Gregory, Josh. Cesar Chavez.

Gregory, Josh. Cesar Chavez. Scholastic/Childrens Press     2017  48p   $24.33      ISBN 978-0-531-21172-4    elem/ms  Biography  VG-BN       

In this brief biography, the elementary-age student learns about the life and work of Cesar Chavez, founder and head of tbe United Farm Workers’ Union. Beginning with his grandparents’ immigration to the United States from Mexico in the 1880s, the book takes its readers on a journey describing Chavez’s family life and hard times as a farm worker who dropped out of school after the 8th grade but continued to read and learn on his own. From struggle to struggle, he is pictured as a man committed to bettering the lives of migrant workers in the United States. More detail about the working conditions and wages of the farm workers would have been welcome in this book, as some of the descriptions of their lives is a bit vague, especially on pages 16-24. It is mentioned that the wages were too low, but no numbers are cited. It is also stated that there were unsafe conditions out in the fields, but again, no real details are given. However, by the book’s end, the reader has gotten an idea of the tenacity of Chavez and the difference the union has made in wages and working conditions. This reviewer thinks the readers could have handled a little bit more detail about working conditions and wages, to further motivate the reasons for their struggle.

A timeline, a glossary, many nice black-and-white photographs, a list of resources and an index are included in the book.     

Cesar Chavez is part of the series A True Book, which covers a very wide variety of nonfiction topics for elementary-age students.  

Summary: In this brief biography, the elementary-age student learns about the life and work of Cesar Chavez, founder and head of tbe United Farm Workers’ Union.  

Chavez, Cesar.                                                    --Carol Kennedy

Red Wolves.

Gregory, Josh.  Red Wolves.  Scholastic/Childrens Press     2014  48p  $25.20  ISBN 978-0-531-21227-1 elem series: Nature's Children  Nonfiction VG-BNS     

Elementary students who love red wolves will enjoy this new title.  Beautifully illustrated with glossy color photographs and illustrations, it will provide students with a better understanding of these amazing mammals.  Organized and written in five easy-to-comprehend chapters, it will acquaint readers with these beautiful rare breed animals.  Students learn many different things about red wolves including their physical characteristics, diet, habits, habitats, and where they can be found.   The author touches upon what they hunt, how they survive,  and how these powerful predators are becoming endangered.  Students learn how red wolves live in groups called packs within home ranges or territories, along with information about their mating and how they communicate with each other.  Since red wolves are carnivores, their diet is primarily meat, but they also eat berries and insects.  The author touches upon conservation groups and captive breeding programs to help save red wolves from extinction.

The title includes beautiful color photographs, a fact file on the red wolf, interesting fun-fact boxes, words to know, a habitat map, recommended books and web sites, and a comprehensive index. 

For schools that use Accelerated Reader, a test has already been created, AR Quiz #164721.

As of this review, 57 titles have been published to help readers discover how fascinating creatures survive in the wild, how they raise their young, and how they are related to other species.  Each title also raises important ideas about conservation by examining the animal's current status and explaining the ways humans have affected it throughout the years.     

Summary: “An introduction to the red wolf, covering survival in the wild, raising of young, relationships to other species, and protection and conservation issues.” 

Red wolf                                        --Charleen Forba-Mayer

Gregory, Josh. Gettysburg Address.

Gregory, Josh.  Gettysburg Address.  Scholastic/Childrens Press  2013  64p    $13.51  ISBN 978-0-531-28204-5  series: Cornerstones of Freedom  ms  Nonfiction  E-BN  

     

This title in the Cornerstones of Freedom series focuses on the Gettysburg Address.  A brief history of the founding of the United States sets the background for the recounting of the events of the Civil War up to and including the Battle of Gettysburg.  The author describes the efforts of the governor of Pennsylvania to create and dedicate a cemetery at Gettysburg, the events of Dedication Day, the text of Lincoln’s speech, quotes from newspapers, statements by persons who were present, and the reactions of the crowd.  The five known copies of the speech are listed and preservation efforts are described.
The text includes a diagram of the layout of the cemetery, brief information on the assassination of Lincoln, identification of key people, and a timeline.  There is a full page of the primary documents available on the publisher-sponsored web site.  The glossary is adequate and the index is extensive.

This title provides all the information necessary for the reader to appreciate the importance of this speech, what brought it about, and why it is so famous.  An excellent resource for middle-school libraries.   

Summary: This title provides background and fleshes out the history of the Gettysburg Address.  Information taken from primary and secondary sources is highlighted.  It sets the event in history and helps explain why it is remembered today. 

Gettysburg Address                                                --Joan Theal

Gregory, Josh. Wolf Spiders.

Gregory, Josh.  Wolf Spiders.  Scholastic/Childrens Press  2014  48p    $28.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23363-4  series: Nature’s Children  elem/ms  Nonfiction  VG-BNes   

     

Wolf spiders and some other species that are similar to them (nursery web spiders and tarantulas) are described in detail for young readers, with chapters on their physical appearance, their internal organs, their behavior and their history.  There are nearly 2,400 species of wolf spiders, and many of the features that distinguish them from web-spinning spiders are described, such as the fact that pregnant female spiders carry their egg sacs around with them on their spinnerets.  The photographs are excellent, the glossary is fairly good (although defining “organs” as simply “parts of the body” seems inadequate to this reviewer), the chapters are well organized and easy to navigate, there is a good habitat map, and there is a short list of references for further research and a good index.  This book will also appeal to reluctant readers at the middle-school level.

Summary: There are nearly 2,400 species of wolf spiders.  In this informative book for young children, they are described in some detail, with facts about their appearance, their internal organs, their behavior and their history.

Wolf spiders                                                --Carol Kennedy

Gregory, Josh. Steve Jobs.

Gregory, Josh.  Steve Jobs.   Scholastic/Childrens Press    2013  64p   $30.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23606-2      elm/ms  series: Cornerstones of Freedom  VG-BN     

This is the life story of technology guru Steve Jobs, a man who led us into new territories and broke down creative barriers, written in an easy-to-read format accompanied with chapter notes, glossary, a list of web sites, and an index.           

The text is crisply written at a low reading level and fully illustrated with photographs.  The inclusion of facts and references to sources of additional information, including web sites, a timeline and a glossary/index make this a useful research tool.

Second only to the informative text, the most important thing about this book is its visual appeal to young readers.  The page layouts are diversified and well balanced between text and very descriptive photographic illustrations, so that concepts are grouped together.  The flow and balance of the text and the visuals are integrated to present a very stimulating book for both young and reluctant readers.      This book is one in the Cornerstones of Freedom series, which consists of eight books at this time. The general theme of the series is biography.

Steve Jobs, Technology                                --Martha Squaresky