Book Trailer: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Created for Assignment B for SLIS 5420

Book Trailer: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Created for Assignment B for SLIS 5420.

Book Trailer: Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Created for Assignment B for SLIS 5420.

Module 12: The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming

"'If it is bold, it is Barnum.  If it is big, it is Barnum.  As a showman, he stands alone.'"

nypl.tumblr.com

Citation

Fleming, C.  (2009).  The great and only Barnum.  New York:  Schwartz & Wade Books.

Summary

The book tells the life story of one of America's greatest showmen - P.T. Barnum of Barnum & Bailey's famous circus.  From his scheming childhood as a young businessman to wildly popular museum and his days as a circus owner, it can all be found in this book.  The book covers his museum in great deal, talking about its popularity and shortcomings.  Barnum's family and personal life are briefly covered--both the impressive and the less inspiring.  Barnum is presented as a shrewd and impressive businessman, never afraid to "dupe" people into visiting his museum, even taking advantage of the questionable verifiability of his exhibits.  Illustrations, photographs, and poster reproductions are plentiful, allowing readers to see the oddities and curious from his museum, his family members, and his traveling circus trains.  Short stories and facts are shared in pullout boxes scattered throughout the text.  A bibliography, source notes, picture credits, and detailed index are included.

My Impressions

Fleming does an excellent job of writing an interesting, informative, and objective biography.  Barnum's story is fascinating on its own, and this biography certainly does it justice.  Her writing is clear and engaging, passing no judgment on Barnum's weaknesses or faults.  She brings Barnum to life, capturing his big personality and examining his personal and public identity.  I was especially intrigued by the numerous photographs of Barnum's museum exhibits and circus performances, as well as many promotional materials.  It was also very much appreciated that an inset box explained the difference in cultural attitudes towards the "freak shows" popular during Barnum's time.  Contextualizing information is especially helpful for students learning about people who lived in a different time period.  The Great and Only Barnum is an excellent biography, and has inspired me to give the genre another try.

Reviews

School Library Journal

"Gr 6 Up--Inheriting his grandfather's practical jokester ways, P. T. Barnum became one of the world's greatest showmen. Candace Fleming (Random House, 2009) traces Barnum's life from his youth in Bethel, Connecticut, to his final days as the part owner of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Her unbiased biography doesn't pull any punches, discussing his problems with alcoholism and his faults as well as his humane side and exuberant personality. Along with the interesting description of Barnum's life are cameos about performers who worked for him, information about his family, and brief descriptions of some of his curiosities. The bonus CD includes the wonderful period photos and illustrations from the print version that help bring the text to life. This informative, entertaining biography is an outstanding choice for school reports, reluctant readers, and just for fun."

Flood, S.  (2011).  [Review of the book The great and only Barnum by C. Fleming].  School Library Journal, 57(10), 80.  Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com

Publishers Weekly

The life of showman Phineas Taylor Barnum gets show-stopping treatment in Fleming's (The Lincolns) latest biographical work. Presented as clever, resilient and ever-consumed with making a buck, the Barnum of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is brought to life in anecdotes over 11 chapters. Nicknamed "Tale" as a boy, he "hated farm-work" ("I was always ready to concoct fun, or lay plans for money-making, but hand-work was decidedly not in my line"). His personal struggles with alcohol and a less-than-happy marriage are detailed alongside his many public successes (and hoaxes). A tour of his famed American Museum and an account of a day at the circus (complete with descriptions of the human curiosities Barnum employed) set readers in the middle of the singular late 19th-century entertainment scene. As in a real circus, the large-format pages include plenty to grab readers' attention: white-on-black sidebars that put the entrepreneur's feats in context ("African Americans were barred from entering Barnum's American Museum except on certain days"), b&w photos and advertising posters. Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend. Ages 8-12.

[Review of the book The great and only Barnum by C. Fleming].  (2009).  Pubishers Weekly, 256(35), 60.  Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com

Suggested Library Uses

• Promote this biography, along with other books about circuses when a circus is in town.  Book displays and a storytime would be simple means of doing so.
• Host a circus at the library.  Things to consider included might be a dog training competition for circus acts, a display of odd items around the community for the sideshow, and games on a midway.  Exhibits about the history of circuses could be included, as well. 

Find it @ your library - Albany County Public Library

J B Barnum, P.T.


