The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freedman

The Boston Tea Party

by Russell Freedman: Illustrated by Peter Malone

Holiday House. 2012

ISBN: 9780823422661

Grades 3 and up

The publisher sent me a copy of this book.

Russell Freedman, with his keen ability for making nonfiction topics interesting and fun to read about, has turned his trusty pen to introduce young audiences to details about what we now refer to as The Boston Tea Party. In 32 pages, Freedman's well-executed narrative takes those few lines we’ve been reading in history books for decades, “On the night of December 16, 1773, a band of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three merchant ships that had arrived from Britain and anchored in Boston Harbor. Working quickly and silently, they hoisted thousands of pounds of tea up from the ships’ holds and dumped the tea into the sea.” and flushes it out, giving us the details that conveys how truly rebellious this act was, the act that started America’s war for independence.

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!

Freedman presents the information chronologically, giving readers the understanding of how slowly things progressed back in the 1770’s, long before instant messaging and cell phones. On November 28, 1773, the merchant ship Dartmouth sailed into Boston Harbor, with a cargo of 114 chests of fine blended tea. A town meeting was called and it was agreed that any attempt to unload the tea would be blocked. Everyone had to wait twenty days. “Under the law, a ship had twenty days after reaching port to unload its cargo and pay any taxes, or to sail away. Once twenty days had passed, the ship’s cargo had to be taxed.” Friday, December 17 was the end of the 20 days.

Mirroring the text perfectly are the illustrations painted by British artist Peter Malone. Done in watercolor on Saunders Waterford, hot pressed paper, these historically accurate paintings do reflect the high emotions that were raging during this time. We see anger, shock, and some mischievous smiles all captured on the faces in the crowds or of those standing off to the side, quietly observing what is happening.

The dumping of the tea was a highly organized and very respectful act, done without violence. A large crowd, over a thousand, stood on Griffin’s Warf, where the ship was docked, and silently watched as those disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded. Alexander Hodgdon, a mate on the Dartmouth, explains, “They came on board the ship, and, after warning myself and the custom-house officers to get out of the way, they [opened] the hatches and went down into the hold” where the tea was stored.” I loved knowing that because it was low-tide, the tea, once thrown overboard, “began to pile up like stacks of hay.” Malone’s illustrations show the apprentices who jumped overboard wading “through the chilly December water, using shovels to scatter the tea more widely."

Of course, we know that a year and four months later, on April 19, 1775 the opening shots of the Revolutionary War rang out. The rest, as they say, is history. Included is a historic map of the Town of Boston, an afterward, timeline, source notes, and index.

The Boston Tea Party is an excellent book that would enhance any school and public library collection. Make up a display of other American history books written by Russell Freedman:Give me Liberty! the story of the Declaration of Independence, Lafayette and the American Revolution, and Washington at Valley Forge, or with some historical fiction titles: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson, and George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff.

To learn more about The Boston Tea Party visit web sites of the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. or the Boston Tea Party Historical Society.

Bird Talk

Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why
by Lita Judge
Roaring Brook Press, 2012
ISBN: 9781596436466
Grades 1-4

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her school library.

 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge
 We've partnered with Allyson at Kid Lit Frenzy to encourage readers to read more nonfiction picture books this year, and here's a book to add to your list.

Birds are a popular topic in my school library. Children check out many bird books in both the 500s (science) and in the 600s (pets). Lita Judge's recent nonfiction picture book, Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why, is going to be a hit with the readers in my library. Bird Talk isn't your typical bird book. Instead of photographs, the book is brimming with colorful watercolor and pencil illustrations of dozens of species of birds including the Rhinoceros Hornbill, Blue-Footed Booby and Scarlet Macaw.

The book examines how and why bird communication. Readers will learn how birds use calls and physical features to attract mates. Children will giggle at the illustration of the Sage Grouse with its chest puffed out as he tries to gain the attention of a female grouse. Birds also communicate to help their young stay safe and to warn of danger.

When a fox stalks near the nest of a North American Killdeer, Mama screams and flaps a wing awkwardly. Her broken-wing trick says, "Follow me, I'm injured, I'm a better meal." She stays just out of reach, luring the fox away from her eggs.

The design of the book is perfect for young readers. There is ample white space, and the text is chunked so newly independent readers will not be overwhelmed. It also is the perfect length for a read aloud in a library or classroom setting. An illustrated list of birds featured in the book is located in the back; each entry includes the habitat, range, and interesting facts.

This is not a book for students who are researching birds and need in-depth information about a particular species. It's a book that could serve as a springboard for readers who enjoy learning about science and nature. Pair this book with Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators by Jim Arnosky.

Other reviews of Bird Talk

Fuse #8 Production:
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/06/30/review-of-the-day-bird-talk-by-lita-judge/

Kid Lit Frenzy: http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/2012/08/non-fiction-picture-book-wednesday-bird.html

100 Scope Notes: http://100scopenotes.com/2012/07/30/nonfiction-monday-bird-talk-by-lita-judge/

A Butterfly's Life

A Butterfly's Life
Animal Diaries: Life Cycles series
by Ellen Lawrence
Bearport Publishing, 2012
9781617724138
Grades PreK-3

The reviewer received a copy of the book from the publisher.

As the first day of school nears, it won't be long before I see a child walking through the hallway holding a glass jar with a lid. Other students will crowd around the jar to view its contents: a chrysalis. Kindergarten classes at my school (and across the country) study the life cycle of the butterfly in the fall. The classes watch in amazement as caterpillars transform into butterflies over the course of a few weeks. It's an ideal science unit that helps students develop observation skills and gets them excited about nature.

