Schoenberg, Jane. (2005). Illustrated by Cynthia Fisher. My bodyworks: Songs about
your bones, muscles, heart, and more! Northampton, Massachusetts:
Crocodile Books/Interlink Publishing. 32 pages. ISBN # 1-56656-583-9
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2006
Genre: informational/music
Content area: science
Grade level: K-3
Credibility of author:
Summary: This book describes parts of the body, the five senses, and bodily functions such as breathing and how the body makes gas, through the use of songs that will make learning this information easy and fun for children. The book comes with a CD containing twelve songs that include music and lyrics.
Standards: Life Science IV and Science in Personal and Social VII
Illustrations: Appears to be ink, colored pencil, and watercolor. Full-page illustrations on every other page
Text: Every other page is full of text followed by an illustration. Appears to be approximately 10 font.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: upbeat and happy
Language: simplistic
Access features: compac disc, compac disc credits, labeled diagrams of the parts of the body described in the song
Use: I would use this for health and science classes. I would also use it for rainy day physical education or anytime I had some minutes to kill and let children dance while they sing the songs.
Response: I really love this book! I would even use it with my 4th and 5th graders. I can testify that music does help learning. My students learned all the bones of the body (206 of them) last year by using a song.
Related texts:
Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney
Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup, and Yawn by Melvin Berger
Hear Your Heart by Paul Showers
Guts: Our Digestive System by Seymour Simon
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Tigers by Lynn M. Stone (1 booK)
Stone, Lynn. (2005). Photographs by Lynn Stone. Tigers. Minneapolis, MN:
Lerner Publishing Group. 48 pages. ISBN # 1-57505-578-3
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Genre: Informational
Content area: science
Grade level: 3rd - 6th
**Note: National Science Teacher’s Association classifies this book for ages 5-10
Credibility of author: The author is also a wildlife photographer who has written more than 400 books about wildlife and natural history. He is a former teacher.
Summary: This is a life cycle book that discusses the life of a tiger from birth to adulthood, although it is not in chronological order. It discusses the characteristics of tigers, the geography of where tigers inhabit, how they hunt for prey, and how they have been hunted almost to the point of extinction. It also explains what governments are now doing to help save these beautiful creatures.
Standards: Life Science IV
Illustrations: Glossy, full-color photographs with captions on every page
Text: 15-point Clearface Regular with approximately one-third to one-half of most pages consisting of text.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: informative
Voice: The author wants the reader to be inspired while reading this book so as to appreciate and respect these magnificent creatures.
Access features: table of contents, glossary, index, about the author, and photo acknowledgements
Use: I would use this for independent reading and research in the classroom. It would make a great addition to an animal (mammal) unit. It could also be used when learning about some of the countries inhabited by tigers such as China, India, and Russia.
Response: The photographs are so beautiful, and they really do deepen your sense of awe for tigers. The author does a great job of convincing the reader that tigers are in danger of extinction and that we need to support the efforts of tiger conservation organizations.
Related texts:
Big Cats by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Lerner Publishing Group. 48 pages. ISBN # 1-57505-578-3
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Genre: Informational
Content area: science
Grade level: 3rd - 6th
**Note: National Science Teacher’s Association classifies this book for ages 5-10
Credibility of author: The author is also a wildlife photographer who has written more than 400 books about wildlife and natural history. He is a former teacher.
Summary: This is a life cycle book that discusses the life of a tiger from birth to adulthood, although it is not in chronological order. It discusses the characteristics of tigers, the geography of where tigers inhabit, how they hunt for prey, and how they have been hunted almost to the point of extinction. It also explains what governments are now doing to help save these beautiful creatures.
Standards: Life Science IV
Illustrations: Glossy, full-color photographs with captions on every page
Text: 15-point Clearface Regular with approximately one-third to one-half of most pages consisting of text.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: informative
Voice: The author wants the reader to be inspired while reading this book so as to appreciate and respect these magnificent creatures.
Access features: table of contents, glossary, index, about the author, and photo acknowledgements
Use: I would use this for independent reading and research in the classroom. It would make a great addition to an animal (mammal) unit. It could also be used when learning about some of the countries inhabited by tigers such as China, India, and Russia.
