In this short, easy to read biography we learn very basic information about Mary Pope Osborne. The text features compliment the text and some are more interesting than the text itself, like the fact that she planned the Magic Tree House series to be only four books. This would be great as a read aloud for younger students who are learning about text features, while the text is accessible to 2nd and 3rd graders. Readers who love the Magic Tree House series may be interested in learning more about the author.

At the 2016 Olympics, Simone Manuel was the first African American woman to win a gold in an Olympic swimming event.  In fact, she won 4 medals in the 2016 Olympics.  The book covers her childhood, education, swimming career, and her future plans.  She started swimming at age 4 after watching her older brothers racing. She began swimming competitively at age 11.  Her family motto is, “D.Y.B” (do your best) reflects her positive and competitive attitude.

This is an inspirational story of a successful African American woman worthy of being a role model for kids. Colorful photographs, captions and fast facts support the text. Contains Table of Contents, Timeline, Glossary, and Index.

This book is a basic introduction to what Earth Day is and a few ways that we can care for the Earth. There are only 1-2 sentences per page. There are many nonfiction text features including bold words, glossary, headings, index, and maps. In the back there is a page where readers can find out more in print and on the internet. The photographs are relevant to the topic on the page and directions for how to plant lettuce seeds is included.

Using simple text and colorful pictures, this book provides young readers with the physical description of the German shepherd and information on their care, personality, and history as a breed. Glossary terms are in red.  Quick Stats section at end of the book visually and numerically compares the German shepherd weight as heavier than a suitcase and its height as twice a basketball.  Contains a Table of Contents, Glossary, and Index.

Booklinks directs the reader to Abdo site where the book is selected using a search box.  One of the three links is to an information rich site, though the reading level is significantly higher than the K-1 reading level of the book.  One link is broken and the third is to a site with significant commercial intent.  The reader is also encouraged to visit Abdo Zoom Animals database, but will have not access to the information, since it is a paid site.

Every year Houndini appears in Kitty City to give a show and he draws a mustache on the portrait of the town founder, Davy Crock-cat. Officer Katz wants to catch him. After Houndini’s show, Officer Katz gives him three chances to escape. If Houndini does not escape, he will leave Kitty City forever. Officer Katz chases him around the city. Eventually the two stop fighting like cats and dogs and join together.

An informational text full of nonfiction text features. Many of these features include a table of contents, photographs, bold words, headings, diagrams, maps, index, and glossary. Each page contains one – two sentences. The pages are colorful and engaging, but should not be distracting for young readers. There is a section in the back where a reader could find out more through books or the internet.

The book starts with an explanation of what mass is and how to conduct an experiment and work like a scientist. Following that are six experiments. These experiments are not only simple, they use materials that are easy to find. At the end of each experiment is also an explanation of why the experiment works. The book utilizes many text features including illustrations, photographs, bold words and a glossary.

It’s a sentimental love poem offered by mother for daughter, declaring her undying love.  The illustrations begin and end with mom tucking daughter into bed.  In the in-between pages, the illustrations are fanciful: showing mother and daughter flying through the night sky on a cloud shaped like a whale, landing in a wild countryside, and scampering through a variety of landscapes that support the analogies of the poem itself.  A nice detail in the illustrations is that daughter has curly hair and a slightly darker skin tone than mom:  is this a mixed-race family?  Could be.  If so, it’s just presented as is…no big deal.

It tells the story of an often neglected bit of American history:  the role of women during WWI, who helped the farmers tend the fields when all the farm hands had gone off to fight.  It focuses on the tale of Helen Stevens, a New York college girl who wanted to do her bit, so she left the big city to join a camp in upstate New York that was training “farmerettes” to tend the jobs that needed doing.  Even after training to learn new skills, she and her friends still faced the prejudice of local farmers who didn’t think girls could do the same work as men.  They had to offer a day of work with no pay to show their worth, and still had to negotiate firmly, but prove their worth they did.

It’s a mash-up between that typically associated with attracting boys and that typically considered girlish:  fart humor plus tea parties. The illustrations are cute and frilly, showing a gathering of three little girls having a tea party in the yard with all the trimmings.  The text trying to outline the rules for tea parties, with repeated interruptions to accuse somebody of tooting, and every time the accused blames somebody else.  The final rule declared is that there’s no tooting at tea.  But just then the tea kettle toots to let them know the water is boiling, so they have to revise their rules.  It’s cute.  I may be guilty of succumbing to stereotypes, but I think it telling that it was written by a guy.