Bones

Jenkins, Steve. 2010. Bones: Skeletons and How They Work. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545046510

Topic Summary

Steve Jenkins brings skeletons to life in this nonfiction survey book about bones. From arm bones to ear bones, fruit bat to velociraptor, this book takes you on a journey to learn about how bones are adapted to their purposes, comparing sizes and functions. If you've ever wondered how many bones are in the human skeleton, or what the bones of a dolphin and a dog have in common, this is the book for you!

Critical Analysis

As a survey book about bones, this seems to be an accurate representation. There was no bibliography given, though the author does thank the consulting work of the collections manager of the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History. One of the indicators that give it a greater likelihood of accuracy is that Jenkins notes on each page how the illustrations are proportional. For example, for the spread showing the complete set of human bones, it is noted that the bones are shown at one-fourth actual size. Yet when showcasing the human hand on its own, Jenkins indicates that it is shown at actual size. In addition to giving the reader a better sense of the actual size of the bones, it gives the impression that he was being very deliberate about accuracy in this book. 

The organization of Bones is somewhat haphazard. There is no index or table of contents, and the book sometimes seems to jump from topic to topic without a clear indication of structure. The middle of the book goes from joints to symmetry to jumping. But since this is a short, illustration-dominated book, it doesn't detract that much from the overall impact. 

For me, it is the illustrations that make this book so alluring. Each page has a different dark, but bold, color background to highlight the simple-but-accurate bone illustrations. There is contrasting white text on each page, both to inform about the topic of the page, as well as to label each bone or animal. The simplicity of it really helps to bring the attention to what it should--the bones. When you have a whole spread of skulls, from human to mouse lemur, that are drawn actual size, it creates an intriguing and curiosity-inspiring inquisitiveness that may well serve as a spring board for the reader to want to further research any or all of the animals featured in this book!


Professional Praise

From School Library Journal: "With applications that range from anatomy to evolution and mathematics, this book will find a place in every collection."

From Booklist: "One of the foremost illuminators of the animal kingdom here takes a peek beneath the skin. . . . Clean design of the intricate skeletons set against solid background colors is striking and provides a wonderful visual introduction to what keeps us all upright."

Connections

If you love Steve Jenkins' style, check out some of his other awesome books!

Actual Size (2011) ISBN 978-0547512914


Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (1997) ISBN 978-0395861363


Just a Second (2011) ISBN 978-0618708963


Or if you have some students who want to learn more about the skeletal system, you might want to check out these resources:

Bones: Our Skeletal System, by Seymour Simon (2000) ISBN 978-0688177218

Learning Resources Skeleton Model

Roylco R5910 Animal X-Ray Set, 8" x 10" Size

The Family Romanov

Fleming, Candace. 2014. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia. New York: Schwartz & Wade. ISBN 9780375867828

Topic Summary

This biography follows the reign of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicolas II, and his family. It includes brief elements of Nicolas’ family history, but focuses on his reign, the political events during his reign, and glimpses into the lives of ordinary Russian citizens. The Romanovs are a tight-knit family unit, seeming to desire more privacy and isolation than is good for the ruling family of such a vast empire. Not willing to engage with the changing world, including the plight of the peasant, the rising working class, and the opulent apathy of the nobility, Nicolas drifts closer to the edge of the waterfall without even realizing it. With the final abdication of his throne, Nicolas hopes his sacrifice was enough to save the nation. But was it enough? Or was it too little, too late?

Critical Evaluation

As someone who has read a number of books about the Romanov family, I believe this book to be factually accurate. Many of the stories and incidents I have read about previously. To help support the factual accuracy, the author has supplied an extensive bibliography, including primary sources such as family letters and diaries that were preserved. The bulk of the dialog in the book is attributed to various letters or eye witness accounts. 

The Family Romanov is divided into four parts: Before the Storm, Dark Clouds Gathering, The Storm Breaks, and Final Days. Each part represents a major theme in Nicolas’ reign. In addition to detailed accounts of the family’s interactions, the author also includes the political environment. Sprinkled throughout the book are inset features called “Beyond the Palace Gates” about life for the commoners, which was an interesting contrast to the lives of the nobility. As you read it, it makes it almost seem as though you are reading about two different places and times, so great was the gulf between the experiences of the upper and lower classes. 

For those who are unfamiliar with Russian history, the author also includes a short, one-page “crash course” in Russian ways, including titles, names, and dates. There is also a fairly detailed family tree to help the reader keep track of the sometimes confusing lineages. 

