Who Was George Washington: By Roberta Edwards

       Just about everyone knows who the man with the crazy looking white hair on the dollar bill is, but do you know what else he did besides serves as the first US President? Who Was George Washington? by Roberta Edwards seeks to tell readers who George Washington was, and anything else you could possibly want to know about him. The biography flows in a linear fashion, beginning with a brief introduction to tell readers who he was (incase they really have no idea), then begins with his childhood in Virginia, his life as a young soldier, his rise through the ranks to General, and so on. The book ends by telling us how we commemorate George Washington today, through a national holiday, several monuments in his honor, and on the one dollar bill you use to buy your ice cream. The last three pages provide readers with a timeline summarizing George Washington's life, and a short bibliography where readers can find more information on the nation's first President.
     What makes this book a successful children's nonfiction piece is the use of simple language to make the factual information accessible. Edwards was also very selective with the information she chose to include, paying close attention to include only information that was extremely significant or that would be of great interest to the target population of young readers, such as the fact that George Washington had a mother who was very bossy and he was a great athlete (very relatable details). The linear format of the biography makes the biography easy following, allowing readers to learn information in a logical and familiar way.
         Cartoon-style, sketched illustrations by True Kelley help to bring visual interest to the story as well. Close to every page contains a sketch that seeks to enhance the text and gives the reader a physical depiction of what is being read. The cartoon-style of the pictures make them accessible and engaging, giving the book a very child appropriate vibe.
          This biography about George Washington, accurately provides readers with important information about a key figure in American history. The linear format, simple language, and cartoon-style illustrations weave together to create a nonfiction piece that is both engaging and brimming with information. This book, written for students in grades 3-5, would be a strong addition to a study of bibliographies, a study of presidents, or a study about our nation's forefathers.

To learn more about George's Washington home, Mount Vernon, check out this webpage!

Picture Source:http://www.amazon.com/Who-George-Washington-Roberta-Edwards/dp/0448448920

My Heart Glow: By Emily Arnold McCully

         With ever increasing diversity in our communities, the search and need for books that celebrate these unique individuals and their history is becoming more and more important for educators. My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet and the Birth of American Sign Language, written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, teaches readers about the history of American Sign Language through telling a narrative story. This book was published by Hyperion Books for Children. The story is told about Alice Cogswell, a young deaf girl who is both a curious and quick learner. But, unfortunately, in early nineteenth century America, no one had discovered techniques to teach deaf or hearing impaired children. However, thankfully for Alice, an equally curious man named Thomas Gallaudet, took an interest in her and noticed how smart she was. Gallaudet vowed to help Alice to learn. This vow took him across the Atlantic Ocean to study ways of teaching deaf children in Europe from experts in the subject. Alice worries Gallaudet will never come back to teach her, but just as he promised he does. He returns having learned many knew techniques to teach Alice. Inspired by Alice's story and the new knowledge he has gained, Gallaudet creates the nation's first school for the deaf, improving Alice's life and the lives of generations of young, deaf students to come.
           McCully tells about the birth of American Sign Language through a simple narrative story about Alice Cogswell and Thomas Gallaudet. The narrative uses a basic story structure with a beginning, middle and end. It also gives details about the characterization, plot and setting. Each page contains a watercolor illustration created by Emilly Arnold McCully herself, which extended the meaning of the text by depicting the scene on that page or spread of pages. The watercolors are done using a pallet of bright colors that bring the scenes to life and make them very visually appealing.
           In terms of an informational, nonfiction picture book, McCully does a great job of teaching about the birth of ASL using a story that is easy for young readers to understand. The familiar narrative format provides the readers with a type of story they are familiar with, while still giving them the right amount of factual information for them to actually learn about how American Sign Language came to be. Young readers will be able to relate to Alice's curiosity about the world and understand that she wants to learn new things from school and the world around her, just like they do.
          This book seeks to teach children about the history of American Sign Language through the use of a narrative story with friendly color illustrations. This book would be great for students in grades 2nd-4th, as the language is fairly simple, yet the content is factual and important. Teachers could use this picture book when teaching children about diversity, helping children to understand hearing impairments, and when teaching about different types of languages. This nonfiction, informational picture book is an great example of the genre.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/My-Heart-Glow-Cogswell-Gallaudet/dp/142310028X

Ballots for Belva-A True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency: By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

            In 1884, the only people allowed to vote in United States' elections were men. However, this did not stop Belva Lockwood wanting to do something about this unfairness. Belva realized that while it was not legal for her to vote, it was legal for others to give her their votes, so she decided to run for president of the United States of America, and miraculously, she received votes!
         Belva had spent her entire life trying to move the mountains that stood between her and her dreams. She went to law school, becoming the first woman to practice law in federal courts and the first to argue a case before the Supreme Court of the United States. She was a well respected lobbyist, public speaker, and women's rights activist. Despite these previously held, well respected roles, Belva Lockwood's presidential campaign was riddled with challenges. But despite the lack of financial support and large number of critics she faced, Belva never hesitated in her commitment to equality for all. She was determined to earn the respect-and votes- of her fellow citizens.
        While Belva did not win the presidency, author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen does a fabulous job with this little-known but richly deserving subject. The use of narrative to tell the story of Belva Lockwood allows the reader to see Belva as a real person, as opposed to someone from long, long ago who has no relatable qualities. This book uses a linear storyline of Belva's life, from childhood, to adulthood, to law school, and then running for president that organizes the information in a very easy to follow and understandable manner. Full bleed, color illustrations by Courtney A. Martin are both visually appealing and content enriching, letting the reader feel as though they have stepped back in time and are standing right alongside Belva on her journey. The author further enhances the educational purposed of this text through the addition of an "Author's Note" that gives more information about Belva's mission, a glossary with words related to voting and women's rights, a timeline of women's suffrage in the United States, and a bibliography of selected sources the reader could visit for further information. These many informational additions help to take the educational value of this book to the next level, giving readers a chance to go beyond just the knowledge taught in the text.
     This book would be best used in grades 2 through 6. The language, if certain words are discussed (i.e.-suffrage, ballot, etc.), is simple enough for younger readers, yet educationally valuable enough for upper-elementary aged students. This informational picture book would be a great read aloud addition to a study of equal rights, women's rights, or the process of running for president. Belva's story serves as an inspiration that reminds modern-day readers how far we have come since Belva's time, and shows us the way to keep fighting for equality of all people, on all levels.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Ballots-Belva-Story-Womans-Presidency/dp/1419716271

