Tang, Gregg (2001). The grapes of math. Scholastic Press. New York.
Summary:
This is a cute little book that presents math word problems in riddle form. The riddles are challenging and involve finding patterns, grouping, adding, and subtracting. Each riddle had pictures to go with it to help in solving the riddle.
Author: Gregg Tang
Illustrator: Harry Briggs
Illustrations: Were created on computer and incorporate different animals, insects, and food.
Access Features: Answers to Riddles, A Note About Grapes of Math
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: Book is square with bright colors on cover and is appropriately covered with grape vines. End pages are purple again symbolic of grapes. Each two page spread has a different theme that the text and illustrations follow. Text is written over the illustrations and the subject of the word problem riddle is on the left page. The riddle is on the right page and each riddle has it’s own title.
Writing Style: Text is very children friendly but the riddles are also challenging. These are great brain teasers and it introduces and uses “math language.”
Curriculum: Math
Classroom Use: I think this would be a great resource to use to help learn “math language” and practice word problems and problem solving.
Standards: Math-Understand patterns, relations, and functions; Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems
Awards: N/A
Author Credibility: Tang has a master’s degree in economics and math education. He has also taught Kindergarten through college.
Related Texts: Math-terpieces by Greg Tang; Math Curse by Jon Scieszka; Math Appeal (Mind-Stretching Math Riddles) by Gregory Tang; Math Potatoes: Mind-stretching Brain Food: Mind-stretching Brain Food by Greg Tang; How Big Is a Foot? by Rolf Myller; Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales by Theoni Pappas
Response:
This book was so much fun to read. Some of the riddles made me think and took me a while to figure out. The illustrations are really helpful in solving the riddles and the book is so colorful that it keeps you interested. I really enjoyed all the challenging problems.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Toulouse-Lautrec: The Moulin Rouge and the City of Light
Burleigh, Robert (2005). Toulouse-Lautrec: the Moulin Rouge and the city of light. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York.
Summary:
Burleigh uses this book to introduce an author that was previously just seen as a fixture in Parisian nightlife. He begins the book by addressing his childhood which was riddled with a disease that stunted the growth of his legs. While the rest of his body grew, his legs stayed those of a child. The author then goes on to discuss his decision to study art and the disapproval of his parents. He became a figure in the nightlife of Paris and began painting advertising posters for the nightclubs in the area. A poster for the Moulin Rouge is one of his most famous. The author moves through his rapid-growth career and ends with his death and a snippet about how his fame lives on through his work.
Author: Robert Burleigh
Illustrator: N/A
Illustrations: Artwork done by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and photographs of him and his circle of friends.
Access Features: Bibliography, Author's Note, Acknowledgments, Illustration Credits
Grade Level: 4-7
Book Design: Tall, rectangle. Oversized in honor of Lautrec's first advertising poster that was nearly 6 feet tall. Illustrations are dispersed throughout the book sometimes with more illustrations on the pages than text. End pages are a muted lime green like most of the colors he used in his paintings.
Writing Style: Somewhat formal. Very detail oriented and enumerative. Some text is larger than other writing on the page perhaps to be viewed as a flashback to his work that was oversized as well. However, he uses language that is comprehensible to children to relate the facts of Lautrec' life but makes sure the language is not beneath them.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: Art History project or to talk about propoganda and advertising history
Standards: Social Studies Standard 1: Culture; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 9: Global Connections
Awards: N/A
Author Credibility: Bibliography present. Most of the information was obtained from the Art Institute of Chicago, which would be deemed an expert establishment, and books previously written about Lautrec.
Related Texts: Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots by Robert Burleigh; Toulouse-Lautrec in Paris (Memoire) by Franck Maubert; Paul Cezanne: A Painter's Journey by Robert Burleigh; Toulouse-Lautrec: A Life (Phoenix Giants) by Julia Frey; Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre by Richard Thomson; Through Georgia's Eyes by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez
Response:
I was really intrigued by the cover of this book. It's so inviting because the colors and the artwork are so different. I really enjoyed reading about Lautrec because I've never heard of him before but also because there was a lot of interesting information about the Moulin Rouge and advertising in Paris during that time. It's a great resource to help teach advertising practices and propoganda.
