Judy Nayer

Whales and Dolphins was educational but would not look like it from first glance as it is a cardboard book with cutouts along the edge that are in the shape of each marine creature so if you wanted to learn more about belugas you can flip to the page with the cutout and picture tag of a beluga. The pictures and added details to the book are great such as a picture of the whale but half shows the organs and then another image shows the skeleton so you can see all three aspects of what makes show more up a whale. This book has a very gentle and general way of telling the facts as each page has mainly pictures with only one-two large print paragraphs that talk about the food, breathing abilities, and predators. Overall it is more of a 1st-3rd grade book that could be used as a source of information for marine biology or whales and just a fun informational book to have in my classroom. show less

"Weather is what is happening in the atmosphere all the time." (Nayer, 1999,no pages)

This board book for children hits the science of weather head on. The content covers a variety of major weather patterns and phenomenon in a brief and accessible way for young readers. Clouds, precipitation, storms, and geography take center stage with stunning graphics and visuals. The pages are cut and stylized for easy page turning, and the blend of information and imagery makes for a nice fluid balance.

A wonderful intro about Hanukkah, especially for children who have never been exposed to it or are first learning about it. Besides the main story, it also includes crafts, recipes and songs. It revolves around two children, Rebecca and Josh and what they do each night for the eight nights of Hanukkah. This also included a brief history of why Hanukkah is observed. Each night has a special craft for the kids to make that tie in with the story. There's even a small section talking about show more Jewish calendars and why they're different from ours. show less

This story is about Margaret Bourke-White, a photographer.
When she was little, she was afraid of many things and her father told her to face her fears. When she grew up she had learned this lesson well. After her father died, Margaret decided to become a photographer. She learned how to take pictures of many things but when she wanted to photograph a factory she was told that she would not be allowed to do that because she was a girl. She remembered the other lesson her father had taught show more her. He taught her to be determined and never give up. Her mother taught her to be curious. She told Margaret to open all doors. So Margaret didn't give up and she did get to photograph the factories. She didn't stop there. Margaret went on to open all the doors of the things she wanted to do with persistance and determination. She became the only professional photographer for LIFE magizine that was a woman.
I really enjoyed this book. I had not heard of Margaret Bourke-White before but after reading about her, I did a little more research into her life and was amazed by all the things she did and was allowed to do at a time when women were not allowed to do much more than be wives and mothers. She was an amazing woman and never even thought about how her spirit and determination would inspire others. I would most assuredly include this book in my library.
This would be a good book to use with the Helen Keller book for courageous people theme. I could read this book and ask the kids to write about something they would like to do when they grew up. Another idea is to have a disposable camera in the class room and for a month each student take it home and take a picture. At the end of the month have the pictures developed and let the students share in class about why they chose to take that picture. Then they would write something about the picture and we could then post them on a special area in the room. The last idea would be to talk about choices. I could point out the choices that Margaret made and how they directed her life. Then have the students think about some of the decisions they have made and how it had affected their life. show less