Barbara Shaw McKinney

I loved reading this poetry book. One reason I loved it is because it tells the process of a rain drop falling from the sky and evaporating again and falling again but in different places of the world. But each time that it visits some place new, the author puts a symbol next to a line. For example, when the author says "The vapor freezes in mid air" they put a snowflake at the end of the line. At then end of the book, there is a glossary for all of the symbols used. In the glossary, there show more are a bunch of cool facts about how water works and the process of the water cycle. The second reason I enjoyed reading this book is how easy the book is to understand, even with the rhyming schemes. For example, "Nestled in a cloud near Maine, little Droplet longs to rain. Though not yet big enough to fall, it waits with others, still too small." This is is a great example of how the author makes it easy to understand what they're trying to say but make it fun to read by rhyming the words. The main idea of the book is telling how the water cycle works and cool facts about water through poetry. show less

Pass the energy please by Barbra Shaw McKinney was a fun little read. It is a rhyming story which might seem like it is a little young for 5th graders but I think the rhythmic nature of the story will help students to remember the information from the story better. This book talks about the food chain and how it connects everything in circle of energy. I think this book would go great with the NGSS standard about energy which asks students to use models to describe that energy in animals' show more food was once energy that comes from the sun. show less

My favorite part of this book is that it is in rhyme. This is a great book for those learning about everywhere water is found on Earth, and the water cycle. The illustrations are very detailed and so beautiful. I think a lot of kids around the world would be able to relate to this book because there are so many settings, and water is found everywhere. It also makes you realize that water is inside animals and plants, and really is one of the most important factors to life on Earth. The show more coolest thing is that throughout the book there are symbols next to sentences that show what stage of the water cycle is occurring/ the type of water it is. You are able to look in the back of the book at the different kinds of water. show less

A Drop Around the World follows a drop of water that turns into different water sources/weather. We see it turn into steam, snow, how plants and animals benefit from water, and the importance of the water cycle. This book also incorporated a lot of geography and added pages of the qualities of water. I thought this book was a really cool way to introduce to students why water is so important. It also includes appropriate vocabulary and even adds advanced words for further understanding. This show more will be added to my future classroom someday! show less