Informational Books

                                             

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/american-plague-jim-murphy/1100150691?ean=9780395776087

 

 

AN AMERICAN PLAGUE by Jim Murphy

Summary

An American PLAGUE is a nonfiction book written by Jim Murphy that describes the events of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic that killed so many people in Philadelphia. Author Murphy does an excellent job describing the events that took place during our history. The unknown cause of the illness, the efforts of George Washington and Benjamin Rush and the important role free black Philadelphians played during this time period make this book a nonfictional masterpiece.

Analysis

Author Jim Murphy does a great job providing the reader with a list of sources supporting all his findings. Most sources are accompanied by a personal comment by the author about the subject matter. Murphy also provides the reader with firsthand nonmedical and medical accounts as well as sources about yellow fever and other deadly plagues. The book is also filled with important facts, such as the presidency during 1793 and the location of the nation’s capital. Small details like these add to the integrity of the text.  Murphy also provides accurate dates in history and important information about yellow fever symptoms; “The skin and eyeballs turned yellow, as red blood cells were destroyed, causing the bile pigment bilirubin to accumulate in the body; nose, gums, and intestines began bleeding; and the patient vomited stale, black blood.”  The book has won numerous awards, The Robert F. Sibert Medal and the Newberry Honor to name a few. Jim Murphy has authored over twenty-five books and is winner to many awards and recognitions such as the SCBWI Golden Kite Award and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award.

The book has a clear sequence pattern which allows the reader to follow the story in time line segments. A table of contents is provided at the beginning of the book. At the end of the book along with the bibliography and acknowledgments is an easy to read index. Each chapter page begins with a heading and a brief quote from a historical person written around the 1793 era.

The AN AMERICAN PLAGUE book offers different illustrations based on the information provided. It starts with a map showing where the yellow fever took place throughout the city of Philadelphia. Some of the illustrations are pages from articles written in 1793 that include advertisements, actual lists of deceased individuals, notes and other information pertaining to the yellow fever epidemic. There is a portrait of a man done in watercolor from 1819; according to the text it is possibly one of the first illustrations showing a person with this terribly illness (Murphy, 13 and 14). All pictures are in black and white taken from different resources such as the New York Magazine. Also, The Library Company of Philadelphia provided some of the illustrations as well as The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.  The text Murphy writes collaborate perfectly with the illustrations shown.

This incredible book offers different aspects of styles. Besides offering accurate information, Murphy also provides personal comments and historical information of actual events that took place during the yellow fever epidemic. Murphy makes sure to give the correct information about what happened with the black helpers in Philadelphia as well as professional information of different important doctors who saved many lives like Dr. Benjamin Rush during this time period. The author makes sure not to mention what caused the yellow fever until the end of the story adding suspense and curiosity to the text. The story gives a lot of details allowing the reader to imagine the terrifying experience each Philadelphia citizen went through. This book meets all the expectations of an informational book with a quality and exciting story twist.

Reviews

“The author masterfully weaves facts and fascinating stories in describing the course of the disease and the heroic roles played by a few doctors and the free African-American citizens of the city.”—School Library Journal, Spring2004.

“A mesmerizing, macabre account that will make readers happy they live in the 21st century.”—Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2003.

Connections

Activities-

Children can go over health issues and the importance of them.  

Children can learn more about similar diseases like the West Nile virus and preventive measures.

Related Book-

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

The American Plague by Molly Caldwell Crosby

Bibliography

2003. "AN AMERICAN PLAGUE (Book)." Kirkus Reviews 71, no. 7: 538. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2013).

Murphy, Jim. 2003. AN AMERICAN PLAGUE. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395776082

Wooten, Deborah A. 2004. "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (Book)." School Library Journal 50, 31. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2013).