Summary:
Burleigh uses this book to introduce an author that was previously just seen as a fixture in Parisian nightlife. He begins the book by addressing his childhood which was riddled with a disease that stunted the growth of his legs. While the rest of his body grew, his legs stayed those of a child. The author then goes on to discuss his decision to study art and the disapproval of his parents. He became a figure in the nightlife of Paris and began painting advertising posters for the nightclubs in the area. A poster for the Moulin Rouge is one of his most famous. The author moves through his rapid-growth career and ends with his death and a snippet about how his fame lives on through his work.
Author: Robert Burleigh
Illustrator: N/A
Illustrations: Artwork done by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and photographs of him and his circle of friends.
Access Features: Bibliography, Author's Note, Acknowledgments, Illustration Credits
Grade Level: 4-7
Book Design: Tall, rectangle. Oversized in honor of Lautrec's first advertising poster that was nearly 6 feet tall. Illustrations are dispersed throughout the book sometimes with more illustrations on the pages than text. End pages are a muted lime green like most of the colors he used in his paintings.
Writing Style: Somewhat formal. Very detail oriented and enumerative. Some text is larger than other writing on the page perhaps to be viewed as a flashback to his work that was oversized as well. However, he uses language that is comprehensible to children to relate the facts of Lautrec' life but makes sure the language is not beneath them.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: Art History project or to talk about propoganda and advertising history
Standards: Social Studies Standard 1: Culture; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 9: Global Connections
Awards: N/A
Author Credibility: Bibliography present. Most of the information was obtained from the Art Institute of Chicago, which would be deemed an expert establishment, and books previously written about Lautrec.
Related Texts: Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots by Robert Burleigh; Toulouse-Lautrec in Paris (Memoire) by Franck Maubert; Paul Cezanne: A Painter's Journey by Robert Burleigh; Toulouse-Lautrec: A Life (Phoenix Giants) by Julia Frey; Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre by Richard Thomson; Through Georgia's Eyes by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez
Response:
I was really intrigued by the cover of this book. It's so inviting because the colors and the artwork are so different. I really enjoyed reading about Lautrec because I've never heard of him before but also because there was a lot of interesting information about the Moulin Rouge and advertising in Paris during that time. It's a great resource to help teach advertising practices and propoganda.
River Boy: The Story of Mark Twain (bk 1) (40 pgs)
Anderson, William (2003). River boy: the story of Mark Twain. Harper Collins. New York.
Summary:
River Boy is a very simple story about the life of Mark Twain. Anderson begins at the time of Mark Twain's birth and traverses through his life with stories of mischief and dreams. Mark Twain followed his dreams and through his adventures he decided to write about them. People found his stories so amusing that he actually went on tour just telling his stories to peole that came to listen. This is a definite read for any Mark Twain fan. It's a fascinating story that ends on the day of his death and with a phenomenon that is rare. Even more strange is this phenomenon also occurred on the day of his birth as well.
Author: William Anderson
Illustrator: Dan Andreasen
Illustrations: Illustrations appear to be acrylic and usually take up one full side of a two-page spread. Sometimes the illustrations are on the top or bottom of the pages and the text is on the opposite. Illustrations are representative of some aspect of the text it is associated with.
Access Features: Time Line of Mark Twain
Grade Level: 1-3
Book Design: Book is a tall rectangle with words on the cover representative of old poster lettering. Cover has an illustration of a little boy fishing with the pole going into the book like an invitations to open the book and see what's on the the end of the line. End pages are an illustration of a riverboat floating down the river. Pages are white with a little bit of writing.
Writing Style: Very child friendly language. The author uses figurative language but not too complex for younger children to understand. This is enumerative text or a chronological telling of the events of Mark Twain's life from birth to death.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: Author's History Study; Geography of Mississippi River and surrounding areas
Standards: Social Studies Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2004
Author Credibility: Anderson is a teacher and has written many books about history. He visited Mark Twain's homesites while preparing for this book but gives no sources for his writing.
