Shelley Gill

The purpose of this book was to inform readers about blue whales. I love that the book read more like a narrative than an informational text. Facts about blue whales were woven into a beautifully written story about a young girl, Kye, and her dream to swim with whales. Kye states that she knows a lot about whales, like “the newborn calf, at 25 feet, will be the fastest growing creature on earth.” The book also gets the reader to think and ask questions about whales. For example, Kye asks show more herself, “what if blue whales live 100 years? 200 years? What if the whales swimming around now are the same one hunted a century ago?” These questions have the reader ponder the amazing lifespan of whales. I also liked the illustrations. They made me want to swim with whales! The colors used beneath the water’s surface created beautiful pictures. I really liked the vocabulary and descriptive language. The author used words that were a little more complex, but the reader could understand them by the context. For example, “canyons,” “tread,” “gaping” and “krill.” The story was very well written and gave a clear picture of what the author wanted to describe. When she sees a blue whale in person she states, “I see the yellow knobs on Big Blue’s belly, her pleated throat, the gaping cave of her mouth. She lifts her pectoral fin and glides by me.” The reader can visualize what a blue whale looks like in person. Overall, this was a fantastic book that explained several facts about whales while engaging the reader. show less

This book is an excellent and exciting way for children to practice their math skills in a real life application by thinking about what you can buy for $1. Being told as a rhyming story takes the pressures of solving math away as you are enchanted with the rhymes. The little girl is exited to spend her allowance at the store but when given too many choices and ways she can split her dollar to buy more or less items, she gets overwhelmed and decides it is best to keep her dollar. I think this show more book is appealing to young children because the items the girl is considering buying are all items that young children would want, such as candy and fish. As a bonus the book even has a page full of coin slots to help you save your money! show less

Nice concept and illustrations, but because the story was forced into rhymes, there are too many bits that just don't make perfect sense and/or are awkward.

A little young girl goes on a math adventure of getting the most bane for her buck when she learns about the value of how much she can get with one dollar. Throughout the stores, she comes across several dilemma of stores she goes to when she has to make a good decision as to how far one dollar can go and what items she can buy with one dollar. Written in a AB rhyme scheme, readers will enjoy and follow along with the fun-singing text.

Thinking about the value of money, some items in the book show more in terms of the cost seems unrealistic. For example, a pickle for a nickel isn't common in today's economy. At the same time, it's amazing what this story contains when it comes to computing costs and how much left over change a person has. This book is good for money lesson in math and I would definitely use it to incorporate money in the everyday world. show less