By Patricia Reilly Griff
I
enjoyed the format and layout of the actual chapter book, it was different than
most others. After every chapter
there was a piece of writing she entitled “picture” each one was labeled as a
different picture name. The
particular piece of writing was always written in italics as well as being very
detailed. I feel that the writing
was referring to another point in time and most often in the past. The main character in the story,
Hollis, would be describing a very significant past time to her.
Hollis
had a clear love of the ocean, which the author displayed every time she was
given the opportunity. The author
also spoke of a boy named Steven.
When the novel first started I did not anticipate Steven being such a
major character, considering it is someone that she only speaks of and who
doesn’t necessarily take part in the scenes.
I
enjoyed the novel; the plot is certainly something that I would be interested
in. However, I thought the text
really jumped around and was slightly confusing at times. I really had to think if I was reading
something that was really happening or if the main character was having yet
another flashback.
Construction Zone by
Cheryl Willis Hudson
The
text was very informational and good for young readers. I was interested that the text used
words and vocabulary such as “architect” but yet it would call the machine a “
yellow truck” instead of using the correct name. I like that the book gives
information on what the construction works are building as well as what some of
the shapes are. When you think
about it, some of the buildings in cities and other urban areas have very
different architecture and you never know what shapes children may see and how
they will interpret it.
The
book points out that safety is a big concern when it comes to
construction. I think it’s great
that the story emphasizes this, even for something geared at such a young age. The pictures in the book are real and
not drawn out or make believe which really allows for the reader to picture it
on their own.
Things that Float and Things
that Don’t by David A. Adler
The
text here is awesome for a science unit; it is almost a whole lesson in one
simple text. The book goes through
vocabulary words, what is density, why things sin or float, and much, much
more. I like how the book even has
bold words, which is something that students start recognizing in 1st
grade. When students see bold
words, they should know that the text is real and informational versus one that
tells a story. The text is great for lower elementary grades. However it might
make more sense to a student if a parent or teacher were to read it to
them. I can imagine that students
would have multiple questions after reading even one page out of this
book. One thing in particular that
I feel is really interesting is that the book starts out almost as an
experiment where students could follow along at home. It even teaches students how to record their own data.
The Science Book of Water
by Neil Ardley
The
informational text is very interesting considering every two pages is almost a
new experiment focusing on a different topic. It is almost a book of experiments versus a book of one
topic that tells a story. The book
goes through topics that can be difficult in science such as water levels and
how weight is lifted in water.
It is clear that
this text is geared for more upper elementary and even middle school age
children. I think the reader would
find the text very interesting yet they would enjoy the text more if they were
experimenting while reading the book and being able to actually follow along.
The text would be great if a teacher had a unit on this particular topic. He or she would certainly be able to
pull an experiment from the book and use it for students to do some trial and
error.
Dinosaurs by Gail Gibbons
The
book Dinosaurs by Gail Gibbons certainly caught my eye because I know
that I really enjoy Gail as an author.
The Dinosaurs book in particular is great for a lesson on
dinosaurs or fossils. It gives
great detail and incorporates vocabulary, bold words, and even how you would
phonetically say the word.
It introduces multiple types of dinosaurs giving descriptions of each.
The material and actual informational text is all very real but yet the photos
are more on the cartoon side. I
find it interesting that she did not use more real and life like photos to use
within the text.
I
like how the text will include facts such as dates and times that past events
have occurred relating to fossils.
The author emphasizes that dinosaurs are different sizes and the
illustrations give students an idea of what type of dinosaur is large and which
kind is small. The text indirectly labels most pictures, time frames, and
vocabulary. The text really allows
the reader to engulf himself or herself in the topic and gain a very large
amount of information.
A Rock is Lively by Dianna
Hutts Aston
I
love this book; it not only gives information but goes deep into the topic of
rocks. It has the most wonderful
and detailed illustrations. The
book starts out with a two-page spread full of gorgeous rocks and then at the
very end there is yet, another two-page spread with the same rocks but those
rocks are labeled. It has a clear
layout of what rocks students will learn throughout reading this book. The students will learn things that the
rocks are similar to, where they might find the rock, and even at times how the
rock may be formed.
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