Aliki. 1992. MILK: FROM COW TO CARTON. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060204346.
How do cows make milk? One great way to discover the answer is by reading Aliki�s book Milk: From Cow to Carton. Written in a language even the youngest elementary student can understand, you learn the �soup to nuts� of milk making � from the importance of the grass the cow eats, to the process of pasteurizing the milk and all the things that can come from that process. This informational picture storybook, part of a series called �Let�s-Read-and-Find-Out Science�, offers predictability for the young reader by the consistency of the main text on the left page and the illustration filling the right page. Justification for the book comes just above the copyright where it states, �Text and illustrations for each of the books in the series are checked for accuracy by an expert in the relevant field.� Aliki writes as if carrying on a conversation with the reader, using narrative and invented characters as on page 14, �Last summer my brother and I visited a farm high up in the mountains.� There are visual features such as the diagram of the cow�s four stomachs with arrows showing the process of how grass is processed in those four stomachs (pg 11) and one showing �How Milk Is Processed� (pgs 20-21). Access features also help explain the process of milk making, along with extra information located in sidebars like Louis Pasteur on page 25 and the conversation bubbles, sometimes done with a touch of humor like �Skimmed milk will make me skim�I mean slim.� (pg 24) The size of the book (small enough for little hands to hold) and its text (large enough for young readers) are both added pluses in making this book a good choice for the young reader. The following review by Janet James of Delaware, Ohio on Amazon.com, given on September 23, 2003, confirms what a ��great resource for teachers and students.� ��great job explaining the milk process.� �After reading this book, it is easy to make butter by putting 1 tablespoon heavy cream in a 35mm film case and shake it rapidly for 3-4 minutes until butter is formed!�
Burleigh, Robert. 1991. FLIGHT: THE JOURNEY OF CHARLES LINDBERGH. Illustrated by Mike Wimmer. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN 0399222723.
Want a chance to fly with Lindbergh? Here�s your opportunity! Burleigh puts you side-by-side, hour by hour and what almost seems minute by minute with Lindbergh. You get more than just the facts. You get a piece of Lindberg and a piece of this historical flight from New York to Paris, France. Written like a good mystery, it makes you wonder at times if he will make it as �He dozes for a minute and then jerks awake. One of the plane�s wings is dipping crazily.� (unpaged) Words like jerks, dipping crazily, gropes, keeps you on the edge of wonderment and you know what a close call this was as �He repeats over and over to himself: I must not sleep, I must not sleep.� (unpaged) ��to sleep is to die!� (unpaged) Kirkus gives explanation to the style of writing with, �Even the awkward style here (a choppy, breathless tone is exacerbated by the relentless use of fragments and single- sentence paragraphs) conveys the excitement of Lindbergh's historic flight at the age of 25�� (Copyright �1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Lindbergh could have ended his flight in Ireland. But you somehow know he has not endured these hours to end this flight short of his dream. He will land in Paris. Burleigh�s words are made more vivid and powerful by each illustration adding dimension beyond what just the words are conveying. The sequence of time given throughout the book, not only sets the pattern for this book, but adds to the weight of the just how tired Lindberg is becoming. This is a photographic essay even though the pictures are drawings and also, an informational picture storybook, the text done in narrative, with facts given from Lindbergh�s own journal and from information gleaned from Lindbergh�s book The Spirit of St. Louis published in 1953. There are author and illustrator notes on where and how the author and illustrator obtained their information from actual sources, along with a short bio of the author and illustrator on the back flap of the book. The format also lends a powerful hand. Kirkus says of the illustrations, ��Wimmer's double-spread paintings steal the show�� (Copyright �1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.)
Bridges, Ruby. 1999. THROUGH MY EYES. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590189239.
Through the years, what does an adult truly remember about their childhood? In this book, Ruby Bridges remembers many things, and she helps us remember a time in American history that was violent, hateful, and that forever changed how America would think. Publishers Weekly says, ��Bridges's words, recalling a child's innocence and trust, are more vivid than even the best of the photos. Like poetry or prayer, they melt the heart. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
At six years old, you do what your parents tell you to do and do not question. That is exactly what Ruby did. She did not understand all the hatred, the racism, and most of all the fear that gripped so many in the South. Ruby�s endurance and faith, has marked its etchings on all who hear her story. One little girls name we know and the few other children we do not know by name, promoted courage and fortitude in doing what was right for all. Segregation was expected. Integration struck fear at the very core of so many. Through My Eyes, tells the tale of a young girl who learned to take adversity, stand up to it, and bring forth the good we all know lays hidden just waiting to be discovered. From the cover with a little girl whose eyes touch your heart, to the pictorial parade of photographs that march throughout the book, Bridges gives us a taste of the time. On page 55, the reader is given a timeline of historical events of the Civil Rights Movement and where integration of schools in New Orleans fits. The reader is also given pictorial commentary and excerpts from magazines like the New York Times on page 14 to help fill in information touched on by Ruby. This partial biography, this Carter G. Woodson Book Award winner, this Jane Addams Children�s Book Award winner, is a poignant essay walking the reader through pain and fear, and the understanding of what a hero truly is. School Library Journal sums up the book well when it writes, �A powerful personal narrative that every collection will want to own.
Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Hoban, Tana. 1971. LOOK AGAIN! New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. ISBN 0027440508.
New is not always better. Jean Hicks shares this thought in her review of this book by saying, �Sometimes books that are on our shelves have as much to say to us today as they did when they were first published. Look Again! by Tana Hoban (MacMillan, 1971) is now 30 years old, but it has much to offer teachers and students of both art and writing. Without a word of print beyond the title page, Hoban, a photographer and filmmaker, offers a self-guided lesson in observation.� Jean Hicks "[email protected]" (Louisville Writing Project) (Amazon.com) January 19, 2001. Look Again! is a black and white photo journal of pictures that gets the reader to guess what the �close up� is. What a great way to get kids to observe and analyze, two things we are constantly striving for in their writing. Would this book be better with color photographs? Not necessarily. Sometimes black and white speaks volumes we overlook when in color. Young kids love to play guess and check. As science concepts are explored, animals or nature, this would be a great beginning activity for the students to later create their own guess and check books. One purpose for reading nonfiction books is to learn to emulate an author�s style. This would be an easy beginning to that process.