Dee Phillips

Children love scary stories. This one has just the right amount of creepiness and tension for elementary readers. Jack and Dylan go to Romania for their sister's wedding. While there, they see her eerie fiance wandering the halls at night and they follow him. The story is a great example of plot: background, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The book includes a glossary of unfamiliar terms and discussion questions. It is great for elementary libraries and classrooms or show more for any child that likes to be scared. It is part of a series called "Cold Whispers II". show less

In my opinion, this is a great informational book on prairie dogs. I liked this book for several reasons. The language was informative and written in child-friendly terms. For example, the book reads, “It weighs the same as three quarters,” which is an understandable measurement for a child. The reader is gaining so much accurate knowledge on the life of a prairie dog while also staying engaged and interested in the content. I really enjoyed the writing and page layouts of this book. show more There are so many text features included in this book that make the appearance of the pages appealing and clear. Subtitles are consistently written in the same format. Each page includes the main text, extra text written in leaves, and captions for pictures and diagrams. On one page, there is an illustrated diagram of the prairie dog’s underground home with appropriate and eye-catching captions. Certain vocabulary words, such as “territory” and “burrow” are bolded and defined in the glossary at the end of the book. I like that these challenging words are used and defined because readers can develop new vocabulary knowledge. There were several great photographs of prairie dogs and their homes posted on each page. I like that photographs were used instead of drawings because the reader can clearly see what a prairie dog looks like. One of my favorite aspects of this book is it involves the reader. The book asks the reader questions such as, “Why do you think it’s a good idea for prairie dogs to live underground?” This gets the reader thinking about the content, activates background knowledge, and allows the reader to make predictions. The book also contains a science lab game, index, book resources, online resources, and an about the author section. The big idea of this book is for readers to learn about the life of a prairie dog, which is not a commonly studied mammal. show less

Arctic Fox is a well written expository informational text for elementary readers. It covers the arctic fox’s physical description, habitat, behavior, diet and life cycle. It includes bold headings, colorful photographs, informative captions and labels on each page to help guide the reader. Both the interesting content and reading level are a perfect fit for the youngest learners. Recommend for teachers teaching nonfiction features and for students 1st-4th grade.

In the writing of this show more book, author, Dee Phillips consulted with experts Alysa McCall of Polar Bears International and Kimberly Brenneman, PhD of National Institute for Early Education Research.

Nonfiction features included in this book: Table of Contents, Science Lab (compare and contrast), Science Words (Glossary), Index, and additional resources.

Arctic Animals: Life Outside the Igloo series includes: Collared Lemming; Harp Seal; Polar Bear; Reindeer; Snowshoe Hare show less

This book is great for young children interested in a variety of mammals. There are lots of new words that can be learned, but introduced in a great way. The pictures will keep children entertained, while also teaching them more than they will realize. It covers both land and see animals, some they may have heard of, while other could be new. It tells where they live, and even what they eat.