 





 

  

 

 

 http://www.amazon.com/The-Tarantula-Scientist-Scientists-Field/dp/B002BNS8US/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1383103011&sr=8-7&keywords=the+tarantula+scientist

 

 

THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST by Sy Montgomery and Photographed by Nic Bishop

Summary

The Tarantula Scientist written by Sy Montgomery and photographed by Nic Bishop is part of a series called: Scientist in the Field. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST is an excellent book that introduces the reader to different spiders found in the jungles of French Guiana. Spider scientist also known as an Arachnologist, Sam Marshall takes the reader on an adventure filled with harry crawling creatures, and also discusses other little bugs and reptiles that live among spiders inside the jungle.

Analysis

The TARANTULA SCIENTIST was carefully researched and written. Author Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop joined Sam Marshall in this great expedition in South America. Sam Marshall is an Assistant Professor at Hiram College in Ohio and both Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop visited him there for the purpose of this book. The book was also edited and criticized by Dr. Gary Galbreath, Editor Amy Flynn and Kate O’Sullivan. A bibliography is also provided at the end of the book which enhances the quality of the information found in this text. Sy Montgomery has written countless books about nature and its inhabitants such as the Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, The Snake Scientist and much more. She is the winner of many awards and recognitions such as the 2009 New England Independent Booksellers Association Nonfiction Award, the 2010 Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award and the Henry Bergh Award for Nonfiction.

The presentation of the book is simple. It does not have a table of contents, but the sequence is easy to follow. The text begins with a heading titled “Queen of the Jungle and continues with “Science and Spiders” for a total of seven headings. The book also offers a small index which is very helpful for the reader.

The book is filled with wonderful photographs detailing different spiders that add to the wonderful explanation about these harry creatures. Photographer Nic Bishop does an excellent job with these pictures. Each photograph adds to the wonderful information found throughout the book.

The style of the text reveals Sy Montgomery’s passion for the work she does. Sy has written other books about nature and animals and this text reflects the interest she has in the subject. The book is an informative book that allows the reader to learn and also inspires their interest about the subject matter.

Reviews

Bristling with quotes ("Tarantulas are the tigers of the leaf litter") and full of spider lore, this excellent study reveals a scientist happily at work in the field and the lab, asking intelligent questions and finding factual answers. -- School Library Journal. October 2005

 

They accompany Marshall on a research trip to the rainforests of French Guiana, and document his enthusiasm for large, hairy "spider dinosaurs" in crisp, detailed photographs and clear, lively prose. -- Kirkus Reviews. February 15,2004

 

 

Connections

Activities-

Children can explore more about different kinds of spiders.

A film about spiders will enhance children’s knowledge after reading the Tarantula Scientist book.

Related Book-

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery and Photographs by Nic Bishop

Bibliography

2004. "THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST." Kirkus Reviews 72, no. 4: 182. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 25, 2013).

Montgomery, Sy. 2004. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618147993

Manning, Patricia. 2005. "The Tarantula Scientist." School Library Journal 51, no. 10: 64. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 25, 2013).

Montgomery, Sy (n.d.). Symontgomery.com. Retrieved from http://symontgomery.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-to-do-about-alice-barbara-kerley/1111832342?ean=9780439922319

 

What to do about Alice?.  By Kerley, Barbara

Plot

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE is a great picture book biography about one of America’s most beloved individual? The story takes place mostly around Washington D.C, where Alice grew up. Author Barbara Kerley does an excellent job describing the life of Alice Roosevelt in this story; from the time she would jump on her grandparent’s favorite couch to when she becomes a personal advisor to her father the 26^th president of the United States. 

Analysis

The biography of Alice Roosevelt found in this picture book written for children are excellent. Author Kerley does a great job introducing us to factual pieces of American history by describing the life of Alice. Great facts, like the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and the point that Alice was self-educated are filled throughout the book. However, Barbara Kerley does an even better job connecting the reader with the main character. At the end of the story the reader will have a good sense of who Alice really was.

The story is well arranged because it takes the reader through various life events about Alice, her father and a bit of presidential history. The author gives detailing events such as when Alice refused to attend a boarding school and later in her life when she wed Nicholas Longworth.

