Separate is Never Equal

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This picture book follows the true story of Sylvia Mendez family and their fight to get the schools in their area desegregated. When Sylvia and her family moved to a new area for her father to run a farm and her aunt takes her up to the school to register the children in the family, they are informed that there is a Spanish school. After hearing this Sylvia's father is outraged and tries to find a way for her to attend the other school with all of the other children. He goes to many different people, hearing the same answer from everyone. By the end of the story, with help from other cultures and their groups, Sylvia and her family win two lawsuits, bringing in the law that everyone can attend the same school, no matter their race or skin color.

This book shows how, even during World War II, Hispanic people were still being segregated in the United States. The reasoning that the Hispanic students were not allowed to attend the school with the other students are unfounded, but show the example of how Hispanic people were treated in this time. At the end of the book the author includes pictures and a short description regarding the real Sylvia Mendez.

Even though it is a great deal longer, Echo is a great companion story for this book. Within Echo, one of the three stories is about Ivy, a young girl who is going through the exact same issue as Sylvia Mendez. When reading Echo, this story would be a great one to bring in more detail about this specific issue and time period.

This book was reviewed by Booklist, an excerpt of the review follows:

Grades 2-5. Pura Belpré Award–winning Tonatiuh (Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, 2013) makes excellent use of picture-book storytelling to bring attention to the 1947 California ruling against public-school segregation. The concise, informative text, with occasional and always translated Spanish lines, discusses how being banned from enrolling in an Orange County grade school because of her skin tone and Mexican surname inspired Sylvia Mendez’ family to fight for integrated schools. Soon they were joined by many others, including the NAACP and the Japanese American Citizens League, which led to their hard-won victory. Tonatiuh’s multimedia artwork showcases period detail, such as the children’s clothing and the differences between the school facilities, in his unique folk art style. An endnote essay recapping the events, photos of Sylvia and her schools, and a glossary and resource list for further research complete this thorough exploration of an event that is rarely taught. This would be a useful complement to other books about the fight for desegregation, such as Deborah Wiles’ Freedom Summer (2001) or Andrea Davis Pinkney’s Sit-In (2010).

Citation: 

Tonatiuh, D. (2014). SEPARATE IS NEVER EQUAL. New York, NY: Abrams.

It's Perfectly Normal

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The general subject of this books is getting to know your body during a time when it is constantly changing. This book walks teens through what sex is, going through different aspects of it to answer questions that young people may have, through what changes are happening to their bodies, inside and out, what puberty is, keeping themselves healthy and what decisions they may need to make in regards to abortions, birth control, and how families are made. This book has cute little characters, a bird and a bee, that are present throughout the whole book, and follow along with the content, asking and answering questions. Throughout the entire book there are pictures to illustrate parts of the body and other things that the book is discussing. This book has a detailed table of contents and index that will help readers find the exact information they are looking for.

Teens have questions about their body. Most of the time they get the answers to their questions from their peers who do not always have the correct information. This book would be valuable for health classes to give students information in a way that they will understand and that will be interesting to them. 

All children will develop differently and at different times, as is mentioned in the textbook, (p. 20). Sometimes children will have questions that they are too scared to ask their parents and they will end up asking their peers, which will get them some crazy answers at times. The book It's Perfectly Normal will help give students answers to those embarrassing questions, but with the correct information.

Citation

Harris, R. (2014). It's perfectly normal. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Ole! Flamenco!

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Flamenco dancing is a generations old tradition in the Hispanic culture. This book follows the history of this amazing dance, telling where it originated and the story of how it became a big part of the culture. This book also tells the reader about flamenco classes and how people learn how to do this amazing dance. Readers will be amazed by the dedication the dancers have and readers will love the real pictures of this amazing part of the Hispanic culture.

Resources

Ancona, G. (2010). Ole! flamenco. New York, NY: Lee and Low Books Inc.

Ole! flamenco. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Ole-Flamenco-George-Ancona/dp/1600603610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449288394&sr=1-1&keywords=ole+flamenco

Remember: The Journey to School Integration

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The story of school segregation then integration is a very interesting tale. There is so much information and so many different aspects to these tales. In this book author Toni Morrison takes real images from this time and writes her own version of the stories behind these pictures. Readers will see true images, of young African American students in classes, of “colored only” schools, of African American children in classes with white students, and all other occurrences in between. These stories will give readers clues to what may have gone on during these times. This amazing story will help those who were not there understand some of what went on during this time period.

Resources

Morrison, T. (2004). Remember: The journey to school integration. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Remember: The journey to school integration. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Remember-Journey-School-Integration-Nonfiction/dp/061839740X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449270526&sr=1-1&keywords=remember+the+journey+to+school+integration

We Are The Ship

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The story of Civil Rights in the United States is a topic that has always interested me, and many others in our country. There are so many aspects that go into this topic that you can study and learn for a long time and not know it all. The story of the Negro Baseball League is one of those interesting aspects. In “We are the Ship” readers will learn a great deal of interesting and wonderful information about this group of men. One thing that I really enjoyed when reading this was the huge pictures. I love to see these representations because they help me to understand since I am a visual learner. I think that even if a reader is not necessarily a visual learner they will appreciate these wonderful images. 

This informational text takes the reader through the story of the Negro Baseball League. On many of the pages are large, full page, illustrations of baseball players either in action or posing with their teammates. This text is well organized, with pictures and artifacts to illustrate the points made in the text. It is written in a logical order and is easy to follow.

