A Book or Two: Children's Literature Reviews

Find a perfect children’s book to share or read, and information on new, classic, and favorite children's literature, reviewed by university professors, teachers, librarians, graduate students, and teachers-to-be! Browse A Book or Two by title, genre, or topic! HAPPY READING! This is a closed site, to prevent inappropriate postings. You won't be able to add your own comments. Communication should be sent to the site organizer, Dr. Deb Marciano (dlmarciano@valdosta.edu).

Showing posts with label Educational. Show all posts

10/22/14

Things That Float and Things That Don’t

TITLE: Things That Float and Things That Don’t
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: David A. Adler/ Anna Raff
PUBLISHER: Holiday House, Inc. PUBLICATION DATE: 2013
AWARDS: Booklist 2013 Lasting Connections, Science; NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12: 2014; AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books, 2014 Finalist, Children’s Picture Books
GENRE: Nonfiction/ Informational READING LEVEL: age 8
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Book introduces the science concept of Density through exploration and activities that allow a hands and visual approach with simple experiments. This book will help children understand why large objects such a boat can float and a penny as small as it is can sink.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will practice the scientific method by conducting experiments. They will predict if an object will float or sink using a clear container with water. Teacher can use objects like pennies, pencils, marbles, foam, rubber duck, ping pong ball, etc. To add a challenge to some students teacher can also have the students predict if an orange with a peel will sink or float and if an orange without a peel will sink or float. Students are to record data on a data table.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: ( Nancy Guerrero, Valdosta State University ECSE)
LABELS: Science, nonfiction, educational

9/21/14

Rainbows Never Ends and Other Fun Facts

TITLE: Rainbow Never Ends and Other Fun Facts

Authors: Laura Lyn DiSiena and Hannah Eliot
Illustrator: Pete Oswald

Publisher: S.&S. Little Simon Publication Date: 2014

Genre: Nonfiction/ Informational Reading Level: 2^nd grade

BRIEF OVERVIEW: This story begins by telling how a rainbow is actually a full circle even though we can only view half of it. The book goes on to tell other interesting facts about the sun, the moon, the snow, etc. At the end it discusses rain forests which brings back the idea of rainbows. Each fact discussed is somehow connected.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Each student will receive a slip of paper with moon, sun, snow, rain forest, etc on the paper. By following the book the students will link each slip of paper together in order. The students will then go around the room telling how their part is linked to the one next to them.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Brittany Chastain,Valdosta State University ECSE

11/21/13

The Shivers in the Fridge

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Fran Manushkin/ Paul O. Zelinsky

PUBLISHER: Dutton Juvenile PUBLICATION DATE: 2006

GENRE: Fictional Humor READING LEVEL: PK-3

BRIEF OVERVIEW: This story is about a family living in a cold dark place. They believe they are being attacked by the giant monster. They decide to fight back and end up all getting separated. The Shiver family ends up finding themselves all together again happy and warm in the end on the fridge as magnets where they live.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: I would introduce the idea of magnetism to the class based on The Shivers in the Fridge and use examples from what the text says about magnets

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Chelsea Brown, teacher candidate

My Own Human Body

TITLE: My Own Human Body

AUTHOR: Giovanni Caviezel

ILLUSTRATOR: Cristinia Mesturini

PUBLISHER: Barron's Educational Series

PUBLICATION DATE: May 1, 2012

GENRE: Nonfiction/informational picture book

READING LEVEL: Kindergarten - 2nd grade

BRIEF OVERVIEW: The book describes the human body. As one continues to read, the layers of the human body are revealed. Staring with the skin and ending with the skeleton.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Create cut outs of the layers of the human body with the names written on them and have the students put the layers in order. Then the layers will be stapled together to form a book.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Kenyah Wolfe Valdosta State University

LABELS: Educational, growing up, health

Ready, Set, Hop!

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Stuart J. Murphy/ Jon Buller

PUBLISHER: Math Start PUBLICATION DATE: 1996

GENRE: NonFict PB READING LEVEL: 3rd grade

BRIEF OVERVIEW: To explain addition or multiplication in mathematics, this book is very helpful for kids to visualize the numbers.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Make a number line on the floor and have students do the math problems by jumping like frogs up and down the number line.