TWU LS 5603 - Nonfiction and Biography - THE GREAT AND ONLY BARNUM: THE TREMENDOUS, STUPENDOUS LIFE OF SHOWMAN P.T. BARNUM

Fleming, Candace, and Ray Fenwick. 2009. THE GREAT AND ONLY BARNUM: THE TREMENDOUS, STUPENDOUS LIFE OF SHOWMAN P.T. BARNUM. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 0375945977

PLOT SUMMARY

This book is about the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum including his quest for the ultimate showpiece and exhibit, and finally a small explanation of the circus career that makes him so famous. From the history of his family to a personal look at his acquisitions for his American Museum, Barnum’s personality shines through in Candace Fleming’s story of the never-ending quest to satisfy the world’s love of the spectacular.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This biography of Phineas Taylor Barnum lets the reader experience his quest through the historical photographs, advertisement posters, quotes, and dialogue. The vast bibliography and credit section gives readers a chance to explore so many other resources about Barnum.

The illustrations and chapter title pages are all in black and white and mimic circus font and design style. The use of black background to highlight side stories makes the pages more readable in the midst of a mass of text.

The table of contents shows the book’s organization by eleven chapters. Within the chapters the subdivisions are shown in bold, underlined print. The books design is unique in that it draws from the circus theme. There are many pictures that students could browse with accompanying captions and the index makes this book easy to use for research.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist starred 06/01/09

New York Times 12/06/09

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 10/01/09

School Library Journal 09/01/09

Horn book 04/01/10

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 08/01/09

Kirkus Review starred 08/15/09

Wilson’s Junior High School 01/09/10

Publishers Weekly (August 32, 2009) “Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend.”

School Library Journal (September 1, 2009) “Fleming captures Barnum's exuberant personality and describes how his gift for promotion and dedication to delivering what the public wanted made him the world's most famous showman.”

CONNECTIONS

Fennell, Frederick. 1991. SCREAMERS: (CIRCUS MARCHES); &  MARCH TIME. New York: Mercury Records. LCCN 23444656

·         Partner this sound recording to introduce a circus unit.

Edwards, Wallace. 2007. THE PAINTED CIRCUS: P.T. VERMIN PRESENTS A MESMERIZING MENAGERIE OF TRICKERY AND ILLUSION GUARANTEED TO BEGUILE AND BAMBOOZLE THE BEHOLDER! Toronto: Kids Can Press.  ISBN 1553377206

·          Partner this book to study the circus in a picture book format

McClung, Robert M., and Laura Kelly. 1993. OLD BET AND THE START OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS. New York: Morrow Junior Books.  ISBN 0688106420

·         Partner this book to examine the history of the American circus

TWU LS 5603 - Nonfiction and Biography - THE BRAIN: OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

Simon, Seymour. 2006. THE BRAIN: OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. [Washington, D.C.]: Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0060877194

PLOT SUMMARY

This brain book describes electrical impulses, nerves, cells, bones, and muscles that allow our brain to perform its magic of running the body. Illustrations are x-ray photos and a variety of scans in full color. This book is an overview of the processes and parts of the brain.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This thirty-two page photo essay by Seymour Simon has vivid photos taken from scanners and x-ray machines.  The colorful, full page pictures are often labeled to aid in the understanding of the accompanying text. The book is organized around the photos and each page is a part of the brain or its function and includes text with correct scientific vocabulary. The photography note at the beginning of the book explains how the visuals were included in the book. There is not an included index or glossary, so searching by subject or term would be difficult. The writing in this book is dry and very scientific with many vocabulary words and terms that are difficult to understand for young readers.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist 08/01/97

Horn Book starred 04/01/07

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 11/01/97

School Library Journal 08/01/97

Elementary School Library Collection 06/01/00

Wilson’s Children 07/01/09

Horn Book 09/01/97

Wilson’s Junior High School 01/09/10

Horn Book starred (March 2007) “The variety of photographic views and the lucid presentation provide an absorbing introduction to this amazing system that ‘can do more jobs than the most powerful computer ever made.’”

