Heather’s Comments (group member since Aug 20, 2024)

Heather’s comments from the 5183 Fall 2024 Information Resources and Services for Children group.

Yolen, J. (2017). Thunder underground. > Wordsong.

This book is a collection of poems about things that happen underground. From subways to earthquakes, readers can learn all about everything that happens under our feet.

I think this is a great resource to add on to a variety of science units. It has poems about seeds, earthquakes and plate tectonics, ants and earthworms, and even subway systems. The illustrations use child friendly pictures with creative takes on the topics.

Lewis, C. S. (2021). The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Harper Collins.

A board book version of the classic tale of siblings who find themselves in the magical world of Narnia.

This book is a very shortened version of the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. It is very simple, as it is intended for very young readers. I do, however, get a sense of "truth" in the lesson of Edmund being under control of the evil White Witch because he is selfish. This is giving a lesson to the readers indicating that being selfish is bad.

1. Fuentes, S (2024). Juneteenth. DK Publishing.

2. Juneteenth teaches emerging readers the history and significance of the holiday.

3.
K I know that the holiday celebrates the date when some of the last slaves received news that slavery was ended and that the holiday originated in Galveston, Texas.
W I would like to know if there are any special traditions associated with the holiday.
L I learned that it took two years for the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas. At first, the celebration was called Jubilee Day, but in the 1890s it was changed to Juneteenth. I learned that a tradition for Juneteenth is to eat red foods because that reminds us of the struggle of enslaved people.

1. Birkjær, B. (2021). Coffee, rabbit, snowdrop, lost. Enchanted Lion.

2. A young child spends time with his grandparents as Grandpa slowly loses his memory.

3A.  

Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost is a book originally written in Danish. This book appeals to children with soft pictures and relatable scenes in the story. A child spends time with his grandparents growing flowers, doing puzzles, and having dinner, but the grandfather starts to lose his memory and show signs of dementia. He "loses" his words, which the boy picks up and saves in a box. This represents memories he has made with his grandfather. I think any child, regardless of their culture and where they are from, can relate to this book if they have had this experience with one of their grandparents or older person in their family, especially since this is a complication that can affect anyone.

Milgrim, D. (2016). Go, Otto, go!. Simon Spotlight.

In Go, Otto, Go!, the robot sets out to journey back home. After some troubles, Otto realizes his home is with his friends.

This book is a great for beginning readers. As stated in the Every Child Ready to Read campaign, learning to read involves two skills. These include decoding and comprehension. This book features many simple beginner words that can help children practice their decoding skills. This book also has many repetitive vocabulary words, which helps with comprehension. This would be a great book for caregivers to start their young readers on. As caregivers practice the book with their young reader, the child will learn the valuable skills to become independent readers. The simple text and fun illustrations will keep young readers engaged.


(I also read See Me Run which has already been added to the bookshelf.)

1. Preston-Gannon, F. (2014). Hot dog, cold dog. POW! Kids books.

2. A rhyming board book showcasing dachshund dogs in various activities that introduces a few opposites concepts.

3. This board book uses creative and cute illustrations that are perfect for the age range that this book is intended for. The book also uses simple sentences with many repeating words, which is important for child language development. The book introduces the concept of opposites, although towards the end of the book, not every page includes opposites. My only complaint with the book is the use of cursive font on the pages. I think using regular print would be better for children to begin to recognize letters.

1.
Evans, S. W. (2011). Underground. Roaring Brook Press.

2.
School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Books of 2011
Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators (2012)
American Library Association Notable Children's Books (2012)
NCTE/CLA Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts (2012)

3.
A family searches for freedom as they use the Underground Railroad to escape slavery.

4.
This is a great nonfiction book for young children that introduces slavery, the Underground Railroad, and what freedom meant to African Americans of that time. This book won an award for the illustrations. I think because it has simple sentences, few words, the main focus truly is the artwork. The way it begins as very dark colors, but ends with bright yellows representing the light helps young readers interpret the feelings and significance of the story.
I would, and have!, recommend this book to children and parents.