We Are the Ship

Nelson, Kadir. (2008). We are the ship. New York: Hyperion.

We the Ship tells the fascinating facts of how the Negro Baseball League came to be. The author tells how white team owners decided to no longer let men of color play baseball for their teams.  This segregation led to the formation of the Negro Baseball League by Rube Foster.  This story informs us the injustices and trials African Americans had to face. We also read about how they triumphed through it all.


Evaluative Criteria: Organization

This book shows its use of organization with it’s sub headings. It also contains pictures from that time. Like the illustrations of the umpires from 1942. It starts off by mentioning  negro baseball players but then narrows down to Jackie Robinson in the ninth inning.  Great book with plenty of facts about African Americans in baseball.

How They Croaked

Bragg, Georgia. (2011). How they croaked. New York: Walker & Company.

How They Croaked is book with facts about the deaths of famous people from our history.  Some information can be gruesome, while at time also hilarious. This book has a good combination of both. Some of the deaths include Albert Einstein, George Washington, and Julius Caesar. The book also contains interesting facts about the famous figures that they may not have known or anticipated. The author’s crafty and amusing drawings, makes it entertaining to read.

Evaluative Criteria: Style

This book uses style in an interesting way. The author makes the deaths of these famous people more interesting than when they were alive.  The way the information is presented causes curiosity to spark. The title alone is intriguing.  I was weary about reading this book but I’m glad I did. The facts coupled with the illustrations make for a style all it’s own.

Balloons Over Broadway

Sweet, Melissa. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy’s parade. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Balloons Over Broadway is the true story of Tony Sarg. As a young child he was always a problem solver. With his out the box thinking he was always trying to figure out how to make things move. As an adult he became a marionette maker. He later became the engineer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. Thus being known as the original puppeteer of the Macy’s Parade.  This book gives great information on the history of the parade as well.
 
 Evaluative Criteria: Design

This book uses design in a great way. This book is available as an audio book. That gives readers a different way to enjoy the book.  The way the author uses real photos, text features, color, and font is amazing.  The cover is colorful and inviting for all readers. This was a fun and interesting book. Who knew so much went into balloons.

Rosa

Giovanni, Nikki. (2005). Rosa. New York: Holt.

Rosa is a book on the courageous story of Rosa Parks, a woman who refused to move from her seat on a city bus.  She stood up for not only her rights, but for the rights of all African Americans.  Rosa's actions inspired others to boycott the buses in a peaceful protest known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Beautiful images throughout this text focus the readers on crucial and influential moments in history for everyone.

Evaluative Criteria: Accuracy

This book displays the use of accuracy. The way the author pays attention to small details throughout the book is wonderful to see. The author does not sugar coat the use of the word “colored”. It’s based off the facts that happened. The illustrations and text match perfectly. Great book to read.

It's Perfectly Normal

Harris, R. H., & Emberley, M. (1994). It's perfectly normal: A book about changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health is a book that includes the latest information on topics such as birth control, hepatitis, HIV, sex, and adoption. This book helps explain it in a way that children can understand.  It uses characters, questions, illustrations, and diagrams to teach the reader.  Sometimes these topics are hard to talk about, this book helps answer tough questions in a manner that will the reader make responsible decisions and stay healthy.
 
Evaluative Criteria: Organization

This book uses organization. The way the information is setup is great. It starts off by explaining gender, sex, and life styles. It then goes on to explain the body parts. Then the changes the body goes through as well as body exploration. Families comes next and how to care for them. We end with staying healthy. The manner in which this book goes from simple to complex is beautifully done. 

Primates

Ottaviani, Jim and Maris Wicks. (2013). Primates. New York: First Second.

Primates is a story that follows the journeys and discoveries of three scientists as they observe three different primates. The scientist are Jane Goodall, Dian Fossy, and Birute Galdikas. The graphic novel style will immediately catch reader’s attention and make for a swift and entertaining read.  Not only is it entertaining it also gives an informative look at each of their journeys. This book shows how these phenomenal scientists found their place in science and with primates.

Evaluative Criteria:

This book shows the use of style by presenting the information at the level of the readers. It’s a great book that introduces three magnificent ladies in a fun way. Most kids love to read comics. This book shows how passionate the author is about these ladies and their research.
 

Me..Jane

 

 



McDonnell, Patrick. (2011). Jane and me. New York: Little Brown and Company.


Me…Jane is a story about the childhood of Jane Goodall. She loves animals and the outdoors.  She learns everything she can, not only about the animals in her backyard, but the animals all over the world.  Jane wants to live in Africa and help the animals there. In the end we find out she fulfilled her dream and thus became the story of the famous Jane Goodall. The childhood drawings in the book capture the reader's interest.   


Evaluative Criteria: Design

This book uses design in that the cover looks inviting to young children. They are used to seeing cartoonish pictures. The font size is also made for young readers. On the pages with text in the background there are realistic drawings of the animals they are talking about. Then on the opposite side are the cartoonish pictures of the animals. I like how they made that connection.