Set #2

Frogs 

Bishop, N. (2008). Frogs. New York, NY: Scholastic Nonfiction.

This book has wonderful informational on frogs.  You learn with the first sentence in the book, that frogs are found on all continents except Antarctica.  Bishop describes how you can tell the difference between frogs and toads.  He goes into much detail into where you can find them, how they look, what they eat, how they reproduce and how they are able to survive in the harshest of environments.   I have always thought that frogs were frogs and that toads were toads.  But after reading Bishop’s book, I learned that toad is a kind of frog that can live further away from water and that it has shorter legs and hops instead of jumps.  You can tell that Bishop really enjoys studying and observing frogs.  He definitely takes pride in his work. 

The amount of information in his book is exceptional and accurate.   The photographs that Bishop uses are beautiful and so up close that you can really see their beauty.  He even uses different kinds of font to make it fun and enjoyable for the reader.  The design of his book is very catchy and appealing for all ages.  

Here is a link to the website from the author/illustrator on his book:  http://www.nicbishop.com/nic_bishop_home_page_016.htm

Here is a link on the care of frogs: http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml

Here is a link to wonderful teacher resources on frogs:  http://www.theteachersguide.com/froglessonplans.htm

Here is a link to learn all about frogs for kids & teachers:  http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/





Magic Windows

Garza, C.L. (1999). Magic Windows. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press

Throughout the book, Garza shares the Hispanic culture through cut-paper art called papel picado.  It is through these magic windows of cut-paper art that she creates to tell stories about her family traditions, customs and beautiful Aztec legends.  Garza tells the story about each cut-paper-art and provides the name for each of these beautiful pieces of art.   This craft was taught to Garza by her grandmother and she was inspired by ther mother to become an artist. It is through her stories and cut-paper art windows that allow you to see a rich, culture of the Mexican-American heritage.   

The style of Garza is an important because she tells the stories of her magic windows in English and in Spanish.  The beautiful appearance of the cut-paper art throughout the book make this informational book very enjoyable to the readers. 

Here is a link to a great website to learn more about the art of paper cutting:  http://studentz.squidoo.com/paper-cutting-art-techniques-how-to-cut-intricate-patterns-projects-for-beginners

Here is a link to see some beautiful pieces of cut-paper art:  http://www.boredpanda.com/paper-art/

                                                                                      

It's So Amazing!

Harris, R. (1999). It’s so amazing. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

This book starts off by introducing the readers to the bird and the bee characters that are used throughout the book to help provide children with the information and the facts about how babies are created and born.  It starts off with a child’s natural curiosity about where babies come from? Here are some of the topics that Harris provides facts and information on how male and females are alike and different, puberty, and how babies are created and born. 

The information that Harris provides in his book is accurate and up to date.  It is explained on a child’s level.  The author stated at the beginning of the book that he and Emberley talked to various people and they asked lots of questions in order to get the most up to date accurate information.  The illustrations are done in a cartoon comic-book style to make children and parents comfortable with the topic since this can be a touchy, uncomfortable subject for many. This is a good book for children and families to read together and discuss what they learned.  

Here is a link to a book trailer on this book:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFWQsZGwXyo

Rosa

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Life changed for seamstress, Rosa Parks one December day on her way from work while riding the bus.  She saw that the section reserved for black people was full, so Rosa decided to sit in the neutral section on the bus for both blacks and whites where there were some available seats.  Her thoughts were on making a special dinner for her husband when she was told to give up her seat by the bus driver.  Rosa Parks just sat there and quietly said “No.” She was tired on how everything was separate but not equal.  The police were called and they arrested Mrs. Parks.  The story goes on to describe how the Montgomery bus boycotts came into plan and the aftermath that occurred after Mrs. Parks said “No!” that December day.

The style of the book starts by introducing us to Rosa Parks and we learn quite a bit of information about her and her day before she got on the bus.  We learn that Rosa Parks was the best seamstress in the alterations department and that her mother was ill with the flu.  Giovanni wants us to see that Rosa Parks was just an ordinary person, doing ordinary things when she said “No!” on that day that changed everything.  Giovanni wanted for the readers to see that Rosa Parks was just person.

