Textbook Assignment 2 (Informational Text)

Bartoletti, S. C. (2005). Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's shadow. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction.

Summary: A different side of the Nazis are shown as this book highlights the youth that were to help carry out Hitler's vision. It explains from the perspective of the youth and reveals the  promises that they were made. The primary picture sources are extremely helpful and paired with text that is understandable for youth. 

Evaluation Criteria: Bartoletti recounts a well known story and piece of history from an unfamiliar point of view. The reader is exposed to a personal perspective from Hitler's Youth.  Citing one hundred and fifteen sources in her bibliography, along with quote sources and authentic photographs from the online photograph collections at the Library of Congress, it is very evident that the author conducted detailed research to assemble this piece of literature. The Newbery and  Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Awards that the book has claimed prove as testaments .

Bishop, N. (2007). Spiders. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction.

Summary: This is an up close and personal book full of facts about spiders. The pictures are full page and aside from facts, the other gives readers other helpful tips that they might need to know about each particular spider.

Evaluation Criteria: The design of the book is aesthetically pleasing. The life size, vivid photos Bishop captures effectively illustrates the content being described in the text. The color of the pages and letters complement the pictures as well. For example, on the title page Bishop displays a colorful picture of a yellow crab spider. The page next to it is a deep burnt orange color with bold yellow letters to match the neighboring page. 

Bragg, G., & O'Malley, K. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker Childrens.

Summary: Death doesn't always have to be a gloomy topic. The details of nineteen famous people are described in this book along with a short story about each "awfully famous" person and funny black and white illustrations. 

Evaluation Criteria: The immense amount of information in How They Croaked is organized in a practical way with some interesting additions. A table of contents,  by name, leads the book in addition to sources and an index at the conclusion. However, what I found most entertaining was the short bits of random fun facts that followed each "awfully famous" person's story. There is also a section in the shape of a tombstone at the beginning of every story that shares information about the birthplace, birthday, date of death, etc.

Giovanni, N., & Collier, B. (2005). Rosa. New York: Henry Holt.

Giovanni has a distinctive style considering the way the information is presented to the reader. The delivery of the story is not overly descriptive and sparks a level of  curiosity  that would make the reader continue to do research on their own about Brown versus Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr., Emmett Till, segregation, and much more. Collier's style strongly resembles collage or patch artwork that brings a fresh look to the book, and maybe further symbolizes all the cohesive pieces/patches that worked together to end segregation.

Harris, R. H., & Emberley, M. (1996). It's perfectly normal: A book about changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

It's Perfectly Normal has received an enormous amount of praise from experts and won several honorable awards. Harris gives straightforward, accurate, and understandable information to its readers about puberty, sex, families and babies, staying healthy, and decisions while Emberley creates realistic visuals that represent a variety of people and situations.

McDonnell, P. (2011). Me-- Jane. New York: Little, Brown.

McDonnell writes the book in very simple language that is easy for young readers to comprehend. The pictures  also slightly resemble a coloring book. This is an overall clear piece of work that gives a glimpse of Jane's life. 

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship: The story of Negro League baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

Nelson cleverly organizes the book in parallel to the game of baseball itself with nine innings. These innings could be considered chapters. At the beginning of each inning/chapter there is a subtitle that describes the content of the section, but also a quote from a baseball figure that reinforces the topic. The organizational structure of this book isn't the only component that makes it a wonderful read, but surely a thoughtful bonus that readers will appreciate along with the additional Extra Innings chapter. 

Ottaviani, J., & Wicks, M. (n.d.). Primates: The fearless science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas.

Primates is a book that young readers will enjoy. Due to its graphic novel set up, readers will feel like they are reading a comic book, but still learn valuable information about the three women who were leaders in their fields. The graphics are vibrant, clear, and organized in a format that is easy to follow.

Sweet, M., Newborn, R., & Paquette, C. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 

This book definitely exudes an artful appearance full of watercolor illustrations along with actual pages from Tony Sarg's Marionette Book. Both graphics work together seamlessly along with the text to inform readers. The original advertisement from the New York Times listed in the back of the book also ties in primary sources, reinforcing its informational genre.