Bearport Publishing has released a new series, Animal Diaries: Life Cycles, that is perfect for teaching young readers about the stages of life of various creatures including butterflies, frogs, snakes, spiders, and kangaroos. A Butterfly's Life is written in the form of a child's science journal, and this book succeeds on many levels. It's an excellent model of science writing for students learning to make observations, it will satisfy the curiosity of K-3 nature lovers, and it can be read aloud to primary classes as part of a science unit.

A young boy named Sam writes down his observations in a science notebook. Each entry begins with the date. In July, Sam observes Monarch butterflies in his yard. In the next entry, Sam spots butterfly eggs attached to leaves near his home. Ten days later Sam sees caterpillars. The book follows the entire life cycle of the butterfly. The text is printed on a graphic of a wire-bound notebook. The font is large, and the margins and spacing are helpful for beginning readers. Bold print highlights new vocabulary words such as mate, chrysalis, and proboscis. The definitions to new words can be found in a visual glossary in the back of the book.

Each two-page spread includes a journal entry on the left side of the page with close-up and colorful photographs on the right. An impressive series of five photographs shows a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis case. In another photograph hundreds of monarch butterflies soar through the sky. Inquisitive readers will enjoy reading the related facts printed on brightly colored flowers on the sides of the pages. Back matter includes a clearly labeled map showing butterfly migration patterns, instructions for growing flowers, a visual glossary, and an index.

If you're looking for a quality nonfiction book to introduce primary students to the life cycle of butterflies, this is the book you should purchase. For a fun fiction pairing, read Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison and Kevin Hawkes.

Visit this site to look inside the book:
 http://www.bearportpublishing.com/client/lookinside/AButterflysLife/index.html#/I/

Out on the Prairie by Donna M. Bateman

Out on the Prairie

by Donna M. Bateman; illustrations by Susan Swan

Charlesbridge. 2012

ISBN: 9781580893770

Preschool and up

I checked this book out of my local public library.

Donna M. Bateman’s first book, Deep in the Swamp, highlighted the flora and fauna of Florida’s Okefenokee Swamp using the traditional counting rhyme, 'Over in the Meadow'. In this, her second book, she again takes the familiar rhyme and places it in the Badlands of South Dakota. “Out on the prairie where the snakeroot greets the sun/Lived a shaggy mother bison and her little calf One/”Wallow!” said the mother. “I wallow,” said the One./So they wallowed in the dust where the snakeroot greets the sun.” We read about bison by the snakeroot, pronghorn deer in the wheatgrass, meadowlarks, prairie dogs, grasshopper nymphs hopping in the grama grasses, sharp-tailed grouse where the grass and flowers mix, howdy owls where the yucca grows, rattlesnakes chasing lizards by the primrose blooms, coyote whining where the silver stars shine, and “Great Plains toads jumping through the clover where the moon glows once again.” Back pages includes brief facts about each animal and plant mentioned in the book.

The real appeal of Out on the Prairie are the illustrations by Susan Swan. Lots of color and so realistic that readers will almost feel the breeze, hear the chirping of the grasshoppers, and smell the earthy smells of the prairie. Each drawing was created by manipulating found objects, hand-painted papers, and scans of objects and textures in Adobe Photoshop to create new patters, adding digital paintings, and then collaging the two together.

This is a great book for story time, units on ecosystems, John Muir, Rachel Carson, and Earth Day. Display it with fiction titles such as Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert, and the excellent nonfiction book, The Prairie Builders written by Sneed B. Collard, a title in the Scientists in the Field series.

Nonfiction Monday

It's our pleasure to host Nonfiction Monday this week! 

Add your nonfiction reviews to Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. 

Be sure to check back throughout the day to read all of the nonfiction reviews.

Just Write: Here's How!
by Walter Dean Myers
Collins: an imprint of HarperCollins. 2012
ISBN: 9780062203892
Grades 7 and up 
I checked this book out of my local public library.

Okay. Here’s a loaded question: Who hasn’t entertained the possibility of writing a book? Seriously, haven’t you daydreamed that once written and published, your book will be well-reviewed in Kirkus or The Horn Book Magazine, and might even be a Newbery winner or honor book. Come on. Be honest. If you’re like me, you might have a file drawer full of ideas that might have a beginning, but never a middle or an end. You say to yourself, “How does an author get from an idea to a completed story?” I got my answer after reading Just Write: Here’s How by Walter Dean Myers. It’s all about the process and hard work, and who better to take us through that process than the current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Ladies and gentleman, a round of applause for Mr. Walter Dean Myers. 

Just Write: Here’s How! is a candidly written handbook that takes hopeful authors through the different stages of writing a story. “Some authors pretend that writing is easy. Maybe it's fun for them to imagine they are very special, enlightened beings who sit still and wait quietly for inspiration.” Yet Myers explains, “For me and for the young people I have written with and mentored, it is work.” 

The book is set up like your own personal writing course. Each of the twenty-one chapters being the next step in moving forward with your idea. “The structure is simply a question or problem, a logical road leading to an answer to that question or problem, and the answer or conclusion itself.”  Simply put, a beginning, a middle, and an end.  We learn about the need for an outline, revisions, and detailed notes on each of your book’s characters, and that daydreaming is another equally important facet in writing. For each example, Myers references his own books and includes reproductions of his handwritten notes which were helpful, except I found his cursive handwriting difficult to decipher. 

Walter Dean Myers has written many (over 100) books that children devour. Fallen Angels, his story that takes place during 1967 and the Vietnam War is one that I frequently replace because it wears out after repeated readings. When he is not writing, Myers gives generously of his time hoping to make a positive difference in the lives of young people. He visits correctional facilities, jails, and schools. Visit his web site to learn more about him.

