What+are+informational+books?

===What are informational books? What criteria should be considered when evaluating informational books? How important are visuals in information books and why?= by Mia Rowlands Click the Edit button (far right side of screen) and paste your content in the space below. Make sure to Save changes before exiting.

**__ What are Informational Books? __** What are informational books? They are what you need when you want to find out about something that interests you. They are books that give you the facts, the true information, about a subject. You will find them in the Nonfiction section of your library and because they are put on the shelves in a special order, called the Dewey Decimal System, when you find one book on a subject you like, you will find other books about the same subject right next to it. Have you seen the movie //Happy Feet//? Would you like to find out more about Emperor penguins? In //Face to Face with Penguins// you can find out more about Emperor Penguins as well as other species of penguins and see some wonderful photographs. There are suggestions for how you can help protect their habitat (where they live), as well as titles of other books, films and web site for even more information. Do you like a drink of icy cold water on a hot summer day, or a hot bath on a cold winter day? In //Our World of Water// you can find out more about children and water around the world. It takes you to six countries in the world and explains what a typical and a special day is like for a child who lives in that country. Some of the countries are very hot and they do not have taps for water in the house, therefore, children and the mothers have to walk long distances to fetch buckets of water. Have you ever looked up into the sky and wondered what is Mars made of? You can follow along with “Spirit and Opportunity”, the two Mars Rovers, in //Cars on Mars.// You can read about their “road trip”, their discoveries and achievements, and the engineers scientists back on Earth that controlled this exploration of the Red Planet.


 * __ Activities: __**


 * Penguins**
 * Make penguins using colored pipe cleaners and pencils to display on an “iceberg” in the classroom
 * Do Penguin word searches
 * Have students label and color appropriately an Emperor Penguin diagram
 * Brainstorm a list of ideas of how penguins have adapted in order to survive in their environment


 * Water**
 * Show children what a cup of water looks like. Have students write a journal of a regular day and how they use water, in the same way as in the book. Students then pick one of the children from the book and compare water availability and usage.
 * Have the class brainstorm ways to conserve water and to keep it clean
 * Have students measure how much rain (or snow) falls during a week (or a month)
 * Students investigate how much water is used to flush a toilet, run a dishwasher, run a washing machine, have a shower etc. and then compare it with how much rain fell during the week (or month)


 * Mars**
 * Students create timelines for Spirit and Opportunity
 * If the student was in charge of the Mars Exploration Rovers, what would they like to know about, what would they have the Rovers explore and examine?
 * Watch the video clip Mars Dead or Alive: Welcome to Mars at http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.welcometomars/ Discuss if the students find it as exciting as the scientists do. Why or why not?


 * __ What criteria should be considered when evaluating informational books? __**

The LMS evaluating informational books needs to take into consideration several factors and unlike Fiction, informational books should be weeded regularly to ensure the currency and accuracy of the information.
 * Are the author’s credentials given?
 * Is the information accurate and sources cited? (use reviews to help if the book is outside of your area of expertise)
 * Is the text written clearly and concisely? Will it encourage students to think critically?
 * What is the purpose of the book? Is the topic covered in depth or is it a general overview? Does it focus on a specific topic rather than a broader subject?
 * Does the book have a bias? Is selective information omitted to change the overall interpretation?
 * Does it fill a gap in your collection? Is it at the right interest and reading level?
 * Do the illustrations add to and clarify the text? Are they labeled? Are relative sizes of items correct?
 * Is there a table of contents, index, glossary, bibliography, additional information?


 * __ How important are visuals in information books and why? __**

Visuals are extremely important to understanding informational books. They add to the information given in the text providing clarity. It is important that the visual information is properly labeled and that the scale of the image be given either explicitly (e.g. the magnification or a ruler indicating size) or implicitly (e.g. person next to a house, not a person the same size as the house). //Living Color,// by Steve Jenkins, is a stunning book. It is arranged in color order of the animals illustrated. The illustrations do not show the relative size of the animals - from the illustrations one could believe that a blue-winged grasshopper is nearly as big as a Portuguese man-of-war. At the back of the book there are facts about the animals including their size but because of the impact of the visuals, the damage is done. Students are very visual. Technological advances are allowing publishers to produce books in full color, many with photographs, which attract students’ attention and interest. Whether it is a hand-drawn illustration, or a micrograph, students expect color.

**__Three examples of informational books__**

// Hollyer, Beatrice. Our World of Water: Children and Water Around the world.//// New York: Henry Holt, 2009. // // Grade Level: K-3 //

// This book is broken down into six sections as it shows a child’s daily life in Peru, Mauritania, USA, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Tajikistan. It explains the importance and use of water in their lives and communities. As Saran from Bangladesh says, “Water is another name for life”. The numerous photographs show the differences in clothing, housing and climate. The book starts with a world map showing pictures of the six children and short biographies with arrows to where they live. At the end of the book there is a glossary of words from each of the countries and water facts on each country. This book is a great way to introduce different cultures to children will generate questions about water. Oxfam receives a royalty for each book sold in the United States. //

Momatiuk, Yva and John Eastcott. //Face to Face With Penguins.// Washington: National Geographic, 2009. Grade Level: 3-6 This book tells of the authors’ encounters with various species of penguin. The magnificent photographs have clear captions explaining each picture. There are some sidebars which give additional penguin information such as “What’s the scoop on penguin poop?” There are suggestions on how to help protect their habitat and facts about penguins including a map show where penguins can be found. There is a glossary, an index and list of books, films and web sites for further information. This informational book, is clearly written and the layout and photographs inviting.

Siy, Alexandra. //Cars on Mars: Roving the Red Planet.// Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2009. Grade Level: 5-8 This is a detailed, scientific account of the exploration of Mars by the two Mars Exploratory Rovers named Sprit and Opportunity. Although the language is technical, the similes and metaphors used are within student’s experience keeping the book interesting and understandable. The rovers were designed to last 90 days and seven months after launching landed on Mars in 2004. Five years later they were still working gathering scientific data. There are many quotes from Dr. Steve Squyres, principal investigator for NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission. The photographs and artistic renderings are clearly labeled. The end notes are detailed giving many resources for further information and a detailed glossary and index. This is a fine example of an informational book.


 * __ Works consulted __**

Informational Books PowerPoint LBS 803, 2010. by Mia Morgan. Brown, Mary E. “Informational Books.” //LSC 300 L Literature for Children.// Southern Connecticut State University. 10 Apr 2000. Web. 15 Oct 2010. Cassino, Mark. //The Story of Snow//. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009. // Hollyer, Beatrice. Our World of Water: Children and Water Around the world.//// New York: Henry Holt, 2009. // Jenkins, Steve. //Living Color.// Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Kelly, Irene. //Even an Ostrich Needs a Nest: Where Birds Begint.// New York: Holiday House, 2009. Krull, Kathleen. //The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth.// New York: Knopf, 2009. Lin, Grace. //Our Seasons.// Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2006. Momatiuk, Yva and John Eastcott. //Face to Face With Penguins.// Washington: National Geographic, 2009. Grade Level: 3-6

Siy, Alexandra. //Cars on Mars: Roving the Red Planet.// Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2009. Siy, Alexandra and Dennis Kunkel. //Mosquito Bite.// Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2005. Siy, Alexandra and Dennis Kunkel. //Sneeze!// Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2007.

Stockland, Patricia M. //Red Eyes or Blue Feathers: A book about animal colors.// Minneapolis, Minnesota: Picture Window Books, 2005.