Police Patrol: By Katherine K. Winkleman

          As my little brother prepares to head off to Old Dominion University to study criminal justice in just under a month, I could not have chosen a more appropriate informational picture book to review. Police Patrol, by Katherine Winkleman offers the reader an educational and intriguing tour into the world of police work. Beginning with the police car cruising down a neighborhood street on the first end paper, each page spread introduces a new division of law enforcement. Cartoon-style illustrations by John Winkleman show each law enforcement division discussed in action, providing tons of details for the reader, and including informational labels for diagrams of an officer's uniform, inside a police station and more. Readers will get to learn about everything from undercover detectives to highway patrols, scuba units to bomb squads, and the Miranda warning to fingerprinting suspects. This book teaches young readers the official lingo used by law enforcement, from "perp" to radio codes like 10-4, 10-10 and much more. They'll also learn tips about how to stay safe anywhere, how to make a 911 call for help, all while developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for the hardworking people that keep us all safe.
          Informational picture book, Police Patrol, is brimming with knowledge about the world of law enforcement. Author Katherine Winkleman and her husband, illustrator John Winkleman, consulted over 100 police officers while researching for this book, make them excellent sources of information on this topic. Each subject explored contains a big blue heading that allows the reader to know exactly what is begin discussed and helps to create an organizational flow to the different pieces of law enforcement and the detailed images that accompany them. These illustrations are a crucial component of this book in that they provide so much information, not explained in the text. It is almost as if the pictures serve as a magnifying glass into the role of law enforcement, providing an in-depth view of its different purposes.
      Children grades K through 3 (ages 4-8) will love getting the inside scoop about law enforcement and learning about how police officers serve as community leaders in many diverse ways. Each brightly colored image serves as a miniature story in itself, jam-packed with details and information to enhance the text. This book would be great to use with younger children who are studying community leaders, but would also be useful to upper-elementary school students who could further contextualize the material being taught. I really appreciate the positive light that this book places on police officers and law enforcement, highlighting the huge role they play in making our communities safe. Police Patrol is a wonderful addition to any lower-elementary classroom library, or lesson about community leaders, teaching the reader everything they could ever want to know about law enforcement.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Police-Patrol-Katherine-K-Winkleman/dp/0802784534

Little Shark: By Anne Rockwell

       In light of all the recent news coverage involving an increased number of shark sightings in my favorite vacation spots, the Outer Banks, I found it only appropriate to review a book about these fascinating and often misunderstood creatures. Little Shark, by Anne Rockwell, tells the story of a shark born in the deep, dark depths of the ocean. Soon his whole family, including his mother and forty-nine brothers and sisters swim away, leaving Little Shark all alone. He is left alone to fend for himself against bigger sharks, who want to gobble him up. He must swim fast to dodge the bigger predators and in order to find his own food. Little Shark grows and grows, as he grows the readers get to learn all about shark anatomy, behaviors, and many other fun facts. At the end of the story Little Shark turns out to be a big blue shark, which we learn means he could grow to be twelve or thirteen feet long! The author closes the book with an "Author's Note" section that sheds some light on more information about sharks, specifically focusing on the blue shark.
     As written on the inside, back panel of the book, Anne Rockwell's son wanted to read every book about sharks he could get his hands on, thus inspiring the writing of Little Shark. This also makes Anne Rockwell a trusted authority, who is well read in the area of sharks.Anne Rockwell's writing style of using a narrative story within an informational picture book lends itself perfectly to creating a kid-friendly way to learn all about sharks. Beginning the book with the birth of a shark and allowing the reader to follow the same shark across its lifespan helps to organize the wealth of information in a way that aids understanding and creates relationships among concepts. Full bleed, color illustrations by Megan Halsey depicting various ocean scenes, different types of sharks, as well as labeled informational pieces such as shark skeletons and other details of shark anatomy help to solidify the reader's understanding of the text. They also enhance the book's content by letting the reader see the entire anatomy of a shark labeled and compared against a human skeleton, which allows the reader to connect the two related concepts.
      This informational picture book is recommended for ages 3 to 7, as it teaches all about sharks using very basic language and brightly colored, cartoon-style illustrations. This picture book would be great for children who are interested in learning about sharks or ocean life in general. I would also recommend this picture book for teachers who are teaching lessons about animals or ocean life. I enjoyed the friendly and simplistic use of illustration that helped to simplify the content and make it developmentally appropriate for the targeted age group. Little Shark does a wonderful job of shedding a positive light on the misunderstood creatures that we have found ourselves seeing portrayed as monsters on the news every other week this summer.
   
 Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Shark-Anne-Rockwell/dp/0802789552