CONNECTIONS

Wolf, Allan, and Greg Clarke. 2003. THE BLOOD-HUNGRY SPLEEN AND OTHER POEMS ABOUT OUR PARTS. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press. ISBN 076361565X

·         Partner this to introduce the brain with poetry

Goobie, Beth. 2000. BEFORE WINGS: A NOVEL. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers. ISBN 1551431610

·         Partner this to have a fiction genre experience with a girl who had a brain injury

Simon, Seymour. 2003. EYES AND EARS. [New York]: HarperCollins Publishers.  ISBN 0688153038

·         Partner this to discover how the brain is involved in seeing and hearing

 

 

TWU LS 5603 - Nonfiction and Biography - ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM

Stone, Tanya Lee. 2009. ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM. Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763645021

PLOT SUMMARY
This is the story of thirteen women who tackled the physical and mental testing of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in secret, to attempt to become astronauts. This account details all of the rigorous testing done by Jerrie Cobb and the government’s subsequent refusal to include any of the qualified women into the official astronaut program.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book by Stone has a real life view of what the women astronauts endured not only physically and mentally, but politically to try to exist in an all male dominated astronaut program. There are amazing photographs of the women and space program on almost every page. In the Author’s Notes section, she describes the research and interviews that she obtained in addition to the noted sources in the Appendix. There are many quotes and dialogues throughout this book that give a sense of the politically fueled bias against women in the astronaut program from other astronauts to Vice President Johnson.

The book is organized in twelve chapters that progress chronologically with a clear table of contents and easy to find author notes, source notes, credits and further reading suggestions as well as a link to poems initially included in a draft of the book.

The book’s cover is very attractive and appealing with a color picture of a shuttle launch and five of the women astronauts featured in black and white photographs.

Some students would find this book too full of personal information and dialogue, but would enjoy browsing the pictures and merely reading the attached captions.

The heavy emphasis in the writing towards women’s rights would ignite the interest of readers to explore the history of the civil rights movement, as there are so many references to those volatile times throughout the book.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Book Links (ALA) 01/01/11

Publishers Weekly 05/04/09

Booklist 02/15/09

School Library Journal starred 03/01/09

Horn Book starred 03/01/09

Wilson’s Junior High School 01/09/10

Kirkus Review starred 01/01/09

Wilson’s Senior High School 02/02/11

Horn Book (March/April 2009) “There is no sugarcoating here -- Stone presents the full story of early-sixties public discourse about women's capabilities and clearly shows the personal, political, and physical risks taken by the women in pursuit of their dream.”

Library Media Connection (August/September 2009) “This is the compelling story of 13 women who set out to prove they were just as brave, strong, and smart as any man competing for the coveted role of astronaut.”

CONNECTIONS

Fisher, Aileen, and Karmen Thompson. 2001. SING OF THE EARTH AND SKY: POEMS ABOUT OUR PLANET AND THE WONDERS BEYOND. Honesdale, Pa: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press. ISBN 1563978024

·         Partner this book to connect or introduce a unit on astronomy/space using a different genre

Rooney, Frances. 2005. EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN EXPLORERS. Toronto: Second Story Press.  ISBN 1896764983

·         Partner this as a connection to other extraordinary women in history

Romero, Maritza. 1997. ELLEN OCHOA: THE FIRST HISPANIC WOMAN ASTRONAUT. New York: PowerKids Press.  ISBN 0823950875

·         Partner this as an extension of the original book

TWU LS 5603 - Poetry Reviews - DIAMOND WILLOW

Frost, Helen, and Jennifer Ikeda. 2009. DIAMOND WILLOW. Prince Frederick: MD: Recorded Books. ISBN 1436196178

