Module 12: Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

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BOOK SUMMARY: 

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell is a biography of Jane Goodall but focuses on her childhood passion.  From the very beginning, Jane had a passion for nature and animals.  She allowed her curiosity to guide her observations of various animals such as chickens and their eggs.  The book is very short, ending by Jane going to bed, longing to be in Africa, awaking as an adult, with her dream realized.                

APA REFERENCE OF BOOK: 

McDonnell, P. (2011).  Me...Jane. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.

IMPRESSIONS: 

A wonderful story for children, illustrated with watercolors to highlight the childhood of Jane Goodall, when her passion for nature was first formed.  McDonnell paints a very different view of Jane, one of a young girl who longed to be in a different world, among the nature and animals she read about.  While readers will learn that Jane was diligent in her observations, recording the natural world around her, we are instantly taken to her adulthood after one night's sleep.  McDonnell's illustrations up to this point are all in watercolor images, and then adult Jane is shown in a photograph, among a primate.  A great story about dreaming, using the life of primatologist Jane Goodall.              

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW: 

"Where Jeanette Winter’s The Watcher (rev. p. 144) devotes just five of its forty-eight pages to Jane Goodall’s childhood, Me…Jane devotes all but two spreads to the great primatologist’s formative years. And despite its rather cheeky title (justified by the young Jane’s devotion to Edgar Rice Burroughs), McDonnell’s book is the more inspirational. His Jane, along with her stuffed toy chimp Jubilee, studies nature wherever and however she can; as with Winter’s book, Jane’s observation of a hen laying an egg is highlighted as a key moment. But study is only part of the picture, as Jane rejoices in the simple activity of just being outdoors: “It was a magical world full of joy and wonder, and Jane felt very much a part of it.” Jane dreams of traveling to Africa and, in a wonderful sequence of page turns, goes to sleep [page turn], wakes up an adult in her tent [page turn], and is living her “dream come true.” And here McDonnell’s homey, earth-toned pen and watercolor pictures give way to that most famous of all Goodall photographs, where the young scientist and an even younger chimp reach across their worlds to touch hands. The simple and intimate paintings are accented with casually arrayed stamped motifs and some of Goodall’s childhood drawings; a note about Goodall’s current projects and “A Message from Jane” are appended." - Roger Sutton


Reference:

Sutton, R. (2011). [Review of the book Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell]. Horn Book Magazine, 87(2), 140-141.  

LIBRARY USES: 

A library idea for this book would be to have students discuss their dreams, their deepest passion and have them write it on a piece of paper.  Then those papers can be glued onto a bulletin board with an image of a bed on it.  Explain to students that these are their dreams and one day, they will wake up to have them come true, just like Jane.              

Module 11: Things That Float and Things That Don't by David A. Adler

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BOOK SUMMARY: 

The book begins with discussing how the earth is majority water and discussing how people's main form of transportation since the beginning of time has been moving across water.  Then it describes how a boat can hold a large amount of people and not sink, while a small pebble does not float.  From here on out, the book highlights how anyone can have fun guessing on things that will and will not float, such as water bottles, apples, leaves, etc.  Then it encourages one to conduct the experiment by filling a sink with water.  It continues to discuss terms such as density and cubic feet, demonstrating how they play a role in floating and sinking.  We can even see how rolled up clay will sink but when shaped into a boat, will float.  It ends by explaining that the type of water will also have an affect on the buoyancy of an object, such as salt water versus fresh water.            

APA REFERENCE OF BOOK: 

Adler, D.A. (2013).  Things that float and thing's that don't. New York, NY: Holiday House.

IMPRESSIONS: 

Even though this book is covered with delightful illustrations of children, the content is factual but written so that young students can follow along easily.  The book gives a lot of information and is very instructional, guiding students to re-create their own experiments and telling them what to look for.  The information from the book is very accurate, and using terminology that is appropriate, however, it is very dense and includes a large amount of examples of things that float and don't, which means this book should be used with students in 1st-3rd grade.              