Response: The photographs are so beautiful, and they really do deepen your sense of awe for tigers. The author does a great job of convincing the reader that tigers are in danger of extinction and that we need to support the efforts of tiger conservation organizations.
Related texts:
Big Cats by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Feathered Dinosaurs of China by Gregory Wenzel (1 book)
Wenzel, Gregory. (2004). Illustrated by Gregory Wenzel. Feathered dinosaurs of
China. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing. 32 pages.
ISBN # 1-57091-561-X
Awards:
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Children’s Book Award, Notable Book, 2005
Genre: informational
Content area: science
Grade level: K-5
Credibility of author: The author gives thanks to Dr. Peter Dodson, Professor of Anatomy and Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania.
Summary: This book discusses the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils in China from the Early Cretaceous Period. It describes and illustrates various dinosaurs that were covered in feathers. It presents evidence to support that modern birds are feathered dinosaurs.
Standards: Life Science IV (Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology)
Illustrations: Almost every other page is a full-page illustration with smaller illustrations on corresponding pages. The illustrations are done in acrylics on paper.
Text: Approximately every other page has anywhere from 5-15 lines of text. The text type set is printed in Adobe Goudy and the display text set is in Amigo.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: The author uses a narrative tone that is both informative as well as entertaining when he discusses what daily life was like for these feathered dinosaurs.
Voice: The author leads the reader to ponder the evidence left behind, including over 100 similarities found in birds and dinosaurs.
Language: There is varying sentence length with descriptive language.
Access features: author’s note, glossary/index combination
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud for younger children and independent reading/research for older children. There are some really good, descriptive sentences that teachers could have fun with while reading aloud. This book could be used for a unit of study on dinosaurs and/or birds. There are numerous examples of metric units used to describe the size of different animals throughout the book. This could easily be integrated into math.
Response: The illustrations and descriptive language in this book play important roles in helping the reader to make the connection between dinosaurs and birds. The author is very thorough in his descriptions, including characteristics such as their size, how they walked, ate, etc. It is a very interesting book that adults can learn from as well as children.
Related text:
How Dinosaurs Took Flight: Fossils, Science, What We Think We Know, and Mysteries Yet Unsolved by Christopher Sloan
China. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing. 32 pages.
ISBN # 1-57091-561-X
Awards:
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Children’s Book Award, Notable Book, 2005
Genre: informational
Content area: science
Grade level: K-5
Credibility of author: The author gives thanks to Dr. Peter Dodson, Professor of Anatomy and Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania.
Summary: This book discusses the discovery of feathered dinosaur fossils in China from the Early Cretaceous Period. It describes and illustrates various dinosaurs that were covered in feathers. It presents evidence to support that modern birds are feathered dinosaurs.
Standards: Life Science IV (Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology)
Illustrations: Almost every other page is a full-page illustration with smaller illustrations on corresponding pages. The illustrations are done in acrylics on paper.
Text: Approximately every other page has anywhere from 5-15 lines of text. The text type set is printed in Adobe Goudy and the display text set is in Amigo.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: The author uses a narrative tone that is both informative as well as entertaining when he discusses what daily life was like for these feathered dinosaurs.
Voice: The author leads the reader to ponder the evidence left behind, including over 100 similarities found in birds and dinosaurs.
Language: There is varying sentence length with descriptive language.
Access features: author’s note, glossary/index combination
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud for younger children and independent reading/research for older children. There are some really good, descriptive sentences that teachers could have fun with while reading aloud. This book could be used for a unit of study on dinosaurs and/or birds. There are numerous examples of metric units used to describe the size of different animals throughout the book. This could easily be integrated into math.
Response: The illustrations and descriptive language in this book play important roles in helping the reader to make the connection between dinosaurs and birds. The author is very thorough in his descriptions, including characteristics such as their size, how they walked, ate, etc. It is a very interesting book that adults can learn from as well as children.