So, the next time someone comes up to me, regardless of their age, and says they have an idea for a story, I will recommend they read Just Write: Here’s How! by Walter Dean Myers before they record that first sentence. Just Write: Here’s How! can be used as a textbook for high school writing classes or for creative writing workshops in public libraries. This book definitely belongs in every writer’s bookcase along with On Writing: a memoir of the craft by Stephen King. 

Add your Nonfiction Monday review here.

Puffling Patrol

Puffling Patrol    
by Ted and Betsy Lewin
Lee & Low Books, 2012
ISBN: 9781600604249
Grades K-5

The reviewer received a copy of the book from the publisher.

We are pleased to be part of Lee & Low's Puffling Hunt Blog Tour. Don't worry; we're not actually hunting pufflings. It's a scavenger hunt. Readers should be on the lookout for illustrations of pufflings on a number of kidlit blogs this summer. Lee & Low's blog will have all the details coming soon: http://blog.leeandlow.com/.

Last month my family spent ten days sailing the Maine coast. One of our highlights was sailing past Eastern Egg Rock. It's a small, rocky island that serves as the summer home and nesting ground to Arctic Terns, Atlantic Puffins and a variety of other seabirds. We had our binoculars in hand as we sailed close to the island hoping to see puffins on the rocky shore. We carefully scanned the island and were disappointed there were no puffins to be seen. Then my son spotted four tiny black birds with orange beaks swimming off the port side of our boat: puffins! It was our first (and only) puffin sighting. My husband, son and I cheered and gave each other high fives. You can imagine my delight when I returned from my sailing adventure to find a copy of Puffling Patrol in my mailbox.

Husband and wife team, Ted and Betsy Lewin, have taken research to the extreme in their nonfiction picture book, Puffling Patrol. The Lewins didn't just read books and articles about puffins to gather information for the book, they traveled to Iceland to help residents of Heimaey save pufflings (baby puffins) that had lost their way.

The black and white seabirds can be found in a handful of places including Maine, parts of Canada, Greenland and Iceland.  Puffins spend the summer nesting on volcanic islands off the coast of Iceland.  By the end of summer, the pufflings are ready to fly on their own as their parents head north for the winter. Some of the young puffins become confused by the lights from the town of Heimaey, and the birds fly into town instead of out to sea. Townspeople have formed a group, the Puffling Patrol, to rescue the birds and return them to the ocean.

The Lewins describe the work of the Puffling Patrol in a first-person narrative that will engage young readers. The authors spent time with researchers before visiting the home of children, Dani and Erna, who stay up late to look for pufflings who have lost their way. Authentic dialogue is interspersed in the narrative. Watercolor illustrations have a realistic style, like a photograph at times. In one illustration, a lost puffling looks directly at readers, the light from a flashlight shines on the bird contrasts against the black background. A two-page spread illustrates the children carrying boxes of pufflings to the sea while a the black volcanic shoreline borders the green hillside. Smaller pen, ink and watercolor illustrations depict the children at the Natural History Museum as their rescued puffling is weighed and measured.

Back matter includes a glossary of terms with pronunciation guide, list of recommended books, and information about the Heimaey volcano of 1973.  Puffling Patrol would make a superb read aloud in an elementary classroom or library setting. The book will also appeal to children who enjoy learning about animals and nature; and it demonstrates to children how ordinary people can make a difference in our world.

 

For more information about puffins visit these sites:

Project Puffin 

The Puffling Patrol with Bruce the Rescuer

Moonbird

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95
by Phillip Hoose
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012
ISBN: 9780374304683
Grades 5 and up

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her school library.

Question: What weighs 4 ounces and has traveled 350,000 miles in its lifetime?

Answer: B95 a rufa red knot shorebird

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 chronicles the plight of rufa red knots. These tiny shorebirds spend the winter in Argentina where it's daylight more than twelve hours of the day; the extra daylight allows the birds to easily see their prey of worms and clams. In the spring, the birds begin an 8,900 mile journey from the Argentina to the Canadian Arctic where they will nest for the summer before returning to the south in fall. Unfortunately, the rufa red knot population is in a sharp decline for a number of reasons including overfishing of horseshoe crabs. Against all odds, one bird (named B95 from the code on his band) has survived for close to twenty years. B95 is affectionately called Moonbird because in his lifetime the bird has flown the distance it would take to reach the moon and halfway back to earth. What makes this particular bird so strong and resilient in the face of adversity? 

The first person narrative style and descriptive writing will appeal to middle grade readers and to teachers in search of an engaging nonfiction read aloud.

"The exposed sea floor is unlike anything I have ever seen. It looks like a pavement composed of flat, overlapping reddish-brown shelves that are poked with thousands of holes still gleaming with water from the last high tide." (p. 16)

Hoose includes himself as a figure in the book. Hoose was invited to take part in rufa red knot counts in Argentina and New Jersey. He worked with teams of biologists to band, weigh, and measure the birds. This personal connection to the story helps readers feel like they right there with scientists in Tierra del Fuego and Delaware Bay.  Hoose also uses elements of mystery to keep readers hooked. Questions are posed throughout the book about the location of B95. Will he be spotted again? Why is the population of rufa red knots dwindling? Not only does this technique hold the attention of readers, it's also part of scientific inquiry.