Related Texts: Mark Twain for Kids: His Life & Times, 21 Activities (For Kids series) by R. Kent Rasmussen; Who Was Mark Twain?: (Who Was...?) by April Jones Prince; First to Fly: How Wilbur and Orville Wright Invented the Airplane by Peter Busby; American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain by Don Brown; Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards) by James Rumford; If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong by Roxane Orgill; Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards) by Don Brown; The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter
Response:
Reading this book was like an adventure all on it's own. I learned a lot about Mark Twain that I never knew. He really was a very eccentric person and found adventure wherever he went. It was fascinating to learn about the way he became a writer and how the fame just seemed to fall on him.
Summary:
River Boy is a very simple story about the life of Mark Twain. Anderson begins at the time of Mark Twain's birth and traverses through his life with stories of mischief and dreams. Mark Twain followed his dreams and through his adventures he decided to write about them. People found his stories so amusing that he actually went on tour just telling his stories to peole that came to listen. This is a definite read for any Mark Twain fan. It's a fascinating story that ends on the day of his death and with a phenomenon that is rare. Even more strange is this phenomenon also occurred on the day of his birth as well.
Author: William Anderson
Illustrator: Dan Andreasen
Illustrations: Illustrations appear to be acrylic and usually take up one full side of a two-page spread. Sometimes the illustrations are on the top or bottom of the pages and the text is on the opposite. Illustrations are representative of some aspect of the text it is associated with.
Access Features: Time Line of Mark Twain
Grade Level: 1-3
Book Design: Book is a tall rectangle with words on the cover representative of old poster lettering. Cover has an illustration of a little boy fishing with the pole going into the book like an invitations to open the book and see what's on the the end of the line. End pages are an illustration of a riverboat floating down the river. Pages are white with a little bit of writing.
Writing Style: Very child friendly language. The author uses figurative language but not too complex for younger children to understand. This is enumerative text or a chronological telling of the events of Mark Twain's life from birth to death.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: Author's History Study; Geography of Mississippi River and surrounding areas
Standards: Social Studies Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2004
Author Credibility: Anderson is a teacher and has written many books about history. He visited Mark Twain's homesites while preparing for this book but gives no sources for his writing.
Related Texts: Mark Twain for Kids: His Life & Times, 21 Activities (For Kids series) by R. Kent Rasmussen; Who Was Mark Twain?: (Who Was...?) by April Jones Prince; First to Fly: How Wilbur and Orville Wright Invented the Airplane by Peter Busby; American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain by Don Brown; Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing (Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (Awards) by James Rumford; If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong by Roxane Orgill; Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards) by Don Brown; The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter
Response:
Reading this book was like an adventure all on it's own. I learned a lot about Mark Twain that I never knew. He really was a very eccentric person and found adventure wherever he went. It was fascinating to learn about the way he became a writer and how the fame just seemed to fall on him.
Through Georgia' Eyes (bk 1) (32 pgs)
Rodriguez, Rachel (2006). Through Georgia's eyes. Henry Holt and Company. New York.
Summary:
Rachel Rodriguez gives the reader a look into the world that was Georgia O'Keefe's life. Through her very present passion about her subject, Rodriguez tells the story about O'Keefe's first memory and ends with her death without actually mentioning when she died. Rodriguez tells us about O'Keefe's childhood dream of becoming an artist and her decision that she was going to do so. She goes through the years of O'Keefe's travels through cities and her desire to return to the "Faraway" place she loves. O'Keefe then goes on her journeys to paint the world in order to show it's wonder.
Author: Rachel Rodriguez
Illustrator: Julie Paschkins
Illustrations: Paschkins used sheets of paper painted with gradiating color. She then cut these pieces of paper into shapes and glued them into layers as a cut paper collage. She used some of O'Keefe's own painting for inspiration. The illustrations are bright and colorful and take up most of the two page spreads on most pages.
Access Features: Author's Note, Illustrator's Note, More About Georgia O'Keefe
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: Cover is an illustration of one of Georgia O'Keefe's paintings of numerous rolling hills. End pages are green perhaps to represent O'Keefe's love for nature. Pages are white with most illustrations covering a two page spread with very little text on the bottom of the page.
