Changing the Game: Getting to Know Engineer Jerry Lawson

A book review for kids in grades 4 - 6

Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever

by Don Tate, illustrated by Cherise Harris

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023

Grades PK - 3

Lexile 420L-820L

Video games are a big part of many people’s lives today, but did you know they haven’t always been around? Just ask your grandparents or older relatives. They probably remember a time before video games. Thanks to engineers like Jerry Lawson, video games were not only invented but also have been played on televisions and computers in homes throughout the world. Now they’re even available to take with us wherever we go on cell phones and other hand-held devices!

In Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever, author Don Tate tells the story of one of the inventors who first introduced video games to the world. This book starts with Jerry's childhood in Queens, New York, where he first began to tinker with simple machines. He went on to become an engineer and invented one of the first video games, Demolition Derby, using a microprocessor made by Fairchild Semiconductor, where he worked. Jerry even started his own video game company called Video Soft, Inc. It was the first African-American owned video game development company in the world.

Jerry was one of the first engineers working in Silicon Valley (Tate, 2023, pp. 11-12).

In addition to Jerry’s life story, Jerry Changed the Game! also includes a timeline of the arcade and video game industry, a glossary, or list, of words you may not know, and links to videos of Jerry explaining more about his work. The author also includes a note about how he first learned about Jerry’s life and work. In addition, the note includes some interesting facts about Jerry that didn’t make it into the main story of the book.

The author’s note provides additional details about Jerry’s life (Tate, 2023, pp. 31-32).

One part of Jerry’s story that this book talks a lot about is that his first attempts weren't always successful, but he kept trying anyway. As you read, think about things you’ve tried that didn’t work at first. Could you try again? The illustrations in this book also are interesting. If you’ve never seen photos or drawings of the earliest video games, televisions, computers, and other electronics, you may not even recognize what some of these objects are. If you have questions about what you’re seeing, ask an older adult to help you. They might have had some of these early electronics in their homes when they were children. Also, when you’re reading, you might find some words you’re not familiar with related to engineering and electronics. Remember the glossary in the back can help you learn what those words mean.

Some readers may have never seen a video game console or TV like these from the 1970s (Tate, 2023, pp. 25-26).

While the publisher has rated this book for Grades PK – 3, I think Jerry's story will be more interesting for kids in Grades 4 – 6 who have lots of experience with video games and with reading biographies and history. Jerry Changed the Game! might just be the book for you if you:

• like to tinker, like Jerry did,
• enjoy playing video games,
• watch YouTube videos about video games,
• would like to create your own video games,
• are interested in learning about African Americans who changed history,
• like electronics and how they are made,
• would like to be an engineer,
• fall into any or all of the categories above.

Despite the popularity of video games, there aren't many books--especially for kids--about about how video games were invented or the people who invented them. Stories like Jerry Lawson’s also are important because they remind us how quickly our lives have become centered around technology since those first inventions. Jerry’s story also helps readers see how they too might be able to invent something new that could change the world. It’s even possible that reading Jerry Changed the Game! will make you like playing video games even more than you already do!

Try This!

Play Pong

Want to experience more of what the early video games were like? Visit Pong Game to play an online version of one of the first video games called Pong. It’s free, but be sure to get your parent’s or caregiver’s permission before playing.

Screenshot of Pong Game (PongGame.org, n.d.).

Use Scratch to Create a Video Game

You can also try creating your own video game using Scratch, a coding language with a simple visual interface developed especially for kids. It’s also free, but be sure to get your parent’s or caregiver’s permission before signing up for an account.

Screenshot of the Create page of Scratch (Scratch Foundation, n.d.).

Read This!

The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer

by Marcie Wessels, illustrated by Beatriz Castro

Union Square Kids, 2020

Grades PK - 5

Lexile 740L

Read about another inventor who also was an early developer of video games, Ralph Baer. In The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer, learn more about Baer’s Brown Box invention that turned televisions into video game systems.