References

We are the ship. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Ship-League-Baseball/dp/0786808322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443197459&sr=8-1&keywords=we+are+the+ship

We are the ship (2008). . New York, New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

How They Croaked

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Have you ever wondered how famous people from history died, or were murdered? In this interesting informational text you will find out. This book is definitely not for the weak stomached reader. If you are like me, and you like reading this type of book, you will love learning about how different people passed on. If I were recommending this book I would give it to more advanced readers, such as those in middle and high school. 

This very interesting informational text is a great example of the evaluation criteria of organization. Each section begins with a tombstone like graphic noting where and when the person was born and died. Each entry also includes how the person became famous, as well as some of their exploits. Then each entry proceeds to explain, at times in graphic detail, how the person either died or was murdered.

References

Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked. New York, New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

How they croaked. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/How-They-Croaked-Awfully-Famous/dp/0802727948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443195613&sr=8-1&keywords=How+they+croaked

Spiders

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SPIDERS! Most people react to this word with terror, but in this informational book many readers will find more cool information and pictures than fear. Nic Bishop, the author of this book, as a style that is all his own. He has written many other informational texts and his style always comes through. On the cover the reader is greeted with a large image of a spider, very close up. Throughout the book there are very clear, crisp, detailed photos of different spiders in different settings as well as doing many different things. Bishop also exhibits a style with text. Each grouping of words is in large print, with important information or keywords bolded, larger, and in a different color. This style is very prominent and will catch the attention of all readers.

References

Bishop, N. (2007). Spiders. New York, New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Spiders. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Bishop-Spiders-Sibert-Honor-Book/dp/0439877563/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443196694&sr=8-1&keywords=bishop+spiders

Me... Jane

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Jane Goodall is a very amazing and inspirational woman. The book, Me... Jane, discusses her life and how she became interested in her field of study. This story can be very inspirational to young girls, showing how this amazing scientist came from humble beginnings. This creatively illustrated story exemplifies the evaluation criteria of style very wonderfully. Author and illustrator Patrick McDonnell has a very creative style that is illustrated in all of his books. This style includes simple but creative drawings that are full of color and movement. His style also gives a picture book feel to this biography of Jane Goodall. McDonnell shows how Jane Goodall became interested in animals and how her gift of a toy chimp changed her life. Through minimal text and colorful drawings the reader really gets to know young Jane Goodall. McDonnell also includes some of young Goodall's illustrations.

References

McDonnell, P. (2011). Me...jane. New York, New York: Little Brown and Company.

Me...jane. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Me-Jane/dp/0316045462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443196382&sr=8-1&keywords=me+jane

Primates

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Do you ever get bored reading informational books, but you know you have to for research or you would just like to find more information about a topic? In this graphic novel style informational book you will learn and you will not be bored, in fact, you will enjoy it! This informational graphic novel takes the evaluation criteria of design to a whole new level. In graphic novel style, author Jim Ottaviani writes a biography of some of the greatest scientists who were leaders in the field of primatology (the study of primates). This well designed and illustrated biography makes it fun to learn about these scientists and readers of all ages will enjoy the designs of this author.

References

Ottaviani, J., & Wicks, M. (2013). Primates. New York, New York: First Second.

Primates. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Primates-Fearless-Science-Goodall-Galdikas/dp/1250062934/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443193749&sr=8-1&keywords=ottaviani+primates

Balloons Over Broadway

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Author and illustrator Melissa Sweet creatively tells the story of the puppeteer of the Macy's parade. In this informational text Sweet's design is very creative. She makes many of her pages look like the elements have been cut out of different pieces of paper and then arranged on the page. Some parts of the book look like the items on the page were arranged then photographed. The interesting way that the book is put together will make readers interested and engaged to the very end.

References

Balloons over broadway. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Balloons-over-Broadway-Puppeteer-Education/dp/0547199457/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443197248&sr=8-1&keywords=balloons+over+broadway

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over broadway. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Rosa

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This book exemplifies the evaluation criteria of style with beautiful pictures and strategically placed text. Throughout this book the pictures seem as if they were cut out of various types and styles of paper then glued together to create the wonderful illustrations. To help the reader all of the text is in a sidebar that is all one color, and the text is in a large font making it accessible to all readers.

References

Giovanni, N. (2007). Rosa. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Rosa. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Rosa-Nikki-Giovanni/dp/0312376022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443197034&sr=8-1&keywords=rosa

Hitler Youth

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This very accurate, informational text begins with a biography, with pictures, of each of the young people in the book. Throughout the book, there are pictures that illustrate the stories being described. This book explores a not very well known topic, the youth groups created and used by Hitler during his reign of power. The reader meets different children that were apart of these groups and learns their story as well as the part they played within these groups. The reader can tell that this text is accurate because the author lists all of her sources in the back of the book, organized by chapter. This is very helpful if the reader would like to verify accuracy or read more on the subject.

References

Bartoletti, S. C. (2005). Hitler youth. New York, New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Hitler youth. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Hitler-Youth-Growing-Hitlers-Shadow/dp/0439353793/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443196051&sr=8-1&keywords=Hitler+youth

It's So Amazing

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This informational book takes a sometimes touchy topic and explains it very accurately, but in a way that children can understand. The two main characters, who are the acting narrators, take the reader through the process of how babies are made, and they also explain the reproductive parts of both males and females. The information included is very accurate and correctly explains these processes as well as what each part of the process is and includes. This informational text meets the criteria of accuracy not just for the accurate information, but due to the fact that all of the resources are listed in well organized fashion in the back of the book. These resources include doctors and educators. Also, there is a very helpful index included as well.

References:

Harris, R. (2014). It's so amazing (2nd ed.). Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

It's so amazing. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Its-So-Amazing-Families-Library/dp/0763668745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443195239&sr=8-1&keywords=its+so+amazing