Nonfiction Literature

1. Bibliography
Simon, Seymour. 1997. The Brain, Our Nervous System. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688146406

2. Plot Summary
Seymour Simon writes The Brain to explain the purpose and function of the human brain and provides a multitude of pictures as well. The book begins by explaining the Central Nervous System and the brain's part in that system. Simon moves on to the different parts that make up the brain and the part the nerves play in sending messages to the appropriate section. The structure of the skull and how it protects the brain is then discussed along with a CAT Scan of a human head.

Midway through the book, Simon displays a photograph of a real human brain and points outs the three sections, the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brain stem. The next few pages detail the three sections and show more visuals of the areas, including a cross section of a human brain. A dissection of the brain stem and how it is connected to the spine is displayed to explain how the spinal nerves connect to the rest of the body. Finally, Simon explains about memory and some of the different things that can go wrong with the nervous system and most importantly that the brain is what makes a person who they really are.

3. Critical Analysis
Seymour Simon writes to inform readers about the brain and the nervous system in an easy to understand vocabulary. The book was printed with larger font and many of the pages being black with white print as well as the opposite. Many of the pictures are from a microscope view and also from machines that show detailed views of the brain. Although some of the pictures include captions, not all of them do, but many are printed on the entire page to show the details.

Certain words that may be new or difficult to a reader are printed in italics and defined. There are over fifteen photographs and visuals to go along with the explanations, which are very helpful in showing where the different parts are located. One of the most useful parts of the book is the explanation of how the brain and nervous system work and exactly how the information travels from the nerves to the brain. The dissections of the real body parts also leads to the authentic learning that the book The Brain provides.

4. Review Excerpts
School Library Journal
"Gr 3-6--In this most recent effort, Simon brings his deft touch to an explanation of the brain and the nervous system. His clear, concise writing style is complemented by stunning color images taken with radiological scanners, such as CAT scans, MRIs, and SEMs (scanning electron microscopes.)"

Children's Literature
"Stunning, computer enhanced images of the human brain and nervous system fill the black pages of this dramatic examination of The Brain. Parts of the brain are identified, neural operating procedures are outlined, and current brain research is described. "

5. Connections
This is a very useful book for any teacher who is teaching a science unit, or helping students research for a science fair.

This book could also be useful for reading teachers to hook a reluctant reader with the high interest material and the detailed, graphic pictures.

1. Bibliography

Montgomery, Sy. 2002. Encantado, Pink Dolphin of the Amazon. Photographs by Dianne Taylor-Snow. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618131035

2. Plot Summary

Ecantado is a book about the mysterious pink dolphin that lives in the Amazon River. The dolphin is related to the more commonly known Bottlenose dolphin. These two dolphins have many differences, however, such as the pick dolphin of the Amazon is much more flexible than its relative because it has to meander around so many obstacles in the river. The Encantado also doesn't have a dorsal fin like the Bottlenose dolphin because it would hinder its mobility.

Montgomery takes the reader through an expedition in search of the pink dolphin. He writes about all of the wildlife that exists in this area while Taylor-Snow shows examples of all the critters through her photography. Scientists are cited throughout explaining the history of the area and how this information relates to the Encantado. The perspective of the native people is also explained throughout the voyage as Montgomery takes the reader along on the trip.

3. Critical Analysis

The book Encantado, Pink Dolphin of the Amazon is an informational text about this mysterious creature where not a great deal is known. There are scientists who have researched the animal and they know some information about the origins of the dolphin. The book is a reliable source for research but it is written in a story like way. Sy Montgomery takes the reader on a voyage through the Amazon River. While he does this, he introduces the reader to many people along the way.

One of the most interesting things about the book is that you feel as if you get to know the tour guide, Moises Chavez, as the book moves along. The reader also gets an up close and personal look at all of the animals that are mentioned as the tour goes on, thanks to the photography of Dianne Taylor-Snow. The reader also meets other naturalists besides Montgomery on the voyage and also gets the story of the Encantado from the native people. The story of the Encantado, as told by Juan and Ilda Huanakiri is one of the most interesting parts of the book because it gives the reader an idea if what this animal not only means from a science perspective, but also shows what the dolphin means to the people.