References

PongGame.org. (n.d.). Pong game. https://www.ponggame.org/

Scratch Foundation. (n.d.). Scratch. https://scratch.mit.edu/

Tate, D. (2023). Jerry changed the game!: How engineer Jerry Lawson revolutionized video games forever (C. Harris, Illus.). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Totality! Help Your Patrons Prepare for the 2024 Eclipse

A book review for Indiana Public Library Youth Librarians

Totality! An Eclipse Guide in Rhyme and Science

by Jeffrey O. Bennett

Big Kid Science, 2022

Grades 4 - 8

Lexile 740L-1185L

Totality! An Eclipse Guide in Rhyme and Science by Jeffrey O. Bennett is a great book to start or supplement your eclipse collection in preparation for the total eclipse that will pass over central Indiana in April 2024. As youth librarians in public libraries, it is important that our collections support our communities’ interest in this historical astronomical event. Totality! will serve as a foundational book for youth in this content area.

Totality! is an accessible informational book for children of all ages, with engaging photos and diagrams, a rhyming storyline that can be used with younger readers, along with Big Kid Boxes, or sidebars, that will keep older readers interested too.

Each spread includes sections of the rhyming narrative, along with sidebars of scientific information (Bennett, 2022, pp. 6-7).

The book includes the history of eclipse viewing, detailed explanations of the sun, moon, and earth orbits that create eclipses, and descriptions of various types of eclipses, including annular, total, and partial solar eclipses, and lunar eclipses. Bennett also offers tips for when and how to view eclipses safely. An extensive glossary will help readers successfully navigate the astronomical vocabulary, and several activities in the end matter will help readers engage more fully in the book.

This spread includes information about what to expect when viewing a total eclipse, along with safety information to avoid eye injury (Bennett, 2022, pp, 24-25).

While Totality! claims to be a guide in both rhyme and science, the two aspects can feel a little jumbled if you try to read through all the text on every page in one pass. Hopefully readers will heed the author’s suggestion in the introduction to read through the rhyming storyline first, and then go back through the book and read the sidebars for greater understanding (Bennett, 2022). You could model that approach in a storytime or eclipse program, too. The author also provides a two-page summary of the book’s key ideas in the end matter, along with a one-page layout of the rhyming storyline that runs throughout the book. These features go a long way in helping overcome any confusion readers might experience from having the rhymes and sidebars intermingled.

The summary of all the key ideas in the book will help readers who aren’t sure where to focus during a read-through (Bennett, 2022, p. 31).

The book also comes with two pairs of cardboard eclipse glasses, which you probably will not want to circulate. That means some of the information in the book specifically related to the glasses might leave readers further confused. Before circulating Totality!, consider including a simple note taped to the inside cover in place of the glasses to explain why they are not included in this version and what readers could do instead.

The extensive peritextual features mentioned above, along with its two-track approach that appeals to a wide young audience, make Totality! a great book for any youth collection. While the book’s specific references to the 2023 and 2024 eclipses may result in the book feeling dated later, its usefulness for these particular astronomical events, including maps showing the paths of annularity and totality, make this a great resource which is sure to get plenty of circulation for the next year or two. It also includes enough general astronomical knowledge that it could potentially have a longer life after 2024.

One of the book’s strengths is its specific focus on the 2023 and 2024 eclipses, which could also limit its shelf life (Bennett, 2022, p. 4).

Totality! is also a 2023 Teacher Favorites Award winner and a 2023 Librarian Favorites Award winner, along with being featured in Sky & Telescope’s editors’ list of favorite “Eclipse Apps, Books, Videos: Resources for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse” (2023). Bennett also was recently honored with the 2023 American Association of Physics Teachers’ Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award, making him the perfect narrator of this important book (American Association of Physics Teachers, 2023). In addition, all seven of Bennett’s critically acclaimed children’s science books, including Totality!, have been selected for launch to the International Space Station for the Story Time From Space program (American Association of Physics Teachers, 2023).

Additional Resources

In addition to Totality!, consider the following resources to help you and your patrons prepare for the 2024 total eclipse.

