Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Worth Having In Class

        Time again to add to your growing non-fiction lists. Come visit Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy for Non-Fiction Picture Book Wednesday!  Thanks for hosting, Alyson!
        I've been focusing on reading chapter books more lately, so have read fewer picture books. Time to grab more at the library!

      But, although some of you will recognize these, I have three good books to share, all should be in classrooms or at least the school library!





How People Lived - DK Publishing
      A variety of readers will enjoy this book, for research in various times of
people's lives or of cultures or simply to turn pages and read what grabs one's attention. The book covers information from a stone-age community 160,000 years ago to modern day living, projecting into the future. At the end, there are two pages of riddles, to see how much is remembered, a terrific timeline and a glossary. The book is filled, DK style, with many illustrations, and small bits of information. For those who love some information and some explanation, this will inspire everyone to want to know more about the way people lived all through history.



Ape - written by Martin Jenkins and illustrations by Vicky White
           It's wonderful to find a book that will introduce new ideas and information on a level for young children, and this is one of those. I can see it also being enjoyed by older students. Illustrated in big and bold realistic portraits along with drawings of the animals in their habitats, the book introduces us to the five great apes of the world, four of which are rare. It includes just enough facts to intrigue, and I found myself examining the illustrations for a long time. It's a book to savor.




Shimmer and Splash - written and illustrated by Jim
Arnosky
          From his journals, Arnosky tells stories of adventures with quite a few sea creatures, those that are easily observed just offshore. It's a easy style to read, and the illustrations are amazing, including many pull out pages that make a huge four-page spread picture. Arnosky says he tried to show the creatures life size where possible, and when you open the pages, all you want to do is say "wow"! I forgot that I had this book when I traveled to the ocean last week, and we did see some of the animals! To me the ocean is magical, and this book brings some of that to life without being there.

       Have a good reading week, everyone!

11 comments:

  1. All three of these books look good. More to add to my "Want to Read" list. :)

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    1. Thanks Julie-they are filled with good information!

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  2. I haven't read any of these. Especially intrigued by APE. Wondering if HOW PEOPLE LIVED would be good read aloud material for our new seventh and eighth grade SS teacher. Think a trip to TC is in order!

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    1. I am rather free next week, maybe we could meet. The DK would be fascinating reading, a bit at a time! Ape is wonderful!

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  3. Ape- with its cover alone- looks like it's worth getting. I'll keep an eye out on that. DK looks like it has got itself another hit!

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  4. Linda - so pleased you loved Ape! I shared another Martin Jenkins title on my blog today. I just bought Shimmer and Splash and am excited to read it. I really like Arnosky's work.

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  5. The archaeologist in me is both curious and skeptical about "How People Lived" - will have to check it out and see!

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  6. I liked Shimmer and Splash more than I thought I would. I loved Arnosky's writing style. He make a longer book seem small, and more intimate.

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  7. Shimmer and Splash looks like a lot of fun. I am also interested in How People Lived. It seems you found some good ones this week.

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  8. I've been out interviewing all day, so thanks everyone for the comments. I did enjoy all the books, but I also realize that each one cannot be the only resource for that particular topic. One should always double-check information no matter how appealing it's presented.

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  9. Hi Linda! Thank you for sharing these lovely books! That DK book looks excellent! I have already placed a copy on hold from our library. I don't read books by DK but I always come across their books when I discharge materials at work. I recently borrowed a sky atlas by DK for our next theme. I just scanned the pages and I'm convinced that it is probably the best sky book I've borrowed! Excellent format and filled with a lot of helpful information! Anyway, thank you for sharing the other two books as well. Ape has a lovely cover! =)

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