An Island Grows

by Lola M. Schaefer, Cathie Felstead (Illustrator)

This is the story of the birth of an island, from the first red-hot glow of magma at the bottom of the ocean, to the flowing lava that hardens and builds up higher and higher until, finally, it breaks through the water′s surface.

And then, life comes to the island. First come the small plants and animals, and later, people. This is a tale as old-and as new-as the ground we walk on.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Childrens, Nonfiction, Nature, Geography, Poetry

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Lola M. Schaefer is an educator, writer, and gardener, and the author of many acclaimed books for children about math, art, science, technology, animals, and nature. She uses shovels, hoes, rakes, and scissors when she works in her garden. Lola M. Shaefer grew up in Indiana, and now lives in northern Georgia.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! My youngest selected it at the library on our last visit and it was a total surprise how much I enjoyed it. Told in a a simple but very pleasant and engaging rhyme scheme (nice for read-aloud) it follows an island from volcanic creation through shaping with time and the eventual arrival of vegetation and wildlife and, finally, human settlement. Illustrations are vibrant and a perfect compliment to the text. Suitable for the younger picture book crowd while back matter provides a bit more depth for elementary-age kids. Both my children enjoyed it, too.

[Linda Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

My cooperating teacher read this simple book about an island forming from a volcano to teach a lesson about subjects and predicates. The book was great and I think it was a great way to incorporate science into a literacy lesson.

[Danielle Mootz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. it gave me a few words to explain how our ancestors of Hawaiian islands came to be.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit)]

Shows how island form in the ocean!

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations. and lots of 2-word sentences :)

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is additional backmatter that explains the geologic background of the forming of an island, but I'm unsure if this is really non-fiction. It's cleverly rhymed, showing the beginning uprising of lava from an undersea volcano, all through the evolutionary aspects of an island over thousands of years. The beginning: "Deep, deep/beneath the sea . . . / Stone breaks/Water quakes/Magma glows/Volcano blows."
It too can be a stepping off into a study of geology and evolution. The illustrations are collages, become even more detailed as the island begins to be inhabited. It's a great book for younger readers.

[Emily Scanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Level: 1.4

Summary: Using carefully selected word choice and poetic imagery, this story details the rock cycle by focusing on the formation of islands.

Writing Trait: Sentence Fluency – Students could be shown this book in class to demonstrate how words can sound rhythmic when short sentences and rhyming words are successfully utilized. I would read this story aloud to my students during a unit on rocks. Afterward, I would encourage students to list rhyming words to describe how they use rocks or the overall appearance of rocks that we have discussed.

[Kat Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for the curious pre-k crowd who ask questions like, "Why is the sky blue?" and in this case - "How does an island grow?" Schaefer pulls off a minimalist, rhyming text that takes the reader through an underwater journey of erupting magma and hardening lava. I'm also a sucker for an educational component (especially when disguised as poetry), so be sure to check out the author's note at the end.

[Louise M. Aamodt · Rating 5 out of 5]

True confession: I've checked this book out from the library so many times that I really ought to just buy my own copy. I can't stop marveling over the way just a few perfectly chosen words can encapsulate an entire geological event taking place over many years. Better yet, the author did it in perfect rhyming meter! Back matter explains in more detail how volcanic islands grow and can eventually host many forms of life. Eye-catching paper collage art pairs perfectly with the text.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

With an "easy reader" type text this title presents to preschoolers how islands are formed from the eruption of volcanoes. Good illustrations parallel the text well. My only question is do preschoolers really want to know how islands are formed, just seems like a topic that is not on the mind of preschoolers.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book explains in a fun and colorful way how a volcanic island is formed. Through pictures and rhymes the story shows how an island grows. At the end of the book there is a short scientific explanation of how islands are formed from volcanoes.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adore this book--first read it years ago. Science. Poetry. Language. Magic!

[Michelle Farella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply told with beautiful illustrations!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple but my 6 month old loved it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. I can’t really figure out why my kid likes it so much but he does. Really simple with nicely flowing text.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, lyrical poem about an island growing and being colonized by plants, animals, and people. Simple but effective illustration of how lava works to create new lands.