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW: 

"Adler expertly teaches the concept of density, moving beyond the classic floating and sinking experiments to a carefully constructed lesson that helps young thinkers appreciate both scienti fic explanations and practices. e treatment of density is masterful: Adler introduces the fundamental physical relationship with terms familiar to readers (weight relative to size), then gradually builds to the scientifi c de finition through examples and ideas that draw on intuitive, everyday experiences. By the end of the book, the term density is employed accurately and easily within sentences that fully summarize its meaning. Although hands-on experimentation is encouraged, equal time and e ffort is appropriately spent on scientifi c reasoning and thought experiments triggered by perfectly targeted questions. e concepts are kept simple and age appropriate, yet without shying away from the more abstract dimensions of science. is takes readers well beyond vocabulary memorization into true science comprehension. Cartoonlike illustrations portray two children and their scienti fically curious dog happily doing science." - Danielle J. Ford


Reference:

Ford, D.J. (2013). [Review of the book Thing's that float and thing's that don't by David A. Adler]. Horn Book Magazine, 89(6), 113.  

LIBRARY USES: 

Create library stations of items on a table to have kids discuss whether they will float or not.  The items could be either the same ones from the book or new items for kids to brainstorm.      

Module 10: Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan

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BOOK SUMMARY: 

This story is a historical fiction text based on a real situation that occurred between of Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt.  The two women have a conversation about flying during a dinner at the White House in which Amelia and her husband were guests.  They formulate a plan to take a plane ride at night to see the city and the stars.  During the flight, Amelia lets Eleanor take the wheel for just a little bit.  When they return, Eleanor decides to take Amelia on a card ride, which was Eleanor's favorite thing to do.  They sneak away and enjoy a night cruising the streets of the city.  Amelia and Eleanor return once again to share their adventure.             

APA REFERENCE OF BOOK: 

Munoz, P.R. (1999).  Amelia and Eleanor go for  a ride. New York: Scholastic.

IMPRESSIONS: 

What stands out the most are the black and white images and the jovial faces of the two women, which contribute to the adventurous mood of the book.  The book is set in the evening and the black and white photos illustrate the contrast between the darkness and bright lights of the city.  The story itself cleverly incorporates the confidence of both women by showing how the women would have behaved if it weren't for the secret service.  Both were strong and independent, however, the actual situation was that the plane ride was handled by a pilot other than Amelia.  This book shows readers that these two women were ahead of their time.            

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW: 

"Gr 1-4 --Ryan imaginatively expands on a true historical event in this intriguing picture book. While dining at the White House in 1933, Amelia Earhart convinces Eleanor Roosevelt to join her on a night flight to Baltimore. The two women marvel at the sights and the excitement from the air. After landing, they sneak away for one more adventure, as this time, the First Lady treats her friend to a fast ride in her new car. The fictionalized tale is lively and compelling, and the courage and sense of adventure that these individuals shared will be evident even to children who know nothing about their lives. Without belaboring the message, the author clearly conveys how the "feeling of independence" that both women treasured was a crucial part of their personalities. Selznick's larger-than-life pencil drawings add considerably to the spirit of the tale. He captures the glorious beauty of the night flight and the beauty of the city below. Varied perspectives and background details consistently draw readers' eyes. An author's note clearly defines which elements of the story are factual. The women were actually accompanied by two I male pilots, but the author decided that it made it "much more exciting" to imagine that they were alone. "Almost all" of the dialogue comes from historical accounts. The title stands well on its own, but will also work as an excellent inspiration for further reading about the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart." - Steven Engelfried

Reference:

Engelfried, S. (1999). Amelia and Eleanor go for a ride [Review of the book Amelia and Eleanor go for a ride]. School Library Journal, 45(9), 202.  

LIBRARY USES: 

After reading this book, the librarian can have images of people from history, including Amelia and Eleanor and ask students who they would like to meet and what question would they ask?