PLOT SUMMARY

Twelve year old Willow convinces her parents to let her take three of the family’s sled dogs and go twenty miles to her Grandma and Grandpa’s house. After arriving safely, her return trip home is not as successful.  After coming into a corner too fast, a fallen tree catches her by surprise and injures her lead dog. Coming home and facing her mom and dad is her worst nightmare…”Roxy is blind. There’s nothing they can do.” Her father decides to have the blind dog put to sleep. Willow decides she should secretly take her blind dog to live with her Grandparents, but needs someone to hold the dog while she guides the sled, so she asks her friend, Kaylie, to skip school and help her. Lost on the trail with a lead dog that doesn’t know the way, the girls encounter a lynx and its tracks that lead the girls back to the trail to the Grandparent’s house. Roxy is pulled into the house and taken care of by Willow.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this emotionally enthralling and incredibly powerful story of the pain of blindness, the pain of losing a twin and the journey of almost losing a best friend, Helen Frost entices the reader with the clever diamond shaped text and then opens Willow’s head to let the reader inside. This is a verse novel about a young Alaskan girl and her adventure with her best friend, a sled dog named Roxy. It is written in free verse in a diamond shaped pattern throughout the book with hidden statements in bold print. The author’s notes at the beginning give you an insight into the history of the characters and setting, as well as, an explanation of the wood called diamond willow and the foreshadowing of the dark circle from when a branch is injured, leaving a diamond shape around the scar. This novel is written with the Native American belief in reincarnation and especially beings moving from a human body to a non-human existence.  The ancestor interludes scattered amongst Willow’s diary-like entries provide reflections on the present and past, as well as, serve a protective, guiding role like that of typical fairy godmother characters. There is great personification of all the animals in this story from the sled dogs, to each relative who has returned as an animal. The language in this book is appropriate for young readers, but the emotional journey is one for more mature readers. The ingenious writing of the representation of the spruce tree begins the story with the diamond willow stick,  foreshadows the relationship between Willow and her dog, Roxy, and concludes with a full circle to connect all parts of the narrative.  This is a moving book and one that leaves the reader with the true meaning of dedication and friendship.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist 06/15/08

School Library Journal 06/01/08

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred 06/01/08

Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 10/01/08

Horn Book 07/01/08

Wilson’s Junior High School 01/09/10

Horn Book starred (September, 2008) “The first-person, present-tense narrative is typeset in diamond shapes; bold-faced words at the heart of each diamond hold an additional nugget of meaning. Despite some misplaced mysticism, as a dog and dogsled story, the tale wears its knowledge gracefully.”

School Library Journal (June 1, 2008) “This complex and elegant novel will resonate with readers who savor powerful drama and multifaceted characters.”

 

CONNECTIONS

Anderson, LaVere, and Herman B. Vestal. 1976. BALTO, SLED DOG OF ALASKA. Champaign, Ill: Garrard Pub. Co. ISBN 0811648591

·         Partner this to look at the job of sled dogs in Alaska

Hill, Kirkpatrick. 2005.DANCING AT THE ODINOCHKA.. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 0689873883

·         Partner this book to discuss other young Alaskan girls and their families and the Athabascan culture

Bruchac, Joseph, and Michael J. Caduto. 1992. NATIVE AMERICAN ANIMAL STORIES. Golden, Colo: Fulcrum Pub. ISBN 1555911277

·         Partner this to discuss the role of animals in Native American tales

TWU LS 5603 - PoetryReviews - IS IT FAR TO ZANZIBAR?

