Bones: Skeletons and How They Work

You can’t judge a book by the cover, but in this case I did.  The bright red background, skull partially off the cover and the mix of fonts caught my attention.  I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas, and while she has enjoyed it I have probably read it more.

Author/Illustrator: Steve Jenkins

Publisher: Scholastic Reference Press (August 1, 2010)

Prices: Hardback, $17.99

Reading level: Age 7-10 years

Interest level: Medium Grades

Physical Characteristics: Hardcover, 48 pages with three gatefolds, 9.5 x 11.2 inches

ISBN: 0545046513

Genre: Children's Non-Fiction Picture Book

Subjects:

Skeleton – juvenile literature

Bones – juvenile literature

Skeleton
Human Body

Annotation: A reference book detailing human and animal skeletons with illustrations, facts and comparisons.

Summary:

Steve Jenkins’ non-fiction book on human and animal skeletal systems details what bones are and what they do.  He compares and contrasts human and animal bones with detailed illustrations and minimal but informative text.

Evaluation:

This book is fascinating.  The detailed illustrations of bones set against brightly colored backgrounds are engrossing.  I have read the book cover to cover several times and also pick it up and skim through it occasionally, because it is fun to look at.  My favorite part of the book is the comparisons between species, like a human foot next to a tyrannosaurus rex foot and s series of hands next to each other. 

The book is geared towards grades 2 to 5, but it appeals to both younger child and adults.  The bold illustrations are simple and engaging enough for preschoolers.  While the text is informative enough, that I learned a few new things about the human skeleton.

Similar Titles or Authors:

Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World

Steve Jenkins

Bones: Our Skeletal Systems

Seymor Simon

The Bones Book and Skeleton

Stephen Cuumba

Websites:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/bones#cart/cleanup

http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/books/bones.html

Awards & Recognition:

A Junior Library Guild Selection for Fall 2010

Society of Illustrators Original Art Show

2011 SB&F Prize Finalists Children's Science Picture Book

2010 Cybils Nonfiction Picture Book Finalists

ALA Notable Books for Children 2011

Professional Reviews:

School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

All images (c)2010, Steve Jenkins

Dream Big, Little Pig

 I chose this book, because I always admired Kristi Yamaguchi as a sportswoman and television presenter.  I thought that by picking this book I could let my daughter know about Ms. Yamaguchi’s accomplishments while satisfying her need for all things pink. I was hoping for a very girly in appearance with substance underneath.

Author: Kristi Yamaguchi

Illustrator: Tim Bowers

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (March 15, 2011)

Prices: Hardback $16.99, Paperback $13.25, e-book $9.99

Reading level: Ages 4 to 8 years

Interest level: Lower Grades

Physical Characteristics: Hardback, 9.8 x 10.5 inches, 32 pages

ISBN: 1402252757

Genre: Children's Fiction Picture Book

Subjects: Swine – Juvenile fiction

Ice skating – fiction

Determination

Ambition – Juvenile fiction

Persistence – Juvenile fiction

Pigs - Fiction

Annotation: Poppy is a pig that wants to be a star and while trying to find her talent, has a few failures, but eventually she finds someplace where she shines.

Summary:

Former Olympic ice skater Kristy Yamaguchi writes a story about Poppy, a pig who wants to be a star.  Poppy tries her hand at several things, including ballet, singing and modeling.  Every time she tries one of these new things the animals in charge tell her that she isn’t good enough and shouldn’t do it.  Her family and friends are very encouraging every time, urging her to try something else.  After several failures, Poppy accepts that having a supportive and loving family and being happy is enough.  Then on a family trip she discovers an ice skating rink and a place where she can be a star.

Evaluation:

I chose this book hoping for some substance under the guise of a pink and sparkly ‘girl’ book, but I was disappointed.  The message was muddled and not empowering whatsoever.  Was the moral of the story to be persistent until you find what you are good at, or was the moral of the story being happy in your own skin and loved by your family and friends is enough?  It seemed to me that the moral was neither.  Instead the book showed that being famous, no matter what you do, is something to strive for. Poppy did not seem to be searching for something that she excelled out and could be fulfilled by, she was just chasing fame and adoration.  And honestly, her initial failures should have been failures.  You cannot just expect to be great at ballet or singing or even modeling, unless you practice and love it.  Jumping in to any activity just for notoriety will never end well. 

I did like that her family was so encouraging, telling Poppy to "Follow your Dreams!" and "Dream Big, pig!”.  But, was the encouragement deserved?  Poppy tried her hand at modeling, ballet and singing without practicing and without persistence.  I think a stronger way to go about this story would have been to have Poppy try skating several times, with the same amount of naysaying, and instead of looking for something else to do, she could have stuck to it and prevailed.  This book could have been about persistence, but instead it was about our modern fame hungry culture.

One positive about this book was the detailed and charming watercolor illustrations by Tim Powers.  

Similar Titles or Authors:

It’s a Big World, Little Pig

By Kristi Yamaguchi and Tim Bowers

A is for Axel: An Ice Skating Alphabet

By Kurt Browning

Websites

http://kristiyamaguchi.com/products

http://timbowers.com/pages/children's_books_backlist.html

Awards & Recognition:

New York Times, Bestseller

Professional Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

Constantinide , J. (2012). Review of Dream big little pig. In School Library Journal, (58, 5), p84.

All images (c)Tim Bowers 

10 times 10

My daughter is enamored with math.  I try to encourage her love of math in any way I can.  One of the ways I do this is by picking fun math related books for her to read.  When I saw that the Hervé Tullet, author of Mix It Up and Press Here, had written a numbers book, I had to grab it from the library for my daughter.

Author/ Illustrator: Hervé Tullet

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Prices: Hardback $10.95

Reading level: Aged for 2 and up, geared towards Preschool-2^nd grade

Interest level: Lower Grades

Physical Characteristics: Hardcover, 128 pages, 7.5 inches square.

ISBN: 1849762473

Genres: Children's Non-Fiction Picture Book

Subjects: Counting – Pictorial Works

Annotation: This new book by Hervé Tullet shows ten ways to count by ten.

Summary: 10 times 10 is a whimsically illustrated counting book by the celebrated author and illustrator Hervé Tullet.  The book starts with simple numbers and pictures and progressed to more complex and imaginative drawings and imaginings of counting.

Evaluation:

The review by Publishers Weekly used the word ‘springboard’ when discussing this book.  I think that is a perfect word to use in a review of 10 times 10.  Because, while it is only a simple counting book, the whimsical illustrations by Hervé Tullet incite exploration of numbers and inspire discussion of counting, and the pictures.

So many books these days pander to children, Hervé Tullet does not do that in 10 times 10.  In one section of the book he paints a hand counting to five, when the numbers get larger than five he just keeps adding fingers until the hand morphs into a piece of seaweed or coral under water.  As I read it with my daughter I watched her go from thinking counting to five was too easy, next she was grossed out by a hand with too many fingers, and then she was surprised at making the discovery that the hand had shifted to something completely different.  Reading this book was a very immersing reading experience for my child.

That being said, this book may be laid out in a bit of a confusing way for some kids, it is not intuitive. But, for kids who love to explore this is a wonderful addition to their book shelves. 

Similar Titles or Authors:

Mix it Up

By Hervé Tullet

Press Here

By Hervé Tullet

Websites:
http://www.herve-tullet.com/en/accueil.html

http://shop.tate.org.uk/new-in-books/10-times-10/invt/15122

Awards & Recognition: none... yet.

Professional Reviews:

Publishers Weekly

Book List

Note: First published in French as Dix fois dix in 2003.

All images (c) Hervé Tullet, 2014