The introduction explains Democracy and it’s various elements, with an well done chronology of the evolution of democracy. Readability is good and the book is divided into components explaining various aspects of democracy with solid examples provided. There are interesting historical references to the development of the Bill of Rights, Amendments, and the Athenian Model. The illustrations are good and various graphics provide additional information, as does the timeline and easy to use large print index. One improvement would have been to include a glossary of terms. There is additional information provided in sections on the electoral college, poll tax and election spending.
Robotics, Discover the Science and Technology of the Future
Great nonfiction book with illustrations with 20 great projects! This is a user friendly, student friendly text and description. Student and teacher will both like this one–high interest and full of useful information. Complete with glossary, websites, resources, and books. This book is recommended!
Animal Classes, Reptiles
This nonfiction book on reptiles has extreme coloring amplifying their visuals. Too much. It has an air of inaccuracy with the bright coloring that was used with photoshopping the animal pictures. It’s exaggerated. It doesn’t feel authentic. I’m sure that primary kids will haves their eyes caught, but they really don’t need this encouragement for a book about animals. Why enhance the colors on animals? The graphic layout around it is bright enough, and it didn’t need the animal colors enhanced. Addition.
Making a Jack-o-Lantern, Step by Step
This is a great primary aged nonfiction book that explains the process of making a jack ‘o lantern. It starts with the farm growing the pumpkins, along with types, sizes, and selection. The book follows a story format paragraphs explaining the father and son stepping out the process of creating a jack o’lantern. There is a glossary, index, read more, and Internet sites. Nice addition.
Military Robots
This is a simplified, well-done, nonfiction book explaining select military machines and their uses. One of the things that I do like about this book is the simplified explanations without glorifying guns. Some of the nonfiction military books are bombarding the reader with photos of big guns, bright colors, and eye catching visuals which entertain rather than teach. With a topic as serious as service people sacrificing their lives, I appreciate the tone of the book. Which isn’t a visit to a discotheque, but rather to explain what the equipment is in a realistic manner. Recommended.
The Science Behind Food
This is a very smart book. The graphic display is just enough to capture attention and even help to organize your attention, but it not too much to be distracting. The information is just as admirable. Smart science with tracing food energy back to the sun. The foods are broken down into the basic groups and then digestion, a recipe to try, glossary, websites, books and index. There is a glossary at the bottom of each page, explaining vocabulary. There is a stream of captions that add extra tips for learning. This is a great book to teach and share updated food information to fourth or fifth graders. Recommended.
Ice Dancing
I think the graphic design is a bit over done. Lots of design an color on the front, but it almost looks messy. The table of contents is distracting with the busy graphics and colors. Although, color and graphics are important to pull kids into a book, this is too much. It almost gives me a headache.
The information is chopped up and spread out in unrelated paragraphs. For someone who is just browsing, this may be desirable, but ifyou are trying to organize and collect data for a research project. There are some Book, DVD, and website recommendations in the back. Along with a small index. This books would make a nice addition to a library.
World’s Biggest Dinosaur
Great visual layout of this nonfiction book featuring dinosaurs. The pictures look 3-D and realistic, along with a paragraph including the physical description of the animal along with other interesting facts. In the back is a glossary and additional websites, other books, and index. Recommended.
Eight Days Gone
This is an easy non-fiction for very young children about the eight day Apollo II mission to the moon in July 1969. Written with rhymes and descriptive vocabulary, each word is chosen carefully and sparingly to tell the reader or listener this exciting story. The illustrations are cartoonish with action detail that will interest young readers. At the end, the Author’s Note gives a summary of events of the mission and explains with more detail than the narrative of the main story. There is also an actual photo from NASA of the lunar module ascent from the moon to the command module with the earth looking tiny on the horizon. The bibliography page at the end lists books and kid-friendly websites for more information.
Together at Christmas
On Christmas Eve, ten little mice are huddling out in the open, shivering in the cold snow. One by one, each mouse finds a warm little spot to sleep. The problem is that then they are each alone. In the end, one clever mouse discovers a hollow log that will accommodate all ten mice. They snuggle together warm and happy. With beautiful, rich illustrations and a rhyming narrative, this delightful read aloud trips off the tongue. The opportunity presents for counting practice and/or a discussion about the importance of friendship.