Writing Style: Some of the text may be difficult for younger students to understand, but the language is simple with extremely beautiful images conjuered by the metaphors and similes used in the text. Rodriguez takes the reader through O'Keefe's life and you can really feel her passion for the woman she is writing about.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This would be a wonderful book to use to talk about influential women in history or as an art history lesson.
Standards: Art Standard 4:Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures; Social Studies Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2007
Author Credibility: This is the author's first book. In her author's note she states that she read all she could about her, however she doesn't list any of her resources or give any details that would giver her credibility.
Related Texts: My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter; A Bird or 2: A Story About Henri Matisse by: Bijou Le Tord; Georgia's Bones by: Jen Bryant; Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules (Smart About Art) by: True Kelley; Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors: (Smart About Art) by: Jane O'Connor; Edgar Degas: Paintings That Dance (Smart About Art) by: Maryann Cocca-Leffler; Paul Cezanne: A Painter's Journey by: Robert Burleigh; Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies: Sunshine and Waterlilies (Smart About Art) by: True Kelley
Response:
I was so intrigued by this book just by looking at the cover. The colors were so bright and vibrant that it just seems to pull you in. I wasn't disappointed. Rodriguez does a wonderful job of describing Georgia O'Keefe's paintings and her determination to become an artist. It's a really short read but it has an impact just the same.
Summary:
Rachel Rodriguez gives the reader a look into the world that was Georgia O'Keefe's life. Through her very present passion about her subject, Rodriguez tells the story about O'Keefe's first memory and ends with her death without actually mentioning when she died. Rodriguez tells us about O'Keefe's childhood dream of becoming an artist and her decision that she was going to do so. She goes through the years of O'Keefe's travels through cities and her desire to return to the "Faraway" place she loves. O'Keefe then goes on her journeys to paint the world in order to show it's wonder.
Author: Rachel Rodriguez
Illustrator: Julie Paschkins
Illustrations: Paschkins used sheets of paper painted with gradiating color. She then cut these pieces of paper into shapes and glued them into layers as a cut paper collage. She used some of O'Keefe's own painting for inspiration. The illustrations are bright and colorful and take up most of the two page spreads on most pages.
Access Features: Author's Note, Illustrator's Note, More About Georgia O'Keefe
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: Cover is an illustration of one of Georgia O'Keefe's paintings of numerous rolling hills. End pages are green perhaps to represent O'Keefe's love for nature. Pages are white with most illustrations covering a two page spread with very little text on the bottom of the page.
Writing Style: Some of the text may be difficult for younger students to understand, but the language is simple with extremely beautiful images conjuered by the metaphors and similes used in the text. Rodriguez takes the reader through O'Keefe's life and you can really feel her passion for the woman she is writing about.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This would be a wonderful book to use to talk about influential women in history or as an art history lesson.
Standards: Art Standard 4:Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures; Social Studies Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2007
Author Credibility: This is the author's first book. In her author's note she states that she read all she could about her, however she doesn't list any of her resources or give any details that would giver her credibility.
Related Texts: My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter; A Bird or 2: A Story About Henri Matisse by: Bijou Le Tord; Georgia's Bones by: Jen Bryant; Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules (Smart About Art) by: True Kelley; Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors: (Smart About Art) by: Jane O'Connor; Edgar Degas: Paintings That Dance (Smart About Art) by: Maryann Cocca-Leffler; Paul Cezanne: A Painter's Journey by: Robert Burleigh; Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies: Sunshine and Waterlilies (Smart About Art) by: True Kelley
Response:
I was so intrigued by this book just by looking at the cover. The colors were so bright and vibrant that it just seems to pull you in. I wasn't disappointed. Rodriguez does a wonderful job of describing Georgia O'Keefe's paintings and her determination to become an artist. It's a really short read but it has an impact just the same.
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (bk 2) (114 pgs)
Freedman, Russell (2004). The voice that challenged a nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights. Clarion Books. New York.
Summary:
Marian Anderson was an amazing woman who fought to win the freedom to sing wherever she wanted to. This book chronicles her childhood and her rise to fame. It tells of the struggles she experience trying to sing in the United States. Freedman beautifully describes her voice and her passion for her talent. He also helps the reader understand her disappointment and feelings of failure when she still was not allowed to perform in certain areas. At the end of the book, Freedman helps the reader understand the powerful feelings of exhilaration Marian felt when she finally achieved the status she always dreamed up.
