Bibliography:
Simon, Seymour.Super Storms. New York: SeaStar Books. 2002.
ISBN: 1587171384

Plot Summary:

In this book Seymour Simon explores thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes.  Simon explains how they form and why they die out while giving examples of the kind of destruction wrought by each, often referring to specific storms that occurred in the past. The book starts with thunderstorms(which can produce lightening, hail, strong winds and tornadoes) and explains how the process begins while giving great facts and information.  It moves to tornadoes which can begin from a thunderstorm. Finally, the book moves on to the deadliest storm which is the hurricane.  The photos in this book add to the quality and its educational quality.

Critical Analysis:

Seymour Simon's facts and information are easily looked up to verify accuracy. Simon was a science teacher before he became an author and uses his knowledge of the subject to create scientific informational books for children. He has written over 200 hundred science books for children and won many awards. This book is written for younger children ranging from 4-10 with a reading level of 3.9. The photos in this book are amazing. Each picture is an example of the topic Simon is explaining and adds to the story and understanding. Photo credits are given on the copyright page of the book. This book does not  have a table of contents, chapters, or index and lacks any type of organizational technique common to nonfiction books. I would presume it does not have this because it is written for younger children. The information is presented in progression from the beginning of a thunderstorm to closing with information about a hurricane.  Information is presented clearly and precisely for easy understanding. A reader would enjoy reading such an informative book while learning about storms.

Connections:

Earthquakes by Seymour Simon

Volcanoes by Seymour Simon

Weather by Seymour Simon

Violent weather : thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes by Andrew Collins

http://www.seymoursimon.com/

Reviews and Awards:

• The New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature
• The Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library
• The Eva L. Gordon Award, presented by the American Nature Society, for his contribution to children's science literature
• The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction for the body of his work
• Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Literature
• Kansas Reading Association 2001 Picture Book Award
• The 2002 Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1992 National Forum on Children's Science Books Lifetime Achievement Commendation
• New York Time's One of the Years Best Illustrated Children's Books, Certificate of Excellence

Simon uses the same handsome format that he used to introduce the planets to explain storms here on earth. In a simple and direct way he explains the mechanisms that cause thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes to form their tremendous destructive power. The amazing color photos are well chosen and range from an excellent four-panel display of a tornado's progress to full-page photos of storm clouds, lightening strikes, and so on. The type is large and clear, and the information is sufficient for basic reports. While there is no new information here, this beautiful science book from a reliable and prolific author should certainly be considered to augment existing weather collections or to begin a new collection. -School Library Journal

"A succinct, informative essay illuminated by magnificent photographs. The subject is particularly absorbing, as it highlights the natural drama of a commonly experienced phenomenon....The stunning visual portrayal of storms, accompanied by impressive factual data and clear explanations in crisp prose, is truly compelling."--Horn Book.

Bibliography:
Montgomery, Sy. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST (Scientists in the Field Series); Nic Bishop(photos). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2004.
ISBN: 0618147993

Plot Summary:

The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery along with Nic Bishop (photographer) presents the story of Sam Marshall, a scientist exploring the jungle.  They travel to New Guiana on an exploration to look for spiders, especially tarantulas.  Sam did not like school, or science, until he discovered spiders. Sam then began to love science and has devoted his life to the study of spiders. He is a type of scientist called an arachnologist.  The reader follows Sam through French Guiana in South America in search of the Goliath birdeater tarantula which can grow up to 15 inches in diameter. Through this photo essay, the reader learns about different kinds of spiders while also learning about New Guiana and many other science facts.

Critical Analysis:
Part of the Scientist in the Field Series, this book provides accurate and fascinating information about Goliath birdeater tarantulas and spiders in general.  It has a section called “How This Book Was Researched.” The reader will find out that Montgomery along with the photographer Bishop went with Sam Marshall through the jungle of New Guiana.  Sam researched tarantulas with Montgomery and Bishop joining on the expedition plus they also visited Sam’s Spider Lab at Hiram College in Ohio.  Montgomery traveling with the scientist nearly insures facts and information will be accurate.  In the text Montgomery is careful to note when theories, rather than concrete facts, are presented to insure that any myths or wrong ideas about spiders are put to rest. Montgomery writes in an humorous style while telling the reader information about science, the jungle and spiders. For example Montgomery states, "Normally is not a great idea to poke sticks in burrows in the jungle-especially if you don't know who lives there." 

This book has an abundance of facts and information which are fairly easy to find even though there is not a Table of Contents. This book contains a map at the beginning showing the reader where French Guiana is located. It has headings at the beginning of each new topic, similar to chapters but minus the number. It contains photographs through out the book with labels telling the reader about the photo. At the back of the book there are paragraphs with a heading to give the readers the ability to scan the extra information. These paragraphs contain information on handling tarantulas, spider stats, spider language, how the book was researched, special acknowledgments, selected bibliography, websites, how to reach the jungle in French Guiana where Sam does his research, information on having a tarantula as a pet, an index, and a website for teachers.  Nic Bishop's photographs are amazing and catch the wonder of the jungle and these magnificent spiders.  Each beautifully colored photo helps the reader understand the text being read plus the caption enhances understanding of the photo. This is a great book for information on science and spiders plus a good resource to get students motivated for inquiry based studies. 

