5+5=.....

by: Todd Ouren

5, 10, 15, 20! Counting by fives comes easy to adults; we do it almost every day! From counting money to making sure all the kids are present in our classroom, counting by fives comes naturally to almost all adults. Though, for young children this can be a daunting task. Hands Down: Counting by Fives is an easy way to teach kids this math strategy. Each page in the book is wonderfully illustrated with hand prints counting from 5 to 50. On each page a hand is added to demonstrate five more being added. Each page also has a theme. The author writes "30 fingers make kissing turkeys", and the illustrator shows 6 hands colored into turkeys. On another page, the hands become ghosts. The author makes the book enjoyable for all ages to read and enjoy, as well as teaches a valuable skill!

This book would be perfect for a classroom library in a Kindergarten class. The text is very easy to read, and this is a skill learned at that age. This would also be appropriate for children who completely can't count by fives to be able to count the fingers on each hand to bridge the gap into counting by fives. This book also could be used in a 3rd grade class that is learning the multiplication tables. The fives multiplication table is one of the easiest to learn, and by learning it first, the others can be learned easily. Because the book breaks the numbers into groups of five for the reader, all the reader would need to do is multiply the number of hands by five to get the answer. I think this book would help a lot in a classroom setting, especially for students that are better in reading than in math. This could help close the gap between the subjects. This is definitely a book I will be adding to my classroom library!  

A long, long, LONG time ago

Ancient Rome: A Mighty Empire

By: Muriel L. Dubois

Have you ever wondered what life was like thousands of years ago? Is it hard to think back that long ago? With this picture book, the reader is able to understand how life was in Ancient Rome. From the leaders, to the number systems this book covers all of the basics of the Ancient Roman culture. Rome was a city-state in ancient Italy, and developed into a widely known landmark. Rome is situated in 7 hills and originally became populated by nomads from the heart of Europe. They then built a culture that would last for centuries. The city-state produced a government and leaders, such as Caesar, that have been referred to since they came to lead. The author gives historical accounts throughout the book, and makes it interesting to read. The pictures elaborate on the text and make the historical information interesting of all readers to enjoy!

Ancient Rome: A Mighty Empire is layered with rich vocabulary on every page. The way the book is set up immediately lets the reader know that it is nonfiction. The book contains side bars, maps, and references. The book is organized into chapters that makes it easier to read. This book would make a great addition to any library and has multiple purposes. The book can not only be used for studying the ancient culture in whole, but can be used for architecture, government, geography, and to further understand wars throughout centuries. This book offers many uses and would be a great addition to the classroom.    

LOOK OUT! IT'S COMING FOR US!!

Anatomy of a Hurricane

By: Terri Dougherty

"Roaring winds push sheets or rain. Trees twisted and toppled. Huge waves gushed onto land sweeping away cars and homes. People feared for their lives as they huddles in attics and on rooftops."

Have you ever wondered what exactly caused a hurricane? What about how much damage can be caused by one? By reading Anatomy of a Hurricane all of the questions you could ever have about a hurricane will be answered! The quote above is the opening sentence of this exciting book into the world of hurricanes. The book gives a light introduction about what exactly a hurricane is. We also learn about one of the most damaging hurricanes, Katrina, which hit New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005. The author then transitions to how a hurricane is formed, how it receives its name, and its ranking. We learn the amount of power a hurricane must have to be classified as a hurricane, and the level it can then be ranked as. We learn the naming process, and that the names of the most powerful storms are retired! Once a storm hits land it looses speed and force immediately, and turns into rain storms. The center of a hurricane is called the 'Eye of the Hurricane', and is a calm spot in which everything in the storm rotates around. The book then gives information on people who work with hurricanes. We learn about the people that track hurricanes and those that predict hurricanes the season before. There are even hurricane hunters that try to get as close to the storm as possible! The aftermath of a hurricane is often the worst part. There is nothing to do to stop a hurricane, but we have learned how to prepare for one. There are rankings of the most deadliest, most costly, and most intense.  

