Tsunami!

Author/Illustrator:Kimiko Kajikawa/Ed Young

Publisher/Place of Publication/Date: Philomel Books; New York; 2009

Price: $14.44

ISBN-13: 978-0-399-25006-4
ISBN-10: 0-399-25006-9

Dewey: 398.2

Reading Level: 2.9/3.4

Brief Description of Content: Japanese folktale about a wealthy man who warns his fellow villagers about an impending tsunami.

Personal Review/Selection rationale: This book is a new release with a number of excellent reviews. It offers a contemporary design with interesting illustrations. The reading level of ATOS 3.4 makes it accessible to the students at my school and with the ability for students to use AR. My students frequently ask for books about natural disasters so the topic is also appropriate. This type of book enables me to promote this genre while recommending a book that my students(at least the second or third graders) can read themselves.

Review Sources:

Wilson's Children 07/01/09	School Library Journal starred 01/01/09
Publishers Weekly starred 12/08/08	Kirkus Review starred 12/01/08
Booklist 11/15/08	Horn Book 03/01/09
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 01/01/09	Library Media Connection 05/01/09

Standards:
S2E3 Students will observe and record changes in their surroundings and infer the causes of the changes.

Elements:

a. Recognize effects that occur in a specific area caused by weather, plants, animals, and/or people.

ELAKR6 The student gains meaning from orally presented text.
ELA1R1 The student demonstrates knowledge of concepts of print.
ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text.
ELA2R2 The student demonstrates the ability to read orally with speed, accuracy, and expression. ELA2R4 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text.
ELA3R1 The student demonstrates the ability to read orally with speed, accuracy, and expression. ELA3R3 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text.