Connections:

*The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery
*The Frog Scientist by Sy Montgomery
*Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by Sy Montgomery
*Uncover a Tarantula: Take a Three-Dimensional Look Inside a Tarantula! by *David George Gordon
*Tarantulas (Animals of the Rain Forest) by Christy Steele
*http://symontgomery.com/wp-content/themes/toolbox/downloads/tarantula-activities.pdf

Awards and Reviews:

•  Sibert Honor Book
• ALA Notable Book
• John Burroughs Nature Book for Young Readers
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• 2005 Outstanding Science Trade Book for K–12

* Kirkus Review: “Bishop’s phenomenal photos show spiders mating, shedding their skin, even leaping through the air. It’s enough to make Miss Muffet fall in love.”

* “Superb color photos abound in this spectacular series addition. . . . This is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work. . . . A treat, even for arachnophobes.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Bibliography:
 Kerley, Barbara; Fotheringham,Edwin.[illus.].  WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 2008.

ISBN: 9780439922319.

Plot Summary:
What to do about Alice? is a biography picture book about Alice Roosevelt.  This non-fiction book tells about her outrageous, uncontrollable behavior, and how her dad (President Teddy Roosevelt) could not control her. The title page reads "How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world and drove her father Teddy crazy."

Critical Analysis:

Barbara Kerley is a well known nonfiction writer so proving the accuracy of this book was not very difficult.  Most of the information could be looked up easily.  Kerley is famous for her picture book biographies with her own unique style that enlightens and educates readers. When a reader first looks at this book, the cover is very interesting and catches one's attention with the large cartoon style art.  The illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham are vivid and in a way that is appropriate for the time Alice lived and  made to look like the late 1800′s and earlier 1900′s. They are mischievous and represent the times accurately in clothing and style.  On one page, the illustrations display several things happening with and around Alice. This gives the reader of feel of Alice's haphazard behavior and how she was never idle for long while exploring everything. As the book states, "Alice was hungry to go places, meet people, and do things". The print is large and small while mixing fonts to draw the readers attention to certain words.  For example on one page:

Her father called it "RUNNING RIOT" and Alice called it "eating up the world". 

This book is wonderful for giving readers a biography that is not just about presidents, war heroes or celebrities but on a more personal note.This biography serves its purpose of being educational, but unlike most in its genre, it was also a fun biography to read. The recommended age for this book is 4-8 but I feel could be used up to middle school grades. The book begins when Alice is small and moves chronologically with Alice's age up till the point she marries and becomes a woman.  At the end of the book, the author's note gives more insight into Alice with more stories about her antics.  Middle school students would love the author's notes because it gives more about Alice with a higher level of reading.  I loved this book and fell in love with Alice and all of her escapades and charm. 

Connections:

Other stories/bibliographies by Barbara Kerley:
Kerley, Barbara. The Extraordinary Mark Twain.
Kerley, Barbara. One World, One Day.
Kerley, Barbara. A Cool Drink of Water.

Kerley, Barbara. Walt Whitman: Words for America

Websites with Activities, Games and Lesson Plans-

http://barbarakerley.com/TRAlice.html

http://suzyred.com/2009-what-to-do-about-alice.html
http://www.texaslibrarian.com/page/11/

Awards and Reviews: 

• Sibert Honor Book 
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book 
• Irma Black Award Honor Book
• Parents Choice Award 
• Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
• California Collections 
• A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
• An ALA Notable Book
• Capitol Choices
• New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
• Nominated for Young Reader awards in Texas, Illinois, Utah and Tennessee

* "Irrepressible Alice Roosevelt gets a treatment every bit as attractive and exuberant as she was." — Booklist, starred review

* "This sassy biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth validates President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quip about his oldest child: 'I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.' With a palette that emphasizes Alice Blue, her signature color, the illustrations often match Alice’s spirit with zigzag streaks, circular pieces of spot art, and slanting figures." — Horn Book, starred review

* "It’s hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt. Kerley knows just how to introduce her to contemporary readers. Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start: his stylish digital art sets a fast pace, making use of speed lines (rendered in dots, these earn their names) and multiple vignettes to evoke characters in perpetual motion." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Kerley brings another historical figure to life. Kerley’s text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject’s antics...Fotheringham’s digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text. The energy in his pictures is palpable...This book provides a fascinating glimpse into both a bygone era and one of its more interesting denizens as well as a surefire antidote for any child who thinks that historical figures are boring." — School Library Journal, starred review