The book also includes a number of black and white photographs of the family, made possible in part because of the love the Romanovs had for their Brownie cameras. The pictures give the reader a peek into the more relaxed way of life they enjoyed. There are also photos of the war, and other key players in the political arena of the day. 

The Family Romanov is a well-written, interest-holding biography of one of the most mysterious, talked-about royal families of modern times. The author brings out the human side of the members of the family, examining both their strengths and shortcomings. It would be enjoyable read for those who are already interested in Russian history, as well as an excellent and thorough introduction for those who are just beginning. 

Professional Praise

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

Robert F. Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book

Cybils Award in Nonfiction for Young Adults

From Horn Book: "The epic, sweeping narrative seamlessly incorporates scholarly authority, primary sources, appropriate historical speculation, and a keen eye for the most telling details."

From School Library Journal: "The informative text illuminates their inability to understand the social conditions in Russia and the impact it might have had on them. This is both a sobering work, and the account of the discovery of their bones and the aftermath is at once fascinating and distressing. A solid resource and good recreational reading for high school students."

Connections

Check out Mary Ann Cappiello's awesome blog The Classroom Bookshelf for an extensive list of resources and activities to go along with The Family Romanov. 

Here are some other books about the Romanovs and Russia you can check out!

Magnificence of the Tsars: Ceremonial Men’s Dress of the Imperial Russian Court 1721-1917 (2010). ISBN 978-1851776047

Russian Houses (1995) ISBN 978-3822890493

Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia (2006) ISBN 978-0865651715

The Royal Diaries: Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 (2000) ISBN 978-0439129084

Journal of a Russian Grand Duchess: Complete Annotated 1913 Diary of Olga Romanov, Eldest Daughter of the Last Tsar (2015) ISBN 978-1508449027

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler

Hoose, Phillip. 2015. The Boys Who Challenged Hitler. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374300227

Check out my book trailer for this awesome book!

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

Bryant, Jen. 2014. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780802853851

Plot Summary

Have you ever struggled to find just the right word? You can feel it on the tip of your brain, but you can’t quite grab it. . . so you grab your nearest thesaurus! In The Right Word, author Jen Bryant tells the story of Peter Roget, the man of many talents and interests who created a thesaurus that is still in print today, more than 150 years later. This lovely book will help young readers understand not only who Peter Roget was, but the beautiful thought that went into his "treasure house."

Critical Analysis

Author Jen Bryant uses simple, elegant prose to tell Roget’s story in this picture book biography. The accuracy of the book is supported by the Author’s Note, Selected Bibliography, For Further Reading, and Sources sections. There is limited dialog, restricted to the occasional word bubble. The pairing of the simple text and the visually stimulating illustrations give the reader the feeling of the cluttered jumble of ideas and concepts that was the impetus for Roget and his attempts to organize and control through his lists. 

Melissa Sweet, illustrator, created a visual banquet of both words and pictures in this slim volume. She captured the spirit of list-making Roget and sprinkled in lists of words, charts, and labels (even for the parts of the title page of the books!) throughout the book. Each of the vignettes supports and furthers the story in its own way. One of my favorites is the pictograph tucked off to the side of the main illustration, indicating how many friends he had at each of his many childhood homes. In the Illustrator’s Note at the end, Sweet discusses her inspiration, both literary and scientific for her colorful, playful, yet systematic drawings, paintings, and mixed media. My favorite part of the book is the back endpage, where she includes the original classification lists that Roget first used. It is a small light illuminating a corner of the brain of a complex, curious, varied man.

Professional Acclaim

2015 The Robert F. Sibert Medal

2015 Caldecott Honor Book

2015 Orbis Pictus Honor Book

From Kirkus Reviews: “Bryant's prose is bright and well-tuned for young readers. . . . Sweet tops herself -- again! -- visually reflecting Roget's wide range as a thinker and product of the Enlightenment.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Together with Bryant's sympathetic account, Sweet's gentle riot of images and words humanizes the man behind this ubiquitous reference work and demystifies the thesaurus itself."

Connections

As an introduction to this story, you could give students a pile of objects, such as plastic fruits & vegetables, shoes, silverware, keys, plastic animals, and ask them to sort them out. They will see how organizing and sorting helps to bring order to a jumbled mess, and makes it easier to find what you're looking for.

Other books by Jen Bryant & Melissa Sweet: 

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (2013),  ISBN 978-0375867125

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (2008), ISBN 978-0802853028

Omnibeasts

Florian, Douglas. 2004. Omnibeasts. New York: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152050388

Plot Summary

Omnibeasts is a compilation of animal poetry and paintings by Douglas Florian. The range of animals represented draws from the common caterpillar to the never-heard-of-it-before jaguarundi (apparently a kind of wild cat). Each poem is paired with a colorful picture of the subject animal. The reader will delight in each separate poem, like tapas in Spain.