When the Sun Goes Dark

by Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz, illustrated by Eric Freeburg

NSTA Kids, 2017

Ages 8 - 12

Lexile 890L

When the Sun Goes Dark is a narrative informational book that tells the story of a grandma and grandpa who tell their grandchildren about their travels to see a total eclipse. Through the course of the story, the grandparents explain a lot of the science and history of eclipses, but because it is told in narrative form, it might appeal to children who would otherwise be resistant to more straightforward informational books.

Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL)

by Star Library Network

https://www.starnetlibraries.org/about/our-projects/solar-eclipse-activities-libraries-seal/

This website offers many resources for libraries to help educate and support their communities leading up to and during eclipses. It also includes information about how to order free solar eclipse glasses to distribute at library programs.

Totality! app

developed for Big Kid Science

currently owned by The American Astronomical Society

https://www.bigkidscience.com/eclipse/

The Totality! app is a companion to Totality! An Eclipse Guide in Rhyme and Science. It includes an interactive map that shows the view of upcoming and recent past eclipses from any location in the world, including the 2023 annular eclipse that passed over the United States on Oct. 14, 2023, and upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The app also includes information about how, when, and why eclipses occur, as well as classroom activities.

eclipse2024.org

by Dan Glaun and Eclipse2017.org, inc.

https://eclipse2024.org/

This website is filled with lots of resources related to the 2024 total eclipse, including eclipse timings, eclipse viewing information for every city in North America, eclipse resources, and an eclipse simulator that shows exactly what the eclipse will look like from many locations.

References

American Association of Physics Teachers. (2023, March 1). Jeffrey Bennett named as recipient of the 2023 Klopsteg memorial lecture award [Press release]. https://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/Jeffrey-Bennett-Named-as-Recipient-of-the-2023-Klopsteg-Memorial-Lecture-Award.cfm.

Bennett, J. O. (2022). Totality!: An eclipse guide in rhyme and science. Big Kid Science.

Editors of Sky & Telescope. (2023, July 28). Eclipse apps, books, videos: Resources for the 2024 total solar eclipse. Sky & Telescope. https://skyandtelescope.org/2024-total-solar-eclipse/eclipse-apps-books-and-more-resources-for-the-2024-total-solar-eclipse/

Bread Is Life: Reading Fry Bread for Understanding and Belonging

A community book review for the library newsletter 

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story 

by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal 

Roaring Book Press, 2019 

Grades PK - 2 

Lexile 530L-810L 

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story is a picture book about a Native American food staple that also includes many important aspects of life for Native people today. Author Kevin Noble Maillard, a journalist, author, and law professor at Syracuse University, as well as a member of the Seminole Nation, Mekusukey Band, wrote the book as a “poetic picture book tribute to a family tradition and a food with origins in the diaspora of Native peoples in the United States” (Grabarek, 2019, para. 1). 

At its heart, this book is a story about family, belonging, and the joy of gathering around a beloved food that each family member looks forward to on special occasions. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and they include several “Native Easter eggs,” like family photos, symbols, and tribal patterns, which the author explains in his extensive author’s note (Graberek, 2019, para. 11). Each spread of the book covers a different aspect of fry bread, like the shape of the dough or the sound of it frying, but many also point to important cultural issues, like celebrations and festivals, customs and traditions, and geographical identity of various tribes.

The names and doodles in the cabinet represent various people involved in creating the book. The framed photograph is of the author's aunt. (Maillard, 2019, pp. 25-26)

The language of the book is simple enough that many early readers will be able to make their way through much of the text on their own. However, there are some words that adults will need to help with, including place and tribal names. Also, most children will recognize the familiar ideas of home, family, holidays, and meals in the text and illustrations, but the metaphoric language of “Fry bread is …” might be confusing. They also may not pick up on the clues about the racial diversity, cultural heritage, or tragic history of Indigenous people in the United States and throughout North America hinted at in the book.

This spread hints at the Trail of Tears, displacement, and land grabbing (Maillard, 2019, pp. 15-16)

If children do miss some of the deeper points in the book, on subsequent readings parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians can use the author’s note to introduce young readers to these important issues and help them “in developing an appreciation for or an understanding of others different from themselves” (Wasta, 2010, p. 189). In fact, readers of all ages can find a lot to learn from this book through that author’s note, which “dives into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America’s 573 recognized tribes” (Kirkus Reviews, 2019, para. 2). 