The chapters are arranged chronologically to follow the migration pattern of the rufa red knots from October of 2009 to October of 2010. Maps are placed in each chapter to provide readers with geographic information. The most impressive map, located near the front of the book, is a two-page spread showing the flight legs of the rufa red knots from the southern tip of Argentina to the northern part of Canada. Each stopping point is marked and labeled. Numerous photographs of flocks of rufa red knots and photos the land in Tierra del Fuego, Delaware Bay, and the Canadian Arctic are placed throughout the book.

Between chapters, Hoose includes profiles of scientists and environmentalists who have worked to save the rufa red knots. Clive Minton's work is featured in one of the profiles. He designed a special cannon net that researchers use to catch rufa red knots during banding sessions. The red knots are extremely difficult to catch.

"They are notoriously wary. They feed, sleep, and travel in cliquishly tight flocks. While feeding they post sentinels, birds that send the whole flock flashing away with one warning cry." (p. 19)

Minton's cannon net fires a rocket attached to a net that temporarily traps the birds without injuring them. The researchers untangle the birds one by one as they record the bird's band number and weight.

In addition to profiling scientists, Hoose writes about students who have worked to preserve the red knot population. The last chapter of the book, Extinction is Forever, asks readers why they should care about the population of shore birds. Hoose goes on to make the case for why readers should be concerned about the survival of the species. The Appendix provides readers with information about how to get involved in shorebird projects.

Hoose provides extensive back matter at the end of the book including detailed source notes with page by page accounts of where he found the information. Hoose describes his research process at the beginning of the source notes; the process included reading many books and scholarly articles, interviewing experts, and conducting on-site research in Argentina and in Delaware Bay. Teachers and librarians should be sure to share the author's note with students as a model for quality research.

I highly recommend this engaging nonfiction text for middle grade nonfiction collections. Budding scientists and bird lovers will want to read this book for pleasure, but they will have to pry it from the hands of grade 5-8 teachers who plan to read it aloud to students. The book is an excellent model for science and writing classes and is the type of rich, narrative nonfiction referenced in the Common Core State Standards. You should order two copies to make everyone happy!

Hoose recently won the Katahdin Award for lifetime achievement in children's literature by a Maine author. Other nonfiction works by Hoose include:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird
We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History
It's Our World Too!: Young People Who Are Making a Difference

It's Nonfiction Monday. Head over to Shelf-Employed to read the nonfiction reviews: 

http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/.

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau

By Michelle Markel; illustrated by Amanda Hall

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2012

ISBN: 9780802853646

Best for school age children, Grades 2 and up thru high school

I received a copy of this book directly from the publisher.

Michelle Markel’s captivating picture book biography, The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau will complement any art appreciation class for school-age children, for there is much to savor in this introduction to French Post-Impressionist painter, Henri Rousseau.(1844-1910).

Markel begins with, “Henri Rousseau wants to be an artist. Not a single person has ever told him he is talented. He is a toll collector. He’s forty years old. But he buys some canvas, paint, and brushes, and starts painting away.” How refreshing to read about someone who was not easily dissuaded. Told in a lively tone, readers will learn how this humble man, who deeply loved nature, worked very hard to become an artist. Too poor for lessons, Rousseau taught himself to draw by studying the paintings of his favorite artists and by using books, magazines, catalogs, and postcards to learn anatomy. I always assumed Rousseau traveled widely, painting what he saw. Not so. Henri got inspiration from gardens, cemeteries, anyplace, even a hothouse, to create his wonderful jungles. Never, ever, throughout his whole life, would Rousseau leave Paris. And, despite year after year of negative responses to his paintings from experts, Rousseau never gave up. He continued to paint, until finally, at age sixty-one his true talent is appreciated by a much younger art community. He is befriended by those younger artists, Picasso throws a banquet for Henri, and after his death is recognized as a self-taught genius of high artistic talent.

Complimenting the text are illustrations painted by Amanda Hall. Done in both watercolor and acrylics, her colorful paintings are large and give readers a sense of the joyfulness, and happiness Rousseau must have been feeling each time he painted. The paintings represent what is being discussed in the text, though I did not understand the significance of the painting showing the critics as both men and jungle animals. Overall, with the guiding hand of an art teacher, this book will show students how Amanda Hall’s illustrations add a twist to some of Rousseau’s famous paintings. The illustrations are very beautiful. Librarians, parents, and teachers will find it helpful to see in the illustrator's note the black & white sketch where Hall names the famous Avant-garde artists present at Henri's banquet.

Students will respect Rousseau’s deep love of nature, while others will admire the fact that Rousseau followed his dream undeterred by the negative feedback. Adults will find it wonderfully refreshing to be reminded that age is no barrier in pursuing a long-hidden dream.

In the author's note, we learn that Rousseau never enjoyed financial success. Like some artists, it was only after his death that his art was truly appreciated and given the worldwide attention it deserved.

To round out the reading experience of this book, have on hand a book that contains Rousseau’s paintings and a computer with the Internet to visit the official web site of the Louvre Museum. For more information about Henri Rousseau, click here. To watch the charming book trailer done by the publisher click here.

A great addition to all fine arts collections in both public and school libraries. Pair it with the book (not the movie) of Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce, which is a terrific story about the power of art.

The Mighty Mars Rovers by Elizabeth Rusch

The Mighty Mars Rovers: the incredible adventures of Spirit and Opportunity

(Scientists in the Field)

By Elizabeth Rusch

Houghton Mifflin. 2012.

ISBN: 9780547478814

Grades 4 and up

I checked out a copy of this book from my local public library.

While everyone is caught up in Olympic fever, Curiosity, NASA’s Mars Rover, is quietly making its way to the red planet. The super-sized rover, Curiosity, is scheduled to land on Mars on August 6 at 1:31 a.m. EDT (0531 GMT). This is not the first time NASA has sent a robot to Mars with the purpose of assessing conditions for life. The Mighty Mars Rovers: the Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch, another entry in the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series, tells the greatest robot adventure of all times through the eyes of Steven Squyres, lead scientist on the mission.