Author: Russell Freedman
Illustrator: N/A
Illustrations: Photographs of Marian Anderson through the years and some of her concerts and personal appearances.
Access Features: Table of Contents, Chapter Notes, Selected Bibliography, Selected Discography, Acknowledgments, Picture Credits, Index
Grade Level: 5-8
Book Design: Book is really basic. The cover is a photograph of Marian Anderson in concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The title on the cover is large at the top and get smaller as they go down the book. The end pages are a copper color perhaps to reflect the tone of Marian Anderson’s contralto voice. The pages are white with lots of text and at least one picture on every other page.
Writing Style: Freedman uses simple language and wonderful descriptions of her voice and attitude. This book would require background knowledge in order to completely understand the struggles Anderson experienced. Freedman doesn’t explain some of the terms or aspects of that particular time in American history so it would be hard to understand without some knowledge of that time period.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This book would be a great resource to use during a study of the Civil Rights Movement.
Standards: Social Studies-Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
Awards: BCCB Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award; 2005 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award; 2005 Newbery Honor Book
Author Credibility: Russell Freedman has written nearly 50 children's books and spends extensive amounts of time researching the topics he chooses to write about. He says he only writes about people or things that interest him because he knows he will devote more time to these subjects. For this book he includes most of the sources he used when writing this book about Marian Anderson. Most of the information came from books previously written about Marian's life and the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
Related Texts: Remember: The Journey to School Integration by: Toni Morrison; Coming On Home Soon by: Jacqueline Woodson; When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by: Pam Munoz Ryan; Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing by: James Rumford; Rosa by: Nikki Giovanni; The Great Fire by: Jim Murphy;
Response:
I was very moved by this book. Marian Anderson was an extremely powerful woman and extremely determined. I was appalled and exhilarated at many different times during this reading. Marian’s ultimate triumph over the laws that were holding her back made the book worth the read.
Summary:
Marian Anderson was an amazing woman who fought to win the freedom to sing wherever she wanted to. This book chronicles her childhood and her rise to fame. It tells of the struggles she experience trying to sing in the United States. Freedman beautifully describes her voice and her passion for her talent. He also helps the reader understand her disappointment and feelings of failure when she still was not allowed to perform in certain areas. At the end of the book, Freedman helps the reader understand the powerful feelings of exhilaration Marian felt when she finally achieved the status she always dreamed up.
Author: Russell Freedman
Illustrator: N/A
Illustrations: Photographs of Marian Anderson through the years and some of her concerts and personal appearances.
Access Features: Table of Contents, Chapter Notes, Selected Bibliography, Selected Discography, Acknowledgments, Picture Credits, Index
Grade Level: 5-8
Book Design: Book is really basic. The cover is a photograph of Marian Anderson in concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The title on the cover is large at the top and get smaller as they go down the book. The end pages are a copper color perhaps to reflect the tone of Marian Anderson’s contralto voice. The pages are white with lots of text and at least one picture on every other page.
Writing Style: Freedman uses simple language and wonderful descriptions of her voice and attitude. This book would require background knowledge in order to completely understand the struggles Anderson experienced. Freedman doesn’t explain some of the terms or aspects of that particular time in American history so it would be hard to understand without some knowledge of that time period.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This book would be a great resource to use during a study of the Civil Rights Movement.
Standards: Social Studies-Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
Awards: BCCB Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award; 2005 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award; 2005 Newbery Honor Book
Author Credibility: Russell Freedman has written nearly 50 children's books and spends extensive amounts of time researching the topics he chooses to write about. He says he only writes about people or things that interest him because he knows he will devote more time to these subjects. For this book he includes most of the sources he used when writing this book about Marian Anderson. Most of the information came from books previously written about Marian's life and the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
Related Texts: Remember: The Journey to School Integration by: Toni Morrison; Coming On Home Soon by: Jacqueline Woodson; When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by: Pam Munoz Ryan; Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing by: James Rumford; Rosa by: Nikki Giovanni; The Great Fire by: Jim Murphy;
Response:
I was very moved by this book. Marian Anderson was an extremely powerful woman and extremely determined. I was appalled and exhilarated at many different times during this reading. Marian’s ultimate triumph over the laws that were holding her back made the book worth the read.
