Bellows, Melina Gerosa. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS is a periodical geared in creating a sense of wonder in children ages 6 - 14. With sections titled “Weird but true” and “Astonishing Stories From the Files of Guinness World Records”, kids will be compelled to look further into the facts that are given to locate more information on the topics. Every article pulls the reader into the story and most contain real life photographs that will capture the reader’s attention. The issues also come with ideas for family projects, an “Art Zone” section where reader’s original drawings are showcased, various games and puzzles. The web site is advertised within the publication with ideas on things to do on the site, such as playing interactive games, fining more craft ideas, and watching videos pertaining to articles featured in the publication. Information can be easily located for subscribing to the magazine and with very minimal advertisements found within, this is truly geared to the child reader.
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss
Krull, Kathleen. 2004. THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: HOW TED GEISEL GREW UP TO BECOME DR. SEUSS. Ill. by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York: Random House.
Krull does an exceptional job of taking the reader from early childhood to adulthood with one of reader’s favorite author and illustrator’s, Dr. Seuss. The reader immediately feels connected with Ted as a young boy as he is portrayed as one that did not always “fit in” with everyone else. The soft, pastel colored paintings that accent the text give the reader a view into Ted’s world and they make a stunning contrast to the bright and comical illustrations from Dr. Seuss’ that are interjected through out the text. At the end of the story, Krull includes a section titled “On Beyond Fairfield Street” which gives a synopsis of Geisel’s life after he left home to become the writer that is so famous today. She also includes a list of all of the works written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss in the order of publication, with publication dates included. She includes a list of additional resources for further reading. Krull also includes a list that details Dr. Seuss’s illustrations that were taken from his various works to include in this book. Krull does a wonderful job of portraying Seuss in a way that not only brings him to life for the reader but keeps his works and determination alive to the reader.
Krull does an exceptional job of taking the reader from early childhood to adulthood with one of reader’s favorite author and illustrator’s, Dr. Seuss. The reader immediately feels connected with Ted as a young boy as he is portrayed as one that did not always “fit in” with everyone else. The soft, pastel colored paintings that accent the text give the reader a view into Ted’s world and they make a stunning contrast to the bright and comical illustrations from Dr. Seuss’ that are interjected through out the text. At the end of the story, Krull includes a section titled “On Beyond Fairfield Street” which gives a synopsis of Geisel’s life after he left home to become the writer that is so famous today. She also includes a list of all of the works written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss in the order of publication, with publication dates included. She includes a list of additional resources for further reading. Krull also includes a list that details Dr. Seuss’s illustrations that were taken from his various works to include in this book. Krull does a wonderful job of portraying Seuss in a way that not only brings him to life for the reader but keeps his works and determination alive to the reader.
Actual Size
Jenkins, Steve. 2004. ACTUAL SIZE. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Jenkins creates a compelling book that looks at the actual size of different animals or animal parts that will cause readers to not only anxiously turn pages to find out what size will appear next, but it will also cause them to look for further information on the animals found in the book. Not only is the actual size of items such as a giant squid eye or the saltwater crocodile’s mouth shown, but interesting factual tidbits are included with the illustrations. The illustrations created from torn paper add an fascinating depiction of each animal. The book lacks traditional non-fiction access features such as a table of contents or an index that assist the reader in locating information more easily. There are extensive notes included at the end of the book on each of the animals that is featured in the text, however there are no sources cited for the information given.
Jenkins creates a compelling book that looks at the actual size of different animals or animal parts that will cause readers to not only anxiously turn pages to find out what size will appear next, but it will also cause them to look for further information on the animals found in the book. Not only is the actual size of items such as a giant squid eye or the saltwater crocodile’s mouth shown, but interesting factual tidbits are included with the illustrations. The illustrations created from torn paper add an fascinating depiction of each animal. The book lacks traditional non-fiction access features such as a table of contents or an index that assist the reader in locating information more easily. There are extensive notes included at the end of the book on each of the animals that is featured in the text, however there are no sources cited for the information given.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Rowling, J.K. 1997. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. New York: Scholastic.
Rowling creates a thrilling high fantasy adventure where one can hope to believe in the world of magic, where good triumphs evil. The famous Harry Potter, after dying death at the hands of “you know who”, arrives at Hogwarts to be trained in the art of being a wizard. With learning to fit in with the other students at the school and mastering the art of magic, Harry is also challenged to find and protect the secret that is being guarded by Fluffy, the three-headed dog. Readers will be engaged in the story from start to finish and be sad to see the year at Hogwarts come to a close, however there are many more years of adventure awaiting them in the sequels to this engaging tale. There is a character for everyone to identify with in this cast, from the brainy girl desperate for friends or the youngest brother trying to find his own place in the community to the hero that is transported from a life of misery to a chance for happiness in a magical land.
Rowling creates a thrilling high fantasy adventure where one can hope to believe in the world of magic, where good triumphs evil. The famous Harry Potter, after dying death at the hands of “you know who”, arrives at Hogwarts to be trained in the art of being a wizard. With learning to fit in with the other students at the school and mastering the art of magic, Harry is also challenged to find and protect the secret that is being guarded by Fluffy, the three-headed dog. Readers will be engaged in the story from start to finish and be sad to see the year at Hogwarts come to a close, however there are many more years of adventure awaiting them in the sequels to this engaging tale. There is a character for everyone to identify with in this cast, from the brainy girl desperate for friends or the youngest brother trying to find his own place in the community to the hero that is transported from a life of misery to a chance for happiness in a magical land.