The extensive Author's Note provides information about each spread, including historical and contemporary context, and explanation of some of the illustrations (Maillard, 2019, pp. 31-32)

This book, like others listed below, is important to include in our library's collection because it tells a compelling, contemporary story about an underrepresented group of people in our culture and offers a different, but well-documented, perspective about our nation's history that many Americans were not taught in school. The author’s note, as mentioned above, provides extensive context that other books do not. This story also provides a place for Native American children who live in our community to recognize their own families and customs in the pages of a book. According to the Civil Rights Commission of the State of Indiana, more than 25,000 members of federally recognized tribes live in Indiana (2023, para. 1). One of the reasons Maillard wrote this book was because he was looking for stories to read to his own children but “was having a hard time finding contemporary books about Native kids that weren’t about Thanksgiving or Pocahontas. Most were written by non-Natives, and all were about people that lived long ago, like some mythical vanished community” (Meizner, 2019, para. 3). Fry Bread, on the other hand, is primarily a story about Native families today.

Finally, this book makes a great addition to our library's collection because it has been widely reviewed and critically acclaimed, including winning more than 20 awards and recognitions. Among them, Fry Bread was named a Best Picture Book of 2019 by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, a 2020 Charlotte Huck Recommended Book, a Booklist 2019 Editor's Choice, a Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of 2019, a Goodreads Choice Award 2019 Semifinalist, a 2020 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, a 2020 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year List, a 2020 ALA Notable Children's Book, along with being named a 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book and receiving a 2020 American Indiana Library Association Youth Literature Award. 

Read Fry Bread for yourself to see what a valuable addition it makes to our collection. Then read it to a child who’s special to you, your own son or daughter, a grandchild, or even a neighbor and talk about this important culture. Then connect it to your own family's tradition and customs. After all, "bread nourishes and comforts so many cultures, religions, and communities around the world" (Maillard, 2019, p. 37).

Other Books about Native People in our Collection 

We Are Water Protectors 

by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade 

Roaring Book Press, 2020 

Grades PK - 2 

Lexile 510L 

Told from the perspective of a young girl who is protecting the water from a black snake, this book speaks to the importance of water to Native peoples and calls for protecting water from harm. 

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga 

by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac 

Watertown, 2018 

Grades PK – 2 

Lexile 970L 

This book follows a Cherokee family and their tribal nation through the year as they practice the custom of Otsaliheliga, a Cherokee word for expressing gratitude. 

Birdsong

by Julie Flett 

Greystone Kids, 2019 

Grades PK – 2 

Lexile 560L 

This book is about a Cree girl who befriends and elderly woman after moving from the country into a small town. It follows the seasons, introduces elements of loss, and includes Cree-Métis words in the story and in a glossary. 

References 

Civil Rights Commission, Indiana. (2023). Are there any Native American tribes in Indiana? State of Indiana. https://faqs.in.gov/hc/en-us/articles/360033547051-Are-there-any-Native-American-tribes-in-Indiana- 

Grabarek, D. (2019, October 8). Fry bread: A tribute to family and tradition | An interview with Kevin Noble Maillard. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/fry-bread-a-tribute-to-family-and-tradition-an-interview-with-kevin-noble-maillard-native-american-picture-books 

Kirkus Reviews. (2019, June 22). Fry bread: A tribute to family and tradition [Review of the book Fry bread: A tribute to family and tradition, by K.N. Maillard]. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kevin-noble-maillard/fry-bread/ 

Maillard, K.N. (2019). Fry bread: A Native American family story. Roaring Brook Press. 

Meizner, K. (2019, October 20). Kevin Noble Maillard discusses his deeply personal debut picture book, fry bread. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/kevin-noble-maillard-discusses-his-deeply-personal/ 

Wasta, S. (2010). Be my neighbor: Exploring sense of place through children's literature. The Social Studies, 101(5), 189-193.

Citizen Scientists: What They Do and How YOU Can Join Them!

