Killer Dinosaurs

KILLER DINOSAURS
by: Andrew Goldsmith
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 32
Reading Level: 8-12

"Fright Factor:
The sight of this killer charging at you would probably frighten you to death."

Killer Dinosaurs, is the ultimate Non-Fiction Dinosaur book. Its layout is so fun with information on one side of the page. A big picture in the middle, and on the other side is Extreme Scores. Which scores each area like Mobility, body mass, jaw power, fright factor, hunting skills, and give a "Total Score" out of 50. It has the top 10 frightening Dinosaurs, and then it has additional ones which were close, but didn't make the cut. They also have an area for Stats making it fun for boys to compare and talk about. As any good non-fiction book it also has a glossary of words you might not know.

In its introduction it also talks about why they rated those key things why body mass is important to a Dinosaur, or how there hunting skills were rated. Based on in a pack, or alone. Waiting for the ambush or constantly on the prowl. Another neat feature of this book is pictures of real fossils and bones found and included in the book. Bringing to life the knowledge just learned.

Recommended to: All Children, but especially little boys. Its a super fun informational book, about everyone's favorite thing. Dinosaurs.
Problems: Some of the things it rates might make children scared.
My Reaction: Favorite Non-Fiction book so far, it took a subject with is always fun to learn about. And made it more fun and exciting.

C is for Coyote

C is for Coyote: A Southwest Alphabet Book
Photographs by: Art Wolfe and Gavriel Jecan
Text by: Andrea Helman
Copyright: 2002
Pages:32
Reading Level: 4-8

This is how a educational book should be. This books layout is so fun, makes it a breeze to look though all the letters. Its simple yet fun, and all around educational. This is fun because it is specific for the Southwest Dessert. It mentions different animals, parks, and even the Native American people who live there. The photographs are brilliant in this book, and really show the beauty of the dessert. There is an informational paragraph with each letter and picture. However they aren't full of dry information but are written like they were talking to there best friend. Making them fun to read, and easy to understand. My favorite was D is for Dune. "Like rippled white snow, huge mounds of sand form dunes at White Sands National Monument. The dunes are always on the move as strong winds blow the sparkly crystals up one side and w h o o s h! Down the other."

Recommended to: Children from all over the world, many wont have the chance to visit the Southwest and a chance to see the beauty it offers is one of a kind.
Problems: I didn't find any.
My Reaction: Beautiful photographs, and a fun layout. An example of a perfect children's non- fiction.

Why Are Animals Red?

Why Are Animals Red?
by: Melissa Stewart
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 32
Reading Level: 4-8

This is a beautiful book, full of bright red photography. I really liked how simple it was. Making the reading level lower, and the comprehension a lot higher. Why are animals red, gives a wide selection of animals from all over the world. And explains just that, why each one is red. Some for protection, others for attracting mates, and some are red as a warning to the animals around them. Unlike a lot of informational books this one limits the writing, and only shares the key information for each animal. Making it easy for children to stay focused throughout the book.

Recommended to: Any child, the information is easy to grasp, and then would also be fun to share with there friends.
Problems: It does only share limited information, so if a child need to do a project and was looking for lots of information they would need to find an additional source.
My Reaction: I liked it, the photographers displayed what was being mentioned in the paragraph next to them, making it a good addition. Its also has a clean layout, making it easy to find what you're looking for.

Hybrid Cars

Our Environment: Hybrid Cars
By: Kareen D. Povey
Copyright: 2006
Pages:48
Reading Level: 9-12

Hybrid Cars is a very informative book, going over many issues involving cars a daily part of our lives. I is meant for children with a glossary in the back with words that might be more difficult, however the information may not be as important for those who don't drive, let along purchase cars. However they did an excellent job covering both sides both the pros and cons of Hybrids. They also talk about several other options and other ways to save on fuel, and money. They also talk about smog, and statics of the causes and prevention. They talk about how Hybrids are more expensive to buy and might not be a reasonable solution for everyone. I actually enjoyed reading this book, because I learned a lot about Hybrids that I didn't know. I knew they were beneficial for the environment, however not how they work or the differences in Hybrids.

Recommended to: Children who want to know more. If they aren't interested in the subject they wont bother reading or learning anything. However this is easy to understand and has the perfect about of detail, for a child who wants to be informed.
Problems: This book looks like it was created many years ago, when it was really created in 2006, so I probably wouldn't pick it up if I was a child. Making the information useless if no one reads it.
My Reaction: I was actually surprised that there was a book all about Hybrid cars. In this Internet age it always surprises me that there are still books made with this important information. However I wish the information was presented in a more fun way.

