Raum, Elizabeth Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure

Raum, Elizabeth        Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure           

Capstone Publishers 2011   107p   30.65  978-1-4296-5479-1           

elm/ms           Historical        You Choose: History (Capstone)     VG-BNS          

In this ╥You Choose╙ adventure, readers can

become a newsboy in New York City in 1866, go west with three younger siblings

in 1904, or be left alone with a baby sister in 1919.  As the reader progresses

through each story, further choices are offered that change the final outcome.           

During the mid-nineteenth to the early part of the twentieth century, there were

immense numbers of homeless children to be found in New York and other large

Eastern cities.  Many of these children were orphans, had families that could

not feed them, or were runaways from desperate situations.  Charles Brace

founded the Children╒s Aid Society and was instrumental in creating the Orphan

Trains to take these children west to a better life.  This book offers a peek

into the societal mores of the time.  In this ╥You Choose╙ adventure, readers

can become a newsboy in New York City in 1866, go west with three younger

siblings in 1904, or be left alone with a baby sister in 1919.  As the reader

progresses through each story, further choices are offered that will change the

final outcome.  

 The book is arranged with an introduction, the three stories and afterwords

that place the adventures in historical context, timelines, a bibliography of

books and Internet sites, a glossary, and an index.  It provides an exciting way

to personalize this era and help the young readers relate to the events of the

times.  It will be of great value to teachers of social studies and certainly

lead to further historical research.

            This series includes books that support the early civilizations of world

history, the major events of American history, life-changing events like the

sinking of the Titanic and fascinating topics like pirates.  ╥You Choose╙ which

topic you will study as you navigate the pages of this creative series.

Lassieur, Allison. Colonial America: An Interactive History Adventure.

Lassieur, Allison.        Colonial America: An Interactive History Adventure.       

Capstone Publishers 2011   112p   22.99  978-1-4296-5481-4           

elm/ms                       You Choose: History (Capstone)     E-BNS

Life in Colonial America has never been presented

in a more user-friendly format!  Students will learn about indentured servants,

sailors and soldiers and their contributions to pre-Revolutionary War days and

life in Philadelphia prior to the war.           This is one of the best of the ╥You

Choose╙ adventures.  Its comprehensive nature shows Colonial America╒s

highlights including life as an indentured servant, life as a ship worker or

soldier, and life as an apprentice to the owner of a print shop.  The format

includes an introduction, three chapters which give equal treatment to the major

issues or people of the times and a conclusion.  Social studies teachers

continually look for ways to combine literacy study with learning, and this book

suits this purpose divinely.  Students will anxiously turn pages to see if they

die in the French & Indian War or return home to help with the family farm.  Do

you help the Colonists╒ cause in the American Revolution or do you perish from

yellow fever?  Just imagine dying from a strike to the head with a tomahawk, or

from disobeying your ship captain’s orders to go below during a storm and

drowning!  At the end of each section of new information, the reader chooses a

path, turns to that page and reads on.  The history lessons come alive as the

author fills in the possible dialog between an indentured servant and an agent

or between a soldier (you!) and a general.  The support pictures are

appropriately placed to aide the young reader comprehend all of the contents.  

The timeline helps the reader place each event in chronological order, the

glossary helps with vocabulary and the extra questions to study are a useful

addition for encouraging additional reflection about a topic.      This series

includes books that support the early civilizations of world history, the major

events of American history, life-changing events like the sinking of the Titanic

and fascinating topics like pirates.  ╥You Choose╙ which topic you will study as

you navigate the pages of this creative series.      Squaresky, Martha

Nardo, Don. The Rwandan Genocide.

Nardo, Don.    The Rwandan Genocide.      

Cengage (Gale,Lucent,Kidhaven/Blackbirch   2011   104p  33.95         978-1-4205-0567-2           

ms/hs             World History            VG-BNS

            This informative volume explores the Rwandan Genocide, focusing on the

historical context, political idealogy, pivotal events, prominent individuals

and the refugee problems.  Profusely illustration with haunting photos, this

well-written account of the Rwandan Genocide provides the reader with the

historical and political background, as well as a year by year account of the

atrocities that became commonplace during that brutal civil conflict.  The mere

scope of the killings  is well-documented, and readers will learn more than the

international headlines conveyed.

Included, at the beginning of the book,  is a timeline of the conflict,

including major events in world history that provide a back-drop.  Comprehensive

chapter notes, bibliographical references, and an index complete the volume. 

