"Flotsam" by David Wiesner

"Flotsam" 

by David Wiesner

40 pages /  Print / Science Fiction

Summary: A boy finds a strange camera on the shore at the beach. Curious about its contents, he goes to get the film developed at a nearby store. He is in shock when it is revealed that the photographs show sea creatures doing to most remarkable and strange things. The last picture is very special. It shows a photo of a girl holding a picture, and in the picture is a picture of a boy holding a picture. The boy is very interested in understanding why people are holding a picture of a picture. He gets his magnifying glass and sees that there are many people who have taken this picture of a picture. The boy decides to keep the tradition and take his own special picture with new film. The boy then throws the camera back in the ocean for another person to find one day. The book ends with another child finding the camera on a different beach.

 Evaluation: This book is a Caldecott Winner for its imaginative and illustrations and creative plotline. With many of Wiesner's books, there is little or no text, so the reader is forced to look closely at the illustrations to tell a story. The story being told here is that anything is possible. The ocean is so vast and unknown that maybe there are strange things happening that we cannot imagine. The theme of "adventure" and "journey" is also present in this book.

Appeal Terms: science fiction, lively, engrossing, mystical, magical

"I Spy: Spooky Night" by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo

"I Spy: Spooky Night" 

by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo

40 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: Spooky rhymes challenge readers to find clues in the pictures on the page. The theme of this book is "spooky nights". Readers explore a haunted mansion and a graveyard to find creepy items like ghosts, skeletons and other things that go bump in the night.

Evaluation: Students love reading these books with a find, which is a postivie thing to see in a library. Adding this book to a library display with ensure that it gets checked out just around Halloween time. Reading the text and making connections with the illustrations is a skill that readers need to development.

Appeal Terms: engrossing, creepy, spooky, thought provoking

"How This Book Was Made" by Mac Barnett

"How This Book Was Made" 

by Mac Barnett

48 pages /  Print / Non-Fiction

Summary: Mac Barnett brings you on a journey from start to finish on how to create a picture book. Through humor and clever illustrations, he makes it easy and fun to learn the process of bookmaking. He teaches us how a book starts with a good idea, goes through drafts, editors, revisions, illustrations, printing, and finally gets delivered to you, the reader.

Evaluation: This book presents the facts of bookmaking in a clever and engaging way that all ages will appreciate. I think most children have the dream of publishing their own picture book, and this book serves as a resource and inspiration for them. It also teaches young readers that making a book takes a lot of effort and time between a lot of different people. Apart from being a non-fiction text, this book is just as fun to read as a fiction picture book would be.

Appeal Terms: engrossing, humorous, engaging, fact-filled, well developed

"The Eleventh Hour" by Graeme Base

"The Eleventh Hour" 

by Graeme Base

40 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: Horace the elephant decides to invite 11 friends over to his house for a big celebration. He cooks up a big feast of delicious foods and desserts for everyone to enjoy. The 11 animals guests arrive, all dressed up in costumes and ready to celebrate. Before they can hear the feast Horace has prepared, they spend the afternoon and evening playing games with each other. The feast would have begun at the eleventh hour, but a thief has eaten all the food! Every animal friend denies that he or she ate the food. Horace thinks quickly and makes sanwiches for all the friends. They eat the sandwiches outside together. But who ate all the food? It is a mystery that the reader must solve.

Evaluation: The ending of this book really caught me by surprise. I was so distacted by the wonderful rhyming verse that told the stories, and the realistic images, that I wasn't paying attention to the fact that this book is full of clues and mystery. At the conclusion of the book, Graeme Base has a secret section that explains how to solve the mystery of who ate the food. He also explains the artwork and reasoning behind each illustration in the book. After finding clues on each page and solving the puzzle message at the end of the book, it is revealed that the mouse ate the food with his 200 mouse friends. The author then invites you to locate the mice on each page of the book, which are skillfully hidden in different images. This is a great book for a class to read together and to try to solve as a team. Solving the mystery is very difficult, but many eyes and minds working together would make it easier. Besides the interactive aspect of the book, it is beautfully illustrated. The images and scenes come to life. I looked at each page for a long time, appreciating how detailed and wonderful the illustrations were. This book could be read time and time again, trying to solve the mystery of who stole the food.

