#30- When Marian Sang

#30- When Marian Sang

When Marian Sang

Written by: Pam Munoz Ryan

Illustrated by: Brian Selznick

Scholastic Press, 2002

32 pages

Multicultural (African American)

“However, her voice was distinct-strong and velvety and able to climb more than twenty-four notes.”

            This book is about the life of Marian Anderson. From a very young age, Marian loved to sing, and people loved to hear her sing. She began singing in churches, and was chosen for the People’s Chorus. However, growing up in pre-Civil Rights America proved to be a huge obstacle standing in her way of singing professionally. Nobody wanted to train a colored girl. Finally, she caught famous Giuseppe Boghetti’s attention and he trained her. She traveled to Europe and became an international singing sensation. When she came back to the United States, prejudice again stood in her way of singing publically. Eventually, she was invited to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. Sixteen years after this performance, she was able to fulfill her life-long dream of singing in an opera.

            Selznick created these breathtaking drawings by using liquitex acrylics. The pictures are done in an almost sepia color. Every picture takes up a double page spread. Some of the text placement is formal, and some of it is informal.

            This book could be appreciated by anyone, but I believe that it would appeal more to second to fifth grade students. You could have your students fill out a Venn diagram comparing their lives to Marian’s life. This would allow the students to see the difference in the time periods. This book received the Robert F. Sibert Honor.

#29- The Pot That Juan Built

#29- The Pot the Juan Built

The Pot that Juan Built

Written by: Nancy Andrews-Goebel

Illustrated by: David Diaz

Lee & Low Books Inc., 2002

22 pages

Multicultural (Mexican)

“These are the flames so sizzling hot that flickered and flared and fired the pot, the beautiful pot the Juan built.”

            This book tells the story of Juan Quezada, who became a professional potter in Mexico in the 1970s. Each page contains a shorter version of his story, written as a poem. The poem grows and builds on top of itself as the story progresses. On the opposite page, the book details Juan’s life and his process in building his first pot. There are very interesting facts about this process that are included in the book. The paintbrush he used was made out of his own hair. He also followed a trail of ants that led him to fine clay to build his pot. At the end of the story, Juan’s first beautiful pot was built.

            Diaz used Adobe Photoshop to create the beautiful illustrations that cover every page of this book. The pictures seems to be layered on top of each other to create a three dimensional effect. The pictures cover the entirety of every page in a double-page spread. The text placement for this book is informal.

            This book is most appropriate for upper elementary grade levels. The book could be read aloud to the class. The class could then map out and illustrate the steps Juan took to make his first pot. It would be a terrific experience for the students if someone could be brought into the classroom to make a pot in front of them and explain the process to the students. 

#28- You Wouldn't Want to Be an Aztec Sacrifice!

#28- You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Aztec Sacrifice!

You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Aztec Sacrifice!

Written by: Fiona Macdonald

Illustrated by: David Antram

The Salariya Book Company Ldt, 2003

29 pages

Multicultural (Aztec)

“One thing you know for sure is that you wouldn’t want to be an Aztec sacrifice!”

            The book begins by putting you, the reader, in the role of a villager who lives in a Mexican city. You hear about the Aztecs conquering lands, taking captives, and sacrificing them for their gods. The Aztecs have come to your village, and you have to help defend your city from them. At the end of the battle, you have been taken captive. The book then takes you through the process captives go through to be sacrificed for the gods. At the end of the book, you are sacrificed, and the gory details of what happens to your body are described.

            The artistic medium is not given in this book, but it looks like Antram used watercolor and pen to illustrate the book. The pictures are funny, vibrant, and sometimes gory. Every page contains a picture on a double-page spread. Other pictures dot the pages to bring out important details in the text. The text placement is very informal.

            This book is only appropriate for upper elementary level students. I am not sure I would read this book aloud, because some of the details are too explicit for some students to hear. However, the book would be a great book to provide for your students to read on their own. If you deem your class to be mature enough, you could read the book aloud to stimulate class discussions during a history lesson.

#27- You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!

#27- You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!