Salaam: A Muslim American Boy's Story (bk 1) (40 pgs)
Brown, Tricia (2006). Salaam: a Muslim American boy’s story. Henry Holt and Company. New York.
Summary:
Tricia Brown tells the story of one American boy who talks about what his life is like as a Muslim in America. Brown takes the reader on a journey through Imran’s life and we see him doing every day things. The reader follows Imran through a day at school and playing with friends. The boy talks about the hardships he goes through and the ridicule he experienced from people who didn’t know him. It was really quite interesting to read about how people from other cultures live on a daily basis.
Author: Tricia Brown
Illustrator: Ken Cardwell
Illustrations: Photographs of Imran with his family and friends during everyday life.
Access Features: Glossary, 5 Pillars of Islam
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: End pages are a light yellow with some type of Muslim symbol in a lighter color. Book pages are yellow and red. Most of the pages have photographs on them with very little text.
Writing Style: Language is simple in order to make it easy to understand and the story is told from Imran’s point of view. The text makes you feel like you are having a conversation with Imran throughout the story of his life in America
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This book would be an excellent resource to have when studying about people from other cultures.
Standards: Social Studies-Standard 1: Culture; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 10: Civic Ideals and Practices
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2007
Author Credibilty: Author spent time with the Muslim family and following Imran in order to write his story. She also interviewed other Muslims or people associated with Muslims
Related Texts: My Name is Bilal by: Asma Mobin-Uddin; Coming to America: A Muslim Family’s Story by: Bernard Wolf
Response:
This story was very interesting. I’ve never been around Muslims and I found it really interesting to read about this family that lives through the persecution they face daily from some people.
Summary:
Tricia Brown tells the story of one American boy who talks about what his life is like as a Muslim in America. Brown takes the reader on a journey through Imran’s life and we see him doing every day things. The reader follows Imran through a day at school and playing with friends. The boy talks about the hardships he goes through and the ridicule he experienced from people who didn’t know him. It was really quite interesting to read about how people from other cultures live on a daily basis.
Author: Tricia Brown
Illustrator: Ken Cardwell
Illustrations: Photographs of Imran with his family and friends during everyday life.
Access Features: Glossary, 5 Pillars of Islam
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: End pages are a light yellow with some type of Muslim symbol in a lighter color. Book pages are yellow and red. Most of the pages have photographs on them with very little text.
Writing Style: Language is simple in order to make it easy to understand and the story is told from Imran’s point of view. The text makes you feel like you are having a conversation with Imran throughout the story of his life in America
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This book would be an excellent resource to have when studying about people from other cultures.
Standards: Social Studies-Standard 1: Culture; Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity; Standard 10: Civic Ideals and Practices
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2007
Author Credibilty: Author spent time with the Muslim family and following Imran in order to write his story. She also interviewed other Muslims or people associated with Muslims
Related Texts: My Name is Bilal by: Asma Mobin-Uddin; Coming to America: A Muslim Family’s Story by: Bernard Wolf
Response:
This story was very interesting. I’ve never been around Muslims and I found it really interesting to read about this family that lives through the persecution they face daily from some people.
Touching the Sky: The Flying Adventure of Wilbur and Orville Wright (bk 1) (64 pgs)
Borden, Louise and Trish Marx (2003). Touching the sky: the flying adventure of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Simon and Schuster. New York.
Summary:
Touching the Sky is a child friendly version of the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Borden and Marx use simply language to tell of the brother’s flight around New York and then their journey to Europe to exhibit their plane. The authors use this opportunity to tell the story of the Wright Brother’s rise to fame, telling of the route he flew on his exhibition around New York and all the people who came out to see the famous flight. They then tell of the brother’s journey to Europe and how stunned the people in that country were to see the “flying machine.” During the epilogue the author’s give a brief summary of the brother’s lives after their journey.
Author: Louis Borden and Trish Marx
Illustrator: Peter Fiore
Illustrations: The illustrations appear to be water color and they go along with the story line. Most of the illustrations appear on small sections of the pages but some of them do take up all of the two page spreads with the writing on top of the illustrations.