On June 10, 2003, NASA sent a go cart size robot named Spirit to Mars. Less than a month later, on July 7, 2003, its twin, Opportunity, also was blasted into space. Scientists thought these robots would only survive for three months in the hostile conditions found on Mars. Frigid winters, dust storms, and blazing hot summers, yet Spirit and Opportunity, exploring halfway across the planet from each other, amazed their creators. These little dynamos surpassed all expectations to last six years. Six Years! Together, the little machines explored 25 miles (44 km) of Mars’s surface and took more than a quarter of a million photos including 360-degree views of hills, plains, and craters.

As with all the books in this series, you can depend on exciting prose, wonderful color photographs, and understandable details about the topic. The books are well documented with sources, chapter notes, further reading, a glossary, and index.

The Mighty Mars Rover is an excellent book that will give children a backstory on the development of these amazing robots and their importance in discovering if life exists on other planets. The book is timely, especially since the landing of the newest Mars Rover, Curiosity is just a few days away. (You can track Curiosity's progress by visiting the official NASA web site)

In the classroom, pair Mighty Mars Rover with SkippyJon Jones Lost in Spice for hilarious reading adventure.

The Massachusetts Colony

The Massachusetts Colony 
(A True Book)
by Kevin Cunningham
Children's Press an imprint of Scholastic, 2012
Library Binding
ISBN: 9780531253915

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her school library.

This summer I've been on the lookout for nonfiction books about colonial America and the American Revolution. My school district recently completed a curriculum review of our K-12 social studies units, and as a result our fifth grade classes will be learning about the birth of our country next year.

I was pleased to see Scholastic has published a series of True Books about the thirteen colonies.  I purchased The Massachusetts Colony to see if it would meet the needs of my fifth grade students, and I was not disappointed. As with other titles in the True Book series, the author poses true/false questions to readers at the beginning of the book to set the stage for reading.

The book is organized in chronological order beginning with a chapter on the Wampanoag followed by the settling of New Plimoth. Readers will learn about Puritan traditions and beliefs as well as the Salem Witch Trials. In chapters  3 & 4, Cunningham concisely lays out the events that led up to the American Revolution making the information accessible to young readers.

The most appealing aspect of the book is the design. The print is large, and information is chunked into paragraphs with headings. Portraits and paintings from the 1600s and 1700s illustrate major events such as the Boston Massacre and the Battle of Bunker Hill. Because of the time period, only one photograph is used (a photo of a Wampanoag longhouse). Captions provide readers with additional information, and the timeline focuses on five important events.

This is not a book that most children will check out for pleasure reading, but it is an excellent resource for providing an overview of colonial Massachusetts for elementary social studies classes and for students researching the American colonies.

I, Galileo

I, Galileo 
by Bonnie Christensen
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012
ISBN: 9780375867538
Grades 3 and up

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her local library.

We're partnering with Kid Lit Frenzy to challenge people to read more nonfiction picture books this year. If you're taking part in the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, here's a title you'll want to add to your to-be-read pile.

I was first introduced to Bonnie Christensen's work when her picture book biography, Django: World's Greatest Jazz Guitarist, won a Schneider Family Book Award in 2010. Christensen also wrote and illustrated the picture book biography, Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol. Christensen's latest nonfiction book examines the life and work of scientist and inventor, Galileo Galilei. 

In the preface, Christensen asks readers to imagine what it would be like to live in a world without telescopes, clocks and thermometers. Upon turning the page, readers will see a two-page spread of the Italian countryside painted in gouache resist with oil paints. Galileo sits on a bench playing the lute as he looks outward to the sky. The illustrations have an antiquated feeling that is fitting for a story set in the sixteenth century. 

The story is told in chronological order beginning with the scientist's childhood. The author highlights Galileo's work with physics and astronomy and ends with his trial and imprisonment. Christensen packs a lot of information in just thirty-four pages. The narrative is told in the first person which allows readers to see events unfold from Galileo's point of view. 

"I was not popular in Pisa, however. At the age of twenty-five, I scorned tradition. First by refusing to wear the cumbersome robes of a professor, then by disputing one of Artistotle's sacred laws of physics."

Readers will learn how a swinging lamp in a cathedral gave Galileo the idea for the pendulum as a timekeeper. The pages about Galileo's invention of the telescope include a diagram showing readers the difference between the eyepiece lens (concave) and and the primary lens (convex). Circles appear throughout the book acting as a lens on Galileo's life. The first circle in the book frames an illustration of Galileo observing the shadow of St. Andrew's chapel.  The final circle outlines an illustration of Galileo on trial for heresy for following Copernicus. 

Back matter is extensive and includes a timeline, lists of Galileo's experiments and inventions, a glossary, and bibliography.  I, Galileo will please science-minded readers while providing ample information for students working on school assignments.  It would make a strong addition to a juvenile biography section.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

My Friend Dahmer (a graphic novel)
Written and illustrated by Derf Backderf
Abrams ComicArts. 2012
ISBN: 9781419702167
Grades 7 and up
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.


“You’re putting a review of this book on your blog? I thought it was an adult book," a colleague said to me.

You bet I’m putting this on the blog. My Friend Dahmer is one finely crafted tome and a must-read for fans, regardless of age, of stories told in graphic format.

In a quiet voice, almost a whisper she said,“But, it’s about...Jeffrey Dahmer…you know…the serial killer! You don’t want kids, especially teens reading about…him! Do you?”