This is a valuable addition to middle and high school history collections.         This

book is part of the World History series.  The series consists of 46 books at

this time.  The focus of the series is to provide coverage of pivotal events in

world history.            Naismith, Pat

Stewart, Melissa. Salamander or Lizard? : How Do You Know?

Stewart, Melissa.     Salamander or Lizard? : How Do You Know?          

Enslow            2011   24p     16.00    978-0-7660-3679-6

 elem               Which Animal is Which? (Enslow)  VG-BNes         ╥Text and

photographs describe the physical characteristics of salamanders and lizards and

explain how to tell the difference between the two.╙      Elementary school

students who enjoy reptiles and amphibians will enjoy this new title comparing a

salamander to a lizard.  Students are presented with a short list of words to

know, then presented with fantastic vibrant, color photographs of various

lizards and salamanders.  Written in an easy-to-comprehend style, the author

describes the differences between salamanders and lizards.  Students learn that

salamanders are amphibians that live in the water when young, and most adult

salamanders live on the land in moist places.  Lizards are reptiles who spend

their entire lifetime on the land, usually in warm, dry places.  Salamanders

have smooth, soft skin, while lizards have dry, scaly skin.  Most salamanders

have four toes on their front feet, five toes on their back feet.  Lizards have

five toes on both their front and back toes.  The differences in the way each of

the animals lay their eggs vary too, as salamanders lay soft eggs in the water

and lizards lay hard eggs on the land.  While young salamanders start life as a

tadpole in the water, lizards live on the land and act like their parents.

Includes great color photographs, words to know, recommended books and web sites,

and an index. Each title in this series compares two animals.  Animals being

compared are:  butterfly/moth, alligator/crocodile, salamander/lizard,

insect/spider, frog/toad,  and shark/dolphin.       Forba-Mayer, Charleen

Stewart, Melissa Butterfly or moth? : how do you know?

Stewart, Melissa        Butterfly or moth? : how do you know?    

Enslow            2011   24p   21.26    978-0-7660-3678-9           

elem                Which Animal is Which? (Enslow)  VG-BNes        

Colorful photos and concise text help young readers to identify the

differences between butterflies and moths.          Highly magnified, color photos

highlight this clearly written and informative volume on butterflies and moths. 

Each characteristic is explored in a two page spread, with a photo of a

butterfly on the left and a moth on the right. The narrative text is concise and

to the point, without oversimplifying the facts presented.  At the end of the

volume, the facing pages contain diagrams, summarizing the differences between

the species, with a photo of each in the middle.  Then, just for fun, strange

and little known facts about each species is appended.

The glossary appears as ╥Words to know,╙ and is placed at the beginning of the

volume to give students needed background to help decode and understand the text. 

At the end, bibliographical references and an index complete the volume.      This

book is part of the Which Animal is Which? series.  The series consists of 6

books at this time.  The focus of the series is to explain the differences

between similar and often mistakenly misidentified species.     Naismith, Pat

Stewart, Melissa Insect or Spider?

Stewart, Melissa        Insect or Spider?      

Enslow            2011   24p     21.26  978-0-7660-3681-9

elem                Which Animal is Which? (Enslow)  VG-BNes        

Explains how to differentiate between insects and arachnids.                Differentiating

between insects and arachnids (spiders) can be challenging for youngsters. 

Rather than lumping them together under the heading, ╥bugs,╙ Stewart compares

and contrasts key features that differentiate the groups, and large, colorful

double-page photographs further underscore these features.  Most insects and

spiders are depicted life size or larger-than-life-size so details are vivid. 

The majority of  photographs are taken at eye level.  Those individuals

squeamish or phobic about spiders and insects may find this distressing, but the

eye-catching, detailed pictures will fascinate others for hours.  The

photographs capture the delicate tracery in the membrane of a dragonfly╒s wings,

the short, sharp needle of a honey bee’s stinger, and the hoary mandibles of a

Goliath bird-eating spider.   

          Subject-specific vocabulary terms are defined in a glossary at the

very beginning of the text, which facilitates comprehension as the terms are

encountered later in the book.  The text is brief, to-the-point, and matter-of-

fact.  It contains basic facts, as well as some interesting ╥factoids╙ (did you

know that scientists don’t know if or how spiders can smell? or that some

insects eat plastic?).  A summary of traits at the end of the text is

accompanied by clear photographs in a colorful page layout.   Welliver, Hilary