Will Osborne (1)

Is there any series of books that I more strongly recommend to the good readers at my primary school than Magic Tree House? And why is this my first venture into the research guides to the series? I don’t know why, but I intend to read more and promote these more. Every piece of information that an eight-year-old would want to know about pirates is in this book. And listen to this piece of advice in the Doing More Research section at the back of the book: “Here are some things to show more remember when you’re using books for research: You don’t have to read the whole book.” Wow. Refreshing. Well, this may be my new most-recommended nonfiction series for good readers. show less

This is a "Fact Tracker" book by Magic School House. I really like that they use the scientific names and then give the common name for the different eras of dinosaurs. The little facts on the sides of the pages are neat as they give quick tidbits of info or define terms. The chapters show how to organized the information about the dinosaurs. The diagrams in the illustrations are great and make the book seem more scientific and interesting than if it was just text. My favorite part is the show more pictures of the kids with the physical characteristics of some dinosaurs, it adds humor to the book. My 4 1/2 year old laughed so hard at the kid with the long neck. show less

There are numerous reasons why I like this book. I think this a perfect balance of facts and fun for children. The writing in the book is very engaging. Osborne writes the book so Jack and Annie pose questions, and then they answer these questions by using facts. For example, “What is weather? Why does the weather change from day to day? Why does it sometimes cause so much damage?” (Page 15). This writing makes a non-fiction book that can be often boring at times very fun and engaging show more for students to read. In addition to the engaging writing, the author also includes interesting illustrations that help enhance the readers meaning of the facts. For example on page 14, the author includes a drawing that is so realistic, it looks like a black and white photograph. This is very interesting to the reader and will cause them to continue reading and figure out the meaning and context of the pictures. Overall, the big idea of this non-fiction chapter book is to inform the reader about many “scary storms”. show less

The Magic Tree House series released a secondary series of nonfiction books for children that offer factual information about certain books in the fiction series. The first book in the Fact Tracker series matches the first book in the Tree House series, appropriately focused on dinosaurs. The book covers a broad range of factual information about these famous extinct animals, from the different types of fossils to the kinds of dinosaurs, the three eons when dinosaurs lived to dinosaur show more babies. The information is broken into small chapters focused on each topic. The book disseminates information in a direct and easy style that was perfect for children, and it uses the characters Jack and Annie to interject some fun trivia and humor that invites kids to engage more deeply with the information. For instance, they hold up signs, ask questions, share jokes, and give teasers about coming information. Furthermore, the book is liberally filled with illustrations, that help young readers better grasp the details being taught. Truly, this book demonstrates an excellent approach to teaching children about nonfiction topics in a fun and engaging way. show less