Critical Analysis

Omnibeasts is a thematic collection of animal poems, both written an illustrated by Douglas Florian. There is a table of contents to guide you to each animal.

On the poetry side of each spread, Florian takes an animal, boils it down to an essential element, then playfully uses a variety of word manipulations and devices to bring the animal and the reader together. Some of the frequent literary devices Florian uses are

·         rhyme, both internal and end-line

·         alliteration-- “Clever. / Cunning. / Crafty.” (from “The Fox”)

·         homophones—“All day I pray / For prey to view” (from “the Hawk”)

·         wordplay—“pet-igree” (from “The Persian")

There were a couple of poems that really got me chuckling, like “The Jaguarundi,” in which the accompanying illustration provided a comedic boost to the text itself. There were a few groans, when it seemed as though Florian were pulling out a “dad joke,” like in “The Walrus” (walrusty, ha!) or  the "kangaroom" in “The Kangaroo.”

Florian also occasionally employs concrete poems to achieve the effect he wants, such as in “The Salmon,” where the reader can feel his eyes jumping up the page as a Salmon would up a stream, or when the shape of “The Porcupine” makes the reader want to carefully, gingerly run his fingers along the spines.

The colorful, watercolor paintings that accompany each poem help to breathe additional life into the text. Each piece of art is one that I would gladly frame in my children’s playroom. The paintings add to the playful, fun nature of the poems themselves, leaving the reader with a rich lyrical and visual aftertaste that will keep you begging for more. Fortunately, the last page of the book displays seven thematic books by Florian that can help satisfy your craving.

Professional Reviews

From School Library Journal: “With selections from seven of Florian's successful collections of creature poetry, Omnibeasts is a treasure chest of wit and charm.”

From Booklist: “The varied, witty selection, comprising some of Florian's best work, is just right for libraries that can afford to buy only one volume.”

Connections

Here are some of the original books where you can find Florian's humor and art:

on the wing (2000) ISBN 978-0152023669

beast feast (1998) ISBN 978-0152017378

Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars (2007) ISBN 978-0152053727

Here are some other fun poetry books for kids:

Underwear Salesman (2009), J. Patrick Lewis ISBN 978-0689853258

A Curious Collection of Cats (2009), Betsy Franco ISBN 978-1582462486

The Hound Dog's Haiku (2011), Michael J. Rosen ISBN 978-0763644994 

under the mesquite

McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. 2011. Under the Mesquite. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc. ISBN 9781600604294

 Plot Summary

Under the Mesquite is the story of Mexican-American Lupita, the oldest of eight siblings. While born in Mexico, she has been raised in Eagle Pass, TX. As she enters high school, she finds out her mother has cancer. This comes as a major blow, because she is very close with her Mami. As her mother battles disease, Lupita struggles to find strength—strength to support her mom, strength to take care of her siblings so her Papi is free to help her mom, strength to follow her dreams, despite circumstances. In the end, it is the strength and resilience of the mesquite tree, which has supported her physically, that will support her emotionally and spiritually, showing her that she too can thrive under impossible conditions.

Critical Analysis

Guadalupe Garcia McCall wrote this book in free verse, sprinkling Spanish words in among narrative (there is a glossary of terms in the back for those who don’t speak fluent Spanglish). For me, this mixture of languages is a very appropriate representation of Lupita’s life: family roots in Mexico, but living the American Dream in Texas. Although ambitious, she also is determined to remember where she came from. “Changing how I talk / doesn’t change who I am. / I know where I came from . . . “ (95).

One of the most important values to Lupita is her family. Her mom’s battle with cancer is a testing of Lupita’s strength. Whether she realizes it or not, she is like the mesquite tree. “. . . I envy the mesquite / its undaunted spirit, its ability to turn / even a disabling pruning / into an unexpected opportunity / to veer in a different direction, / flourishing more profusely than before” (141). As the book progresses, Lupita does just that: she takes the pain and uncertainty from looking at her mom suffer, and transforms it into the art of acting.

The use of free verse as opposed to prose in this book makes a lot of sense. The short, 2-3 page poems are so full of emotion and reflection, you really feel as though you are reading Lupita’s journal. You feel like you are looking right into her damaged, fighting heart.

Professional Reviews

2013 Rivera Children's Book Award

2012 Pura Belpre Award

From Kirkus Reviews: “With poignant imagery and well-placed Spanish, the author effectively captures the complex lives of teenagers in many Latino and/or immigrant families. A promising, deeply felt debut.”

