W. H. Beck
Author of Malcolm at Midnight
About the Author
Image credit: at Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
Series
Works by W. H. Beck
A Tundra Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure in the Arctic (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 20 copies
A Rain Forest Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure in South America (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 18 copies
An Australian Outback Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 14 copies
A Temperate Forest Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure in North America (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 13 copies
A Desert Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure in North America (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 12 copies
A Coral Reef Food Chain: A Who-Eats-What Adventure in the Caribbean Sea (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 11 copies
A Cloud Forest Food Chain: A Who-eats-what Adventure in Africa (Follow That Food Chain) (2009) 8 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Wojahn, Rebecca Hogue
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- [from author's website]
I am the author of middle grade novels, like Malcolm at Midnight, nonfiction picture books, like Glow: Animals with Their Own Night-Lights, regional biographies, like Dr. Kate: Angel on Snowshoes, and educational series, like Follow That Food Chain. My books have been honored by Junior Library Guild selection, state and regional awards, the National Science Teachers Association, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year, among others. Even though I write across several genres, I like to think that all my books feature a dose of wonder, a pinch of humor, and are steeped in kindness towards others, including all critters on our planet.
When I'm not writing, I teach as a high school “media and technology integration specialist” (i.e., a librarian) in Wisconsin. And in between all that, I love to read, make art, travel, and explore the outdoors with my husband, sons, and dogs.
Members
Reviews
This is a gorgeous book. I've been looking at several books about nocturnal and bioluminescent animals and this is exactly what I've been looking for.
The deep black pages are illuminated by glowing animals and bright, white text. After a few simple sentences of introduction, explaining bioluminescence, each page features a single sentence explaining why animals glow - to hide, to find food, to attract a mate. Smaller type identifies the animals and offers a fact about each one. Back matter show more explains the difficulty of photographing bioluminescent creatures, especially those deep in the ocean, and offers thumbnail sketches of each animal along with their common and scientific name, size, and habitat. There is also a brief bibliography.
I did feel that some of the larger sentences were pushing or repeating the different functions somewhat - there were multiple pictures featuring animals hunting with different words including hunt, trick, and invite although really they're all the same thing. However, this is a minor quibble - this is a great book to introduce kids of many ages to the fascinating world of bioluminescent animals and get them interested in learning more about these strange, wonderful creatures.
Verdict: Some of the pictures are a little creepy, so I would be careful about using this in storytime if you have sensitive toddlers or preschoolers (or parents!) but it's a perfect choice for an outreach storytime with preschool or kindergarten, especially if you can tie it in with some glow in the dark activities!
ISBN: 9780544416666; Published 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less
The deep black pages are illuminated by glowing animals and bright, white text. After a few simple sentences of introduction, explaining bioluminescence, each page features a single sentence explaining why animals glow - to hide, to find food, to attract a mate. Smaller type identifies the animals and offers a fact about each one. Back matter show more explains the difficulty of photographing bioluminescent creatures, especially those deep in the ocean, and offers thumbnail sketches of each animal along with their common and scientific name, size, and habitat. There is also a brief bibliography.
I did feel that some of the larger sentences were pushing or repeating the different functions somewhat - there were multiple pictures featuring animals hunting with different words including hunt, trick, and invite although really they're all the same thing. However, this is a minor quibble - this is a great book to introduce kids of many ages to the fascinating world of bioluminescent animals and get them interested in learning more about these strange, wonderful creatures.
Verdict: Some of the pictures are a little creepy, so I would be careful about using this in storytime if you have sensitive toddlers or preschoolers (or parents!) but it's a perfect choice for an outreach storytime with preschool or kindergarten, especially if you can tie it in with some glow in the dark activities!
ISBN: 9780544416666; Published 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less
Devoured in a day. Impressive laying of plot-groundwork in this mystery. Animal illustrations gorgeous, as expected of Brian Lies of Bats at the Beach fame. Excellent dialogue and rich atmosphere--we get to know the school intimately through Malcolm's nose, ears, and over-gnawed whiskers.
Regrettably, the primary antagonist is a cat--but though a villain, she's a tragic one.
Will definitely recommend to my library patrons!
Regrettably, the primary antagonist is a cat--but though a villain, she's a tragic one.
Will definitely recommend to my library patrons!
Malcolm at Midnight is too cute! The story starts out with poor Malcolm at the pet store who is about to become food for someone's snake but has been spared because of his demure size. He is taken to a 5th grade classroom (horrors!) where
he becomes a class pet and then meets the Midnight Academy made up of all the other class pets. The Midnight Academy looks after the school and tries to protect all its members. There is a fish who spells out in pebbles messages, a backstabbing rabbit, an show more iguana who wears cheater glasses left by the Librarian, a turtle, mice, three chicks and a nasty cat named Snip. Wonderful illustrations by Brian Lies make this a really fun read. Malcolm doesn't like the fact that everyone thinks rats are evil after listening to the other animals and reading A Tale of Despereaux. He gets so bothered by this that he breaks the number one rule of the club- never talk to humans and then Aggy the Iguana leader goes missing. This would be a great family read and older kids will appreciate the narrative delivery to their teacher using new vocabulary words. show less
he becomes a class pet and then meets the Midnight Academy made up of all the other class pets. The Midnight Academy looks after the school and tries to protect all its members. There is a fish who spells out in pebbles messages, a backstabbing rabbit, an show more iguana who wears cheater glasses left by the Librarian, a turtle, mice, three chicks and a nasty cat named Snip. Wonderful illustrations by Brian Lies make this a really fun read. Malcolm doesn't like the fact that everyone thinks rats are evil after listening to the other animals and reading A Tale of Despereaux. He gets so bothered by this that he breaks the number one rule of the club- never talk to humans and then Aggy the Iguana leader goes missing. This would be a great family read and older kids will appreciate the narrative delivery to their teacher using new vocabulary words. show less
When Malcolm the rat arrives as the pet at McKenna School, he revels in the attention. He also meets the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that keeps the nutters (kids) safe. There’s just one problem…rats have a terrible reputation! So when the Academy’s iguana leader is kidnapped, Malcolm must prove his innocence—and that even rats can be good guys. Illustrated by Brian Lies of Bats at the Beach, this engaging middle-grade novel will have readers rooting for show more Malcolm as they try to solve the mystery alongside him. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 18
- Members
- 486
- Popularity
- #50,827
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
- 57