Notes
Booklist Top 10 Biographies for Youth, ALA, 2010
Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, 2009
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 2009
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, ALA, 2010

Module 11: An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston

"An egg is quiet.  Then, suddenly...an egg is noisy!"

awildbirdoaisis.com

Citation

Aston, D.  (2006).  An egg is quiet.  San Francisco, Calif.:  Chronicle Books, LLC.

Summary

An Egg is Quiet serves as a simple, yet beautifully informative introduction to eggs.  The endpapers contain illustrations of almost 60 eggs, with each being identified and roughly to scale.  The book describes the diversity of eggs: their colors, shapes, sizes, and textures.  It also illustrates the development of the embryo inside the egg.  The book is sparse in text, but explanatory as it teaches about this remarkable feat of biology. 

My Impressions

What I noticed right away were the beautiful and detailed illustrations.  The text seemed simplified and too basic at first, but the message and lesson are conveyed easily, allowing the illustrations to show, rather than tell, about the little miracles of eggs.  Any time an egg is show, it is also identified, though many of the names might be unfamiliar to readers.  To help with this, the back endpapers contain illustrations of the products of each egg shown on the front endpapers and throughout the book.  Readers are able to turn back and forth to identify each egg and resulting creature.  I was somewhat disappointed that size and scale were not respected more, as eggs that were drawn larger than actual size only contained a general statement about the enlargement.  As someone who studied science, it would have been helpful for the artist to say an egg was 30000 times the actual size, for example.  I can see, though, how this might distract from the overall look and feel of the book.

Review

Kirkus Reviews

"Worthy successor to Ruth Heller's Chickens Aren't The Only Ones (1981), this engrossing album pairs images of dozens of precisely detailed eggs and their diverse wild parents to basic facts presented in neatly hand-lettered lines. Nearly all depicted actual size (and those that aren't, are consistently so labeled), Long's eggs look real enough to pick up, whether placed in natural settings or suspended on white pages. All, whether from birds, insects, reptiles, fish or amphibians, are not only identified, but Aston adds both topical phrases--"Eggs come in different sizes"--to each spread and, usually, memorably presented additional facts: "An ostrich egg can weigh as much as 8 pounds. It's so big and so round, it takes two hands to hold one egg." A delight for budding naturalists of all stripes, flecks, dots and textures. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)"

[Review of the book An egg is quiet by D. Aston].  (2006).  Kirkus Reviews, 74(6), 286.  Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com.

Suggested Library Use

• Invite a biologist to talk about eggs and development.  Ask him or her to bring along eggs, skeletons, or other specimens to show the children and their parents, if included. It would be especially exciting if a specimen from the book could be shared. This would be a great opportunity to talk about teaching science to children as they explore the world around them during a walk at the park or a visit to the mountains, beach, or lake. 

Find it @ Your Library - Albany County Public Library

J 598.6 AS86E


Notes
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Young Children, 2007

Module 11: What the World Eats by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel

"How would one week's worth of food in Chad or India stack up against one week's worth in Greenland, Mexico, the United States, Egypt, or France?"

murraylibrary.org

Citation
D'Alusio, F. and P. Menzel.  (2008).  What the world eats.  Berkeley, CA:  Tricycle Press.


Summary
The author and photographer, Peter Menzel, traveled to twenty-one countries and ate with twenty-five families around the globe in order to discover "what the world eats."  In each country, they visited one or two families (two in the countries with large populations, three in the United States) and asked them about their eating habits.  For each country, the family is photographed with a week's worth of food, and a detailed grocery list is provided on the facing page.  The grocery list includes either the price or market value of every item on the list, as well as the brand names and amounts of each.  A brief, two- to three-page narrative follows, explaining how the family acquires, prepares, and partakes of meals, with photos to supplement the text.  There is also a factbox for each country, outlining statistics such as the city population, prevalence of diabetes, or percent of citizens living on less than $2 a day.  Personal recipes are occasionally included.  Special sections provide photos or graphs and charts comparing all twenty-one countries to each other, addressing such things as kitchens, population density, mean consumption, literacy rate, and life expectancy.  


