A Baby Panda is Born

written by Kristin Ostby, illustrated by Lucia Washburn

This "All Aboard Science Reader" is intended for kids who are reading with help. It has short sentences and simple vocabulary, and tells the story of Mei Lan, a panda born in 2007 at the Atlanta Zoo.

The book has many extremely cute illustrations showing Mei Lan's progression from a tiny pink hairless critter "the size of a stick of butter" into a 4 month old, black and white bear recognizable as a panda.

After telling Mei Lan's story, the book goes on to give information about the life of pandas, where they live in the wild, what they eat, and challenges they face that are leading them to extinction. The book is never preachy and does not assign blame to bad people for invading their habitat, but delicately and clearly communicates the dangers these beautiful creatures face in ways that children can understand.

I would use this book in a 1st or 2nd grade classroom, but older children could also benefit from the factual information it contains. It would be a good book to give to a reluctant nonfiction reader, because it is an easy read and yet contains a compelling story and connections to current events.

Great Migrations: Elephants

by Laura Marsh

This National Geographic Kids book tells about the life cycle and migration pattern of Mali elephants. The book is chock full of photographs and facts, and incorporates information boxes and blurbs with extra facts. The book is classified by the publishers as a "Level 3" book, intended "for kids who are reading fluently."

The book contains quite a few specialized words, so I would recommend it for 3rd grade and up. While my 2nd graders would be fascinated by the subject material and would love the wacky facts in the book, most of them would not be able to read the text pages.

This would be a great book to have available for students while doing a social studies unit on Africa, or a science unit on mammals. The information contained in it is both factual and fascinating, and I am on the lookout for a kid to share it with!

Barack Obama: Out of Many, One

written by Shana Corey and illustrated by James Bernardin

This biography is part of the "Step Into Reading" series, and is classified on their scale as Level 3 (Reading On Your Own). The first half of the book covers Obama's childhood and gives facts about his life that kids can relate to.

The pictures are vivid and colorful, and some appear to have been done from photographs. The book focuses on Obama as a person rather than as a politician, and does not go into much depth on his political ideas (as a children's book probably shouldn't!)

This book does contain some fairly sophisticated vocabulary and sentence structure, along with full paragraphs of text. I would recommend this book for 3rd grade and up because of these features, but it could be read to 1st or 2nd graders if definitions and explanations were given.

Below the Root

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

This book first came out in 1975. It is the first book in the Green Sky Trilogy, which was the most popular series at my elementary school in the mid-1980s. There was a waiting list a mile long for it in the school library, and after a year on the list I finally read this book in 3rd grade.

I don't remember much from my early reading, but I did remember the basic storyline all of these years. This book starts the trilogy by introducing us to the utopian world of Green Sky, a distant planet far in the future which is populated by the descendants of refugees from a war that destroyed Earth. The main character is a 13 year old boy named Raamo who is chosen to become a member of the ruling body, the Ol-zhaan, based on his psychic abilities.

Raamo soon discovers things that make him suspicious of the society and rules he has grown up with, and he begins to investigate the forbidden forest floor. What he finds there will ultimately shake the foundations of Green Sky society and change his world forever.

While reading this book again as an adult, I was able to appreciate the deeper theme of questioning utopia that runs through the series. I think this book would be appropriate for 5th or 6th graders after an introduction to political systems, but much was lost on me when I read it in 3rd grade.

In fact, I think the only reason I remember the story so well is that in 1984, this series was the basis for a wildly popular computer game for the Commodore 64, also called Below the Root. The game picked up the story where the trilogy left off, and I spent many hours playing it! While the game is long gone, the books are finally back in print and I have purchased the whole trilogy. I've wanted this on my bookshelf for over 20 years, and I finally have it!

Woodsong

by Gary Paulson

I was initially reluctant to read this book, because I always think I am not a fan of memoir. However (as with some other writers in the past), I loved it! Paulson's vivid imagery and descriptions of what he feels as he runs his dogs pulled me right into the story, and I didn't want the book to end.

I would definitely have upper elementary students read this book! Paulson's descriptions of his dogs are woven through the book until they are developed as characters, and the reader suffers when they do. After reading this, I will be on the lookout for more memoirs to read with similarly captivating stories.

I would not read this book to younger children, because it does contain a few brutal scenes of dogfights, dogs passing away, and dead or dying wildlife. I think those episodes would make parts of the book too upsetting for primary age students, but older students would probably delight in them!