#21 - In the Garden with Dr. Carver

In the Garden with Dr. Carver

Written by: Susan Grigsby

Illustrated by: Nicole Tadgell

Albert Whitman & Company

2010

31 pages

Historical Fiction

This historical fiction book is about the famous plant scientist Dr. George Washington Carver. In the book he was visiting a town in Alabama to help them nurture the soil, grow food, and teach them natures recipes. The story is told by a young girl named Sally who is also interested in plants. Children will learn a little about Dr. Carver and about nature. For example, he teaches the children in the story how spiders help the gardens by eating other bugs. He also teaches how to make your own fertilizer using old plants, paper, garbage, and wood.

            The illustrations for this book are done using watercolors. The pictures contain a lot of beautiful nature and details. A lot of natural colors are used, but the characters wear very brightly colored clothing. Most of the pictures take up a two page spread and cover up the entire page. The text is informal and is placed inside of the illustrations. A few pages use negative space to highlight small detailed pictures that support the text. The flyleaf is covered with plants, bugs, and small animals. Their name and scientific name are posted underneath each of them.  

            This is a great book to have in every elementary classroom library. This book can be used for a history lesson on George Washington Carver or it could be used for a science lesson. Teachers could talk about nature or recycling. This could also be used as a lesson for historical fiction. They class could have a discussion about what was really true and what parts were fictional.

#22 - Back of the Bus

Back of the Bus

Written by: Aaron Reynolds

Illustrated by: Floyd Cooper

Philomel

2010

32 pages

Historical Fiction

            This story is told through the point of view of a young African American boy. He is sitting in the back of the bus with his mom like he is supposed to be. Rosa Parks is sitting near the front of the bus, and he witnesses her refusing to give up her seat. The boy gets to see the big commotion that is caused. The bus driver calls the cops, and the boy continues to try to figure out the situation through the large crowd that gathers. He knows that she broke the rules, but he starts to see that she is taking a stand for a good reason. The boy pays close attention to his mother’s reaction to what is going on. His retelling of the story is very interesting and makes it very easy for students to follow.

            The illustrations are done with oil paints, and the characters are very realistic. The characters reactions and facial expressions are very expressive. They are done with lots of detail. The colors are very natural to fit the lifelike style of illustrating. The illustrations take up the entire page, and the text is informal. There is no outline used in the pictures.

            I would use this book in any elementary classroom. Teachers could use this book to teach about Rosa parks and her life. Students could do further research on Rosa parks. Students could also distinguish which parts of Rosa Parks’ life are true and which parts of the story are fictional. Students could do a writing activity about a time that they would never forget. 

#23 - Dandelions

Dandelions

Written by: Eve Bunting

Illustrated by: Greg Shed

Harcourt

2001

48 pages

Historical Fiction

            This story is about a pioneer family moving west to Nebraska. The story is told by Zoe who is traveling with her pregnant mom, dad, and Sister Rebecca. When they arrive out west the girls realize how sad their mother is. They are trying really hard to make her happy. One day Zoe finds some dandelions that she hopes will cheer up her mother. She picks them and brings them home with her. Zoe and her father plant the dandelions on the rooftop of their sod home. They hope that it will soon be covered in dandelions. The family begins to feel a little bit better about their new lives and try to make things work out. The story has a lot of historical information on the life of pioneers even though Zoe's story is fictional.

            The illustrations are done with gouache paint, and they take up entire pages. The settings are filled with nature scenery and a lot of plant life. The colors are very natural, and the sun is always lighting up the scenes. It makes the pictures appear very warm. The landscape is very detailed, and the paint is used to create texture through the illustrations. There is no harsh outline, and everything is blended naturally. The text is informal and it is placed inside of the illustrations.

            This is a great book to have in any elementary classroom library. Teachers could use this book to introduce a history lesson on pioneers. Teachers could also use this book to teach the genre of historical fiction.

#24 - Tales of Famous Heroes

Tales of Famous Heroes

Written by: Peter and Connie Roop

Illustrated by: Rebecca Zomchek

Scholastic

2010

105 Pages

Nonfiction

            This book is a large collection of the true stories of famous heroes from around the world. Each section begins by introducing the famous person. The introduction contains the name, picture, timeline, and a famous quote from that person. The following pages tell the story of their lives and how they made an impact on the world. Paul Revere, Sacagawea, Fredrick Douglas, Neil Armstrong, and Rosa Parks are only a few of the people with their stories in this book. Each story is told in an exciting way with a lot of extra facts that students will love. The book begins with an index so students can easily navigate the book to find who they want to read about.