The reader will enjoy all the mischief Alice gets herself into not only by the text, but also by the wonderful illustrations found in the book. Each picture is filled with details about Alice and the trouble she gets into. The story and images complement one another in every page. Each picture is carefully crafted with details; like the entrance to the White House or the headlines found on the newspapers.

The accurateness of the story can be found in the author’s notes at the end of the book. Barbara Kerley provides some factual information about Alice, her father and the life they shared within these notes. The book also provides sources for the quotes used in the picture biography book. Both the notes and the sources are important features of the book that add to the credibility of the story about Alice.

Reviews

“Readers can call her actions what they will as they follow Alice sneaking out at night; riding trays down the White House stairs; or diving, fully clothed, into a ship’s pool.” -- Horn Book Magazine. March/April 2008

 

“It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt.” -- Publishers Weekly. March 31, 2008

 

Connections

Activities-

Children can explore more about the presidency, Theodore Roosevelt and children living in the Whitehouse.

Children can research old newspaper articles usually found in public libraries about Alice Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt.

Related Book-

White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems, and Pratfalls of the Presidents' Children, by Joe Rhatigan and illustrated by Jay Shinn

Bibliography

2008. "What to Do About Alice?." Publishers Weekly 255, no. 13: 61. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 25, 2013).

B., C. 2008. "What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy." Horn Book Magazine 84, no. 2: 227. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 25, 2013).

Coleman, Jennifer. 2013. "White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems, and Pratfalls of the Presidents' Children." Library Media Connection 31, no. 5: 89. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 25, 2013).

Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to do about Alice?. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319.

 

 

POETRY BOOKS

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bees-snails-and-peacock-tails-betsy-franco/1112537390?ean=9781416903864

bees, snails, & peacock tails by Betsy Franco and Steve Jenkins

Plot Summary

bees, snails, & peacock tails is an excellent poetry book all children will enjoy. The book is filled with colorful pictures and poetic lines which allow the reader to enter a magical world. The different shapes, such as circles, triangles and hexagons, found throughout the book allow the reader to see the world around us. The story follows the adventures from birds flying in a V shaped assembly to straight army like ants all the way to a sneaky snake filled with diamonds shapes on its back.

Analysis

The bees, snails, & peacock tails poetry picture book contains simple rhymes that complement the illustrations found on each page. Children will find this poetry book enjoyable and easy to understand because of the rhymes it contains without forcing the word meaning. The poem contains short lines creating a staccato rhythm, such as the phrase, “They sit in the center admiring their art, and wait for those flies who aren’t quite as smart.” The rhythm, while reading aloud, allows the reader to connect with the story and the tempo of the poem does not allow for the meaning to be misunderstood. The language of the poem gives meaning to the story because of the clear words that the author uses. This type of language allows the reader to use their imagination by following both the words and the illustrations in the book. Although the book has illustrations and they complement the poem’s text, the story itself leaves images in your head about the beauty of nature and its various shapes; the round sun, the star fish, the spiral snail etc.

Each page along with the following page is filled with the same illustration. The illustration then comes to life and gives the book extraordinary patterns. This wonderful poetry book is related to different kinds of animals as well as symmetrical shapes. For example, children will see similarities in the Moth’s symmetry and its three dimensional parts. The Moth is illustrated by using different colors and textures. The bee illustration shows how bees create hexagon beehives. The author also demonstrates how intelligent they are because the hives hexagon shape cones all follow the same pattern.  Another illustration is the camouflage snake, which the reader can easily see how it passes through the dessert full of rocks displaying its diamond shapes found on its body.

This colorful book will show children how nature and animals decorate the world with different kinds of shapes. For example in one picture there are birds flying across a sunset forming a V shape creating a beautiful background. At the end of the book it offers factual information related to all the animals depicted in the story. Children will also learn a little about how different animals behave in our environment. The age range for this story is three to seven years old.

