Steven Otfinoski

As I continue updating the 900s, I’m constantly looking for additional materials on some of the most popular historical events like World War II. It can be tricky to find materials that are well-researched and written, cover the basic information (which many kids don’t know) but also offer additional perspectives, stepping outside the traditional black and white presentation.

I was very interested to see a new series from Capstone that seems to promise this in its unique presentation. show more “Perspectives Flip Books” include the same major historical event from two different perspectives. This one covers the attack of Pearl Harbor from the American and Japanese perspectives. One side of the book covers one perspective, flip it over and read about the same event from a different perspective. This includes a blow-by-blow account of the attack with eyewitness quotes and inset information on people like Doris Miller, an African-American hero who was denied recognition due to his color or Japanese ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura who tried, unsuccessfully, to negotiate peace.

Both stories share a timeline, further reading, and glossary, but have their own individual index.

While brief, each story lasting about 30 pages, they do a good job of conveying the basic events as well as exploring some of the different perspectives. Otfinoski touches on some of the reasons behind the war, mistakes made by both sides in the attack, and overtures of peace after the war.

Verdict: I’d like to see more titles from this series to make a really informed decision, but I think this is what I’ve been looking for and I plan to purchase the series to fill out and diversify my 900s. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780756556914; Published 2018 by Capstone; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library show less

I picked this book up at a library sale and thought it would be fun to look through. What I found was a book that was well researched (I only saw one error) and fun to read. The author was able to point to many many songs that I have never considered novelty tunes, but actually fit right into the category. Recommended for anyone interested in popular music history or humor. For those who like novelty music, I HIGHLY recommend this book.

June 2021
Even though I didn't read it carefully, I did thoroughly skim and enjoyed.

For older children and families who want to know more. I've wondered for years how on earth it can be cost effective to sort and process single-stream plastics, whether recycling was actually a good thing or a bureaucratic 'feel-good' mess. As I learned in this book, it really is important to put everything that your sanitation department accepts into the blue bin. Call them or visit your website if you're not show more sure of the exact policies. Aluminum, paper, and glass are still the most prized, but most plastics are very welcome now, too, due to advanced technology. Maybe a child you know will engineer even more effective solutions!

I, personally, particularly liked the reminder that glass bottles used to be washed and reused. I remember when we were small we got soda and beer from the salesroom of a local bottler and brought the empties back, after washing them ourselves of course, to get another case of each. This was in the late 1960s outside of Mpls/St. Paul.
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Enjoyed again Feb 2023. From historical times to the future, from individuals to societies, lots of detail. But still accessible to ages 9 (?) up. show less

I thought this book was alright. It was definitely very educational and had lots of text features which enhanced the book. For example, the book has a section dedicated to common locations for tornadoes, they called this section “tornado alley”. The section titles were very catchy and made you think of what that section will be about before reading it. For example, one of the section is called “storm chasers” which explains the job of scientists who travel and track storms. Another show more reason I enjoyed this book was that the pictures are big, realistic, and enhance the text. Readers can reference the pictures and visualize the details of what the text is saying. I thought that this was important because it explains things in great detail that many readers have not experienced or knew about before reading the book, such as storm chasers or tornadoes. The message of the book is to emphasize and explain the impact and importance of tornadoes. The book provides lots of facts and photos for readers to fully understand the impact and better understand tornadoes and how serious they are. show less