Appeal Terms: animal, mystery, engrossing, engaging, event oriented, multiple plotlines, well developed

"Look and Find Transportation" by Thierry Laval

"Look and Find Transportation" 

by Thiery Laval

40 pages /  Print / Non-Fiction

Summary: A pull-out, search, and find book for all things transportation. Readers visit an airport, city, construction site, train station, and seaport. Each location has many vehicles, tools and people to find. A great read for anyone that is curious to learn new vocabulary about transportation.

Evaluation: This book is very fun to read and interact with. the pages fold out on both sides to reveal a large illustration. Readers need to find the picture of the new vocabulary on the page, which is great for reinforcing learning. Children learn best when they can see and do something. Many of the new vocabulary words are new for children, but they may have seen them before (for example: "scaffolding". Scaffolding is on almost every corner in NYC where there is construction.). I expect readers to seek out the new vocabulary when they walk around outside. This book is great to share with a partner while they look for the picture of the words on the page. Children love transportation vehicles, so this book will be a hit!

Appeal Terms: realistic, engrossing, leisurely, engaging, fact-filled, life like

"The Arrival" by Shuan Tan

"The Arrival" 

by Shuan Tan

128 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: In an imaginary world, a man must leave his wife and daughter behind to create a better life for them. Through illustrations only, Shuan Tan tells us an inspiring story of immigration and a man's love for his family. We follow the man's struggle of not knowing his new country's language, and finding a place to live and sleep. After some time, the wife and daughter and reunited with the man in the new country and build a new life together instead of isolation.

Evaluation: A beautiful story of immigration that captures the emotions of arriving in a new place with no knowledge of the language, culture or people. Shuan Tan uses an imaginary world, with imaginary text for the man to read, which makes the reader feel alien just as much as the protagonist in the story. The illustrations allow us to look into the mind and backstories of the characters in the story to help the reader realize that everyone in the imaginary land is an immigrant too. This book is a great way to introduce a unit on immigration. The artwork is captivating, Tan uses different dark shades to signal to the reader different passages of time and perspectives. We are to believe that every immigrant has left their country to escape some dark force, or make their life better. The book reads like a filmstrip, which makes for a very interactive reading experience.

Appeal Terms: adventure, graphic novel, historical, science fiction, engrossing, dark, hopeful, mystical, melodramatic, episodic, plot centered, resolved ending, family centered, life like, vivid, multiple point of view, imaginary, introspective

"Smart About Sharks" by Owen Davey

"Smart About Sharks" 

by Owen Davey

40 pages /  Print / Non-Fiction

Summary: This informational book has everything "Sharks"! Come explore how sharks live their lives in the oceans and seas. There is much to learn about sharks, inside and out. Where do they live? What do they eat? Do other fish prey on sharks? Which shark can jump the highest? After reading this book, you will be "smart about sharks".

Evaluation: A great resource for young readers to get their fill on this favorite ocean animal. Owen Davey's illustrations are gentle and detailed, making this book readable for all ages. He uses language that a young middle schooler would use ("The Great White Shark is the rock star of the ocean.", "Something to sink your teeth into") and describes scientific terms in easy words. The table of contents and index in the book make it easy to navigate and find specific information on sharks. The color scheme used is very nice too look at, like a well designed website. The illustrations play with the words and information blurbs throughout the book, making it fun to read and explore.


Appeal Terms: animal, engrossing, engaging, fact-filled, realistic

"A Log's Life" by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Robin Brickman

"A Log's Life" 

by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Robin Brickman

32 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: "A Log's Life" brings us through the amazing life cycle of tree as it falls, decomposes and gives life to a new tree. Many animals and insects depend on a tree in each stage of its life. The book reads like a story, but it is very educational. Realistic illustrations add to the value of this fascinating book.

Evaluation: This book is an excellent tool for understanding and appreciating nature's greatest gift, trees. A teacher could use this book in a science class to introduce a unit on earth science. The illustrations and text are very meditative, making you feel like you are walking through a shady forest. The message of this book with surely make readers appreciate trees and how many creatures interact with it. The message of rebirth (of the tree) is beautiful and could be used as a metaphor for human life.

Appeal Terms: animal, realistic, engrossing, easy, engaging, event oriented, fact-filled, life like