What I want is for all readers to be exposed to a great book. My Friend Dahmer is not a detailed glorification of the horrific murders done by a twisted individual. No way! It is a beautifully executed, sympathetic portrait written by a man who is trying to understand how Jeffrey Dahmer, a high school classmate, a person he shared “classrooms, study halls, and car rides," could turn out to become a serial killer, “a depraved fiend as notorious as Jack the Ripper.”

The author, American artist John Beckderf, (also known as Derf and Derf Backderf) is an award winning political cartoonist (Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, 2006) His comic strip, The City has appeared in a number of alternative newspapers since 1990. His other graphic novel is entitled, Punk Rock & Trailer Parks. His style reminded me a lot of comic artist, R. Crumb.

This book takes place during the 1970’s at Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio. It is presented in grayscale, which reflects its somber tone. We are quickly introduced to a teenager who is a loner, drawn to the bodies of dead animals. His home life is horrific with his parent’s constantly fighting and ignoring signs that their son has some oddball obsessions. Backderf shows Dahmer’s increasing weirdness through high school and how his classmates never suspect the killer he will later become. Reading this book is like watching a movie where you know the outcome, but you watch it just the same because it is so darn good. You are drawn into the suspense. (Rear Window. All the President’s Men. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

In the introduction to My Friend Dahmer, Backderf explains that it was a twenty-year work in progress. He began collecting material in July 1991, a few weeks after “Dahmer’s ghastly crimes became public.” It started out as an eight-page short story, but then after Jeffery Dahmer was killed in prison (November 28,1994) writing became more of a cathartic exercise. “To
you Dahmer was a depraved fiend, but to me he was a kid I sat next to in study hall and hung out with in the band room. You just can’t imagine what it was like once the news of his crimes exploded, or what it’s still like for me whenever I think about our friendship.”

My Friend Dahmer was first published as a self-published 24-page comic book. It had limited acclaim and attention. In looking back, Backderf was unhappy with it. He saw a missed opportunity to produce a really great book. “This is a tragic tale, one that has lost none of its emotional power after two decades. It’s my belief that Dahmer didn’t have to wind up a monster, that all those people didn’t have to die horribly, if only the adults in his life hadn’t been so inexplicably, unforgivable, incomprehensibly clueless and/or indifferent. Once Dahmer kills, however – I can’t stress this enough– my sympathy for him ends.”

In my opinion, My Friend Dahmer is an example of how the marriage of pictures and text can create a book deserving of all the major book awards: Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, Eisner, Pultizer…and Sibert. Yeah, it is that good.

I’ve given this book to several adults and older teens (Juniors and Seniors) and they all have said the book creeps them out, but it was one of the best books they’ve read in a long time.

Read more about the story behind My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf.

Black Gold by Albert Marrin

Black Gold: the story of oil in our lives

Albert Marrin

Alfred A. Knopf. 2012

ISBN: 9780375866739

Grades 7 and up

This reviewer borrowed the book from the public library.

In Black Gold: the story of Oil in our lives, Albert Marrin writes a captivating history of how our dependency on the thick and slippery stinky stuff has influenced our civilization in ways that are less than honorable. "Oil influences every aspect of modern life. It has helped shape the history, society, politics, and economy of every nation on Earth."

Marrin begins with the science of how oil developed, from the tiny life forms called phytoplankton between 10 million and 260 million years ago, and covers its uses from ancient times through the present. He thoroughly explains oil’s discovery in the late 1880’s, its many uses to the countless wars started in hopes of controlling the oil fields in the Middle East.

This book is a page-turner. Never preachy, Marrin, the author of numerous nonfiction titles on a wide variety of topics, has written an engaging and informative book on a very controversial topic. It is lavishly illustrated with charts, drawings, and photos, all in black & white, that are well-captioned. A relevant quote heads each of the nine chapters. “[Middle Eastern oil is] one of the greatest material prizes in world history- probably the richest economic prize in the world." U.S. State Department memo, c. 1946. "Oil is the greatest problem of all time -- the greatest polluter and promoter of terror. We should get rid of it." Shimon Peres, President of Israel.”

Any book on the topic of oil must also be a wake-up call and Marrin makes it clear that our reluctance to decrease our dependency on fossil fuels will soon (very soon) have a cataclysmic affect on society, humanity, and the world. As oil reserves dwindle, and it already is happening, more and more wars will be waged to control the ever dwindling supply. "You may have men, munitions, and money, but if you do not have oil...all your other advantages would be of ...little value," says Walter Long, friend of Winston Churchill (no quotation mark) at the time of World War One.

The final chapter, Toward A New Energy Order, explores the pros and cons of the leading solutions to the oil problem. We all know it won't be easy to lessen our dependency on oil, and there is no easy solution. No matter which path the world explores, people will need to make sacrifices. "We have no choice. Time is running out."

The book is well-documented. It includes source notes, a glossary, image credits, and index. Black Gold should be in every library and included in displays on a variety of topics, including Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Global Warming.

"The world's oil addiction is hastening a day of reckoning. Humanity's way of life is on a collision course with geology -- with the stark fact that earth holds a finite supply of oil. The flood of crude from fields around the world will ultimately top out, then dwindle." Tom Appenzeller, Science Editor, National Geographic”

I Lay My Stitches Down

I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery
by Cynthia Grady
illustrated by Michele Wood
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2012
ISBN: 9780802853868
Grades 5 and up 

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her local library.

Breaking news... I have found my favorite book of the year (so far).  I Lay My Stitches Down is the perfect marriage of poetry, history, and illustrations. I checked the book out of my local library a couple of weeks ago, and I keep revisiting it each day. Each time I read it, I notice something new in the illustrations and the text.