            The art in this book is a mix of photographs and digitally rendered pictures. On the introduction page for each story there is a two page spread of a black and white photograph. The photograph is always of a significant setting to that specific man or woman. A cartoonish version of that person is placed in front of the photograph. The cartoon drawings remind me of a bobble head version of each person. Small pictures are used to support the story of each person’s life. They are placed strategically around the text and some have captions to explain them. None of the page backgrounds are white. They are all fun bright colors. 

            I would use this book in an upper elementary classroom. The teacher could pull out this book whenever they needed to introduce an important person. Students could also use this book as a source for their own research projects. This book would also be a great book to talk about text features of nonfiction books because it contains so many different elements.

#25 - A Butterfly is Patient

A Butterfly is Patient

Written by: Dianna Hutts

Illustrated by: Sylvia Long

Chronicle Books

2011

40 Pages

Nonfiction

            This nonfiction book teaches all about butterflies. The book begins with the life cycle of the butterfly, and the book tells all about its transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly. The book tells about the butterflies' role in nature and all of its natural abilities. The book also teaches tons of facts about individual species of butterflies. For example, the largest butterfly is the Queen Alesandra's Birdwing. The smallest butterfly is the Western Pygmy Blue. This book is filled with tons of really interesting facts about butterflies.

            The illustrations are done with paint, and they are very stunning. The pictures are very lifelike, and the colors are natural. The butterflies are extremely bright and eye catching. The butterflies are exact in size and color to the real life versions. The book contains scales, maps, and tons of other things that help support the text. I was really amazed by all the small details in the illustrations. The text in the book is mostly formal and it is located around the pictures. Some of the pictures are contained within borders.

            This book would be great to use in any elementary classroom. This book could be used for a science lesson on butterflies. It would be great to have actual butterflies to compare to the ones in the book. Students could do more research on butterflies or write to describe them.

           

#26 - Amelia Earhart the Legend of the Lost Aviator

Amelia Earhart the Legend of the Lost Aviator

Written by: Shelley Tanaka

Illustrated by: David Craig

Scholastic

2008

48 pages

Nonfiction

            This book tells the true story of Amelia Earhart from the beginning of her life to the mysterious end. It tells about Amelia’s growing interest in planes and how she began school. She didn’t always know what she wanted to do. When she first started school she went to study things like automobile repair and medical studies. Amelia still thought about airplanes though, and her Dad started paying for her to take very expensive flying lessons. Soon Amelia got her first plane, and it was so light that she could drag it around by the tail. Amelia crashed many times but she still continued flying. Amelia worked as a social worker to pay her bills and pay for her expensive hobby. The book goes on to talk about Amelia’s famous adventures. She flew across the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger and again solo. She was the first female to achieve this. The book ends with the mystery of her disappearance on the trip she was supposed to make around the world.

            The illustrations are a mix of black and white photographs and painted pictures. The photographed pictures take up a whole page and are often used as backgrounds. The photographs are used to support the subject of the text. The painted pictures are very realistic and bring some color to the story. The paintings are all surrounded with borders and stay separated from the text. The text is mostly formal, but it sometimes blends into the photographs.

            I would use this book in an upper elementary classroom from third grade and up.  It would be a great book to use in March for Woman’s history month. The teacher could use the book to introduce Amelia and the students could do further research. 

#27 - Jackie’s Gift

Jackie’s Gift

Written by: Sharon Robinson

Illustrated by: E.B. Lewis

Viking

2010

30 pages

Multicultural

            Steve Satlow was a young man who loved the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that Jackie Robinson and his family are moving into the neighborhood. Steve soon finds out that not everyone is excited about an African American family moving in. Steve’s dad tells him stories of their Jewish ancestors and why it is important to accept everyone. Soon the families become good friends and Steve continues to idolize Mr. Robinson.  On Christmas break Steve comes over to help the Robinsons decorate their Christmas tree. He admires their tree and mentions that his family doesn’t have one. Steve leaves out the part that they are Jewish. The next day Mr. Robinson brings a Christmas tree over to Steve’s house as a gift to the family. Steve’s mom doesn’t know how to bring up the fact that they can’t accept the gift. Steve’s parents realize that it isn’t important and they invite the Robinsons over for Christmas. They have their tree and their menorah out to share with the Robinsons.

            The illustrations are done with paint, and they are done in a very realistic style. The colors are blended and very natural. Each page is done with lots detail and scenery. A lot of patterns and textures are created with the paint. The pictures are done without outlines so that everything blends naturally. The illustrations take up full pages, and the text is on the opposite page on a white background.

            This book would be a great book for any elementary classroom. I would use this book as a read aloud. The class could discuss accepting other races, cultures, and religions. It could be used to specifically talk about Jewish or African American culture as well. Students could compare and contrast the two family’s different cultures.