Letter Sounds

Kathy Ross Crafts: Letter Sounds
By: Kathy Ross
Illustrated by: Jan Barger
Copyright: 2002
Pages: 64
Reading Level: 4-8

When I first picked up this book I didn't read the front well enough, apparently. I thought it was going to just learning letter sounds. However this is a book filled with creative craft ideas for young children. And each craft goes along with a letter, and that is how it teaches the letter sounds. This is such a fun idea, combining letters and crafts. There are many letters in the alphabet so there are for sure some creative projects in this book. One that I just laughed and loved was Ii is for...Icy Ice Skates. Its a project where you create ice skates for your favorite doll by freezing them in a small container of water. Then (with parent permission) you can glide the doll over a waterproof floor, and then will slip and slide all over the place. The really cool thing about this craft book is it used everyday objects, that you will most likely already have around the house. Each project is so different teaching different medians of art as well.

Recommended to: Mothers, what a fun source of creative ideas for those rainy days. Crafts can often get messy but isn't it worth it if they are learning while making it.
Problems: All the children in this book are white, but that is only someone looking for a problem. I'm pretty sure no one else would have even noticed.
My Reaction: I was surprised by how cleaver all of these were. They were also very age appropriate, and most of the time taught a word or animal along with each letter. This is definitely a book I'll be getting for my children.

Button Girl

Button Girl: More than 20 Cute-as-a-Button Projects
By: Mikyla Bruder
Photographs by: Scott M. Nobles
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 64
Reading Level: 9-12

Button Girl is a cute crafty book, filled with ideas. I really liked this craft book because it first teaches a skill, of sowing buttons, as well as creativity. And at the same time it teaches a little history, explaining how buttons have gone from bones, to very expensive high class display of nobility, to now commonplace things we rarely thing about. This book is simple enough for older children to actually do the crafts, but involve some prep and purchasing. Which is a great opportunity for bonding with parents. This book has several sections that include gifts ideas, "button Bijoux", and even greeting cards.
My favorite project and one I want to try is the Button Ring, you take a flat button and buy a ring blank, and after roughening up the bottoms you hot glue the button on. And then you have a brand new ring, that easy.
Another project that is a little more complicated is Brenda's Button Necklace. It requires some more supplies, but the end result looks really cool. You use wire instead of string and string the buttons on to a wire necklace, making sure they all face forward. Then you dangle that from a single wire necklace.
There are many more cool ideas inside you will have to check out.

Recommended to: Girls and mothers, perfect projects for Saturday afternoons. Even has great ideas for birthday parties.
Problems: None here.
My Reaction: I remember getting books like this when I was a girl, I loved them. But also easily forgot about them. I would only get around to doing one or maybe two projects from each book. So I would recommend having them in an area they are easily seen and used.

Ice Skating

Ice Skating
By: Morgan Hughes
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 32
Reading Level: 8-12

This book probably could have been combined with another book. It had important information, but not enough to be its own book. This book had a lot of white space. It is part of a series from Junior Sport however I'm not sure they have found an efficient enough way to present the information. It's not a terribly long book, but I also wasn't really excited to see what came next. The best part of this book was every page or so they would include one neat fact. About the other information on the page. However I think that they should have included many more of these through out the book. Ice Skating, has the basics of figure, hockey, and speed skating. And includes the important differences in the blades. However I'm not sure how helpful any of this information would be to a beginner skater. And a skater who knows there stuff would be bored reading this.

Recommended to: For someone who wants a small introduction to different types of skating. But I only recommend this to someone who is ready to look more into it, as this book doesn't give enough information.
Problems: None I don't see how this could offend anyone.
My Reaction: As I kind of stated about, this has been my least favorite non-fiction. It has a catchy cover, but that is about all it has going for it. Would not start skating after reading this book.

Girls' Snowboarding

Girls' Snowboarding: Showing Off Your Style
by: Heather E. Schwartz
Copyright: 2008
Pages: 32
Reading Level: 9-12

This is an eye grabbing informational book. At first I thought it was going to just be fact after fact, but it reads more like a how to. Which is really awesome. This book could get any girl excited to snowboard. I also really liked that fact, its written especially for young girls. This is important because I think it is currently a mainly male driven sport, so if this book can get girls excited and spread the word that's great. This book has awesome pictures, and the layout makes it fun and exciting to read. This book also has more information in the back, like fun facts and where to find more information for yourself. And any book that encourages further learning is great!

