WALT WHITMAN: WORDS FOR AMERICA

By: Barbara Kerley, Illustrated by Brian Selznick

1. Bibliography
Kerley, Barbara, and Brian Selznick. WALT WHITMAN: WORDS FOR AMERICA. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Print. ISBN: 0439357918

2. Plot Summary
WALT WHITMAN: WORDS FOR AMERICA is a picture book biography of Walt Whitman's life. Walt Whitman was a journalist who began working as an printer's apprentice at twelve years old. He eventually became a well known American poet.  Walt's younger brother went off to fight in the Civil War.  Walt received word that his brother had been hurt, so Walt went looking for him.  While Walt was there he became a volunteer nurse for the Civil War, which helped to inspire his poetry.

3. Critical Analysis
The author included many details of Walt Whitman's life. The reader learns that Walt was concerned about mankind and his poems were wrote to reflect this.  "Black, white, Union, Confederate - Walt nursed whomever he saw. He fed men too weak to eat." The illustrations complement the text by showing that Walt had respect for soldiers and caring for those unknown to him. The author's style is interesting while including many quotes from Walt's poems.  At the back of the book, the author includes many poems written by Walt. The author also includes a section of notes at the end of the book along with sources used for this book.

The illustrations included in this book help to tell the story of Walt's life.  Most of the pictures are two spread with little white space except for the text.  The illustrator included pictures with rich colors and attention to detail.  From the illustrators note in the back, we learn that a lot of research was put into the illustrations. The page opposite the title page is illustrated to resemble a typeset page imposition of the title page.

4. Review Excerpts
~Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

~HORN BOOK MAGAZINE 2004 "Whitman lovers everywhere should give joyful thanks for this splendid presentation."

~SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL 2005 "Attractive colored-pencil drawings capture the careful research done on this picture-book biography for older readers."

5. Connections
~This biography could be read to students as an introduction to the Civil War.

~While reading this book about Walt Whitman, students could be given a map to pin point the places that he visited and lived for a lesson on geography.

Other books by Barbara Kerley:
THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN
ONE DAY, ONE WORLD
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?

BIG BUGS

By: Seymour Simon

1. Bibliography

Simon, Seymour. BIG BUGS. San Francisco, CA: SeaStar, 2005. Print. ISBN: 1587172534

2. Plot Summary
BIG BUGS is a non-fiction book for young children that includes bugs from different parts of the world. These bugs included the giant water bug, a bulldog ant, and a bird-eating spider. With large close up pictures, children will enjoy learning more about these animals.

3. Critical Analysis
Seymour Simon helps the readers to see the big bugs up close that are discussed in his book, BIG BUGS. The book includes some interesting facts about a goliath beetle who can break glass windows and a bird-eating spider that does actually eat birds.  The book contains some interesting facts, but several elements are missing.  The author does not include any source notes, bibliographies, or an extended reading list.  Even though this book is written for younger children, these non-fiction resources should have been included.  These children may want to learn more about these bugs, and Simon has missed the opportunity to extend their learning further.

The author's style is engaging, thanks to the pictures and simple sentences.  The book contains enough factual information to keep the reader interested without over boring them. Some of the interesting information included is that "When a mantis catches an insect, it feeds on it like a person eating an ear of corn."  The author's information helps the readers to relate to the bugs using their background knowledge. The text is easy to read because of the large print and a text box.

The pictures are large and shows great detail about each bug.  The pictures complement the text.  Most pages include a small box showing the actual size of the bug. The pictures help the reader to see details about each bug, including close up pictures of bugs you would not like to see close up.

4. Review Excepts

BOOKLIST 2005: "One excellent graphic feature, often used here when the photo has be enlarged, is an inserted box showing the actual size of the animal with its body position identical to that shown in the main picture. Some of the photos are eye-catching and dramatic."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL 2005: "The information is better organized and offers limited but solid introductions to the giant water bug, the goliath beetle, and robberflies."

5. Connections:

~This book could be used to introduce younger students to the benefits of non-fiction books.

~After reading this book, have children find a partner and research more information about a bug listed in this book.

Other books by Seymour Simon

BUTTERFLIES

DEADLY ANTS

WILD BABIES

BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: 

THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY'S PARADE

By Melissa Sweet

1. Bibliography
Sweet, Melissa. BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY'S PARADE. Boston. MA: Houghton Mifflin for Children. 2011. Print. ISBN: 9780547199450

2. Plot Summary
BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY is about the true story of Tony Sarg and his life as a puppeteer. Sweet begins the story with Tony's fascination to make things move. We then learn that Macy's department store wanted Sarg to design a window display for the store. As the holidays approached, Macy's asked Sarg to help with the parade. The reader will learn in the book that Sarg had to make several adjustments to his marionettes as the parade grew in popularity.

3. Critical Analysis
At the beginning of the book, Sweet quickly introduces you to Tony Sarg through a picture and the quote "Every little movement has a meaning of its own" from Sarg. Through the example of Sarg feeding the chickens without getting out of bed, the reader is able to understand that Sarg was a determined man who liked to make things move. The author starts the book out through Sarg's childhood and goes on into his success with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The author gives enough information about Sarg to inform the reader without boring them with little details. The story is engaging through the text and pictures that complement the text.

The illustrations help the reader to see inside Tony Sarg's life through possible drawings and problems that Sarg faced.  We see through the illustrations that the puppets were not visible to large crowds and we see that Sarg had to change the puppets into balloons for larger crowds to enjoy the parade. The illustration are very busy and the reader will need to pause to admire the details of the illustrations.  There are few white spaces in the illustrations with extras added like rulers, buttons, maps, and pages from Tony Sarg's own book.

At the end of the book, the author list bibliography and sources used to create this biography of Tony Sarg along with the author's note for verbal access features. We also learn through the author's note that she contacted Tony Sarg's daughter who remarked that "Quite simply, Tony Sarg just never grew up." Some of the visual access features included are illustrations from THE TONY SARG MARIONETTE BOOK and a photo of Tony Sarg. A very interesting illustration is located at the back of the book. This illustration is the original advertisement promoting the parade from the NEW YORK TIMES of 1933.

4. Review Excepts:
~Robert F. Sibert Medal

~Texas Bluebonnet 2013-2014

~Orbis Pictus Award

~SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL 2011: "Sweet tells this slice of American history well, conveying bot Sarg's enthusiasm and joy in his work as well as the drama and excitement of the parade. Rich in detail, the gouache, collage, and mixed-media illustrations are a stand-out, capturing the charm of the period and the awe-inspiring balloons."

~BOOKLIST 2011: "What she [Sweet] has done is make a joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal parts."

5. Connections:
~This story could be read as an introduction to a history lesson of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
~Use this book to discuss some traditions Americans have around Thanksgiving

Other Books By Melissa Sweet:
BATS ON PARADE
THE BOY WHO DREW BIRDS
EASY AS PIE