It's so amazing

Harris, R. 1999. It's so amazing. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

It's so amazing is a book about the human body. Young readers will be able to get answers to questions they might have about their own body, and how it develops. It describes differences about the male and female body, as well as the development from being an infant to becoming adult.  Michael Emberley used the typical bird and bee to discuss the topics in the book.  His use of comic strip style is sure to entertain readers of any age.  The book is organized in a way that readers can choose to read the entire book, or select certain topics to read.

This is a good book to integrate when learning about life cycles in class, specifically, human development.

Spiders

Bishop,N. (2007). Spiders. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Spiders is an informational book that brings us up close to the world of spiders. We learn about their body composition, its food, its ability to make webs, amongst many other things.  In his book, Bishop brings us close up photos of a variety of spiders that will appeal to both children and adults.  In the bottom corners of each page he offers a short description of what we see in the photos.  In addition, an index is included for quick reference to key words. Last, but not least, he offers a glossary of important words!

As a follow up activity, students can create a poster where they list interesting facts about what they learned.  They'll enjoy adding their own illustrations!

Magic windows

Garza, C. L. (1999). Magic windows. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

In Magic window, the author Carmen Lomas Garza, gives us insight to her culture and traditions.  She uses a collection of paper cutouts as the illustrations, and gives a brief description of each.  We learn of her family, foods, and celebrations from Mexico and the ancient Aztecs.  Even more, the book is English and Spanish!

Learn how to make your own cut-paper art with:  Making Magic Windows: Creating Papel Picado/Cut-Paper Art with Carmen Lomas Garza

 

Hitler youth

Bartoletti, S. 2005. Hitler youth  Growing up in Hitler's Shadow. NY: Scholastic.

This book tells of a young group of people who were excited to be part of the Hitler Youth group. Hitler’s beliefs and ideas were instilled into children from a very young age. The young were trained in strict camps and worked long hours. They were taught how to fight, and kill their enemies. Many faithfully believe that it was all for a better Germany. Other youth on the other hand began to see the brutality and destruction before them. We learn of the experiences of some of the Hitler Youth during the Holocaust. Many finally realized that they had helped in a terrible crime against humanity. In her book, Bartoletti uses photographs to illustrate the historical events. A brief description is added with each photograph. She also includes quotes in her text from people that she interviewed and other sources who are listed in her bibliography. Lastly, an index is included at the end of the book.

Watch the book trailer for Hitler Youth Growing up in Hitler's Shadow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQzIQQcsXcE

Rosa

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt.

Rosa is a picture book biography that tells the story of Rosa Parks, a quiet, hard working seamstress.  Rosa is forced to decide whether or not to give up her seat on a public bus to a white person.  Since she was sitting in a section where either white or blacks could sit, she decided that she would not get out of her seat.  Rosa gathers all her courage and stands up for what she believes in.  During the time of segregation, a community comes together to make a change in a peaceful way.
Although this book is a biography, the text had a clear sequence and was easy to understand. In addition, the illustrations had picture book qualities that made the book fun to read.  We see a great combination of colors put together to create a book that both children and adults can enjoy.

Rosa is a great book to read as a follow up to The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963.  Students will have a better understanding of the issues African Americans faced during a time of segregation and discrimination.

 

Balloons over Broadway

Sweet, M. (2001). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. NY: Houghton.

Through the book, Balloons over Broadway The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade, we learn about a man whom from a very young age enjoyed the art of puppeteering. When Tony Sarg moved to New York City, he was asked to help in the Macy's puppet parade. The parade celebrated the holiday traditions of many immigrants from around the world. Sarg designed and created huge animal balloons that facinated all who saw them. The Macy's parade was such a success that soon it was a great event that was celebrated on Thanksgiving Day every year.  
Through this colorful picture book we learn of the life work of a great puppeteer.  The illustrations created through the work of collage and mixed media are sure to engage readers of all ages.

To learn more about Macy's Thanksgiving parade visit: http://www.macys.com/campaign/parade/history.jsp

How they croaked

Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked. New York, NY: Walker & Company.

How they Croaked is an informational book that tells about how several well known people died. In his collection, Bragg gives us details about each person's life. We can read about the lives of people such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Einstein, and George Washington, just to name a few. After reading their stories, the author also provides a page of interesting facts for each person. Bragg provides a table of contents for readers, as well as an index for easy to find topics. In addition, we can also find a list of online resources for readers to learn more about each person mentioned in his book.

As an extended activity, have students visit one of the websites listed in the back of the book for one of the person's mentioned.  Allow students to share with their classmates something new that they learned.