The author, Cynthia Grady, is a middle school librarian who got the idea for the book while she was working on a quilting project with her students. The poems convey the story of American slaves, and the titles come from actual quilt designs. Each free verse poem is made up of ten lines of ten syllables to represent quilt squares. Grady captures the voices of slaves in the lyrical poems that tell the stories of slaves learning to write in the dirt, toiling in kitchens, escaping at night, and working in the blacksmith shop.

"Pap transforms his next chunk of iron, he
chant a prayer, then work the bellows, WWHooooSHH, to
kindle the fire, the embers of his faith."

Below each poem is an expository paragraph providing readers with historical information.  On the right side of each page is a full-page, acrylic illustration corresponding to the poem on the left. Michele Wood masterfully incorporates quilt patterns into each illustration. In the illustrator's note, Wood explains that she used "African and American textiles to convey the complex, rich culture of American slaves."

In one illustration, a slave boy fishes in a canoe with American Indians on a river of blue and green geometric squares. Brown quilt squares with symbols from American history are pictured in the horizon. My favorite illustration accompanies the poem, "Basket," and can bee seen on the cover of the book. There are so many layers to this illustration.  A women in the center of the page sews a quilt made of red, white and blue geometric squares as quilted angel wings appear on each side of her. The bottom of the quilt becomes the roof lines for slave homes. In the foreground, a slave plows a field of brown squares. Each element is woven together so beautifully just like a basket.

You need to pick up a copy of this book and see for yourself how amazing it really is. I predict we will be hearing more from this title during the ALA Youth Media Awards in January.

Little Rock Girl 1957

Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration
by Shelley Tougas
Compass Point Books (an imprint of Capstone) 2012
ISBN: 9780756544409
Grades 5 and up

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her local library.

Teachers at my school have been using visual thinking strategies with students. It's a strategy that can be used with all ages, and the results are usually astounding. Here's how it works in a nutshell. Show students a photograph or painting, and pose the question: "What's going on in this picture?" As students respond, you may pose a follow-up question: "What do you see that makes you say that?" Teachers record students' responses and allow time for them to really dig deep and discuss what they see. You can read more about Visual Thinking Strategies here: http://vtshome.org/.

Capstone has published a series that will elicit rich discussions during visual thinking strategies discussions. The Captured History series chronicles how specific photographs have had a profound impact on American history. Last year, Louise reviewed Migrant Mother which examined how Dorothea Lange's photograph prompted a public outcry for the government to send aid during the Great Depression.

The most recent title in the series, Little Rock Girl 1957, focuses on the Civil Rights Movement and how a photograph of a high school student brought about changes in public opinion. The famous photograph (as seen on the cover) shows African American student, Elizabeth Eckford, followed by an angry mob of white people as she walks outside Little Rock Central High School on September 4, 1957.

Elizabeth and eight other African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were supposed to meet and walk into the school together. It would be the first time African American students attended Central High School. Elizabeth arrived at school early and alone. She faced an angry crowd of protestors, and her entry into the school was blocked by National Guard troops. As Elizabeth turned to leave, protestors followed her down the sidewalk as they venomously hurled insults and racial slurs. Will Counts, a local photographer, took photos as the events unfolded.

"But Counts had no idea that a single photograph would become a magnifying glass for race relations in the United States." (p. 31)

Shelley Tougas provides readers with background information including details about Brown vs. the Board of Education and Jim Crow laws. She also writes about the challenges the Little Rock Nine faced at school, and she provides updated information about the students and the photographer that drew attention to the racial hatred in our country. Tougas writes in a clear and organized manner that makes book accessible to young readers and photographs are effectively placed throughout the book. One photograph shows a female reporter shielding Eckford from the crowd as she waits for the bus. In another photograph three African American students eat lunch together in the cafeteria of Central High School while white students are seated around them at separate tables.

I have to admit, I got a bit emotional as I was reading the text and studying the photographs. The most emotional photograph for me was a color photo taken in 1997. It shows Elizabeth Eckford with her arm around Hazel Bryan Massery as they stand in front of Central High School. Massery is the white woman seen walking behind Eckford in the famous black and white photo. Viewers of the photo can see she is visibly angry, and she's yelling at Eckford. In later years, Massery shared her remorse for her role in the 1957 incident, and Counts (the photographer) brought the two women together to meet in person.

The back matter is impressive and includes a clearly organized timeline, a glossary, sources notes, and a bibliography. I'm planning to order the set of Captured History for my school library. There are so many possibilities for these titles. Students interested in history will scoop them up for independent reading, but they can also be used by teachers during history lessons. Other titles include Man on the Moon, Raising the Flag, and Breaker Boys.

Busy Builders by Roxie Munro

Busy Builders

Roxie Munro

Marshall Cavendish Children. 2012

ISBN: 978761461050

Grades Preschool to 3

This reviewer checked a copy of the book from the local public library.

“There are about 1,000,000,000 (1 billion!) insects for every human being”, says Roxie Munro in Busy Builders. That’s a lot of insects running, crawling, and flying around Earth. Yet, out of all those insects very few are actually builders. Using large, full-page illustrations rendered in India ink and colored ink, Munro gives us an inside look at the unique structures of seven insects and 1 spider.

The format is set up like a guessing game. “This is a Paper Hornet. Where does it live?” Young preschoolers who love to learn lots of facts about bugs will be waiting anxiously for the page to turn. Using clear language that is very accessible, we see and learn where they build and how the colony or individual insect or spider works together to survive. The seven insects listed are: Honeybee, Red Harvester Ant, Organ-Pipe Mud Dauber, Australian Weaver Ant, Leaf-Cutter Bee, Pine Processionary Caterpillar, African Termite, Paper Hornet, and the arachnid, a Garden Orb Spider.