Falling into the category of nonfiction, the book is covered in real pictures of all aspect of a hurricane, as well as the aftermath caused by one. Also, each page is covered in side notes and additional information. There are various charts, diagrams, scales, and timelines throughout the book. The author is also sure to point out important vocabulary. The book is not only written well, but also draws the eye in and makes the reader interested from the start. The colorful pages would make his book a wonderful addition to any classroom library! 

nonfiction... its no joke

Clara Barton

by: Erin Edison

Nonfiction is simply put as literature of facts. When nonfiction is mentioned, most people's minds jump to thinking about text books or really dry books. While this is true, there is so much more to nonfiction! In this picture book about Clara Barton, we are introduced to her through details of her life and work. In order for a book to fall into the nonfiction category, the information inside must be accurate. This means that the author gives proof that the information is indeed factual. This author does so by listing sources and a contributing editor who studied Clara. The way this book look immediately helps us know that the book is indeed nonfiction. There are dates on each page, historical pictures, and a timeline that runs through the book. The book is written in the order of her life, and does not jump around. This organizational structure makes it easy to be read. The book is very short, and does not contain a glossary or index, but that doesn't it is not full of important information! This book like many others are a great addition to a classroom library, and knowledge to student's minds! 

Once Upon A Time...

"Once upon a time, there were three bears'", Goldilocks and the Three Bears starts off like most fairy tales. This characteristic of the story is one of many that places it into the genre of Traditional Literature. To be even more specific the story land in the category of prose  Traditional Literature. This story is so well known, that almost every small child can recite it to you without thinking! Usually the story is carried on orally, but it has been written down for even more sharing. The story contains one key element of Traditional Literature, that being we have no idea of the setting of the story except it takes place in a house. This is a strong element in most Traditional Literature. We can guess at the details, but we don't know anything for certain. Another element strong displayed in this story is the lack of characterization. The characters are what would be called 'flat'. They don't show much, if any, character development. This is very generic to the genre. Characters typically don't grow in a Traditional Literature story.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

by: Barrie Wade

What's that? A Poem?

That Old Haunted House

That old haunted house was so creepy, so crawly

so ghastly, so ghostly, so gruesome, so skully-and-bony.

That old haunted house gave me nightmares and daymares

and shutters and shivers and quivers and quavers and quakes.

That old haunted house made my hair stand on end and my

heart pound-pound-pound and the blood in my veins ice-cold-freezing.

That old haunted house gave me goose bumps and throat lumps

and ch-ch-ch-chattering teeth and the sh-sh-sh-shakes

That old haunted house made me shriek, made me eeek,made

me faint, made me scared-to-death scared, made me all-over sweat.

Would I ever go back to that old haunted house?

You bet. 

Judith Viorst 

Cobwebs, Chatters, and Chills is an anthology of poem compiled by Patricia M. Stockland. This book contained poems with a Halloween theme, and each poem focused on a different type or poem or different element of poetry. From meter, to rhyme, to teaching what an is acrostic, to listing onomatopoeias this anthology covers all the basics of poetry. The particular poem, "That Old Haunted House" by Judith Viorst gives great examples of different elements. The author uses alliteration in words like creepy and crawly, ghastly, ghostly, and gruesome, and quivers, quavers, and quakes. The author also uses figurative language, and takes advantage of rhythm to make the poem pleasing to the hear. Although there is no direct rhyming or rhythm, there is rhythm felt throughout the piece. The author also uses repetition to make the poem easy and fun to read by starting each sentence with 'That old haunted house...' She also adds emotion and suspense to the text by drawing words of like 'sh-sh-sh-shakes' and creating words that evoke feeling. All of the poems in the book paint a picture of Halloween, and create suspense in the readers mind. This book is relevant to students, because they all are aware of Halloween and creepy-crawlies. It also appeals to the students in what they would find interesting and motivate them to read more poetry. This particular poem would appeal to children as well, because they have all seen a creepy house that they may have been scared to drive by, or even go in!