Isabel of the Whales by Hester Velmans

This book is a breath taking novel that leaves readers in a magical world of wonder. I absolutely loved this mystical telling of a young lady “the chosen one” who turns into a whale for a year. She gets to learn secrets about whales that no other human being gets to know or see. She also gets to discover the wonders of the deep.

This is a story that will keep students on the edge of their seats. Velmans does a great job with suspense and for shadowing. Her work is high quality. She does a great job of using sensory details and descriptive verbs. She also shows her readers thing instead of telling them, always a sign of a good writer. She does an excellent job making her work of fiction logical and organized. It not only brings up life questions about what it means to take care of the world around us but gives detailed information about whales. Her story telling manner of delivery information will help make the facts more memorable and meaningful. She does not use statistics to discuss the decline in whales over the recent years but has students experience it through her words. She also shows students the beauty of being a whale and what might a whale’s life be like.

I would use this book in my classroom as a read aloud or free read. Either way it would be a great book. I recommend it for the upper grades because of the discussion possibilities but no doubt most of the younger grades would enjoy the mystical tale as well. I recommend this book to teachers.

Publishing: 2005

Hello Ocean written by Pam Munzo Ryan and Illustrated by Mark Astrella

I loved this book. It was well written and its illustrations were breathtaking. The picture continues on the front to the back of the cover as well as the story began before the publishing.

Munzo does  a brilliant job with her descriptions in a poetic and informative way. She also uses great descriptions. It also uses words that mean the same as the meaning. She does a great job using detailed verbs.

The illustrations however make the story. They are so life like. I would love to read more books illustrated by Astrella. He does an amazing job. He uses shadows and sunlight to bring his illustrations to life. Each one is rich with details and illusionistic texture. The pictures are so real one might actually think they’re there.

This would be a great book for a read aloud as well as a free read. This book would be a good choice to read if they ever went on a beach trip or had a class discussion about the sea shore. I recommended this book to teachers.

Publishing: 2001

Migration of a Whale written by Tanya Kant and Illustrated by Mark Bergin

I found this book very informative. I think I might have enjoyed it more if it was not the tenth book on the same subject for my text set. That in mind it was a well written book.

The text was more informational than focus minded. It also broke up the text into little paragraphs and had individual words for diagrams to help with the descriptions. Breaking up the text makes the book easier to read and more engaging. Every two pages or so is a new topic so it doesn’t matter if you read the book in order.

The illustrations are very basic and hardly change from page to page. There is no background illustrated but only cookie cutter-appearing whales. There were no little details or exciting coloring to cause the reader to want to read more. I found the illustrations very boring for that reason. In the end I did not care for the pictures.

I feel like the text is good but the illustrations bring it down. For that reason I feel that I could find a better illustration informational picture book for my classroom. I would not recommend this book.

Publishing:2008

Dolphins written by Sharon Bokoske and Margret Davidson and Illustrated by Courtney

 I found this book very informative and its pictures engaging. I felt that it made learning fun with its little anecdotal stories and interesting facts.This is definitely an informational book. There is not one consistent story throughout the entire book. It does give short stories about dolphins. It tells some fascinating tales of how they heroically save and work beside people. The illustrations are also very detailed and realistic. They add to the story as well as give specific details about the text.

I would use this book for a text set or a paired book. I would not use it as a read aloud. It would be a great book to have as a free read in a library.

Published: 1993

Special note Courtney’s last name is not mentioned.

A Listair and Kips Great Adventure! Written and illustrated by John Segal

I found this book entertained and enjoyable. I felt that this book might be one in a serious of picture books. It used a common theme of cats and dogs. The illustrations were simplistic and yet formatted in a fun way. The illustrations are formatted at times like a graphic novel and most definitely paint the story. The illustrations tell the story almost more than the words.

The text is simplistic and yet informative and is written as a graphic novel might with a sentence or two per illustration. It also at times uses words that sound like what they might mean like “boom” and “crack.” The story definitely has moments of suspense and action and will draw readers in.

I would use this book as a free read in my library. I would not use it as a read aloud as it does not have very many moments for dramatic action. This book could be for younger ages as well as old. However the illustrations may be due to style aimed for younger ages.

Publishing: 2008

Story of Dolphin by Katherine Orr

All though this book is not my favorite I did enjoy it. I found the story interesting and very descriptive. It definitely had a message but the message did not get in the way of the story.

            The illustrations were much more simplistic than some of the illustrations that I have seen before. It had a very distinct style of print that some people may not prefer but I found enjoyable. Orr definitely utilized a variety of colors that goes perfectly with the mood.

            The text has many details that help paint a picture. This book does have a lot of word competed to other picture books. There might be several paragraphs on page. That is why I recommend it for older students.

I would use this as a free read. I would not use it as a read aloud because of the amount of words. I might however use it with a text set.

Published: 1993

Dolphins on the Sand written and illustrated by Jim Arnosky

This book was adorable. I found the story to be informative as well as heart wrenching. Arnosky really makes the reader care about the dolphins and their treacherous journey. He also uses suspense when the dolphins get stranded on sand.

