy frog (yes, it does look a little hairy!) can break its own finger bones that penetrate its skin and act like claws. Wow! I want to learn more about frogs now! This magnificent book will enthrall your young scientists and turn your non-scientists into frog experts hungry for more!
United States Marine Corps, part of the six volume set U.S. Armed Forces (Fly!), is a high interest informational text that gives small chunks of information about the origin, mission, machinery and famous examples of the Marines. Photographs are interspersed … Continue reading →
Let’s Visit the Evergreen Forest is an introduction to the plants and animals that are part of this particular biome. Pictures are engaging and accompanying text boxes have extra information. A map details where this biome is located. And, information is presented in simple terms, with a glossary to explain the more difficult words.
This book leads the reader to believe that an evergreen forest biome is simply a stand of towering trees, which is incorrect. There are many parts to this ecosystem, some of which are pictured but not discussed in the text. Meadows, wetlands and immature stands of trees as well as the mature forest are all part of a healthy evergreen forest biome. Different animals thrive in different parts of that biome and that is not described in the text. I would not recommend this book for purchase unless it is used in conjunction with instruction on all aspects of an evergreen biome.
Inside the U.S. Army gives a very basic overview of this military branch. Four short chapters highlight what it is, training, equipment and what the future might look like for the army. Short, descriptive paragraphs and color photos of army personnel of different genders and ethnicity are further explained with extra information boxes. There is also a very nice diagram explaining the gear of a typical infantry soldier as well as a page detailing the history of the army.
This particular book is part of a four book series on the branches of the military and includes typical nonfiction features. A table of contents, index and glossary are helpful. And, a page of books and websites for further reading will be helpful for those students seeking more information. This book will be popular and accessible. Highly recommended.
Current and past NBA Finals are described in spare text within full-color pictures of this 24 page high interest-lower reading level nonfiction book. The history of the NBA is briefly described along with exciting photos of some of its starts will engage even those reluctant readers.
Typical nonfiction features are included: table of contents, index, glossary and further exploration. Unfamiliar words are bolded and a two page spread of the bracket used will entice young readers to keep this book in hand. Additional purchase
Saltwater Crocodiles describes the largest reptile in a succinct (two to three sentences per page), well-written manner with incredible photos of a crocodile swimming, leaping out of the water and more. Information is often presented with comparisons so that the reader has a better sense of the enormity of this animal. Words that might be unfamiliar to the reader are highlighted and there are additional facts near the end of the book. It includes a glossary, index and table of contents. Additional online materials may be accessed with an included code.
This is a wonderful book for young students that want to learn some basic facts about this giant animal. This book is part of the Abdo Super Species series and well worth your money. It won’t stay on the shelves long!
The book explained the Bubonic Plague, and how it happened really well. The author really went in depth on how the plague affected the world, how the rats had spread the disease, and how the scientists figured out how to deal with it.
The writing style the author had used was really interesting, one thing that confused me was the time jumps. The author skipped to different times in the book. It took me a while to figure out why I kept getting lost. So I had to go back and re-read some of the parts in the book, but I eventually figured it out. If you like science and/or history this book is definitely for you. Watch out for the time jumps though.
Lost in the Pacific, 1942 retells a story of survival at sea during the second World War. The year was 1942, and the US was in heated battle with Japan for control of the Pacific ocean. This nonfiction survival and suspense story retells the events that led to the crash landing of a B-17 bomber into the Pacific ocean and the attempted survival and rescue of the crew and VIP passengers. This page turner provides facts about the aircraft, the crew, and the events both before and after the crash. The book is put together in a manner that makes it easy to follow and understand. Features include: table of contents, cast of characters – complete with photos of crew and passengers, maps and photos for historical context, glossary, author’s note and sources.
This book is about hurricanes. It caught my eye to see what could happen how many people die each year. This book was about hurricanes. The author gives how many lives are lost and the costs for each hurricane. I was frustrated when I read that barrier broke because of design faults. If we want to stop the number of people dying from hurricanes, they (barriers) should be made correctly. If you like to learn good information, I recommend this book especially to people who want to learn about hurricanes.
Examining Shipwrecks by Hayden Wedge is an interesting and entertaining yet fact filled book.The nonfiction book maintains the theme of shipwreck exploration while traveling through time in order to tell the reader how and why shipwrecks happens. The book’s text features and fun facts gave the book a nice kid friendly touch while being relevant to the main purpose of the book. The book’s set up makes it hard to become lost and includes an index, glossary, table of contents, and further information page. I personally like ship rides but I don’t care too much to know how they work, yet Examining Shipwrecks maintained my attention the whole time throughout the book and I enjoyed it.This book is perfect for fourth through eighth grade. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. If you like ships or are curious about shipwrecks, I highly recommend you give this book a try. This book was an interesting yet informative read that left me feeling satisfied.
