Author/Illustrator: Jason Chin
Plot Summary: A boy finds a book left on a bench in the subway. He is transported in to a redwood forest where he learns about these unique, ancient and very large trees. An excellent presentation that combines imaginative pictures with factual information will be sure to capture the attention of elementary school students.
Comments: I loved everything about this book. It is exactly how a book should present information to make it interesting to young students. I have read it to second graders so far and they enjoyed it, asked lots of questions, and were interested in seeing and reading it themselves. It is a good introduction to non-fiction reading.
Extensions:
1. Third grade students will complete a Webquest with information related to redwoods. They will visit websites where they will see actual photographs of the redwoods.
2. Third or fourth grade students(or older) will use the following situations to present varying solutions. Click here for a description of scenarios involving redwoods on privately owned land.
3. Learn about fractions and relative sizes by building of model of redwoods with surrounding environs including cars, people, animals, "regular" trees, plants, and forest animals.
Themes/keywords: coast redwood, redwoods, giant sequoia, trees
Age/Reading Level: K - 4; ATOS - 5.6; Follett - 4.8; Lexile - 1100
Standards:
ELA2R4 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text.
ELA3R3 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text.
ELA4R2(through eighth grade) The student consistently reads at least twenty-five books or book equivalents (approximately 1,000,000 words) each year. The materials should include traditional and contemporary literature (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and electronic material. Such reading should represent a diverse collection of material from at least three different literary forms and from at least five different writers.
Publisher's Info: Flashpoint, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, New York. 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-59643-430-1
ISBN-10: 1-59643-430-9
Awards/Review Sources:
Wilson's Children 07/01/09 | School Library Journal 05/01/09 |
| Booklist starred 04/01/09 | Horn Book starred 05/01/09 |
| Publishers Weekly starred 03/09/09 | Library Media Connection 10/01/09 |
Genre/Dewey: 585
Websites:
National Park Service website for Redwood National and State Park
Save the Redwoods website
Author's website
Notes for Booktalk: A Neal Porter Book - He has published a number of the books I have enjoyed.
Vocabulary:
Comments