Related text:
How Dinosaurs Took Flight: Fossils, Science, What We Think We Know, and Mysteries Yet Unsolved by Christopher Sloan
Monday, July 16, 2007
Outside and Inside Mummies by Sandra Markle (1 book)
Markle, Sandra. (2005). Outside and inside mummies. New York: Walker
and Company. 40 pages. ISBN-13 978-0-8027-8966-2
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005 (Selector’s Choice)
Genre: informational
Content area: science
Grade level: 4th-6th
Credibility of author: Amongst the many acknowledgements, the author thanked the following: Dr. Johan Reinhard, National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence, senior fellow at the Mountain Institute, West Virginia; Center for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester; Neil Staff, Diagnostic Radiographer; and the Munich Museum of Anthropology.
Summary: This book describes how archaeologists us technology such as digital X-ray machines, on mummified remains to reveal clues about their lives. From these clues, the archaeologists are able to determine things such as what the ancient humans ate, the cause of death, if they were infected by worms, and many other fascinating bits of information. The author even discussed how researchers plan to use DNA samples to locate living descendents.
Standards: Science as Inquiry II, History and Nature of Science VIII, Science and Technology VI (Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology)
Illustrations: colored photographs throughout the book
Text: Half to full pages of text in approximately 16-point font.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: informative
Voice: The author wants the reader to have an appreciation for unlocking mysteries learning about the past.
Language: The author uses appropriate grade-level vocabulary and sentence structure along with descriptive details.
Access features; glossary/subject index combination, author’s acknowledgements, photo credits
Use: I would use this book for independent reading and research with a unit on Egypt and/or mummies. There’s a section at the end on how to make your own mummy using an apple. I would definitely use this activity with my students.
Response: This book had fascinating photographs that I know my students would love. The cover alone would sway my students to check this book out in the library. I enjoyed reading it, and the photographs even enticed my husband into scanning it.
Related texts: See Through Mummies by John Malam
and Company. 40 pages. ISBN-13 978-0-8027-8966-2
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005 (Selector’s Choice)
Genre: informational
Content area: science
Grade level: 4th-6th
Credibility of author: Amongst the many acknowledgements, the author thanked the following: Dr. Johan Reinhard, National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence, senior fellow at the Mountain Institute, West Virginia; Center for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester; Neil Staff, Diagnostic Radiographer; and the Munich Museum of Anthropology.
Summary: This book describes how archaeologists us technology such as digital X-ray machines, on mummified remains to reveal clues about their lives. From these clues, the archaeologists are able to determine things such as what the ancient humans ate, the cause of death, if they were infected by worms, and many other fascinating bits of information. The author even discussed how researchers plan to use DNA samples to locate living descendents.
Standards: Science as Inquiry II, History and Nature of Science VIII, Science and Technology VI (Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology)
Illustrations: colored photographs throughout the book
Text: Half to full pages of text in approximately 16-point font.
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: informative
Voice: The author wants the reader to have an appreciation for unlocking mysteries learning about the past.
Language: The author uses appropriate grade-level vocabulary and sentence structure along with descriptive details.
Access features; glossary/subject index combination, author’s acknowledgements, photo credits
Use: I would use this book for independent reading and research with a unit on Egypt and/or mummies. There’s a section at the end on how to make your own mummy using an apple. I would definitely use this activity with my students.
Response: This book had fascinating photographs that I know my students would love. The cover alone would sway my students to check this book out in the library. I enjoyed reading it, and the photographs even enticed my husband into scanning it.
Related texts: See Through Mummies by John Malam
Song of the Waterboatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman (1 book)
Sidman, Joyce. (2005). Illustrated by Beckie Prange. Song of the water boatman and
other pond poems. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 32 pages.
ISBN 13: 978-0618-13547-9
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2006
Genre: poetry
Content area: science
Grade level: 3rd-6th
Credibility of author:
Summary: The setting of these poems is a pond. Each poem uses descriptive language to provide the reader with information about plants, animals, and insects that make their homes in and around the pond.
Standards: Life Science IV (Environment and Ecology)
Illustrations: woodblock hand-colored with watercolor on two-page spreads featuring various shades of green, blue, and brown
Text: set in Nicholas Jenson and Scala Sans
Tone: The author’s tone is happy and carefree.