A book review for kids in grades 4 - 6 

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard

by Loree Griffin Burns

Henry Holt and Company, 2012

Grades 4 - 8 

Lexile 1050L

What do you imagine when you think of a scientist? Is it an adult? Working in a lab? Wearing a white coat? What if, instead, when you think of a scientist, you think of a kid, exploring in their own back yard, wearing shorts in the summer and a coat in the winter? Or better yet, what if, when you imagine a scientist, you think of yourself?

In the book, Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard, author Loree Griffin Burns talks about what it means to be a citizen scientist: “All men, women, and children who use their senses and smarts to understand the world about them” (2012, p. 5). She tells real stories of kids from around the U.S. who not only enjoy science and perform experiments but also make observations, collect data, and even tag specimens for large-scale research projects. As she writes about these projects, she also invites readers like you to join in the work from your own backyard!

You’ll find lots of detailed and helpful information about being a citizen scientist in this book, including the following:

• Four different real-life citizen science projects, one for each season: Fall butterflying, winter birding, spring frogging, and summer ladybugging.
• Information about the professional scientists and citizen scientists who are doing this work.
• Stories for each season that help you imagine what it would be like for you to join in.
• Tips to help you conduct your own citizen science projects.
• Information about other projects studying butterflies, birds, frogs, and ladybugs that you can join in and contribute to.
• Photos of various species, along with the people and projects included in the book. 

Sample of a page with tips for conducting your own citizen science observations (Burns, 2012, p. 22)

As you read Citizen Scientists, you might notice that the author has squeezed a lot of information into this small book, and it can be easy to get lost. To help you follow along with the book, here’s an outline of how the book is organized:

• A Table of Contents helps you jump to the chapters you find most interesting.
• An introduction helps define citizen science and why kids are especially good at it.
• There are four chapters, one for each season/animal.
• Each chapter has four sections which are set apart by different colors, page borders, and backgrounds:
• A section where you can imagine yourself as a scientist. This section is even written in second person, where the author actually talks directly to you.
• A section about the history and progress of large-scale citizen science projects about each species. 
• A section about kids like you who have helped with the citizen science projects.
• A section with tips for conducting your own observations and info to help you identify the animals. 
• At the end, there are lots of resources, including information about each animal, additional citizen science projects, and an index to help you locate information about specific topics.

Sample of a resources page on one of the animals in the book (Burns, 2012, p. 73)

One other feature of the book that might feel confusing is the Quick Quiz at the end of each chapter. The species in the quizzes aren’t discussed specifically in the book, so if you don’t already know the answers, you have to look them up in an identification guide or guess and then look up the answers at the back of the book. Also, if there are words you don’t know as you’re reading, Citizen Scientists features an extensive glossary in the back, too. 

There are a lot of great science books and websites that help you make observations and conduct experiments in your backyard, but this book is unique in that it connects you directly to the citizen science movement. If you’re ready to take your science beyond personal interest and school assignments, check out Citizen Scientists and help professional scientists with large-scale research projects by participating in your own backyard. 

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Try This! 

Part of being a citizen scientist is matching your resources and interests with the research needs in your area. Whether you’re ready to join a project or not, find out what research is being conducted now by using the websites below. Which ones interest you? What are the criteria to help? What would you need to do to join? Remember to get permission from your parents or guardians before entering your personal information or signing up for any projects. 

• Visit SciStarter.org and do an Advanced Search to indicate your geographical area, age, availability, and interest to find ongoing research projects available for you to join. 
• Visit the National Parks Service Citizen Science webpage to find research projects being conducted in many national parks. 
• Visit Indiana Phenology to find citizen science projects around Indiana specifically related to the timing and impact of seasonal changes in nature. 
• Visit IUPUI’s Center for Earth and Environmental Science’s Citizen science: education and events for the community webpage. This page includes information about local, regional, national, and global Public Participation in Scientific Research projects. 

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More Resources

If you’re going to be a citizen scientist, these resources can help prepare you for the work you’ll do.

Be a Citizen Scientist 

by Michael Rajczak

Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2019 

Grades 3 - 6 

This book will make a great companion to Citizen Scientists because it covers projects in other scientific areas, including astronomy, climate and weather, and technology. 