Bone: Out From Boneville
Smith, Jeff. 1992. BONE: OUT FORM BONEVILLE. Columbus, Ohio: Cartoon Books.
In the action-packed graphic novel BONE: OUT FROM BONEVILLE, Fone Bone and Smiley Bone help their “shady” cousin escape from Boneville, only to get lost and then separated in an unknown desert. The three cousins experience many mishaps and encounter various enchanting and strange creatures as they try to reunite and return to Boneville. The simple sketch illustrations are rich in details that capture the emotions of the characters and easily holding the reader’s attention as the story unfolds. Humor and suspense are created by both the illustrations and the dialog between the Bone cousins and the various forest creatures that they encounter, such as when Fone Bone is going to do the “manly job” and chop the firewood, only to do chin-ups on the large, heavy ax. With references to remembering to pack reading material such as Moby Dick and comic books before running out of town, Fone Bone exemplifies the idea that not only is reading important, but all forms of literature are acceptable reading materials. Many panels contain no text, however the reader can clearly tell the meaning of the illustrations and how the story advances from one panel to the next.
In the action-packed graphic novel BONE: OUT FROM BONEVILLE, Fone Bone and Smiley Bone help their “shady” cousin escape from Boneville, only to get lost and then separated in an unknown desert. The three cousins experience many mishaps and encounter various enchanting and strange creatures as they try to reunite and return to Boneville. The simple sketch illustrations are rich in details that capture the emotions of the characters and easily holding the reader’s attention as the story unfolds. Humor and suspense are created by both the illustrations and the dialog between the Bone cousins and the various forest creatures that they encounter, such as when Fone Bone is going to do the “manly job” and chop the firewood, only to do chin-ups on the large, heavy ax. With references to remembering to pack reading material such as Moby Dick and comic books before running out of town, Fone Bone exemplifies the idea that not only is reading important, but all forms of literature are acceptable reading materials. Many panels contain no text, however the reader can clearly tell the meaning of the illustrations and how the story advances from one panel to the next.
Artemis Fowl
Colfer, Eoin. 2001. ARTIMIS FOWL. New York: Talk Miramax Books.
In the captivating futuristic fantasy series, ARTEMIS FOWL, Artemis is a twelve year old criminal mastermind that captures an officer from the fairy LEPrecon division in an attempt to gain gold as a ransom. Having procured a fairy rule book, Artemis is ready to thwart all of the Recon team’s attempts to free Officer Short. Will the fairy team be able to right the wrong done by Artemis and will Artemis end up with the gold? Even though Artemis is the “bad” guy in the story, Colfer creates such a compelling character that the reader can not help to feel for him as he plots to save his mother and his servant friends from death. With rich details and dialog, the reader feels part of the storyline and setting from the beginning of the story until the end. Even as the story ends, the reader is anxiously waiting for the next story to be found and unfold.
In the captivating futuristic fantasy series, ARTEMIS FOWL, Artemis is a twelve year old criminal mastermind that captures an officer from the fairy LEPrecon division in an attempt to gain gold as a ransom. Having procured a fairy rule book, Artemis is ready to thwart all of the Recon team’s attempts to free Officer Short. Will the fairy team be able to right the wrong done by Artemis and will Artemis end up with the gold? Even though Artemis is the “bad” guy in the story, Colfer creates such a compelling character that the reader can not help to feel for him as he plots to save his mother and his servant friends from death. With rich details and dialog, the reader feels part of the storyline and setting from the beginning of the story until the end. Even as the story ends, the reader is anxiously waiting for the next story to be found and unfold.
Pendragon
MacHale, 2003. D.J. PENDRAGON: THE NEVER WAR. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
Bobby Pendragon and Vo Spader, two travelers, set out on a quest to First Earth, in the year 1937. Among the gangsters in New York, Pendragon and Spader will search to uncover Saint Dane’s plot to push First Earth’s turning point in the wrong direction and destroy life as it is known in the process of taking over their world. Appealing to the sense of adventure and the need to see good trump evil, readers will enjoy this futuristic high fantasy that subtly teaches historical information on New York Gangsters, the Hindenburg, and the beginning of World War II. MacHale creates believable dialog that allows readers to identify with fifteen year old Pendragon as he ventures out to save not only First Earth, but also the future of Second and Third Earth as well. With the book ending with “To Be Continued”, readers will be ready to set out and find the sequel to this exciting adventure.
Bobby Pendragon and Vo Spader, two travelers, set out on a quest to First Earth, in the year 1937. Among the gangsters in New York, Pendragon and Spader will search to uncover Saint Dane’s plot to push First Earth’s turning point in the wrong direction and destroy life as it is known in the process of taking over their world. Appealing to the sense of adventure and the need to see good trump evil, readers will enjoy this futuristic high fantasy that subtly teaches historical information on New York Gangsters, the Hindenburg, and the beginning of World War II. MacHale creates believable dialog that allows readers to identify with fifteen year old Pendragon as he ventures out to save not only First Earth, but also the future of Second and Third Earth as well. With the book ending with “To Be Continued”, readers will be ready to set out and find the sequel to this exciting adventure.
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