Graphic Novels

Title: "Vampires and Cells"

Author: Agnieszka Biskup

Illustrator: Jok

Publisher: Capstone Press

Publication Date: 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4296-6582-7

Rating: 5/5

"Vampires and Cells" is a book that teaches students about the cell theory and the structure of cells. It is narrated by a vampire, who talks about the people who discovered cells. The graphic then goes on to describe how different cells are different shapes based on the function they need, and some cells are unicellular, like the amoeba that can walk in this graphic novel. The novel ends by showing the different organelles that make up a cell and showing how cells metabolize and divide. During the whole graphic novel the vampires are looking for red blood cells. 

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, because I really think it would help students in a Biology class who may struggle with the difficult textbook. This novel uses the same vocabulary and images as a traditional textbook, but it's fun to read and doesn't seem as intimidating. I think this would be great supplemental material for my biology class. 

Title: "Bigfoot and Adaptation"

Author: Terry Collins

Illustrator: Cristian Mallea

Publisher: Capstone Press

Publication Date: 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4296-6579-7

Rating:

"Bigfoot and Adaptation" is a graphic novel that teaches students about evolution and how species who are well adapted are able to evolve. Bigfoot travels back in time to see Charles Darwin and learns about his theory of natural selection. Bigfoot then looks at different adaptations that animals have which makes them better suited to survive whether they be physical adaptations or behavioral adaptations.

Overall, I also really like this book. It doesn't cover as much content as the "Vampires and Cells" book, but I still think this a great way to help struggling readers or students who may not be interested in biology content. This makes the content a lot more approachable, yet they are still able to learn the vocabulary. 

Title: "Leo Geo and the Cosmic Crisis"

Author: Jon Chad

Illustrator: Jon Chad

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: 2013

ISBN: 978-1-59643-822-4

Rating: 2/5

"Leo Geo and the Cosmic Crisis" is a graphic novel about Leo the Geo a scientist at Fizzmont Institute for Rad Science. A comet is detected heading straight for the science facility. Leo takes his rocket to go to save the space station. On the trip to the station, they also realize there is a black hole. Leo has to run experiments to try and save the day.

I give this book a 2/5, because I felt that it was really hard to keep track of. It's written in blurbs and conversations, so it's hard to keep track of the information. Also, the story was all over the place. I'm sure some children would find this book very interesting and fun to read, but I am very logical, and this novel gave me a headache. 

Poetry

Title: "Splish Splash" 

Author: Joan Bransfield Graham

Illustrator: Steve Scott

Publisher: Ticknor & Field Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: 1994

ISBN: 0-395-70128-7

Rating: 4/5

"Splish Splash" is a book full of children's poems about different things that involve water. The poems are about things such as: icicles, rain-drops, and waves. The author uses creative language to describe each of these things, and even has the words form the shape of the object in question. I give this book a 4/5, because it is a very creative set of poems. The words move throughout the page in a variety of shapes and fonts, which I feel would interest students in the book. Also, it's about different topics that are common in life. Although the poems are written in  way that the words move along the page, the actual artistic elements of this book are slightly bland, which is my only concern. 

Title: "Silver Seeds"

Author: Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer

Illustrator: Steve Johnson and Lou Francher

Publisher: The Penguin Group

Publication Date: 2001

ISBN: 0-670-88941-5

Rating: 

"Silver Seeds" is a book with a series of short poems. The story follows a little boy and a girl on their daily adventures. Each page is a short poem about some of the things the little girl encounters. For example, there is a poem about trees and leaves.

I give this book a 4/5. The images are spectacular and there is so much you can do with this book in terms of reading comprehension. Not only do the paintings drag you into the poems, but the images and movement in the words helps entice you into the book. 

Title: "What am I? Very First Riddles"

Author: Stephanie Calmenson

Illustrator: Karen Gundersheimer

Publisher: Library of Congress Cataloging

Publication Date: 1989

ISBN: 0-06-020997-6

Rating: 4/5

"What am I?" is a series of short poems and riddles about things that little kids encounter on a daily basis like a telephone. The riddle/poem is very short and describes the object. Then the poem asks, "What am I?" which prompts the little kid to answer and think about the object.

I give this book a 4/5. I think this is a genius way to get children more involved in reading, because they have to be able to comprehend what their reading and then answer and predict what the author is talking about. My only concern is that the images in the poems are slightly boring and aren't very unique. 

Historical Books

Title: "Separate is Never Equal"

Author: Duncan Tonatiuh

Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: 2014

ISBN: 978-4197-1054-4

Rating: 4/5

This historical picture book is about the desegregation of American schools in the 1940s based not he Mendez vs. Westminster School District Case. The story follows Sylvia and other Mexican children as they file a lawsuit against the Westminster School District which forces the Mexicans to attend an inferior segregated school. The case is pushed to the Supreme Court, and eventually Sylvia wins the right to attend Wesminster School where she is welcomed by friends.

I give this children's book a 4/5. I really like the content that is covered in this book, because it shows a true historical situation in the eyes of the child involved. Also, it includes real information and historical facts, while also including a narrative. My only concern is that the narrative is particularly long, and children may lose focus. Also, the pictures are very traditional and one dimensional. The pictures are cartoon style which takes away from the realistic element of the book. 

Title: "The Story of Money"

Author: Betsy Maestro

Illustrator: Giulio Maestro

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publication Date: 1993

ISBN: 0-395-56242-2

Rating: 4/5

"The Story of Money" follows the economic history of the world. It shows how over time the lifestyles of humans changed, causing a need for money. People who were once nomadic traders, eventually settled down and specialized into jobs. Silver was then the first metal money, and Chinese were the first to use paper money which The Europeans eventually adopted. Then, when the Constitution was developed in the United States a system of money was developed The book then goes on to show how money is printed and created. 

I give this book a 4/5. The content is very thorough, and it really goes through the progression of the use of the money and trade throughout the world. It even incorporates pictures of real money and coins used in different countries, and the paintings are very realistic and beautiful. On the other hand, this book is extremely look and there is a ton of content and words on each page. I don't think that many students would be able to pay attention to this whole book, even though it is more of a narrative than an information text. I think older students would be able to use this book for a history report, though. 

Title: "The Cats in Krasinksi Square"

Author: Karen Hesse

Illustrator: Wendy Watson

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: 2004

ISBN: 0-439-43540-4

Rating: 5/5

"The Cats in Krasinksi Square" is a children's book about the Holocaust and life in Warsaw. The book is about a young Jewish girl who befriends the cats in Krazinski Square, but knows she cannot feed them, because she herself is starving. One day, there is a plan to smuggle lots of food into Warsaw, but the Gestapo figure it out and arrive with dogs. The men and women release the cats to distract the dogs, and this gives the Jewish people the opportunity to get the smuggled food.

I give this book a 5/5. Although some people may think this topic is too intense to talk about with younger children, I don't think we should hide things like this from young children. This story helps teach the children about the suffering of the Jewish people in the Holocaust, without including some of the more morbid materials. This is more of a narrative from the perspective of an innocent girl. Although the pictures are pretty basic, they are historically correct and definitely set the tone for the book.