SciStarter YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@SciStarter/videos

These videos highlight scientists whose research projects have benefitted from citizen scientists, along with tips for becoming a citizen scientist and science projects you can do at home. 

Screenshot of SciStarter YouTube Channel (SciStarter, 2010)

John Muir Laws website

https://johnmuirlaws.com/

John Muir Laws is a naturalist, artist, and leader in the worldwide nature journaling movement, an important tool for citizen scientists. His website features lots of free resources, tutorials, tips, and tricks for making field observations and recording findings.

Screenshot of John Muir Laws website (Laws, 2017)

References 

Burns, L.G. (2012). Citizen scientists: Be a part of scientific discovery from your own backyard. Henry Holt and Company.

SciStarter. (2010). SciStarter [YouTube Channel]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/@SciStarter/featured

Laws, J.M. (2017). John Muir Laws: Nature stewardship through science, education, and art. https://johnmuirlaws.com/

Finding Winnie: When One Story Ends and Another Begins

Review for Parents and Caregivers of Children in Grades K - 2

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

Little, Brown and Company, 2015

Grades PK – 2

Lexile 420L-820L

Your child may think they already know the story of a bear named Winnie, having watched a Winnie the Pooh movie or read about the honey-loving bear in one of A.A. Milne’s books. But when they pick up Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, there’s a whole new story awaiting them.

This book tells the true story of veterinarian Harry Coleburn, who rescues a bear cub from a trapper on his way to fight in World War I. Coleburn names the bear Winnie, after his beloved home city of Winnipeg, and Winnie becomes the regiment mascot, all the way from the fields of rural Quebec, Canada, to the rolling hills of Salisbury Plain, England. When the regiment prepares to ship to France, Harry has a hard decision to make, a decision that ultimately lets “one story end so the next one can begin,” as the narrator of Winnie’s story describes (Mattick, 2015, p. 37). The result is a real-life connection between this small Canadian black bear and the famous yellow bear named Winnie the Pooh. It’s a story you’ll love just as much as the young reader you share it with.

Finding Winnie is a tender story, told by a mother to her young son. When the boy, Cole, occasionally interrupts the story with a question or an observation, you’ll also have the chance to check in with your young reader to ask them questions about what they’re reading. This narrative feature makes the book delightfully interactive.

(Mattick, 2015, p. 13)

The “finely detailed and emotionally expansive” (Cooperative Children’s Book Center, n.d., para. 1) ink and watercolor illustrations also give the story both warmth and depth, beyond the words on the page, like this image of Harry and Winnie which speaks volumes about their relationship.

(Mattick, 2015, p. 31)

Another interesting feature of the book is the Album at the back. Since Winnie’s story is true, and the author is the great-granddaughter of Harry Coleburn, these photos, diary entries, and other primary sources allow readers to engage with the types of texts their own families may have in boxes or albums (Colwell, 2019).

(Mattick, 2015, p. 50)

While there’s so much to love about this book, the multiple layers of this story may be a lot for new readers to absorb. Let children take their time with this book. They may focus on only one part of the story or show little interest in the primary sources at the back, especially at first. That’s okay. Talk about the parts of the story that most interest them. Some of the text blocks also run long for newer readers. You may want to take turns reading with your young reader or read it to them on the first pass. A glossary also would help, especially with some of the military jargon in the story, though the book doesn’t offer one. A short glossary is included at the bottom of this post, along with other suggested activities to help you and your child get the most out of this book.

Though it might take a little extra work, this 2016 Caldecott Medal winner and Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book is a great connector between narrative (or fiction) and informational (or nonfiction) books, which your child will increasingly be assigned to read in school through the Common Core State Standards (Indiana Department of Education, 2023). It’s also a great example of books about remarkable animals, which many kids enjoy. Look for a list of similar books to introduce to your young reader below. If you child is a fan of Winnie the Pooh, if they like animals and especially animal stories, or if they just love a good true story, they’ll enjoy Finding Winnie. It’s a picture book with a big story to tell, so older children might enjoy the history and real-life details it includes. Preschoolers with a good attention span also might sit still long enough to listen to the story. But readers in first and second grade will especially love reading along and reading aloud this true and surprising story of Finding Winnie.

