Tori Kosara

There are three reasons why I like this book. First, I like that the illustrations are very detailed and close up. Each picture or diagram of a shark is a real picture which makes the book even cooler. The illustrations really show what the different types of sharks are and their physical appearances by providing pictures of their teeth and fins. Along with the illustrations, there are extra textual features such as captions that I enjoyed reading. Each captain provided a brief summary of show more the picture shown. For example, one captain explained why the shark had so many pointy teeth. Second, I like that each page has a paragraph description of the type of shark along with a highlighted word. The highlighted word was then defined so the reader could understand the text. For example, one paragraph said, “Shark’s skeletons are made of cartilage instead. Cartilage is strong, but softer than bone.” The purpose of the highlighted word is to provide a definition because it may be an unknown word to the reader. Lastly, I like that the book is engaging to its readers. Multiple pages asked a question to the reader like, “Why do you think sharks need to be able to move quickly?” I like this because it makes readers think outside of the box and use their own thoughts. I think the main purpose of this book was to show the different types of sharks through detail, text, and illustrations. show less

Gabby Douglas worked hard her entire life to achieve a spot on the US Olympic gymnastic team. She was the first African American to win the women's all-around final, and the fourth American woman in a row to win gold as a gymnast! Her struggles, being away from her family, and her dedication to the sport are all discussed in this book.
I love gymnastics, and I love strong females, so this book was great for me. I like how she is willing to pursue her dream, even if it means being away from show more her family. She wants it, and she gets it!
This book could be used in a classroom during black history month, discussing olympics, or even just for research for students. I think assigning a biography to each student could help them get a better grasp on goal setting. show less

Summary: This book informed its audience on many different species of dinosaurs. It talked about their time period on Earth, how many of them looked and what they ate.

Personal Reaction: I loved how there were questions on each page relating to present day, keeping the child engaged. It also had pronunciations and definitions, which was very helpful.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1) Have the students come up with their own idea on what happened to the dinosaurs.
2) Compare/contrast animals today show more vs. animals during dinosaur times. show less

This is a really cute Autobiography of Gabby Douglas that is designed in a way that it almost looks like a journal. I loved all of the pictures in this book and I think it taught me a lot about Gabby Douglas.