Wired by Anastasia Suen

by Anastasia Suen

Humming, thrumming, power's coming From the power plant to your house, electricity is on the move. In rhythmic text, Anastasia Suen breaks down the complex subject of electricity to its essential parts. Paul Carrick's three-dimensional illustrations help shed light on the subject.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Picture Books

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

From her studio in Northern California, developmental editor Anastasia Suen reads, writes, and edits books for creators of all ages.

Reviews

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is technically a picture book but if it’s about real life things it’s still nonfiction to me. For a short 32 page picture book, Wired really goes into detail about how electricity works and the path it takes to get from the power plant all the way to your house.

Names are given to all the parts and I even learned new things about electricity and I’m an adult! Safety is also talked about near the end which I think is very important. You don’t want to read your child a book about electricity and they get so interested to they want to “try it out.”

Some of the explanation was a bit confusing but only because it was so in depth and it requires you to remember which part is which. I think this would make a great book for a youth leader, classroom teacher or homeschooling parent teaching about electricity.

[Kinnley Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to educate young learners about wires, electricity, and the role they play in our everyday life. Electricity is a complex subject but Anastasia Suen explains the essential parts of how it works with clear text and colorful pictures. This text is good for older readers who have higher reading skills. This book also includes tips on good electricity usage and a glossary/index section in the back of the book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational book explains how electricity travels from its generation point to an individual appliance. The excellent illustrations match the text very well. Labels, a glossary, and safety tips are included. Children with enough curiosity about how things work and enough patience to stick with the detailed but clear explanations in the text will learn the basics of how a home is wired. Be prepared to show them the actual fuse box, switches, and outlets! Reading level is approximately 5.1, V.

[Sarah Lontine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, simplified explanation of electricity and how it travels from power plants into our homes. Cool illustrations.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 2 out of 5]

VERY detailed picture book about how electricity gets to your house. There is a poem stanze embedded in at the top of each page. Perhaps for upper elementary students.

[Lisa Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informational book about electricity and how it is applied in the real world. The illustrations are very informative, as well as have important vocabulary labeled on the drawings.

[Chris Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Category (Tumble Book-nonfiction)
Found on blackboard

Description

1. Have you ever wondered where the powers comes from or how it is created? If you do, this book is for you! Power travels through many phases that step-up and step-down the power. If the electricity came in your home at full strength, it would blow every power line on the block. Just read and see if your imagination is shocked by this book.

Possible use in the classroom

2. The teacher could give a mini-lesson on science and how electricity is produced and distributed. The teacher could write several different terms and ask the students which of these did you see in the story? Also, a list of these term along with definitions is useful in getting students to use a sense of reasoning for their answer choices.

Visual elements

3. The illustrations are great since the narrator of the story reiterates each important object after the page is finished. It gives the reader a second opportunity to understand the terminology in the book. Bolded arrows point to the direction where important information is being conveyed.

Personal reaction

4. I found this Tumble Book very informational and fun to read. I could not wait until the next page emerged to learn how energy is made and provided to people throughout the world.

[Allison Burke]

This book teaches about various engineering and technology skills such as: electricity, power, wires, breakers, heaters, computers, and safety skills. This is a great book for getting started on the discussion of engineering and technology based off of the NGSS. It shows how power wires work in our society and provides many diagrams. This book could be used for grades third through fifth, depending on what the NGSS says.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an excellent explanation of how electrical wires work.The language attempts to be colloquial and every once in a while gets too cutsey. But I DO like the idea of electrons dancing. I like the illustrations a lot--Paul Carrick is another second generation children's book artist and his work here reminds me of the late lamented David Wisniewski's paper work. A winner.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Focused, thorough, well organized and illustrated, accurate and effective labeling, helpful text features (back matter, glossary, index) combine to make this a MUST HAVE of anyone learning about or otherwise curious about electricity and how it works. Not a kite-flying, balloon-rubbing overview, this book states it's case in the title and handles it masterfully.

[Ellie Dietzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures in this book are amazing, they look almost three dimensional. The book is informational about electricity and how it is made. Electricity is used constantly in our lives and it is good for children to understand this. The book even has safety tips about power and a glossary n the back. This is geared toward older children but is a great book.

[Vandy]

brillaintly done picture book explaining where electricity comes from in houses.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loved this book and seeing how electricity works! He is 6 years old and eager to learn how things work or how they're built. This a good one for nerdy kids like my boy :)