Voice: The author conveys an appreciation of nature.
Language: The author uses lots of vivid imagery and descriptive language with a staccato rhythm.
Access features: glossary, inserted factual information in the left and right margins
Use: I would use this book for read aloud, shared reading, and choral reading. It could be integrated a plant, animal, or poetry unit.
Response: This book is beautifully illustrated with soothing colors. I would love reading these poems aloud to my students and listening to my students read them aloud to each other. This book would be a fun way to introduce biology. There was even a poem about the water bear, which is an example of zooplankton.
Related texts: The following texts share the same setting of a pond.
Turtle Splash: Countdown at the Pond by C. Falwell
Growing Frogs by Vivian French
other pond poems. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 32 pages.
ISBN 13: 978-0618-13547-9
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2006
Genre: poetry
Content area: science
Grade level: 3rd-6th
Credibility of author:
Summary: The setting of these poems is a pond. Each poem uses descriptive language to provide the reader with information about plants, animals, and insects that make their homes in and around the pond.
Standards: Life Science IV (Environment and Ecology)
Illustrations: woodblock hand-colored with watercolor on two-page spreads featuring various shades of green, blue, and brown
Text: set in Nicholas Jenson and Scala Sans
Tone: The author’s tone is happy and carefree.
Voice: The author conveys an appreciation of nature.
Language: The author uses lots of vivid imagery and descriptive language with a staccato rhythm.
Access features: glossary, inserted factual information in the left and right margins
Use: I would use this book for read aloud, shared reading, and choral reading. It could be integrated a plant, animal, or poetry unit.
Response: This book is beautifully illustrated with soothing colors. I would love reading these poems aloud to my students and listening to my students read them aloud to each other. This book would be a fun way to introduce biology. There was even a poem about the water bear, which is an example of zooplankton.
Related texts: The following texts share the same setting of a pond.
Turtle Splash: Countdown at the Pond by C. Falwell
Growing Frogs by Vivian French
The Boy Who Drew Birds: The Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies (1 book)
Davies, Jaccqueline. (2004). Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. The boy who drew birds: a
story of John James Audubon. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 32 pages.
ISBN-0-618-24343-7
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Genre: partial biography
Content area: science
Grade level: 2nd-4th
Credibility of author: The author states that he relied primarily on John James Audubon’s book Ornithological Biography and Shirley Streshinsky’s Audubon: Life and Art in the American Wilderness
Summary: This book focuses on a short period of John James Audubon’s life beginning when he was eighteen years old. His father sent John James from France to live in Pennsylvania so that he would not have to fight in Napoleon’s War. While in America, John James focused on learning and documenting everything he could about birds. His particular interest in migrating birds led to him becoming the first person in North America to band a bird in 1804.
Standard: Life Science IV (Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology)
Illustrations: mixed media using Twinrocker handmade papers, collage, and found objects
Text: The text set is Regula. The display text is Escrita.
Text structure: narrative
Tone: conversational and engaging
Voice: The author conveys a positive and supportive attitude for the subject.
Language: informal and easy to follow
Access features: author’s source note, bibliography, and illustrator’s source note
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud for younger children and independent reading for older children. This would be a neat book to integrate with a unit on birds.
Response: This book was very enjoyable to read. It gave me a lot of information presented in an interesting, narrative format. I’ve always heard of John James Audubon, but I really didn’t know much about him other than he was a naturalist famous for his paintings of birds. I never realized he was from France and that he was the first person to begin bird banding in North America.
Related texts:
Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives His Dream by Robert Burleigh
It’s a Hummingbird’s Life by Irene Kelly discusses the patterns of migration.
story of John James Audubon. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 32 pages.
