Hocking, Geoff (2004) Australia In History: The Kelly Gang The Last of The Bushrangers. Harcourt Education, Melbourne, VIC.
This non-fiction book tells the story of Ned Kelly and the rest of his gang. How Ned's life began, information about his family history, how the Kelly gang took on the police even with a huge reward being offered for their capture, and eventually the end of the Kelly gang in 1880 at Glenrowan Hotel after a shoot-out and fire. Later that year Ned Kelly was hanged for his crimes.
This book is very interesting and I would recommend it to any school library collection, not only because it provides important information about some of Australia's history but because there are other books available in this Australia in History series.
Throughout the book there are words typed in bold, mainly different terms that are not commonly used in today's spoken language, for the reader to refer to the back of the book in a glossary of terms. Very handy for children who may not be widely read and to come across strange words to be able to look them up in the same book.
Jo-Anne Phillips ETL402
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Egyptology
Sands, E 2004 Egyptology, The Templar Company Plc, Surrey, UK.
The author has created a ‘facsimile of a journal’ (publisher’s note) of a traveler in the 1920s. The text presents a mystery to the reader whilst demonstrating an interrelationship between the nature of thinking which encapsulated expeditions of discovery during this era, the close links between different professions such as museum curators, archeologists and geographers and information about the topic. There are many concrete features included, a game, postcards, and a book of hieroglyphs. Text type reflects the era. An online site supports the text with information about the sources and further activities.
The author has created a ‘facsimile of a journal’ (publisher’s note) of a traveler in the 1920s. The text presents a mystery to the reader whilst demonstrating an interrelationship between the nature of thinking which encapsulated expeditions of discovery during this era, the close links between different professions such as museum curators, archeologists and geographers and information about the topic. There are many concrete features included, a game, postcards, and a book of hieroglyphs. Text type reflects the era. An online site supports the text with information about the sources and further activities.
Morecroft, R., Mackay, A., & Lloyd-Diviny, K. (2003). Zoo Album. Sydney: ABC Books.
Theme: The role zoos play in animal conservation.
Zoo Album is about ten real-life animals who have lived, or are living in Australian zoos. It would be a great resource for those interested in animals or to support curriculum units on the needs of living things and how they adapt to their environments.
The text includes a profile of each animal and a zoo keeper's blurb, which provides a real moment in the life of a real animal and its keeper. The main text is written as a narrative and is in large print. This makes the text more easily read and more appealing to children.The beautiful, vibrant and life-like watercolour illustrations, support the text and capture the attention of children. These aspects of the text would assist in engaging the reluctant reader.
The book would provide an excellent basis for a debate on whether animals should be kept in captivity.
Zoo Album is a user-friendly book that contains a thorough glossary to assist children in understanding the text. It is a great book to read aloud, to demonstrate the importance of non-fiction literature as a source of information.
Zoo Album is about ten real-life animals who have lived, or are living in Australian zoos. It would be a great resource for those interested in animals or to support curriculum units on the needs of living things and how they adapt to their environments.
The text includes a profile of each animal and a zoo keeper's blurb, which provides a real moment in the life of a real animal and its keeper. The main text is written as a narrative and is in large print. This makes the text more easily read and more appealing to children.The beautiful, vibrant and life-like watercolour illustrations, support the text and capture the attention of children. These aspects of the text would assist in engaging the reluctant reader.
The book would provide an excellent basis for a debate on whether animals should be kept in captivity.
Zoo Album is a user-friendly book that contains a thorough glossary to assist children in understanding the text. It is a great book to read aloud, to demonstrate the importance of non-fiction literature as a source of information.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
Author: Norman Jorgensen, Illustrations: Brian Harrison-Lever
Topic: World War One
Theme: Collaboration - in the midst of ravaged lands, hearts and minds.
Context: This is a contemporary nonfiction picture book recounting a moment of quiet, beauty, and unity in song during WW1. Setting is Christmas day. The catalyst for collaboration is a bird caught on barbed wire and one soldier's resolution to free it.
Outcome: Warring sides stop firing as they witness, then allow bird to be set free and soldier to return to his own side without attack.
Literary Impact: Collaboration happens when hearts are opened.
Barbara Salamon
Topic: World War One
Theme: Collaboration - in the midst of ravaged lands, hearts and minds.
Context: This is a contemporary nonfiction picture book recounting a moment of quiet, beauty, and unity in song during WW1. Setting is Christmas day. The catalyst for collaboration is a bird caught on barbed wire and one soldier's resolution to free it.
Outcome: Warring sides stop firing as they witness, then allow bird to be set free and soldier to return to his own side without attack.
Literary Impact: Collaboration happens when hearts are opened.
Barbara Salamon
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Mc Bride, Marc (2006) How to Draw Deltora Dragons and Other Creatures Scholastic: Australia
This book is a step by step guide to drawing the creatures and dragons from the Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda. As with the novels this book is aimed at 9 – 12 year olds and would be fun for older drawers as well. Fans of the series and those who enjoy drawing have an easy to follow guide to bring their fantasy dragons to life. A brief description sets the scene for each drawing. The majority of the sketches are black and white allowing the drawer to create their own colour scheme. This book is a good cross curriculum resource for teachers covering such topics as mythology and design/line and pattern techniques in art.
