#30: Henry's Freedom Box

Title: Henry’s Freedom Box

Author: Ellen Levine

Illustrator: Kadir Nelson

Publishing Company: Scholastic

Copyright Date: 2007

# of pages: 39

Genre/category: Multicultural

 

            We read this book during class and it was one of my favorite books that we read so I decided to use it. Henry was a slave and worked in a big house for his master. When Henry’s master decides to pass him down to his son, things begin to change. Henry is sent away from his family to work in a factory. Later he meets Nancy whom he later marries and has a child with. When Nancy and his child get sold, Henry decides that he would mail himself away to freedom.

            The illustrations in this book are very good. The medium used to do these illustrations are pencils, watercolors, and oil. The illustrations are full page illustrations and most of the colors are very dark. The font used in this book is size 16 B Cochin Bold. The display type was set in Algerian EF.

            This book is a really good book that would be good for kids in third grade and above. I would use this book several different ways in the classroom. I would have children write a journal entry on how they would feel if they were a slave and got separated from their family. This book would also be a good book to read during a history lesson about the Underground Railroad.  I would also have the students to think about the life that Henry lived. I would have them to compare and contrast their life to Henry’s. This book received a Caldecott Honor book award.

#29: Max Celebrates Chinese New Year

Title: Max Celebrates Chinese New Year

Author: Adria F. Klein

Illustrator: Mernie Gallagher-cole

Publishing Company: Picture Window Books

Copyright Date: 2007

# of pages: 24

Genre/category: Multicultural

 

            I chose this book, because I read it to one of my kids during practicum and I thought it was a good book. When Lily invites Max to celebrate the Chinese New Year with her, Max learns that it is just like when he Celebrates New Years Day, except for the fact that it last fifteen days. Max helps Lily’s family get things ready for the celebration. Max has so much fun that he wants to celebrate with Lily every year.

            Most of the illustrations in this book are two page spread illustrations. The pictures are done with watercolors and pencil. The pictures are very bight and are full page pictures. The colors and illustrations help to capture the festivities that go on during their holiday. There is not any negative space located on the page.

            This book would be great to use with younger children. I would use it in the classroom to teach the concept of friendship. It would also be a good book for the children to get to see how people in China celebrate New Years. I would also compare our New Years to New Years in China.  During this time of the year, I would read this book to children an allow them to tell something their family did for New Years. This book has not won any awards.

#28: Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Title: Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Publishing Company: Scholastic

Copyright Date: 2001

# of pages: 29

Genre/category: Multicultural

 

            I chose this book because Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my favorite people from history. Martin was born on January 15 in Atlanta, Georgia. His whole life he had seen signs that said whites only everywhere he went.  He was raised up in church and had a dream that when he grew up, he would have big words. When he got older, he became a minister where he taught people that love is the only way to drive away hate. Martin led a march to do away with segregation and after ten years he finally won. He went to Tennessee to help garbage collectors where he was shot and died.

           

            The illustrations in this book are very elaborate. They are very colorful. They are made using watercolors and cut paper collages. This is one of the first book I have ever seen that uses cut paper collages and I think it makes the illustrations beautiful. Some of the pages have panels and then others are two-page spread.  The pictures are full page pictures and greatly show what Martin went through during his lifetime.

            This book would be great for children in grades three and above. It would be a good book to read while teaching a history lesson about segregation. It tells about many things that the blacks went through during this time. Students could also complete a Vein Diagram comparing the life as a black during this time to the life of a white person. Students could also have a writing assignment describing how they think they would have felt if they were a black person living during this time and what would they do. This book has not won any awards.

#27: Cinco de Mayo

Title: Cinco de Mayo

Author: Sandy Swpehri

Illustrator: Not Available

Publishing Company: Fitzgerald Books

Copyright Date: 2007

# of pages: 24

Genre/category: Multicultural

 

          I have heard of the term Cinco de Mayo and knew when it was, but I never new what it was. So I decided to read it for my blogs to find out. Cinco de Mayo is a time when the Mexicans celebrate  the freedom they won in the battle of Puebla in 1862. The battle was fought against the French. On the fifth day of May, the Mexicans celebrate with street fairs, food, and music. People also dress in the colors of the Mexican flag.