Recommended to: Young girls, this could get them excited to try a new hobby.
Problems: None, this shows you that its not only a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun.
My Reaction: I picked this book off the shelf because it looked fun to read, I have personally tried snowboarding several times and am still no good. But this made me want to get back on the mountain and try again. It talked about some tricks you can try, which sound really fun.

Nicaragua

Countries of the World: Nicaragua
by: Janet Riehecky
Copyright: 2002
Pages: 24
Reading Level: 8-12

Countries of the World is a series that includes many countries all over the world. Nicaragua is the one I thought would be interesting, because it's a country I know very little about. The style of this book is very informative. It is done very simple, and neatly. Because of this it might not be the first book a child picks up to read. However it would be extremely helpful when writing a report or just wanting to learn a little quickly about this country. I would put this reading level a little bit higher, however a neat part of the book includes a section that explains the more challenging words. This same section also includes a hands on activity for the children to do, and a part to learn a little of the language. Also each page is organized into categories, and at the bottom has one important fact on each page, so it is easy to find key information. The coolest fact I found while reading this book is that Nicaragua celebrates there independence day on the same day as my birthday, September 15th.

Recommended to: Child doing country report. It would also be easy for a parent to read to child, and explain concepts. Its a fairly basic informational book.
Problems: It does show some of the problems Nicaragua faces, but it is reality. I think its important to not only learn about the food they eat, but what there real life living situations are.
My Reaction: This is a short and to the point book, even though it isn't eye catching the information is interesting. It also includes real life pictures which gives you a small insight into the country.

I Fall Down

I Fall Down
by: Vicki Cobb
Illustrations by: Julia Gorton
Copyright:2004
Pages: 30
Reading Level: 4-8

This cleaver non-fiction book, is the first of its type I have seen. I first thought it was a normal picture book then saw the sticker in the corner that says "Science Play" on it. Opened it up to find this is an educational interactive book. You first open it up to find it is not like any other book, but has specific instructions. To fully enjoy this book you are going to need "an assortment of balls, keys, a block, a jar of honey, a spoon, a penny, two identical rubber bands, a child and adults shoe, and a bathroom scale." So as you can see this is not a bedtime story.
This book then asks a series of questions and gives you ways to find the answer for yourself. First it asks "Know what happens when you trip?" "You fall down!" The book then goes into the different effects if gravity. And has you try and few things to test gravity. My favorite page is where they tell you to test gravity with honey. Get a spoonful of honey...and watch it drizzle down. This book is fun, because the illustrations are all over the page. This one has a hand that looks like its coming right off the page with a spoon full of honey. Except instead of honey the words drip down back into the jar. Then there are dropping races, which teach that no matter the size of the object it's always a tie (except for things effected by air). This book then talks about the force things drop, and how the weight effects how hard things hit. The end asks you how much you weigh, and shows you how you don't have to fall to find out, but you can step on a scale.

Recommended to: Young detectives, and inventors. Which is basically all young children. This book would be such a wonderful bonding and learning experience between a parent and child. And how exciting for a child to learn so much and then be able to go out and share it with all there friends.
Problems: Two small problems, first would be finding the time to do this book justice, and also last page has the boy without his shirt on, which might be somewhat offensive to some people.
My reaction: Such a fun non-fiction. This book is colorful, yet simple, educational, yet fun. All things you could want from a book like this. Can't wait to see others from her series. Must have in my home.

Beetle Bop

Beetle Bop
By: Denise Fleming
Copyright: 2007
Pages: 32
Reading Level: 4-8

This book in a very simple informational book. It describes all the different types of beetles, in simple terms that children can understand. There are green beetles, and brown beetles. Buzzing beetles, humming beetles, and steadily drumming beetles. Then there is "fly-in-the-air beetles." Then at the very end of the book it has information about beetles and all the different types in sentence form. The really neat thing about this book is the artwork is done by pouring colored cotton fiber through the hand-cut stencils. There is also a rhythm that goes along with the story, so it makes it a fun read.

Recommend to: Young children still discovering the world, and the creatures in it.
Problems: None, this is a good book for everyone.
My Reaction: This is a beautiful book, the illustrations is what makes this book really special. The beetles look like they have texture. This is a simple but awesome book.