My Impressions
The book is visually appealing, with numerous photographs, tables, maps, and charts to illustrate key points discussed in the text, which is long enough to be thorough, but not too long as to be intimidating.  I really enjoyed looking at the each country's week's worth of groceries, going back and forth between the family photo and the grocery list.  It was fascinating to compare the amount of money spent in a week in each country, as well as the other various statistical figures.  The narratives were somewhat inconsistent, with each one covering a slightly different aspect of that family's eating habits.  This did help to break up the potential monotony of twenty-five identical entries, and made for interesting reading, but somewhat limited the academic appeal of the text.  I did notice a hint of an agenda in the book's discussions, but there was no judgement passed on any family.  Nutrition is an important issue, but it felt somewhat out of place in the book.    I would recommend the book primarily for recreational reading, but it could also be useful for a report on a featured country in the upper elementary and middle school grades.


Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
"Adapted from last year's Hungry Planet, this brilliantly executed work visits 25 families in 21 countries around the world. Each family is photographed surrounded by a week's worth of food and groceries, which Menzel and D'Aluisio use as a way of investigating not only different cultures' diets and standard of living but also the impact of globalization: why doesn't abundance bring better health, instead of increased occurrences of diabetes and similar diseases? These points are made lightly: delivered almost conversationally, the main narrative presents friendly, multigenerational portraits of each family, with meals and food preparation an avenue toward understanding their hopes and struggles. A wealth of supporting information--lush color photographs, family recipes, maps, sidebars, etc.--surrounds the text (superb design accomplishes this job harmoniously) and implies questions about global food supplies. Pictures of subsistence farmers in Ecuador cultivating potatoes from mountainous soil form sharp contrasts with those of supermarkets in a newly Westernized Poland. Fact boxes for each country tabulate revealing statistics, among them the percentage of the population living on less than $2 per day (47% in China, where the average daily caloric intake is nonetheless 2,930 per person); the percentage with diabetes; number of KFC franchises. Engrossing and certain to stimulate. All ages."


[Review of the book What the world eats by F. D'Alusio and P. Menzel].  (2008).  Publisher's Weekly, 255(35), 53.  Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com.


School Library Journal
"Gr 6 Up --D'Aluisio and Menzel have adapted their Hungry Planet (Ten Speed, 2005) for younger readers in this visually stunning photographic collection that portrays families from 21 countries, each surrounded by a week's worth of food. Each entry includes a detailed list of the groceries with the equivalent cost in U.S. dollars, notes on methods of food preparation and preservation, fast facts about the country, and an engaging article discussing the family members, their lifestyles and employment, health issues, and food traditions and sources, enhanced by "Photographer's Field Note" and "Family Recipe" sidebars. Bright color photographs in varying sizes depict the wide array of kitchens, markets, and homes found in the cross-section of countries. The juxtaposition of the Aboubakar family of six, living in a refugee camp in Chad on $1.22 a week, and the Revis family of four in North Carolina, spending $341.98 a week on groceries, is jaw-dropping, although the author carefully avoids drawing any judgments about the subjects' choices or circumstances. Additional chapters, scattered through the alphabetical-by-country arrangement, include statistics on population, life expectancy, literacy and fertility rates, access to safe water, and obesity. A fascinating volume for browsing, What the World Eats will be useful for students in classes ranging from world cultures to economics to math to geography to current events."


Burner, J.A.  (2008).  [Review of the book What the world eats by F. D'Alusio and P. Menzel].  School Library Journal, 54(7), 111.  Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com.

Suggested Library Uses

• The book would make an excellent centerpiece to a display about countries around the world or about food in general.
• It might be interesting to have families in the state or city volunteer for a similar exhibit at the library, or for libraries around the country to work together to show "What the US Eats."  One would need to be especially careful about obtaining patrons' permission and explaining what personal information would be published.    
• The book could be used to supplement a weekly or monthly exploration of a different country or culture.  

Find it @ your library - Albany County Public Library
J 641.3 M529W


Notes
Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books, 2008
School Library Journal Best Books, 2008
Booklist Best Books for Young Adults, ALA, 2009
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, ALA, 2009

Module 10: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

"'There are so many things to learn, you see, and so little time is given us.'"

lookingglassreview.com

Citation
Kelly, J.  (2009).  The evolution of Calpurnia Tate.  New York:  Henry Holt and Company, LLC.


Summary
Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old, and the only girl in seven children.  One hot summer day in Texas1899, she notices that the yellow grasshoppers on her father's farm are larger than the green ones.  Determined to discover why, she consults her grandfather, who encourages her to study the dilemma as if she were a naturalist.  Thus begins her transformation into a smart and curious young scientist.  As the summer drags on, Calpurnia and her grandfather discover a potential new species of plant in her own backyard, which they send to the Smithsonian for official approval.  As she waits for news from Washington, Calpurnia's scientific activities are questioned by her family.  Will anyone take her seriously as a scientist?  As summer fades into fall and eventually winter, Calpurnia begins to learn more about the world around her and just what it means to be female at the end of the 19th century.