Reviews:

“This inviting book is bound to spark more careful observation of the shapes and colors in the reader's natural world.” -- Publishers Weekly, June 30, 2008.

“this is a lovely book that will work well as a read-aloud, connect with the concepts of shapes and patterns that are frequently part of early childhood curriculum and provide a springboard for discussion.” -- Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2008.

Connections:

Activities-

Children can go outside and write about what they see around them. 

Related book-

From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman

Bibliography:

2008. "BEES, SNAILS, & PEACOCK TAILS." Kirkus Reviews 76, no. 14: 149. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 2, 2013).

2008. "Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails: Patterns & Shapes…Naturally." Publishers Weekly 255, no. 26: 183. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 2, 2013).

Franco, Betsy and Steve Jenkins. 2008. Bees, snails, & peacock tails. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416903864.

                             http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-sings-from-treetops-joyce-sidman/1100302792?ean=9780547562131

Red Sings from Treetop by Joyce Sidman

Plot summary

Red Sings from Treetop by Joyce Sidman is a wonderful picture book filled with poetic phrases that talk about the earth’s seasons. The seasons are all represented by different colors, for example red, pink, white and blue all speak to us during the spring time. However, these same colors also come to life during the winter, summer and fall. An example of this is where “Green is new in spring” but “Green is queen in summer.”  The seasons are also accompanied by flowers, rain, trees, and different little animals children will enjoy.

Analysis

Author Joyce Sidman uses a free verse rhythm approach. The rhythm approach can be witnessed in the example, “In spring, White sounds like storm: snapped twigs and bouncing hail, blink of lightning and rattling BOOM!.”  Most of the words do not rhyme however there is a “magical flow” that happens while reading the story. The language of the story includes some metaphors, similes and personification which make the story more fascinating. Metaphors such as “In spring, White sounds like storms.” require the reader to use their intellect and  onomatopoeia sound words allow the reader to see what the author is expressing, for example “snapped twigs and bouncing hail, blink of lightning and rattling BOOM!”. In this particular phrase the reader can actually imagine twigs snapping and hail bouncing all over the place. The poet also personifies the colors; the lines “Yellows grows wheels”, “White is resting”, as well as “Green is Shy” are perfect examples of this.

Like I mention before, the rhythm of this long poetic book is mostly written in free verse. There are a couple of rhymes in the story like “Green trills from trees, clings to Pup’s knees, covers all with leaves, leaves, leaves!”. However, for the most part the story is free verse. The poem uses long couplets rhyming lines like, “Then, suddenly, sparkling spring sky!” which keep the reader interested.

The illustration of the book brings vivid images where children can use their imagination and enjoy every word they read. For instance there is a phrase that reads “SUMMER:  In SUMMER, White Clinks in drinks. Yellow melts everything it touches…smells like butter, tastes like salt”. In this phrase the author is talking about the yellow sun during summer were readers can use their sense of taste, smell and sight. In each page the characters are the same color as the seasons that they are interacting with. The illustrations are also appropriate for the text, which allow a child to easily follow along. Each page is full of colors with a warm touch on each illustration.

The poem story here does not leave the reader sad or happy. Instead it grabs the minds attention and does not let it go until the end. This poetry book is appropriate for children ages 5-8 years old.

Reviews:

Children will find many small stories waiting to be told within the detailed paintings and enjoy looking at them over and over. -- School Library Journal, April 2009

The regal elegance is sure to charm. -- Publishers Weekly, February 16, 2009

Connections:

Activities-

Children can learn the basic elements of poetry; like rhythm, rhyme, sound, language, imagery and emotions spending quality time on each element.

Understanding the color wheel and showing the relationships between primary colors, secondary colors, and complementary colors is another activity that can be used with this title.

Children can write small poems with illustrations of their favorite seasons.

Bibliography:

2009. "Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors." Publishers Weekly 256, no. 7: 127. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 3, 2013).

