This
year I’ll be working to increase the academic independence of the young dreamers, thinkers, problem-solvers,
and explorers in my classroom. The nonfiction books and series listed below
will help support these budding independent readers.
The World of Weird Animals series by Jess Keating (Knopf)
Pink is for Blobfish:
Discovering the World’s Perfectly Pink Animals (2016) and What
Makes a Monster? Discovering the World’s Scariest Creatures (2017) reel the reader in with big, bold
photographs on the left-hand side of each double-page spread. The right-hand
side gives us some fascinating facts
about the featured creature, including a sidebar with species name, habitat,
diet, and more. Bold words in the text are defined in the glossary. Clever
cartoons illustrate a particular fact from the page. Concise and engaging,
readers can linger over their favorite creatures or continue on to the next. I
look forward to the next book in this series!
Discovering the World’s Perfectly Pink Animals (2016) and What
Makes a Monster? Discovering the World’s Scariest Creatures (2017) reel the reader in with big, bold
photographs on the left-hand side of each double-page spread. The right-hand
side gives us some fascinating facts
about the featured creature, including a sidebar with species name, habitat,
diet, and more. Bold words in the text are defined in the glossary. Clever
cartoons illustrate a particular fact from the page. Concise and engaging,
readers can linger over their favorite creatures or continue on to the next. I
look forward to the next book in this series!
Tortoises and Turtles
by
Sally Morgan (QEB Publishing, 2007)
by
Sally Morgan (QEB Publishing, 2007)
This
book is part of the Animal Lives series, which
also includes such titles as Alligators
and Crocodiles, Bears, Bees and Wasps, and Eagles. Photographs dominate the text here, connecting the pictures
to the information shared with the reader. Bright bubbles pop with a “Tortoise
and turtle fact” on almost every double-page spread. Headings, subheadings,
captions, bold words, glossary, and index help readers navigate through the
informational text. While most readers will want to read this book cover to
cover, each heading can be used as a place to stop and pick up the book another
day. I need to purchase more of these titles for the classroom library.
book is part of the Animal Lives series, which
also includes such titles as Alligators
and Crocodiles, Bears, Bees and Wasps, and Eagles. Photographs dominate the text here, connecting the pictures
to the information shared with the reader. Bright bubbles pop with a “Tortoise
and turtle fact” on almost every double-page spread. Headings, subheadings,
captions, bold words, glossary, and index help readers navigate through the
informational text. While most readers will want to read this book cover to
cover, each heading can be used as a place to stop and pick up the book another
day. I need to purchase more of these titles for the classroom library.
Zoom in on Insects series by Melissa Stewart (Enslow, 2014)
This
new-to-me series, which I found in my local library, highlights several
insects, including bees, dragonflies, ladybugs and lightning bugs. Limited text
on each page allows a child to explore the close-up photos of a given feature
(eyes, legs, etc.). Topic-specific vocabulary is explained in the book’s front
matter, before the reader encounters it. A full-page photo of the insect is
labeled to show each important body part. At the end of the text, the life
cycle of the insect is represented through photographs and labels. Even readers
who are just beginning to read more independently will feel successful
navigating this text. I’ll be sure to bring these into the class for students
who have an interest in insects!
This
new-to-me series, which I found in my local library, highlights several
insects, including bees, dragonflies, ladybugs and lightning bugs. Limited text
on each page allows a child to explore the close-up photos of a given feature
(eyes, legs, etc.). Topic-specific vocabulary is explained in the book’s front
matter, before the reader encounters it. A full-page photo of the insect is
labeled to show each important body part. At the end of the text, the life
cycle of the insect is represented through photographs and labels. Even readers
who are just beginning to read more independently will feel successful
navigating this text. I’ll be sure to bring these into the class for students
who have an interest in insects!
Sea Turtles by Gail Gibbons (Holiday
House, 1995)
House, 1995)
This
is just one of the many survey books by this author/illustrator that I’ve
collected throughout my teaching career. Her titles cover a vast array of
topics, including animals, holidays, modes of transportation, the solar system
and much more. Within Gibbons’ books, the definitions of topic-specific
vocabulary is embedded within the text or among the illustrations. Unlike many
nonfiction titles, photographs give way to illustrations colored with pencil
and/or watercolor paints. Developing readers will find pronunciation guides
within the text for more difficult words. Additional information, often accompanied
by drawings, can be found in the back.
The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest, and Most Surprising Animals on Earth by Steve Jenkins (Houghton Mifflin, Harcourt,
2016)
2016)
Children
are all about superlatives: fastest, fiercest, toughest, indeed! The reader
does not need to read this text sequentially but can move around as the mood
strikes. At 200-plus pages, this volume is unlike the others in my list (most
of which are around 32 pages), but it’s not intimidating, perhaps due to the
nature of the eye-catching paper collage art and fun infographics. The book’s
design guides the reader through the content, which includes clear headings (family,
predators, senses, defenses, etc.), a brief introductory paragraph, and specific
animal information that highlights the
trait or topic being discussed. Due to some of the topic-specific vocabulary,
some readers may need more teacher assistance with this book than with other texts listed
here. This is definitely a book that I’ll need to share with my young readers.
are all about superlatives: fastest, fiercest, toughest, indeed! The reader
does not need to read this text sequentially but can move around as the mood
strikes. At 200-plus pages, this volume is unlike the others in my list (most
of which are around 32 pages), but it’s not intimidating, perhaps due to the
nature of the eye-catching paper collage art and fun infographics. The book’s
design guides the reader through the content, which includes clear headings (family,
predators, senses, defenses, etc.), a brief introductory paragraph, and specific
animal information that highlights the
trait or topic being discussed. Due to some of the topic-specific vocabulary,
some readers may need more teacher assistance with this book than with other texts listed
here. This is definitely a book that I’ll need to share with my young readers.
Lesley Burnap is a third grade teacher who loves nothing more than to
hang out with her dog and read. A happy member of NCTE, MRA, and the Nerdy Book
Club, she has worked in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts for 27 years. (Phew!) You can
follow her on Twitter @LBurnap90.
hang out with her dog and read. A happy member of NCTE, MRA, and the Nerdy Book
Club, she has worked in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts for 27 years. (Phew!) You can
follow her on Twitter @LBurnap90.
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3 Responses
Thanks, Lesley! I've read & enjoyed all of these titles except the Sea Turtles one–will get on that!!
Thank you, Maria!
Way to go, Lesley! You've done such a nice job of explaining the features of each book. I'm going to look for the Zoom In On Insects series for my readers.