My Impressions
Calpurnia, or Callie Vee, is that little girl we all wanted to be friends with.  She narrates her story with confidence, candor, and humor, almost as if she were having a conversation with the reader.  I very much enjoyed Callie Vee, her family, and the setting.  Simple events such as her oldest brother's first love, her younger brothers' (that's right, more than one) crush on her best friend, the arrival of the telephone, and Calpurnia's own lessons on housewifery lend the story a very natural and authentic feel.  Her grandfather is another loveable character, as you see him morph from a cantankerous old man into a supportive, dedicated, and fascinating scientific mentor for Callie Vee.  The story does move somewhat slowly, with essentialy no action, making it reminiscent of more traditional, subtle forms of storytelling.  The read is well worth it, though, as Calpurnia's coming of age is a bittersweet, yet satisfying journey.


Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
"Life at the turn of the century is not easy for a girl who loves books and science. Kelly's first novel presents spirited heroine Calpurnia (Callie) Virginia Tate, a middle child with six brothers, growing up in the isolation of Fentress, Tex., in 1899. To her family's dismay, Callie is stubborn, independent and not interested in darning socks or perfecting her baking skills like a lady. "I would live my life in a tower of books," she thinks to herself. She spends most of her time with Harry, "the one brother who could deny me nothing," slowly befriending her Granddaddy, a mysterious naturalist who studies everything from pecan distillation to microscopic river bugs. Together they dream up experiments and seek answers to backyard phenomena, discovering something new about the invisible world each day. Callie follows her passion for knowledge, coming to realize her family "had their own lives. And now I have mine." Callie's transformation into an adult and her unexpected bravery make for an exciting and enjoyable read. Kelly's rich images and setting, believable relationships and a touch of magic take this story far. Ages 10-up."


[Review of the book The evolution of Calpurnia Tate by J. Kelly].  (2009).  Publisher's Weekly, 256(18), 51.  Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com. 


School Library Journal
"Gr 5-8-- A charming and inventive story of a child struggling to find her identity at the turn of the 20th century. As the only girl in an uppercrust Texas family of seven children, Calpurnia, 11, is expected to enter young womanhood with all its trappings of tight corsets, cookery, and handiwork. Unlike other girls her age, Callie is most content when observing and collecting scientific specimens with her grandfather. Bemoaning her lack of formal knowledge, he surreptitiously gives her a copy of The Origin of Species and Callie begins her exploration of the scientific method and evolution, eventually happening upon the possible discovery of a new plant species. Callie's mother, believing that a diet of Darwin, Dickens, and her grandfather's influence will make Callie dissatisfied with life, sets her on a path of cooking lessons, handiwork improvement, and an eventual debut into society. Callie's confusion and despair over her changing life will resonate with girls who feel different or are outsiders in their own society. Callie is a charming, inquisitive protagonist; a joyous, bright, and thoughtful creation. The conclusion encompasses bewilderment, excitement, and humor as the dawn of a new century approaches. Several scenes, including a younger brother's despair over his turkeys intended for the Thanksgiving table and Callie's heartache over receiving The Science of Housewifery as a Christmas gift, mix gentle humor and pathos to great effect. The book ends with uncertainty over Callie's future, but there's no uncertainty over the achievement of Kelly's debut novel."


Schultz, J.  (2009).  [Review of the book The evolution of Calpurnia Tate by J. Kelly].  School Library Journal, 55(5), 110.  Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com.

Suggested Library Uses

• This book would make for an excellent addition to a book club, either with preteen girls or perhaps in a mother-daughter setting.  There is a great deal to discuss about the role of women during this time, and many of Calpurnia's everyday experiences are easily relatable for girls between the ages of eleven and fourteen.   It might be interesting to compare the text to others about young girls in the same time period.
• The book could be used in a display about curious children, or young scientists.  The many allusions to Darwin in the text make it an easy tie-in to a biography of the naturalist or a field trip to the local park to collect specimens.

Find it @ your library - Albany County Public Library
J KELLY, JACQUELINE


Notes
Booklist Editor's Choice, American Library Association, 2009
Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books, 2009
School Library Journal Best Books, 2009
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, American Library Association, 2010
Newbery Honor Book, 2010