Access Features: Introduction, Epilogue, Maps, Aviation Time Line
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: The book cover just contains an illustration of one of their first airplanes. The end pages are a wheat color and the pages are white with mostly text on them. The words are centered on the pages.
Writing Style: Some of the words in this book would be a little difficult for students to understand and might have to be explained. However, the story is a wonderfully simple story of the exhibitions of Wilbur and Orville Wright. The authors use very descriptive language to help paint a picture of the journey the brothers took on their first flight through New York and the exhibitions they made through Europe.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This would be a great resource to use when teaching the story of the Wright Brothers and the story of flight and how the airplane came to be.
Standards: Social Studies-Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 8: Science, Technology, and Society; Standard 9: Global Connections
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2004
Author Credibility: Authors thank the New York City Museum, The New York Historical Society, Carillon Historical Park and members of the Wright family. The members of the family, while the may not have been present, are a primary resource used to obtain the information the authors were looking for. The Historical Society probably had documented records of the legendary flight, as well as the museum.
Related Texts: Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by: Louise Borden; Airborne: A Photobiography of Wilbur and Orville Wright by: Mary Collins; Wilbur and Orville Wright: The Flight to Adventure by: Louis Sabin; Wilbur and Orville Wright: Trailblazers of the Sky by: Jennifer Reed; First to Fly: How Wilbur and Orville Wright Invented the Airplane by: Peter Busby and David Craig
Response:
This book put a different look on the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s invention and their subsequent fame. I really enjoyed reading this child friendly version of this piece of history. I also learned a lot about the Wright brothers that I didn’t know.
Summary:
Touching the Sky is a child friendly version of the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Borden and Marx use simply language to tell of the brother’s flight around New York and then their journey to Europe to exhibit their plane. The authors use this opportunity to tell the story of the Wright Brother’s rise to fame, telling of the route he flew on his exhibition around New York and all the people who came out to see the famous flight. They then tell of the brother’s journey to Europe and how stunned the people in that country were to see the “flying machine.” During the epilogue the author’s give a brief summary of the brother’s lives after their journey.
Author: Louis Borden and Trish Marx
Illustrator: Peter Fiore
Illustrations: The illustrations appear to be water color and they go along with the story line. Most of the illustrations appear on small sections of the pages but some of them do take up all of the two page spreads with the writing on top of the illustrations.
Access Features: Introduction, Epilogue, Maps, Aviation Time Line
Grade Level: K-3
Book Design: The book cover just contains an illustration of one of their first airplanes. The end pages are a wheat color and the pages are white with mostly text on them. The words are centered on the pages.
Writing Style: Some of the words in this book would be a little difficult for students to understand and might have to be explained. However, the story is a wonderfully simple story of the exhibitions of Wilbur and Orville Wright. The authors use very descriptive language to help paint a picture of the journey the brothers took on their first flight through New York and the exhibitions they made through Europe.
Curriculum: Social Studies
Classroom Use: This would be a great resource to use when teaching the story of the Wright Brothers and the story of flight and how the airplane came to be.
Standards: Social Studies-Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change; Standard 8: Science, Technology, and Society; Standard 9: Global Connections
Awards: Notable Social Studies Trade Book 2004
Author Credibility: Authors thank the New York City Museum, The New York Historical Society, Carillon Historical Park and members of the Wright family. The members of the family, while the may not have been present, are a primary resource used to obtain the information the authors were looking for. The Historical Society probably had documented records of the legendary flight, as well as the museum.
Related Texts: Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by: Louise Borden; Airborne: A Photobiography of Wilbur and Orville Wright by: Mary Collins; Wilbur and Orville Wright: The Flight to Adventure by: Louis Sabin; Wilbur and Orville Wright: Trailblazers of the Sky by: Jennifer Reed; First to Fly: How Wilbur and Orville Wright Invented the Airplane by: Peter Busby and David Craig
Response:
This book put a different look on the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s invention and their subsequent fame. I really enjoyed reading this child friendly version of this piece of history. I also learned a lot about the Wright brothers that I didn’t know.
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