[Deena Abutaha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute poem introducing kids to how islands grow in the middle of the ocean.

[Rebecca Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! Simple rhyming text pairs with striking collage illustrations to tell the story of the birth of an island.

[Tracyp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the lovely pictures and rhyming text, it's the perfect book to teach nouns and predicates with all of its two-word sentences.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a retelling of Michener’s Hawaii but with better rhymes.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An early reader that teaches children the basic science of how an island forms from below the ocean to a place where people live and thrive from day to day.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful rhyming non-fiction book that discusses how volcanic islands are born.

[The Unschoolers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and perfect for the under 4 (although my 7yo LOVES this one) group. Really good fact page at the end that we also read and it's prompted many more questions and things to look up!

[Katie]

Genre: poetry

Number of Pages: 40

Grade level/ age: 4-8yrs

Theme: science, volcanic island formation

Summary:
A timeless event that happens continuously. A crack in the Earth's crust gives way to the slow build-up of magma until it breaks through the surface of the water and an island forms. This story tells the process in a unique way, using poetic phrases.

Personal Response:
I think that this is a very useful book. The author did a fantastic job of relaying the information in a style that students of all ages will find appealing. I also love the illustrations! The illustrator used vivid colors that poses stark contrasting qualities.

Classroom Use:
The last page of this book has very specific information on scientific studies of the earth and plate techtonics. Since the intended audience of this book is for younger students, I think that having them make their own volcano would be great! I found a lesson plan on line for how to make a volcano and they said to mix the ingredients into a cup but I think it would be better to have them build a mound out of playdough (home made playdough might be more economical), that way they have a better visual to see the lava coming out of a mountain.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall look and feel of the book is one of simplicity--the illustrations are spare but lovely, the text is minimal, and the story takes the reader/listener from an underwater volcanic eruption and the gradual growth of a life-sustaining island. While the story itself does NOT give a real indication about the time involved in this whole process, the notes at the back do. The book makes for a great introduction to volcanoes and would be very nice paired with a non-fiction title showing actual photographs. Another plus? With my 1st and 2nd graders, I never fail to get a gasp when I turn the page and they see the picture of the underwater volcano. Suggestions are provided for further reading. This book was nominated for the 2008-09 Volunteer State Book Award.

[Ashley Dement · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Island Grows was a simple yet satisfying book. It could be used in the classroom for a geography or earth science lesson. It illustrates how islands are discovered and plotted on maps and it also shows how islands grow and become populated. I enjoyed the rhyming theme in the story and I think that students can catch on to it easily. The illustrations were colorful and complete and even the end pages were full of designs. The story didn’t have any characters but it was meant to be an educational book so it works. Overall, I think that children at a young age would enjoy this book.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't really what I thought it would be. I expected a little more treatment of the formation of islands, but this book was really more of a poem about islands and how they become populated. I was looking for something that would be more instructional for my niece, and that would feed her natural curiosity, but this wasn't that book. Don't get me wrong, the book was well written, and well done for what it was. I just wanted something a little more "sciences," and a little less "arts and sciences."

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of how islands come to be.

Its simple format of two-word sentences in rhyming couplets makes it appropriate even for very young children.
It addresses many different scientific concepts, from the earth science of volcanoes, magma, and shifting plates, to the natural science of weathering rocks, to the life science of seeds being blown by the wind, taking root, and growing into vegetation, which then attracts insects and larger animals.
The book also addresses the evolution of civilization.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book for my Volcano Preschool DiscoveryTime because it was a was a cool way to describe the way an island forms from an underwater volcano. The magma comes out of the volcano into the water, where the lava cools and hardens building up layer by layer until it comes out of the water and becomes land. Then plants, animals and people come to the island and soon it is thriving. It’s almost a nonfiction picture book except that it is describing islands in general and not one in particular. Recommended for ages 3-6, 4 stars.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spare text, colorful but simple illustrations, and cumulative rhyming lines make this a book that works for any age. Spanning eons, the birth, growth, habitation and other changes of an ocean/volcanic island are revealed clearly. The only thing missing is reference to ongoing erosion and other forces that could someday wash it back into the sea. Back matter adds more technical vocabulary and offers other resources for investigation, making it an excellent choice for content study.