Roach, Julie. 2009. "Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors." School Library Journal 55, no. 4: 126. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 3, 2013).

Sidman, Joyce and Pamela Zagarenski. 2009. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547014944

                                    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stop-pretending-sonya-sones-sonya/1030721364?ean=9780756942502

 Stop pretending: what happened when my big sister went crazy by Sonya Sones

Plot Summary

STOP PRETENDING is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. This book offers a chronological story followed by a sequence of meaningful poems based on the author’s big sister who suffered a devastating mental illness when she was a young girl. Sones’ poem words offer meaningful emotions showing her feelings through the whole story.  At the beginning of the story, the author introduces her complete family to the audience by giving a sense of how she perceived them. Sonya is going through a lot and it seems nobody cares. Sones’ visits her sister often at the mental hospital and she tries very hard to understand why her sister refuses to belong to the real world. There is nothing she can do but survive the humiliation at school as well as the lack of attention from her parents. Sones feels depressed, lost and hopeless as she copes with her family, friends and her sister’s sickness.

Critical Analysis

Stop pretending: what happened when my big sister went crazy written in poem lines consists of imagery, similes and mixed emotions. The book is broken down into several free verse poems, each covering a different day, time period, event or scene. The book is not very long, but once you begin to read, it is very hard to put back down.

“My stunned parents stare, like witnesses at a car crash,” and “She wishes she could get small enough to float right out through the keyhole of that six-inch-thick iron door on a sea of her own tears.” These are just two examples of figurative language Sonya uses throughout the book which helps the reader understand what is taking place inside the characters mind. The imagery of the poem creates a unique use of language by providing a vivid mental picture from the poems words. For instance, “but when he meets Sister, he handles it pretty well, even when she whacks herself hard on the side of her head and tells us she’s trying to kill the fly that’s buzzing around in her brain.” Here the author describes an example of the level of her sister’s sickness by mentioning the fly in her brain. The book is filled with emotional moments that leave the reader wanting to know more. The story was originally a journal turned into a novel verse, allowing the true and honest feelings of the author to be exposed. One of the emotional moments is in the poem called FOUND AND LOST. In this poem Sones’ lets us know how important her sister is to her as well as their strong bond between them. The reader can see this in the following verse; “I can remember the day I fell asleep under the bed and everyone thought I was lost. While the rest of them rushed off to search the neighborhood, you wandered through the house calling out, “Cookieeeee, we’re going to the perrrrr!” Your words woke me and I scrambled out from under the bed. I remember feeling startled by the enormous hug you gave me... When I was lost, you were the one who found me,” and readers can feel the enormous love that exists between the two sisters.

Author Sonya Sones provides an author’s note at the end of the book which explain many things one that the story is truly based on the author and her family.

This book is recommended for young adults. 

Reviews:

It is an intense and brutally honest story, told in a succession of powerful poems that take us into the cyclone of the narrator's emotions: grief, anger, guilt, resentment, horror, and, ultimately, acceptance. – Adolescence, Spring 2001.

All of the emotions and feelings are here, the tightness in the teen's chest when thinking about her sibling in the hospital, her grocery list of adjectives for mental illness, and the honest truth in the collection's smallest poem, "I don't want to see you./I dread it./There./I've said it." -- School Library Journal, October 1999.

Connections:

Word meaning-

When students read the poem story, they can choose difficult words and find their definitions and make new sentences with the new words.

Finding background information about the author Sonya Sones and what other books she has published that is interesting for the reader.

Finding more about mental illnesses in teenagers and what we can do to help those with a similar illness?

Bibliography -

2001. "Stop Pretending (Book review)." Adolescence 36, no. 141: 182. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 9, 2013).

Korbeck, Sharon. 1999. "Grades 5 & Up: Fiction." School Library Journal 45, no. 10: 160. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 9, 2013).

Sones, Sonya. 1999. Stop pretending: what happened when my big sister when crazy. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780064462181.