4. Review Excerpts

From School Library Journal
"Grade 3-7-A stimulating text and vibrant, full-color photographs entice readers on this trip down the Amazon to meet these freshwater rain-forest creatures. Written in second person and in a light, conversational tone, the narrative evokes a magical environment as readers accompany the author and a guide on a voyage to investigate these little-known animals. Different physically and behaviorally from the more common bottle-nosed variety, pink dolphins are hard to observe as they swim low and never leap out of the water."

5. Connections

This is an excellent book for students who are interested in animals that live in the water. It could be used as a read aloud for beginning a unit about the Amazon River to get the kids hooked into the mysterious and interesting facets of this subject.

The book can be used for research purposes for students completing a science project for class or a fair, because it is reliable and full of scientific tidbits.

1. Bibliography
Armstrong, Jennifer. 1998. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, The Extraordinary True Story of Shakleton and the Endurance. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0517800136

2. Plot Summary
The book Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World is about the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of the ship Endurance. This expedition was one to Antarctica with the quest to be the first to cross the continent. Shackleton and his twenty-seven man crew set sail from England where World War I was beginning to affect Great Britain. The crew was granted permission by Winston Churchill to continue on their journey. They finally left England on August 8, 1914.

Shackleton and crew got a surprise when they reached the South Georgia Island. The Norwegian outpost had a whaling station there with men who warned the crew of the Endurance that the ice was not melting as fast as it had in previous years. this would mean that the trip was going to be harder and longer that originally thought. Shackleton and his men pushed on. The eventually get to a place where the boat can no longer proceed. The ship, Endurance breaks up from the ice an eventually sinks. All of the crew are able to keep on the expedition and make it to Elephant Island, a previously unexplored area. Shackleton and five of the crew eventually travel 800 miles to get a ship to rescue the rest of the crew and they eventually all make it back to England.

3. Critical Analysis
Jennifer Armstrong tell the story of Shackleton and the endurance in a way that allows the reader to "see" the expedition very clearly. She is aided by the photographs taken by the expeditions photographer, Frank Worsley. She obtained historical sketches of the ship Endurance and includes them at the beginning of the book so that the reader can get an accurate picture of the make-up of the ship that will be the setting of, virtually, the entire book. Armstrong begins the book with a photograph of many and a list of all of the crew members of the Endurance and tell what their positions on the ship were. She also provides maps Antarctica and a detail of the path Shackleton and his crew made from 1914 to 1916.

Jennifer Armstrong writes the book in a series of sections that follow the sequential order of the expedition. The book is written is a way that is easy to understand and is written in a style that is reminiscent of story-telling. The story is so magnificent and unbelievable that the reader, side from all of the historical facts, might actually think it to be fiction at times. Armstrong evokes strong emotions as she portrays the dangerous struggle of these twenty-seven men and the reader leaves the book with an abundance of knowledge on this time in history.

4. Review Excerpts
From School Library Journal
"Grade 6 Up-When their ship, Endurance, became icebound in Antarctica and sank in 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his 27 crewmen were 100 miles from land. Unbelievably, they all survived. At first, the men played on the ice to kill time, but after Endurance sank, they took to their life boats, and spent a year and a half traveling over ice, water, and mountains to reach safety. Taylor Mali's narration of the book by Jennifer Armstrong (Crown, 1998) is riveting, and his shifts from one accent to the next are effective and not at all distracting. The text moves from diary entries to explanations of how to read the sun, and the descriptions of the terrain and weather are superb. This is a very effective presentation of not only how the disaster occurred, but of the toll it took on the crew and how they rose to the challenge. "

5. Connections
This book could be used as a read aloud in any class. It is historical nonfiction but it reads like a novel and students would really appreciate the danger and the suspense that befalls the crew of the Endurance.

I also think that this book would greatly enhance any research project about shipwrecks in general or this shipwreck in particular. Great for research or for pleasure reading.