The book Examining Pandemics catches attention because of the bright colors on the front and outside of the book, also the variety of pictures throughout the book when looking through. The book talks about the top 10 deadliest diseases and more. The book goes into detail of where they start, and what scientists or doctors are doing to help prevent them. I liked how the book stayed on the topic, went by smoothly, and was easy to understand most parts. It had a few spots in the context and graphs that were harder to understand for those who do not already know about the subject. I recommend that anyone who is curious about illnesses or wants to become a doctor or scientist reads this. All in all, this book was very informative about the illnesses it included.
This book is about destructive eruptions from active volcanoes. It states some of a few big eruptions around the northwestern area that were devastating to the locals. The book is overall great in describing why and how volcanoes erupt and what affect it can have on the environment. Although it is good in facts, it lacks an introduction to what the book is mainly about. I also feel like the author could have studied a few more eruptions around america, which can give the reader a better idea of how powerful an eruption can be over additional devastating stories. This book can be a great read for people learning about volcanoes or what makes one erupt. It can also be used for science projects. I give it a 3 star rating. It was an informative read.
Right off the bat I am intrigued by this book and it’s theme of engineering. This book is all about exploring why bridges collapse and how different types of bridges are better than others in certain situations. I personally like this book, the way they explain things make engineering sound fun and exciting. I would definitely suggest this book to a civil engineer needing a quick refresh on bridge terms and vocabulary. Also if you are in middle school wanting to try engineering this would be perfect to get you started. This book is an informational book and I would have to give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Examining Airplane Crashes, By: Andrew Hatch, tells the reader how plane crashes occur, and how they can be prevented. The author also includes many of the biggest plane crashes in history. The book really thoroughly explained how plane crashes occur and also how the pilots can prevent the crashes. I really thought the book was great, it was really informative. The author seemed to explain everything that could cause a plane crash. If you are afraid of going on airplanes because you think there is a high chance they will crash, this book will help you get over that fear. More than 8.7 million flights took off in 2013, and only one of them crashed in the United States.
The book McDonald’s the Business behind the Golden Arches by Cath Senker goes behind the scenes of the McDonald’s food franchise and company. The book talks about the industry of McDonald’s. It goes on about how McDonald’s runs and works with their customers, employees, and products. I do say the book goes over the topic well. I would have liked it if they went over McDonald’s nutrition chart and how it should be more public. I would recommend this book to people who are fascinated in fast food industries. The book was very informative to read, and I rate this book with three and a half stars.
This graphic novel illustrates the life of Henry David Thoreau, the American who “went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately…” Thoreau was a man of many interests – ecology, abolitionism, pacifism, Native American culture. While most people are aware of his life in the woods and his short incarceration for refusing to pay his taxes, fewer might be aware of work on the Underground Railroad and his support for John Brown. The illustrations are incredible; the lush greenery of the forests and ponds are inviting. There are full page illustrations with no words at all, which seems fitting for the story of a man who “wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” The six page essay at the end provides further information about Thoreau’s philosophy. Highly recommended addition for libraries with a nonfiction graphic novel collection.
Julius Rosenwald was part owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company in the early 1900s. His motto was “Give while you live.” He started giving to mostly Jewish causes when he was young, but one man changed that. Rosenwald meet Booker T. Washington. A former slave, Booker T. Washington believed that the only way for African Americans to achieve equality was to first become self-reliant, productive members of society as laborers. Washington’s idea of self-reliance appealed to Rosenwald. On his fiftieth birthday, Rosenwald gave matching grants to many groups, including a small amount to Washington to help build elementary schools for blacks in the South. He soon discovered the inequities in education faced by blacks in the South. He began giving more more with one stipulation: “each community had to contribute to the building of the school.” The book details how communities raised money, the blueprints for some schools, the prominent African Americans who benefited from the schools and more. More than 600,000 African American children attended Rosenwald schools. An excellent account of a little known segment of history.
Photojournalist Jenny Matthews begins her book by discussing what it means to be a freelance photographer, how she got started and how she is able to go into conflict zones and do her job. She ends her introduction with the UN Convention Rights of the Child. She uses these rights as an organizational tool; each chapter is devoted to certain rights. Although it might seem disjointed to some, this method allows Matthews to cover a significant number of conflicts all over the world instead of just a few.
Matthews puts a personal face on conflicts. She discusses the expectation that journalists should be objective and neutral, but says she that tries to get as close as she can to her subjects. She tries to listen and observer; she wants to understand what they are going through. Trying to minimize the distance between herself and her subjects serves her well; her photographs are moving. While some of them depict the result of violence, they are not gratuitously violent. Some of them are hopeful.
There are charts with important data intermingled with the photos: how many people are displaced by war, the percentage of refugees who are children, or the percentage of children who are killed or maimed by land mines. At the end of the book, there is a map of countries referred to in the book, a short description of the major conflicts, a glossary and a list of websites for further information.