Grimes, Nikki, and Betsy Lewin. 2000. IS IT FAR TO ZANZIBAR?: POEMS ABOUT TANZANIA. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Bookks. ISBN 0688131579

PLOT SUMMARY

IS IT FAR TO ZANZIBAR? Is a thirteen poem compilation about Tanzania, its people and its culture. Poems express traditions of homecomings, modes of transportation, native animals, native fruits and other foods and rituals of coffee bean picking.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This individual poet compilation of thirteen poems about Tanzania is a sneak peek into the daily life of the people of this country. The poems range from 4 lines to 24 lines and each is richly illustrated by Betsy Lewin with a combination of watercolors and color sketches. Most of the poems have a 2 beat or 4 beat metered feel.  This is very good for chanting or adding instruments, when reading or reciting aloud. Most of the poems have “a,a,b,b” rhyming scheme. Grimes intersperses these poems with words in Swahili like in “Haraka, Haraka” a poem about elders telling a girl to “hurry up.”  There is a vocabulary page provided in the back of this book with 18 vocabulary words used throughout the book. Overall this is a delightful book with a humorous and childish view of crowded buses, jungle animals and native foods.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist 03/15/00

Library Talk 11/01/00

Kirkus Review 04/15/00

New York Times 06/04/00

Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 14 (March 15, 2000) - “This work is very different from Grimes' powerful poetry and realistic fiction about city kids in the U.S. Here the rhyming, sing-song verse is light and playful, an outsider's view of a Tanzania where everyone's having fun: tourists are on camels, local kids and adults are on bikes, trucks, and jam-packed buses.”

CONNECTIONS

Axtell, David. 2000. WE’RE GOING ON A LION HUNT. New York: Holt. ISBN 0805061592

·         Partner this book to compare adventures in Africa

Heale, Jay. 1998. TANZANIA. New York: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 0761408093

·          Partner this book to study the geography and history of the region

Kilaka, John. 2006. TRUE FRIENDS: A TALE FROM TANZANIA. Toronto: Groundwood Books. ISBN 0888996985

·         Partner this book to discuss a Tanzanian folktale

TWU LS 5603 - Poetry Reviews - THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT

BIBLIOGRAPHY #1

Hoberman, Mary Ann, Linda Winston, and Barbara Fortin. 2009. THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT: A CELEBRATION OF NATURE, SCIENCE, AND IMAGINATION. Napperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 1402225178

PLOT SUMMARY
This collection of poems about science link Darwin’s studies with the work of 78 poets. The nature theme is broken into smaller chapters to include all that is in the world around us from the sea to the sky and the atom to the dinosaur. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This topical collection has a nature theme throughout and is based on Darwin’s naturalist studies. The flow of the book is segmented into nine smaller themed chapters and covers a range of areas from fields, the sea, trees, and animals. The format of the book lends itself to reflective exercises and prompts for discussion with the critiques and Darwin connections at the bottom of the poems. This is a wonderful creative presentation of the individual poems and the collection. The enclosed CD is another option for presentation of the poems.  Teachers who struggle with poetry themselves, would find this collection a must have for teaching this genre. Although the illustrations are sparse and decorative, in mostly black and white, the text itself is the true gem of this book. The biographies of the 78 poets and the glossary of poetry and science terms included in the book are a tool for teachers and a reference for further connections for the students.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Book Links (ALA) 01/01/10

Library Media Connection 01/01/10

Booklist 12/15/09

Publishers Weekly 11/30/09

Horn Book 04/01/10

School Library Journal 01/01/10

School Library Journal (January 1, 2010) “Finding connections to and inspiration from Charles Darwin's work, the editors of this anthology encourage readers to consider the shared ancestry among all living things.”

CONNECTIONS

Ryder, Joanne, and Dennis Nolan. 1990. UNDER YOUR FEET. New York: Four Winds Press. ISBN 0027779556

·         Partner this book to show other nature poems

Simmons, Randy T. 2002. ENDANGERED SPECIES. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.ISBN 073771266X

·         Partner this as a connection to the chapter “Hurt No Living Thing”

Tagliaferro, Linda. 2001. GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: NATURE’S DELICATE BALANCE AT RISK. Minneapolis: Lerner. ISBN 0822506485

·         Partner this as historical location for Darwin’s studies and extinction discussion