Do You Know Dewey?: Exploring the Dewey Decimal System

by Brian P. Cleary, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Illustrator)

Are you ready for a library adventure? Join a group of children as they explore the Dewey decimal system! Search for ghosts in the 100s section, track down everything from costumes to cars in the 300s, and be on the lookout for sports and music in the 700s. By the end of the book, you'll be more than ready to dive into Dewey on your own!

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Books About Books, Poetry, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always looking for great picture books to help explain the Dewey Decimal System (DDS) to my students. This book did a great job in explaining the DDS. I like the rhyming text explaining each section of the DDS. The pictures aren't too busy with overcrowding of information. I also like the little tabs on the side of the pictures giving the name of the section, such as, Social Sciences 300.

There are a few things I don't particularly like when it comes to explaining the nonfiction section of the library.
1. Calling the zero hundreds O's as in the letter and not the number. Yes, it may rhyme better within the story, but the nonfiction is by number not letters (except for the author's last name.
2. The 200s section didn't mention mythology. In my school, mythology is a popular subject. I will mention it as I read, of course. It's hard to mention all subjects for many of the larger sections.
3. Transportation is mentioned for 300s. Yes, I know it is there, but it is also in the 600s. Another cataloging dilemma for librarians. I wrestle with where to place transportation books sometimes.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise book about the Dewey Decimal System—each spread introduces a hundreds section of the system. The illustration is full of details and topics to discuss.

It contains some topic-specific vocabulary and cultural references, and sentences are somewhat long and complex.

Might work best for 3rd graders.

Topic: books, library
good for small group guided reading (info-rich illustration)

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid introduction to the Dewey Decimal System of classification for nonfiction books. Mentions Melvil Dewey and why he invented his system of book categorization for libraries. Rhyming text makes a potentially dry subject more interesting for children, and may also help them to remember the information. A more detailed explanation of call numbers and a handy reference chart appear in the back of this nonfiction picture book. Fun, colorful illustrations. A must-have reference for all elementary and middle school libraries as well as classroom libraries.

[Tima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes children through their library and explains the Dewey decimal system. It talks about how it got started and then goes through each set of numbers and explains in easy to understand language what types of books you can find. The illustrations are fun and add well to each explanation. As each section is talked about the illustrations fill the page with visuals. The rhyming verses help commit the topics to memory and make the book more entertaining to read. At the end of the book is a page that describes the system in more detail and gives instructions on how to find a particular book at the library. The author took something that could potentially be very boring to children and made it fun while still being educational. This is a must have for any school library and would be a good addition to any home with book lovers as well.
This book is geared for ages 7-10.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Literature in exchange for my honest review.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Not only did this book contain wonderful illustrations, but it also contained important information about the Dewey Decimal System that never once became overwhelming. This is a great book to introduce the Dewey Decimal System to children in a fun and uncomplicated way. I plan to read this book repeatedly, especially to those new to the library!

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great intro to the Dewey Decimal System for children. I will definitely be using this when I have my classes visit the library.

[Jnase1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book to use to introduce the DDS to 2nd grade and up. Kids will like the pictures and the rhyming text.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhyming explanation of how the Dewey system works. A marvelous story indeed.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would highly encourage adults to read this too!

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast and fun introduction to the Dewey Decimal system.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent way to introduce children to the Dewey Decimal System and the organization of non-fiction materials. It is very thorough, while still be easily understandable. At the end, it gives an example of the full meaning of each of the numbers in a Dewey Decimal classification. I highly recommend this book to children and adults who are looking at getting a better understanding of non-fiction classification.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bedtime story and probably not one your kiddo will beg you to read over and over, but I will use this with my 2nd and 3rd graders as we preview/review DDS in my school library. Very useful for it's intended purpose.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations make you not want to turn the page. The text is informative and cleverly planned. I think we will need a hard copy of this because it is going to be read over again and again in this family.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhyming introduction to what each of the 100s of the Dewey Decimal System covers and examples of what you can find in each.

This is a nice, concise guide to Dewey for kids (and adults too). Very well written, and attractively illustrated too.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. It is child friendly and easy to understand. It introduces the reader to the Dewey Decimal System.

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rhyming, while creative, added an unnecessary level of difficulty to understand. Still a worthwhile read. Best used along with other books about the Dewey Decimal System.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun way to learn Exporting the decimal system.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good simple reference book.

[Yinxue Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful picture books demonstrate Dewey Decimal System, especially for little kids. But still a long way to go to understand how the books are organized.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I can’t wait to share this with my littles (K-2)!

[TREVIS C]

Kids get to know the Dewey decimal system by going through different numbers sections and seeing all the different content types available in the library.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rhyming picture book has fun illustrations and verses to help introduce the Dewey Decimal system.

[Cristofer Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice intro to the Dewey decimal system.

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't help it. I just don't think it's that terribly important for kids to know the Dewey Decimal system.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is a bit clumsy but this is a nice introduction to the Dewey Decimal System

[Christine Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction and review of the Dewey Decimal system. aka the secret code to libraries!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful romp through the Dewy Decimal system in rhyme.

[Tim]

No T. Rex in the Library, Toni Buzzeo, 2010.

Do You Know Dewey? is a simple, rhyming book that describes the Dewey Decimal system and the types of books you would expect to find in each section. No T. Rex in the Library tells the story of Tess, a girl with a vivid imagination, who joins a mischievous dinosaur on a sometimes destructive journey through various sections of the library.

Do You Know Dewey? is set up in an established sequence, describing to readers what they would expect to find in the 000 section of the library, all the way through the 900s. The "Activating Prior Knowledge" strategy would be useful here, as all students should have experience in a library, and characteristics of fiction and non-fiction (could a dinosaur really spring out of the pages of a book?), as well as what you would and wouldn't expect to see in a library could be discussed in this manner.

(2012, August 1). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint2.com.leo.lib....

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the library classification created by Melvil Dewey, starting with the 000s where computer science, information, and general works can be found through the 900s where history and geography books are located. Back matter includes additional explanations about how to use the Dewey Decimal System so that readers can find the exact books they're looking for or simply browse through certain sets of call numbers. While some might argue that the days of libraries are fading, it's wonderful to have a book that walks readers through this organization system so efficiently and in such an engaging fashion. Although I'd have liked to have known a little bit about the creator of the system, young readers will find the book helpful and be charmed by the pages filled with the illustrations depicting the book sections; for instance, there is bookmobile on the 300s pages.

[Tirzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brightly-illustrated book set in rhyme that explains the Dewey Decimal system in a simple way. I plan on reading it to third and fourth graders this fall. I'll update my review to tell how they reacted to the book! 2023 Edit This is my second year reading this book to teach the Dewey Decimal system. The students enjoyed it and it definitely helped them learn the differrnt Dewey sections.

Great for: 2+
Teaches: Dewey Decimal system, library locations