From School Library Journal: “This book will appeal to many teens for different reasons, whether they have dealt with the loss of a loved one, aspire to write and act, are growing up Mexican American, or seeking their own identity amid a large family. Bravo to McCall for a beautiful first effort.”

Connections

You might be interested to read McCall's next novel, Summer of the Mariposas (2012) 

ISBN 978-1600609008

Other books about the Mexican-American experience:

Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan (2002), ISBN 978-0439120425

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, Meg Medina (2014) ISBN 978-0763671648

Paco: A Latino Boy in the United States, Margarita Robleda (2005) ISBN 978-1594375606

Here are some non-fiction ideas about the immigration experience:

The Mexican Americans, Linda Wade (2008) ISBN 978-1422206812

Mexicans in America, Alison Behnke (2004) ISBN 978-0822539551

brown girl dreaming

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2014. Brown Girl Dreaming. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books. ISBN 9780399252518

 Plot Summary

Brown Girl Dreaming is a novelization of the author’s young life, beginning with her birth in Ohio, flowing through her young childhood in South Carolina, and finally as she grows in New York. Jaqueline (or Jackie) has an older brother and sister, and later a younger brother, who are encouraged by their grandmother to find comfort and playmates in one another. “Three is plenty. Three is a team,” she tells them. Jaqueline’s parents break up, with her mom taking the three kids back to her childhood home. The three kids develop a close relationship with their grandparents, even calling their grandfather “Daddy,” because he was the only father they really knew. Eventually, their mom decides to make a new life for them in New York with their recently arrived little brother. Living in the city is a culture shock, but Jackie finds ways to adapt, and as she grows, she finds what makes her special—her words.

Critical Analysis

Jacqueline Woodson wrote Brown Girl Dreaming as a free verse novel. Each poem ranges from a couple of lines to two pages. While each poem is written to be able to stand alone, together they weave a tale from the perspective of a young, innocent child trying to make sense of the world and her place in it. On occasion, the narrative provides insights into the dealing with change, from an adult perspective as well as a child’s. When Jackie’s mother returns to the South after leaving her husband, she expects the gentle familiarity of her past, but discovers that when things have changed, “. . . coming back home / isn’t really coming back home / at all” (47).

Things can never stay exactly the same, which, while painful, also means growth and promises for the future. After finally watching the neighborhood kids leave their swing set, young Jackie realizes, “The empty swing set reminds us of this-- / that what is bad won’t be bad forever, / and what is good can sometimes last / a long, long time” (130).

The biggest growth in the book comes from Jackie herself, who throughout the book looks up to her “brilliant” sister and often feels in her shadow. Although she struggles in school, she feels a connection to words, even before she can form them with her little hands. But she feels compelled to take in words, think words, feel words. She wants to be a writer, and “Every memory . . . / brings me closer / and closer to the dream” (314). She is ready to claim her destiny.

The choice to write this story in verse lends a clarity to the perspective of Jackie. It provides an oasis of simplicity in the complex world she is growing up in, and world that juxtaposes the call for peaceful revolution from Martin Luther King, Jr. against the Black Power movement of Malcom X. Jackie comes from a broken home, but a tight-knit family. She starts off raised in the South, but grows a new relationship with the North. But through all of these contradictions, it is the poetry that keeps the story natural and reasonable. The contradictions are not impossible ones. They are just part of the fabric of the rich tapestry of life. 

Professional Reviews

2014 Newbery Award

2014 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature

2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work In YA Fiction

2015 Coretta Scott King Book Award

From Publisher’s Weekly: “The writer’s passion for stories and storytelling permeates the memoir, explicitly addressed in her early attempts to write books and implicitly conveyed through her sharp images and poignant observations seen through the eyes of a child.”

From Kirkus Reviews: “Woodson cherishes her memories and shares them with a graceful lyricism; her lovingly wrought vignettes of country and city streets will linger long after the page is turned. For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share.” 

Connections

Not surprisingly, Jacqueline Woodson has a number of other great books you can check out, like:

Locomotion (2010) ISBN 978-0142415528 (This was a National Book Award Finalist)

Miracle's Boys (2010) ISBN 978-0142415535 (This is a reprint of her 2001 Coretta Scott King Award winning book)

Feathers (2010) ISBN 978-0142415504 (2008 Newbery Award Honor book)

If you are interested in other free verse novels, you might try these:

Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse (2009) ISBN 978-0590371254

 

Heartbeat, Sharon Creech (2005) ISBN 978-0060540241