Lisa Harris
This book is a step by step guide to drawing the creatures and dragons from the Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda. As with the novels this book is aimed at 9 – 12 year olds and would be fun for older drawers as well. Fans of the series and those who enjoy drawing have an easy to follow guide to bring their fantasy dragons to life. A brief description sets the scene for each drawing. The majority of the sketches are black and white allowing the drawer to create their own colour scheme. This book is a good cross curriculum resource for teachers covering such topics as mythology and design/line and pattern techniques in art.
Lisa Harris
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The TRUTH About POOP by Susan E. Goodman
Goodman, SE 2004, ‘The TRUTH About POOP’, (ill.) Smith, EH, Penguin Group, New York.
This non-fiction book offers an exciting, interesting, colourful and informative way of looking at poo. It braces a topic that most people wish not to talk about. The language within the book is very reader friendly and caters for people of all ages. From the front cover to the back it has interesting, humorous pictures and comments. It mentions aspects of poo that people probably have never considered before, eg keeping poo in a life raft if stranded at sea, as poo attracts sharks from a mile away. This book is a fantastic example of the new and exciting non-fiction books that are available for people of all ages.
This non-fiction book offers an exciting, interesting, colourful and informative way of looking at poo. It braces a topic that most people wish not to talk about. The language within the book is very reader friendly and caters for people of all ages. From the front cover to the back it has interesting, humorous pictures and comments. It mentions aspects of poo that people probably have never considered before, eg keeping poo in a life raft if stranded at sea, as poo attracts sharks from a mile away. This book is a fantastic example of the new and exciting non-fiction books that are available for people of all ages.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Long, John 2005, The Big picture book. See life on earth unfolding through time, Crows Nest, NSW, Allen&Unwin.
The subject of this non-fiction book is evolution. The book fits the criteria for postmodernism as the text is presented in a ‘story like’ manner. It offers opinion – not just facts - faction. The book invites the readers to explore further.
The colourful magazine format of the book is attractive and reader friendly. Each opening features a main statement in fairly large typeface, using short sentences with thought units matching eye spans.
Multiple constructions of meaning are possible as images of fossils are presented throughout the book but at the beginning of the book the author acknowledges “the beginning of all things is a mystery”, suggesting to the reader that other hypotheses are possible.
The colourful magazine format of the book is attractive and reader friendly. Each opening features a main statement in fairly large typeface, using short sentences with thought units matching eye spans.
Multiple constructions of meaning are possible as images of fossils are presented throughout the book but at the beginning of the book the author acknowledges “the beginning of all things is a mystery”, suggesting to the reader that other hypotheses are possible.
Google e.encyclopedia 'Animal'
Google e.encyclopedia 'Animal', 2005, Editor Sarah Larter is a Dorling Kindersley book, I found at the local public library 590.3EENC. In keeping with other DK books Google e.encyclopedia 'Animal' offers the reader concise information about animals and their habitat together with exciting pictures and informative illustrations.
This book is reader friendly in that it provides a comprehensive, but easy to interpret, colour coded table of contents. However one of the most exciting attributes of this book is that it has its own website address http://www.animal.dke-encyc.com/ created by DK and Google which enables the reader to access additional information online and from any of the 750 links. This additional information may be presented in the form of a video, picture gallery or a 'test your knowledge' activity.
Kathryn Bell
This book is reader friendly in that it provides a comprehensive, but easy to interpret, colour coded table of contents. However one of the most exciting attributes of this book is that it has its own website address http://www.animal.dke-encyc.com/ created by DK and Google which enables the reader to access additional information online and from any of the 750 links. This additional information may be presented in the form of a video, picture gallery or a 'test your knowledge' activity.
Kathryn Bell
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Woodford C, Collins L, Witchalls C, Morgan B, Flint J 2005, How Cool Stuff Works, Dorling Kindersley, London.
This non-fiction book offers children and adults the opportunity to examine the inner workings of everyday technological objects. The title 'How Cool Stuff Works' uses the idiom of contemporary readers and invites audiences to ‘check out’ such high tech items as MP3 players, pet translators and space probes through to non-digital items such as footballs and the humble match. Each item is identified and explained on a double page through small ‘bite size’ chunks of information, and can be appreciated as a discreet invention or linked to other items in the book. This format invites the user to dip in and out of the book at will.
The blurred, neon-like, magenta font of the title and hologram of an iPod on the cover is eye catching and alerts the reader to the content. The table of contents and introduction are user friendly. Layout is consistent throughout the book and each double page resembles a website format: subdivisions are used on each page; arrows and double arrows are used to direct the reader through the pages; historical material and projections are contained within a ‘spinning dial’; vividly coloured, labelled photographs and drawings dominate each page; inventions are presented as ‘space age’, surreal objects floating on high gloss black paper; accompanying text relates to ‘how’ the object works; and links are made to other pages in the book.
Additional features include details of the photographic techniques used in this publication, a timeline, inventors (Groundbreakers), a glossary (Techno terms), and an index.
The blurred, neon-like, magenta font of the title and hologram of an iPod on the cover is eye catching and alerts the reader to the content. The table of contents and introduction are user friendly. Layout is consistent throughout the book and each double page resembles a website format: subdivisions are used on each page; arrows and double arrows are used to direct the reader through the pages; historical material and projections are contained within a ‘spinning dial’; vividly coloured, labelled photographs and drawings dominate each page; inventions are presented as ‘space age’, surreal objects floating on high gloss black paper; accompanying text relates to ‘how’ the object works; and links are made to other pages in the book.
Additional features include details of the photographic techniques used in this publication, a timeline, inventors (Groundbreakers), a glossary (Techno terms), and an index.
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