Who Built the Pyramids?

Who Built the Pyramids? by Jane Chisholm and Struan Reid and illustrated by Sue Stitt, 2004

Brief annotation:

Packed full of fun and facts about everyday life in Ancient Egypt, this is the sort of book you dip into to find out about one thing...and end up reading from cover to cover!

Themes include, specifically, the Pyramids but also ancient Egyptian civilization, history and everyday life.

See linked document for classroom ideas.

Egypt ABC’s: a Book About the People and Places of Egyt

Egypt ABC’s: a Book About the People and Places of Egyt by Sarah Heiman and illustrated by Todd Ouren, 2003

Brief annotation:

An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of Egypt.

Themes include modern and ancient Egypt, cultural understanding and appreciation as well as connections to our modern life.

See linked document for classroom ideas.

Winter’s Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey

Winter’s Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey by Robert Sabuda,
Brief annotation:

Winter's Tale is Robert Sabuda's most spectacular original pop-up story yet. The simple, elegant text is illustrated with breathtaking artwork and extraordinary paper engineering. Stunning visual effects of foil, glitter, and a twinkling surprise further capture the magic of winter. This is a must-have for everyone's bookshelf.

Themes include animals and their winter environment using three dimensional pop-ups.

Pop-up books are also participation books as readers have to be involved in seeing what is in front of them as well as scenes hidden under the animals that are popping up. This is a good book to read during winter holidays or to study animals habits during winter time.

Four Hungry Kittens

Four Hungry Kittens by Emily Arnold McCully

Brief annotation:

In this wordless story, four kittens share adventures while their mother is away hunting food.

Themes include adventure, friendship, family and life on a farm.

As with any wordless picture book, students can write their own words or simply take turns per page saying what they think should be written based on the pictures and what their classmates said on previous pages.

Up the Steps, Down the Slide

Up the Steps, Down the Slide by Jonathan Allen, 1992

Brief annotation:

Rhyming text and illustrations featuring a pair of cats present such opposites as over and under, on and off, and open and shut.

Themes include rhyming and repetition to illustrate opposites and get children guessing what will come next.

This book is a good introduction to opposites that occur in everyday life. The rhyming gets young readers involved by introducing vocabulary that they quickly become familiar with and are able to fill in the blanks on second reads. Good for new readers as well to build confidence and maybe get to read in front of their classmates.

One Gorilla: A Counting Book

One Gorilla: A Counting Book by Atsuko Morozumi, 1990

Brief annotation

One very playful gorilla keeps popping up in gardens, forests, jungles, and even people's houses as he takes the reader on a wild counting adventure. He hides--as much as a gorilla can!--along with all the other creatures as they dart, leap, and peer from the most surprising places, waiting to be counted. A chart at the end of the book provides a key to all the animals and their corresponding numbers. Soft, precise illustrations characterize this colorful counting book.

Themes include counting, nature and repetition.

This is a fun and colorful book to get young children involved in counting as well as identifying the animals that appear on the page.

The Absolutely Awful Alphabet

The Absolutely Awful Alphabet by Mordicai Gerstein, 1999

Brief annotation:

An alliterative alphabet book presents mean and monstrous letters, from A (an awfully arrogant amphibian) to Z (a zig-zagging zoological zany).

Themes include alliteration, ABC's and interesting monsters/creatures.

This book is a fresh way to look at the alphabet. Instead of A is for Apple, you get an awfully arrogant amphibian. It is a great opportunity to talk about nouns, adjectives and adverbs. It would also be a fun way to introduce alliteration in a poetry unit.

The Way We Work

The Way We Work by David Macaulay, 2008
Brief annotation

Many of us spend most of our lives oblivious to even basic information about the most amazing thing we'll ever take for granted-our own bodies. In The Way We Work, David Macaulay gives readers an opportunity to discover just how remarkable the human body really is. This comprehensive and entertaining resource reveals the inner workings of the human body and all of its systems and mechanisms, as only David Macaulay could. Page after page of beautifully illustrated spreads detail everything from cells to the bones and organs they build, clearly explaining the function of each, and offering up-close glimpses, unique cross-sections and perspectives, and even a little humor along the way. This book is for you and everyone you know. It can serve as a reference for children of all ages, families, teachers, and anyone who has questions about how their body works. This informative and engaging guide introduces you to you, and you will come away with a new appreciation of the amazing world inside yourself. When you open the cover you will see how David Macaulay builds a body and explains THE WAY WE WORK. There is no other book like it!

Themes include human physiology and anatomy and understanding your own body.

This would be a good book to use in health or physical education classes. It can be used as a reference book for projects.

Mosque

Mosque by David Macaulay, 2003

Brief annotation:

An author and artist who has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have long fascinated modern people, David Macaulay here reveals the methods and materials used to design and construct a mosque in late-sixteenth- century Turkey. Through the fictional story and Macaulay’s distinctive full-color illustrations, readers will learn not only how such monumental structures were built but also how they functioned in relation to the society they served.
As always, Macaulay has given a great deal of attention to the relationship between pictures and text, creating another brilliant celebration of an architectural wonder.

Themes include architecture, 16th century Turkish civilation and culture. Cultural understanding and diversity.

This is a great book to use to give a better understanding of Muslim culture during the 16th century. It is not trying to convince anyone of anything and therefor should not be at all contravorsal. It simply is a look at a moment in time, just as Cathedral and Pyramid look at the entire civilazation surrounding the building of the catherdral and the pyramid.

Cathedral

Cathedral by David Macaulay, 1973

Brief annotation:

Text and detailed drawings follow the planning and construction of a magnificent Gothic cathedral in the imaginary French town of Chutreaux during the thirteenth century.

Themes include architecture, 13th century civilization and culture.

This book would be great to use in an introductory French class, just as a way to learn about French culture historically. It would also be a good book for an art class that is looking at how to draw architecture.

– New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year in 1973 and Caldecott Honor Award (1974)

Pyramid

Pyramid by David Macaulay, 1975

Brief annotation:

Text and black-and-white illustrations follow the intricate step-by-step process of the building of an ancient Egyptian pyramid.

Themes include architecture, ancient civilization and Egyptian culture.

This book would go great with the 2nd grade social studies SOL's regarding ancient Egypt. The reading level is probably a little high for 2nd graders to get through the entire book but it can be used as a reference book if they are focusing on one aspect of ancient Egypt.

– New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (Honor Book, 1976) and Christopher Award (1976)

The Way Things Work

The Way Things Work by David Macaulay, 1988

Brief annotation:

Text and numerous detailed illustrations introduce and explain the scientific principles and workings of hundreds of machines including a lawn sprinkler, pneumatic drill, electric guitar, and a smoke detector.

Themes include science, mechanics, household items and innovation

This is a good informational book to use like a reference book. It could be helpful for science fair projects or simply a good recommendation for students who are interested in how things work.

– Best Nonfiction awarded by Boston Globe-Horn Book (1989)