Bibliography
Jenkins,
Steve. Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Books for Children, 2011.
Plot Summary
This concept
book is a first introduction to time in a fun, fascinating way. It uses the most basic examples of nature to
explain man-made time concepts of the second, minute, hour, day, week and
year. In addition, it seeks to explain “very
long” and “very short” lengths of time by comparing them to natural, earthly occurrences.
Critical Analysis
A human being
can blink seven times in one second. A
hamster’s heart can beat 450 times in one minute. A mole can dig a 20-foot long tunnel in one
hour. The population of India increases
by 47, 000 people in just one day. These
are some of the basic facts that Jenkins uses to explain the concepts of
time.
Artful and colorful illustrations accompany
the facts, sparking the curiosity of the reader, making it an interesting and
attractive read. Each increment of time
is introduced in a predictable layout, with the introduction of the concept first,
accompanied by illustrations, with the text appearing as captions to each
picture. Jenkins also includes a brief
history of timekeeping, some additional reading, and a note about facts,
figures and sources at the end of the book, for further reference.
Review Excerpts/Awards
"Jenkins renders this package both eye-catching and mind boggling.
Teachers will find good jumping-off points here for math, science, and history
discussions."— School Library Journal
“With a dazzling array of science and nature facts on the order of
Ripley's Believe It or Not, Jenkins succeeds in teaching children about time
even as he's bound to pique their interest in a wide variety of behaviors,
animal, human and mechanical. The material is organized and arranged with care
by Jenkins, whose meticulous cut-paper collage illustrations are detailed and
yet unfussy.” –The New York Times Book Review
“Jenkins brings fresh perspective to the passage of time in a
thought-provoking picture book that features his typically elegant cut-paper
collages. With a particular focus on the natural world and mankind's impact on
it, Jenkins lists diverse events that occur in the space of a second, a minute,
an hour, and so on.” —Publisher’s
Weekly
Connections
Other
award-winning Steve Jenkins books:
What
do you do with a tail like this?
Caldecott Honor 2004
The Beetle Book
Kirkus
Reviews Best Children’s Book of 2012; NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books
for Students K—12: 2013; SLJ Best Children’s Books 2012, Nonfiction; Booklist Top
10 Books for Youth 2012, Science & Health; Booklist Lasting
Connections of 2012, Science; ALSC 2013 Notable Children’s Books, Middle
Readers
Living Color
2008 NCTE Orbis
Pictus Award, Recommended, CCBC Choices 2008, The Natural World, Book
Sense Children's Picks - Fall 2007, Booklist Editor's Choice
2007, Publishers Weekly - Best Children's Books 2007, Children's
Nonfiction
Bibliography
Nelson,
Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. New York:
Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, 2008.
Plot Summary
We are the Ship tells the story of the origin and establishment
of the Negro baseball leagues. Each
chapter of American history is organized by innings, as the text and illustrations
tell the story of the struggles, setbacks, challenges and triumphs of the Negro
National League.
Critical Analysis
Imagine a
grown man being called every disrespectful, degrading name but his own—and he
can’t do anything about it. Envision a
baseball field where fans are allowed to throw trash on the field and yell
obscenities at players during a game. Consider
taking a long, exhausting road trip, only to realize that you have been denied
food or lodging because of the color of your skin.
These are the types of atrocities that black
baseball players had to face during the establishment of the Negro Baseball
League. The chapters of baseball’s rich
history are written by innings, with vivid and beautiful illustrations of the
events of the day. Nelson acknowledges many
African American baseball legends as sources of his research at the end of the
book, where is also includes an extensive bibliography and filmography
information.
Review Excerpts/Awards
“A lost piece of American history comes to life in Kadir Nelson's
elegant and eloquent history (Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 2008) of the Negro
Leagues and its gifted baseball players.”
–School Library Journal
“Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson’s history of the
Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like
an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel
Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier
before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut.”
–Booklist
2009 Coretta Scott King Honor and Illustrator Award
Connections
Other books
by Kadir Nelson:
Heart and
Soul: The Story of America and African
Americans
2012 Coretta
Scott King Honor and Illustrator Award
Nelson
Mandela
Kirkus
Reviews Best Children’s Books of 2013; 2014 Coretta Scott King Award
Honor, Illustrator; ALA 2014 Notable Children’s Books, Younger Readers
Bibliography
Kerley,
Barbara, and Ed Fotheringham. What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt
Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! New
York: Scholastic Press, 2008.
Plot Summary
What to do
About Alice? is a story about the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt. Alice Lee Roosevelt is a rambunctious little
girl who loves life and adventure, despite losing her mother shortly after she
was born. The story chronicles her
childhood in the White House, her father’s struggles to raise her as a “civilized”
lady, and her eventual role as personal advisor to her politician husband and
father.
Critical Analysis
She wanted
to see how high the springs sprang or her grandparents’ favorite sofa. She wanted to own a pet monkey. She joined an all-boys club. She owned a pet snake. Alice Lee Roosevelt wanted to eat up the
world! What to do about Alice? is a
remarkable story about Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter, from her rambunctious
adventures as a young girl living in the white house, to her jetsetting days of
traveling to foreign countries. Her
father could run a country, but he could never figure out what to do about
Alice! The illustrations of the book are
artsy and fun, and the muted colors represent the historical era very
well. The author recognizes fact
checking and artwork, and lists a bibliography of sources at the end of the
book.
Review Excerpts/Awards
2009 Robert
Sibert Honor Book
“Irrepressible
Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she
was....The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for
spectacular art.” --Booklist
“Theodore Roosevelt’s irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book....precise text presents readers with a devilishly smart, strong-willed girl who was determined to live life on her own terms—and largely succeeded.” --Kirkus
“Text gallops along with a vitality to match her antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father’s trusted advisers. Fotheringham’s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text.”
–School
Library Journal
Connections
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan
ALA Notable Children’s Book, Book Sense Book of the Year Finalist
When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Munoz Ryan
2003 Robert
Sibert Honor Book