Munro includes fun facts, a glossary of bug words, a bibliography of books and web sites to learn more about insects and spiders. A first-rate book Perfect for hot summer days. Pair this with Steve Jenkin's The Beetle Book.

unBEElievables by Douglas Florian

unBEElievables

honeybee poems and paintings by Douglas Florian

Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. 2012

ISBN: 9781442426528

All ages

This reviewer obtained a copy of the book from the local public library.

My favorite part of summer is sitting and watching bees visit the blossoms in my yard. Last summer I discovered their favorite plant was the catmint growing smack dab in the middle of my vegetable garden. There were so many bees collecting nectar that the tall purple spikes were waving as if being tossed about by a gentle breeze. I LOVE bees and who best to celebrate their wonderfulness is beloved poet Douglas Florian.

Each of the 15 poems gives details about a particular characteristic of our honeymakers.

'Bee Anatomy'

"Lovely legs,

Lovely hue,

Lovely long

Anennae, too.

Lovely eyes,

Lovely wings,

But ouch!

How in the end

It stings!"

Throughout, we learn the names of the different bees that populate the hive and their jobs: Drones, Workers, and Queen. Most of the poems have a bouncy rhyme, but two have a definiate rap feel to them.

Take 'Summer Hummer' for example:

"I’m the hummer of summer,

So busy with buzz.

A never-humdrummer

All covered with fuzz."

Florian’s bright paintings, done in gouache paint, colored pencils, and collage on primed paper bags that ooze warmth and happiness, accompany every poem, as does a short paragraph expounding on the facts highlighted in each poem.

Florian ends this glorious tribute with 'Where are the Bees?' a sobering note on the disappearance of bees due to mites, viruses, pesticides, or fungi. Scientists have named it Colony Collapse Disorder.

"Bees give us sweet honey,

They pollinate flowers.

The beeswax in candles

Keeps burning for hours.

But some hives have vanished,

Some bees disappeared.

(From mites or pollution

Or illness, it’s feared.)

Let’s hope that before long

The bees come back strong,

And hives will be humming,

Bees buzzing along.”

Overall, this is a wonderful introduction to bees for all ages. The tone is playful, joyful, and just plain fun to share. A perfect companion to The Hive Detectives by Loree Griffin Burns, Magic School Bus Inside a beehive by Joanna Cole, The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco, The Beeman by Laurie Krebs, The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi, and two of my favorite fiction titles A Hive for the Honeybee by Soinbhe Lally and a love story for teens, Kissing the Bee by Kathe Kola.

Have I made you hungry for a spoonful of honey?

Chuck Close: Face Book

Chuck Close: Face Book 
by Chuck Close
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2012
ISBN: 9781419701634
Grades 4-8

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her local library.

When I first heard about Chuck Close: Face Book I was a bit skeptical. I really liked Jan Greenberg's biography of the artist from 1998, Chuck Close, Up Close. Do we need another children's biography of Chuck Close? Once I opened Chuck Close: Face Book, my doubts immediately went away. This book is amazing! One major difference is that Chuck Close: Face Book is an autobiography;  readers will learn about Close's experiences, obstacles and successes directly from the artist.

The format of the book is unique. It's structured in a question and answer format, and each question comes directly from 5th grade students from PS 8 in Brooklyn. Twelve students from PS 8 had the opportunity to spend the day with Close in his art studio. The pages use grids and rectangles much like Close's art. A question is placed in one rectangle, a portrait is placed in another rectangle, and text is in a separate box.

While answering the students' questions, Close reveals that he has dyslexia and prosopagnosia or "face blindness." He has trouble remembering facial details, so he doesn't usually recall people he has already met. Close made it through school because of his artistic talents and his parents who encouraged him to create art. He even went on to earn a graduate degree from Yale's School of Fine Arts.

Much of the book explains why Close paints faces, and he describes the techniques he uses to create his art. Close's portraits are shown throughout book including a photo of Close standing beside a nine-foot high self portrait. The art is placed perfectly throughout the book so that readers gain a sense of the artist's work as he answers questions about his life. One question asks, "Why doesn't anyone in your art smile?"

"...if you present someone in a very neutral, straightforward way, then there is no simple reading of who this person is. You have to look at other clues." (p. 34)

A black and white portrait of an older woman is placed on the page next to Close's answer; she isn't smiling. The portrait is made from oil fingerpainting, and the subject is a Holocaust survivor.

The most appealing part of this book is in the middle. Fourteen self-portraits are grouped together. The self-portraits use a variety of media such as marker, ink, woodcut, pastel, oil and pulp paper. Each page is cut into thirds so that readers may flip through mixing and matching pieces from the different portraits to "make new combinations." I envision kids spending a great deal of time interacting with these pages. 

In 1988, Close suffered from a collapsed blood vessel in his spine which paralyzed him. He refers to this as "the event." Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Close continues to create art including over-sized portraits. A visual timeline of events from Close's life is located in the back of the book along with a glossary and list of art resources. Chuck Close's life story will inspire children and serve as a model those who have difficulty learning in traditional ways. This perfectly designed book will engage readers, and it's sure to win some awards along the way.  I can't wait to put this book in the hands of the children in my library.

Betsy Bird also reviewed Chuck Close: Face Book on A Fuse #8  Production blog:
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/04/19/review-of-the-day-chuck-close-face-book-by-chuck-close/

Chuck Close on CBS Sunday Morning