The illustrations add to the story. They help explain some of the more challenging vocabulary as well as add to the story line. The illustrations are also just beautiful using warm and cool colors at times. The beautiful illustrations add to the imaginations and the tranquility of nature.

Arnosky also utilized suspense and adventure. The story did a great a job of showing readers not telling them. It also brings up several discussions of how whales and dolphins get beached and what people do to help. One of the best aspects of this story is that it is true for the most part. Although at times written from the dolphins perspective it is an account of a real event that the author witnessed.

I would have this book as a free read. I might also use this book as a read aloud.

This book can also be used as a text. I recommend this book to teachers.

Published: 2008

Big Blue Whale written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Nick Maland

Another fabulous children’s picture book! It definitely falls into the category as informational. I absolutely loved this book. I learned so much and in such a fun way.

            It is important to note that once again the illustration continues from the front cover to the back of the cover. The story also begins before the publishing information. The illustrations did not only have their own unique pencil sketch styles with color but also were very scientific looking at times. It used several closes ups so one might better understand what the text discusses. It also adds to the text creating at moments its own side story.

The text is very informative and not belittling. It helps make the reader the expert assuming they understand and that they can understand the vocabulary for themselves. Therefore its  not condescending what so ever. However, one of the most unique things about the text is its formatting. The text appears in paragraph form at times as well as wrapping itself around the illustrations and the characters. This makes reading the facts fun and interesting. I definitely learned a lot from this book. One cool fact is that even though it is a picture book it has an index at the end.

I would use this book in my classroom. I could use the activity we used in class with the three different responses. I could also use it in a text set…which I plan on doing. I could use this book for science projects and research. I recommend this book to teacher.

Published: 1997

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem written by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Adam Rex

I absolutely love this book. I knew I was in a treat when the picture on the cover continued on to the back. I also got excited with all of the cool black and white images. The story began before the publishing information and then had black and white images at the end. I absolutely loved the story line and found the book very engaging.

The illustrations were exquisite. Each character was unique and the backgrounds were filled with details. They most definitely added to the story. Every once and awhile there would be a page or two where there would only be illustrations before the text began again. You could read the book without the text and it would still be a story. The illustrations were also educational. When the text discussed the sixe of the whale then the whale was drawn with a car and a man beside it so that it could be compared in size. Later on in the book the illustration also compares the whale to a pool, these images will help students really grasp how big a blue whale actually is. This is especially helpful for visual learners although everyone will gain something.

Barette kept the story the focus however he riddles the text with interesting facts and details. Text is displayed as in most picture books paragraph form. It is also displayed in thought bubbles. This adds to the story making it more enjoyable for the reader and allows the student to really get into the character. The text and illustrations work so well together you might thing that the author and illustrator were the same person.

I would use this book as a free read or to be read aloud. It lends itself to some drama and as an information book. It also is very student friendly. I think students who may not enjoy reading will enjoy this book. I will use it in a text set about whales and could be used as a comparison book. I recommend this book to teachers.

Published: 2009

Walter and the Tugboat written by Eugene Bradley Coco and Illustrated by Edward Heck

            I found the book incredibly simplistic and basic. The book was designed for preschoolers as it says on its cover but I found the sentence structure almost too simplistic. I did not find the illustrations very detailed or informative.

            The illustrations did not add to the text nor did they distract. They did show the emotions of the characters through eyes and used different color themes. I felt that the simplicity of the illustrations however distracted from the actual text. Sense the preschoolers cannot even read the illustrations should be able to tell the story without the words. The illustrations do that to an extent but some of the text is needed for meaning.

The text can be condescending. A very, very little child may not think so but according to chapter 3 from our reading in class if I feel that the tone is condescending so might they. This does not make reading enjoyable but a chore that must be done.

I might use this book if a child really struggled with reading, but I do not recommend it. I don’t think I would have it in my classroom.

Published:1988

Hattie and the Wild Waves author and illustrator Barbara Cooney

I found this book refreshing and sophisticated. I think most children will be able to gain something out of the sweet little story. I enjoyed its classical word choice and world view.

The text was incredibly well written, using expansive vocabulary and vivid details. Not only did Cooney use well chosen details to paint pictures with her words but also descriptive verbs, the key to writing with success like “murmur” and “transfixed.” Her choice of words challenges the reader, giving them confidence as they go along. She also does a very nice job of showing her readers not telling them what she means.

I found the elaborate and colorful illustrations insightful. Although they utilized later artistic techniques with shapes and colors the picture displayed a century now left in history. The architecture and clothing was exactly what one might expect in the late 1800s or early 1900s. They also are very detailed allowing the reader to look at them multiple times and still catch something new.

I think this book would be great for students doing a text set on the late 1800s or early 1900s. It would give students an inside look at the culture of that time period. Also the story is what I expect from that culture and what little Hatttie goes through. It is a great discussion book. Why were there so many rules of what she could and couldn’t do? Why did they think she meant painting houses not art work? There are many issues that a teacher could choose for a class discussion. I would want to read this book as a class or in a small group. I recommend this book.

Published: 1990