 

Glossary for Finding Winnie

All definitions are adapted from Merriam-Webster’s Student Dictionary for Kids.

Captain – the officer in charge of a military unit

Colonel – an officer in the army, air force, or marine corps

Condensed milk - evaporated milk with sugar added, often used in baking

Diary – a book where daily reflections or feelings are recorded

Front – an area where battling armies fight

Mascot – a person, animal, or object adopted by a group to represent them

Regiment – a military unit made up of a several of battalions

Terrace – a level plain usually with steep front

Train platform – an elevated area where passengers board trains

Trapper – a person who catches animals in traps

Voyage – a trip or journey, especially by sea

 

Activities for Children and Caregivers

Animal Role Play

Talk about the bear in Finding Winnie or animals in other stories you read. Ask your child what they knew about each animal before they read these books. Ask them to pretend to be that animal or to act out how the animals behave in the wild or at the zoo (if they don’t have experience with these animals, consider looking up videos online) (Brookes, 2022). Next, talk about how the animals in the stories are different than the ones your child has seen or known about previously. What makes them different? Why do they act differently? Have them act out how the animals in the stories behaved.

My Favorite Animal: A Write & Read Book

Use this Scholastic Teachable mini-book to help your child create their own story about a remarkable animal (Scholastic, n.d.). This mini-book invites children to think about a specific animal they love and to write about why. They can draw a picture, print and glue one in the book, or use a family photo. This exercise also has them make comparisons to other animals and imagine what it would be like to have that animal as a pet. (NOTE: Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library cardholders can access and download this resource for free through Scholastic Teachables in our Digital Library Branch.)

Other Books about Remarkable Animals

Elephants Can Paint Too!

by Katya Arnold

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005

Grades 1 - 8

Lexile 420L-820L

This book is about Asian elephants who were taught to hold a paintbrush and create art. Author Katya Arnold documents the lives of elephants in Thailand who have been part of her art classes through the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project.

Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu

Scholastic Press, 2006

Grades PK - 5

Lexile 740L-1010L

This book is about a baby hippo who was orphaned during a tsunami off the coast of Kenya. When the hippo was rescued and taken to a wildlife sanctuary, he struck up an unlikely friendship with a 130-year-old Aldabra tortoise. The two became an international phenomenon. This is the first of several books about them.

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla

by Katherine Applegate

Clarion Books, 2014

Grades PK - 5

This is the story of the baby gorilla who was captured in central Africa and sold to a man who owned a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington. The gorilla was raised as a human when he was little, and then he lived in a concrete room as a mall side show until customers protested and he was sent to live in Zoo Atlanta. The gorilla also inspired a series of children’s novels by Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan, The One and Only Bob, and The One and Only Ruby.

References

Brookes Publishing. (2022, Sept. 15). 11 fun animal activities that encourage early language & literacy skills. Brookes Blog. https://blog.brookespublishing.com/11-fun-animal-activities-that-encourage-early-language-literacy-skills/

Colwell, J. (2019). Selecting texts for disciplinary literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 72(5), 631-637.

Cooperative Children's Book Center. (n.d.). Finding Winnie: The true story of the world’s most famous bear. [Review of the book Finding Winnie: The true story of the world’s most famous bear, by L. Mattick]. CCBC-Recommended Book Search. https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/recommended-books/?bookId=6686

Indiana Department of Education. (2023). English/Language Arts. https://www.in.gov/doe/students/indiana-academic-standards/englishlanguage-arts/

Mattick, L. (2015). Finding Winnie: The true story of the world’s most famous bear (S. Blackall, Illus.). Little, Brown & Company.

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2023). Student Dictionary for Kids. https://www.merriam-webster.com/kids

Scholastic Inc. (n.d.). My favorite animal: A write & read book. Scholastic Teachables. https://teachables.scholastic.com/teachables/books/My-Favorite-Animal-A-Write-Read-Book-9780439557528_011.html