            The illustrations in this book are actual pictures that are taken during the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Each of the illustrations help to depict something that takes place during this celebration. The background is white and the top half of the page is a picture and the bottom half is made up of words.There is a good bit of negative space in this book.

          This book would be good to use with children in 3 grade and above. It could be used in the classroom when talking discussing holidays from different cultures. I would have student to compare and contrast Cinco de Mayo with one of our American Holidays. If I had anyone in the classroom who celebrates this holiday, I might would let them tell a little bit about it. Students could also have a writing assignment concerning the books. They could write a small summary telling about the holiday. This book has not received any awards.

#26: Ice Storms

Title: Ice Storms

Author: Anne Ylvisaker

Illustrator: Not Available

Publishing Company: Capstone Press

Copyright Date: 2003

# of pages: 48

Genre/category: Nonfiction

 

            I chose this book because it looked very interesting to me. The book Ice Storms is a short chapter book. It contains information about different famous ice storms that have taken place. It also describes what to do during an ice storm. There is also a chapter about why they happen and how to survive one.

            The pictures in this book really help to show the reader the seriousness of an ice storm. The pictures that we see in this book are computer generated or actual pictures that are taken before, during, and after an ice storm takes place. Most of the pictures are on one page and the words are on the next page.

            The book would be appropriate for fifth and six grade students.  There are different ways that this book can be used inside the classroom. I would have student use this book to write a report on what to do during an ice storm. This book would also be good to display or read to the class when teaching about the different types of weather. This book is also a good way for student to learn new vocabulary words dealing with weather. This book has not won any awards.

#25: Zookeepers

Title: Zookeepers

Author: Sarah Tieck

Illustrator: Not Available

Publishing Company: Big Buddy Books

Copyright Date: 2012

# of pages: 32

Genre/category: Nonfiction

 

I used this book for one of my lesson and I thought it was a very good book. The book Zookeepers tells about all the different things that a zookeeper does.  It talks about the different animals that you would see in a zoo.They help to take care of the animals and make sure they are fed. When the animals are sick, they help get them well by giving them medicine. A zookeeper also cleans the animals and even brushes their teeth. Near the end of the book it also provides a description of what the first zoo was like.

The illustrations in this book are actual pictures that are taken at a zoo. They help to give a visual descriptions of the many things that zookeepers do. The author wrote words that go with each picture so that we know exactly what the zookeeper is doing. Most of the words are on one side of the page and the pictures are on the other.

This book would be great to use with children of all ages. This book would be good to use in a lesson when you are talking about the authors purpose for writing.  The teacher can let the kids know that there are three reasons an author writes. This book can also be used when talking about different jobs.  It can also be used when talking about what the kids want to be when they grow up. This book has not won any awards.

#24: Venus

Title: Venus

Author: Paul Fleisher

Illustrator: Not Available

Publishing Company: Learner Publications Company

Copyright Date: 2010

# of pages: 48

Genre/category: Nonfiction

 

            I chose this book because I really love studying about space and the planets. This book is a short chapter book that discusses many facts about the planet Venus. It tells about its size, where it is located and how far away it is. This book also describes what this planet is like in general.  It talks about it atmosphere, surface, and the core of the planet. The planet Venus is sometimes called Earth’s Twin.

            Most of the illustrations in this book are pictures that have been taken from space. A few of the pictures look like they may have been computer generated. Some of them are images that have been seen through a telescope. Some of the pictures are whole page pictures while others are just contained in a small square. There is a good bit of negative space in the pictures. The pictures in this book were provided by NASA.

            This book can be used by students in upper elementary grades such as fourth, fifth, and sixth.  This book would be good to use when talking about the planet Venus. It is a good resource to introduce kids to the planet. Students could use this book to get information to write a report about Venus. Student could also use this book to compare and contrast the planet Venus and Earth. This book also contains some great science vocabulary such as gravity, volcanoes, atmosphere, and telescope that would be good to introduce to the students. This book has not received any awards.