Written by: Jacqueline Morley

Illustrated by: David Antram

Salariya Book Company Ltd, 2004

29 pages

Multicultural (Egyptian)

“You are living in Egypt around 1500 B.C. How lucky you are!”

            The book starts out by putting you in the role of an Egyptian who is forced to work on pyramids. The book takes you through the process of being chosen to work on the pharaoh’s pyramid, and then the process it takes to actually build it. Pyramids could take up to twenty years to build. The book introduces all the jobs of the builders, and how each of them contributed to the building. The book describes how tough life was for the working Egyptians. It even discusses the pharaoh dying, being wrapped, and then being buried in his pyramid.

            The artistic medium is not given for this book, but I believe that Antram used watercolor and pen to create the cartoon-like drawings. Each page contains a picture on a two-page spread, along with smaller accompanying pictures that capture the Egyptian culture. The caption bubbles provide humor and insight to the minds of the Egyptians.

            This book is appropriate for upper elementary level students. In a history lesson, this book could be read aloud to the students. The students could then write a short story about putting themselves in the life of a working Egyptian. They would write about how their day would go based off of the information from the book. 

#26- Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator

#26- Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator

Written by: Sarah C. Campbell

Photography by: Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell

Boyds Mills Press, Inc., 2008

27 pages

Nonfiction

“Most land snails, such as this one, eat plants. The wolfsnail eats meat.”

            This book details a day in the life of a wolfsnail. More specifically, the book details the wolfsnail on the hunt for its meal. The wolfsnail does not eat plants like most snails; it eats slugs and other snails. The snail taps the top of the leaf to search for signs of food. When the wolfsnail finds a trail to follow, it finds a snail, eats it, then goes back to sleep.

            The photographs in this book are beautiful and colorful. Each picture depicts the part of the snail’s day that the page is describing. The pictures capture parts of a wolfsnail’s life that we wouldn’t normally get to observe. The text placement is formal.

            This book is appropriate for upper elementary level students. In a science classroom, this book could be read alongside a book about regular snails. The students could compare and contrast between a wolfsnail and a snail. This book received the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor. 

#25- Our World: Rainforests

#25- Our World: Rainforests

Our World: Rainforests

Written by: Valerie Bodden

Photography by: Jay Ireland, Georgienne Bradley, Eugene G. Shulz, Tom Stack & Associates

Creative Education, 2007

20 pages

Nonfiction

“A rainforest is a kind of forest. Rainforests are found near the equator.”

            This very informative book tells the reader all about rainforests. The biggest rainforest in the world is the Amazon rainforest which is largely located in Brazil. Rainforests are hot all year long. They contain many trees and flowers, animals, insects, and birds. Some animals live in the canopy of the rainforest. Many people are hurting rainforests, so there are other people whose job it is to save the rainforest.

            Each page is filled with vibrant pictures. The pictures cover a wide range of life in the rainforests. Trees, plants, flowers, and animals are all shown in this book. Some pages only contain one picture, while other spreads contain three to four pictures. Most of the text placement is formal.

            The book is appropriate for all elementary school students, but early elementary school students would benefit most from it. This book would be a terrific book to read to your classroom while studying about rainforests. You could teach the students how to draw a semantic web. They could each make a semantic web on the topic of rainforests.

#24- Oceans Alive: Crabs

#24- Oceans Alive: Crabs

Oceans Alive: Crabs

Written by: Ann Herriges

Photography by: Getty Images

Bellwether Media, 2007

21 pages

Nonfiction

“Crabs are truly amazing!”

This book tells all about crabs. Some crabs live in the ocean, and others live on the shore. The book informs us all about the crab’s shells. They protect the crab’s soft body; and as they grow, they move into bigger shells. The book goes on to describe parts of the crab’s body, and the functions that each of those parts do. Crabs are able to protect themselves from danger, and they blend in with their surroundings.

Each picture provided by Getty Images showcases amazing images of crabs. The photographs show crabs in their different habitats. One picture even compares a crab to a human hand so children can easily visualize the size of a crab. The text placement is very formal.

This book is appropriate for younger elementary level students. The book could easily be incorporated in a science lesson. After reading the book, the students could draw a picture of a crab and label the parts that the book pointed out.