ISBN-0-618-24343-7
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Genre: partial biography
Content area: science
Grade level: 2nd-4th
Credibility of author: The author states that he relied primarily on John James Audubon’s book Ornithological Biography and Shirley Streshinsky’s Audubon: Life and Art in the American Wilderness
Summary: This book focuses on a short period of John James Audubon’s life beginning when he was eighteen years old. His father sent John James from France to live in Pennsylvania so that he would not have to fight in Napoleon’s War. While in America, John James focused on learning and documenting everything he could about birds. His particular interest in migrating birds led to him becoming the first person in North America to band a bird in 1804.
Standard: Life Science IV (Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology)
Illustrations: mixed media using Twinrocker handmade papers, collage, and found objects
Text: The text set is Regula. The display text is Escrita.
Text structure: narrative
Tone: conversational and engaging
Voice: The author conveys a positive and supportive attitude for the subject.
Language: informal and easy to follow
Access features: author’s source note, bibliography, and illustrator’s source note
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud for younger children and independent reading for older children. This would be a neat book to integrate with a unit on birds.
Response: This book was very enjoyable to read. It gave me a lot of information presented in an interesting, narrative format. I’ve always heard of John James Audubon, but I really didn’t know much about him other than he was a naturalist famous for his paintings of birds. I never realized he was from France and that he was the first person to begin bird banding in North America.
Related texts:
Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives His Dream by Robert Burleigh
It’s a Hummingbird’s Life by Irene Kelly discusses the patterns of migration.
Nature in the Neighborhood by Gordon Morrison (1 book)
Morrison, Gordon. (2004). Illustrated by Gordon Morrison. Nature in the neighborhood.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 32 pages. ISBN # 0-618-35215-5
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Genre: informational picture storybook
Content area: science
Grade level: Pre K- 2nd
Credibility of author:
Summary: This book describes the different plants and animals that are found in a particular neighborhood from early spring through winter.
Standards: Life Science IV (Environment and Ecology)
Illustrations: There is full-color pencil-and-watercolor artwork. Lower on the pages are tiny black-and-white drawings accompanied by more detailed descriptions of the animals. There are two detailed maps of the neighborhood.
Text: standard type, approximately 14-point font
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: narrative (optimistic)
Voice: The author conveys a feeling of wonderment as different plants and animals appear with the changing seasons.
Language: descriptive with alliteration –“…a sure sign of spring…”
Access features: author’s note, inserted information
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud. It would be especially useful for younger children when studying a unit on neighborhoods. The teacher could take the class on a nature walk, compose a group list of what they observed, and then write a story with the students using the Language Experience Approach. Students could also create some nature artwork before or after their story. This book could also be used with an animal or weather unit.
Response: This was a very sweet book that demonstrates to children the importance of observing what’s around them. One doesn’t have to live in the country to see nature. Nature is everywhere.
Related texts:
One Small Place in a Tree by Barbara Bren
Neighborhoods in Nature: The Let’s Take a Field Trip Series by Kathy Furgang
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 32 pages. ISBN # 0-618-35215-5
Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Genre: informational picture storybook
Content area: science
Grade level: Pre K- 2nd
Credibility of author:
Summary: This book describes the different plants and animals that are found in a particular neighborhood from early spring through winter.
Standards: Life Science IV (Environment and Ecology)
Illustrations: There is full-color pencil-and-watercolor artwork. Lower on the pages are tiny black-and-white drawings accompanied by more detailed descriptions of the animals. There are two detailed maps of the neighborhood.
Text: standard type, approximately 14-point font
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: narrative (optimistic)
Voice: The author conveys a feeling of wonderment as different plants and animals appear with the changing seasons.
Language: descriptive with alliteration –“…a sure sign of spring…”
Access features: author’s note, inserted information
Use: I would use this book as a read aloud. It would be especially useful for younger children when studying a unit on neighborhoods. The teacher could take the class on a nature walk, compose a group list of what they observed, and then write a story with the students using the Language Experience Approach. Students could also create some nature artwork before or after their story. This book could also be used with an animal or weather unit.
Response: This was a very sweet book that demonstrates to children the importance of observing what’s around them. One doesn’t have to live in the country to see nature. Nature is everywhere.
Related texts:
One Small Place in a Tree by Barbara Bren
Neighborhoods in Nature: The Let’s Take a Field Trip Series by Kathy Furgang
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