Students could write about how the story made them feel.  They could also write about what they would do, if they were alive at that time. 

Here is a link to learn more about Rosa Parks:  http://www.ducksters.com/biography/women_leaders/rosa_parks.php 

Balloons over Broadway

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy’s parade.         New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin for Books for Children

In this informational story, we are introduced to Tony Sang, a puppeteer who created the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Since Tony was a little boy, he loved to make things move.  He started off making marionettes that performed so lifelike that people thought they were real. Tony was asked by R. H. Macy’s department store to design a “Wondertown” window where his magical mechanical marionettes performed all day long.  So then Macy’s asked him to put a holiday parade for their employees who were immigrants and missing their own holiday traditions.  Tony loved the idea and created a parade that would have horse drawn floats, costumes and animals from the Central Park Zoo.  The parade was such a success that Macy’s decided to have one every year on Thanksgiving Day.  Every year, the parade grew larger and included more animals and soon these frightened the children so Macy’s asked Tony to replace the animals.  Eventually, he came up with the beautiful balloon puppets that we see at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

This picture biography is very well organized and fun.  Sweet’s illustrations are mixed with actual designs and drawings of Sang’s making the story even more fun.  She uses illustrations, drawings, actual items, and fonts to bring this Sang’s story to life.  This is a picture biography that is read from cover to cover as you learn about Tony Sang, the puppeteer of the Macy’s Parade.  

Here is a link to a read along on the book:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ANsvikfnlk

Here is a link to a wonderful children's activity kit that can be used with the story: http://www.hmhbooks.com/kids/resources/BalloonsOverBroadway_ActivityKit.pdf

How They Croaked

Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York, NY: Walker.

This book starts off with a warning to readers about needing to have the guts for gore in order to read this book.  If you want to learn the “awful ends of the awfully famous", then this the book for that kind of information.  You get the gory details on how Christopher Columbus died, how Galileo died and seventeen other famous men and women met their end.  The stories are gory in detail on how they were treated by physicians at that time and you learn how the treatment for their illnesses actually is how many of the famous met their end. The graphic details on their last days are some of the most interesting and gory ones that make you appreciate modern medicine.

The information that Bragg provides her readers are very graphic and detailed.  She is provides an extensive list of sources that she used in creating this book.  She even provides a connections page to show how these very important historical figures actually had some kind of interaction with one another.   

Here is a link to the book trailer on You Tube: http://youtu.be/dKXyFEQcci8

Here is a link to a book commercial made by a fan of the book on You Tube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbBA8nkJxtA

Here is a link to a unit on this book for Grades 5-8th:  http://www.mnps.org/AssetFactory.aspx?did=77543

Hitler Youth 

Bartoletti, S. (2005). Hitler Youth.  New York, NY: Scholastic.

                This book gives actual accounts of youth who were followers and strong supports of Adolf Hitler.  Hitler began a program called Hitler Youth.  This program recruited and trained the youth with the beliefs of Hitler and his Nazi virtues.  Boys and girls were eager to join and become a part of Hitler’s Youth and serve their country.  Unfortunately for some of the youth, it was not all the glamour that it was portrayed and many became disillusioned. They spoke out against Hitler and formed small resistance groups that wanted to bring the truth of Hitler to the German people but ended up paying with their lives.  Some of the Hitler Youth fully embraced the program and took it to another level.  They spoke against their parents, teachers or anyone who spoke against Hitler’s beliefs.  These youth left an incredible mark in the history of World War II, it is said that there was an estimated number of more than seven million of them served in the Hitler Youth program. 

Bartoletti’s book is very organized.  She takes the reader through the beginnings of the Hitler Youth with its promises of a strong Germany to the end of the War where the program ended up being used as a military force and the luster and beauty of it had died long before the war ended.  The use of illustrations also shows the development and rise of the Hitler Youth to the demise and the de-Nazification process that occurred at the end of war. 

Here is a book trailer that was created by an 8^th grade student: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQzIQQcsXcE

               

Here is a link to an author video interview of Susan Campbell Bartoletti: http://www.adlit.org/authors/Campbell_Bartoletti/