Reading Response: Informational

 Unspeakable

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda Books, 2021. Tr. $17.99, ISBN 9781541581203 

Carole Boston Weatherford is an author of various works. Her writing deals with topics of slavery, jazz, photography and eras of segregation. Weatherford is able to successfully represent the facts and the emotions to this story. The book tells the sad story of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which took the lives of up to three hundred Black individuals. The scope coverage of this story is narrow that allows young readers to understand exactly what is being portrayed in the word and illustrations. Unspeakable uses chronological organization that is consistent and easy to follow. The tale starts with the prosperity of the Greenwood District and continues through the events leading to the massacre, its resulted violence, and the aftermath. Although the book does not have many reference aids such as a table of contents, there is an author's note and illustrator's note at the end of the text. 

The layout throughout the book presents as visually appealing and compliments the writing style with ease. The text along with the illustrations allows of a natural flow, which allows for the reader to easily follow the story with interest. The typeface and size are pleasant to the eye and successfully targets readers in grade 3 and above. The cover itself tells a story of sadness but of love. The choice to use color and realistic drawings captures children's interest while giving us a real look at the characters' emotions. 

Verdict: This book provides children with a great educational and informative historical story that they might not have heard 

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Harcourt books, 2003. TR. $17.00, ISBN 0-15-201437-3

Kathleen Kroll is known for her creative and innovative biographies for younger readers. The book takes us through the life of Cesar Chavez. We get a visual and written story of his life growing up on his family's ranch and harvesting food. The organization method of this informational text is in chronological order. We are taken on a journey of harvesting hope as his family loses the ranch and he eventually speaks up and starts a march for fair pay for grapevine workers. The scope of the story give the readers a narrow storyline that stays true to this story of hope. 

With its easy to follow organizational method and its simple writing style we are given a natural flow of events and history that unfold throughout the pages of this story. Morales does a fantastic job in illustrating this colorful history. Morales was able to research and visit the routes of this historical march that allowed her to successfully create images that displayed some of the hardships that workers endured to fight for fair pay. Although there are no reference aids in this text, we do have an author's note at the end that gives a more in depth background on Cesar Chavez. 

Verdict: With illustrations that cover each page, Harvesting Hope creates a good historically accurate representation to Chavez's story. 

 The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem

Paeff, Kathleen. The Great Stink: How Jospeh Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021. 40 pages. Tr. $17.99, ISBN 978-1-5344-4929-9

Kathleen Paeff is an award winning author who is also a columnist, teacher and bookseller. Paeff presents the topic of pollution through effective research and humor. By visiting her website we can clearly see her dedication to achieving accurate information with formal training in the subject of writing informational texts. The writing style of this text gives the reader an almost scientific and academic read aligned with watercolor images. 

The format of the book gives the reader a detailed background on the poop pollution today. Along with this background information we are given a detailed timeline of events leading back to the 1500s. This along with the selected bibliography at the end of the book displays a well researched and reflected text that provides informational details. The format of the text is inappropriate for the intended audience of grade PreK. However children aged seven and above may be able to appreciate the text more. 

Verdict: This well researched text provides accurate information to young readers that is sure to peak their interest. 

The Waiting Place

Nayeri, Dina. The Waiting Place. Photographs by Anna Bosch Miralpeix. Candlewick Press, 2022. Tr. $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5362-1362-1

Dina Nayeri is an author and former refugee that has won numerous awards for her writing. The text follows ten children in the "waiting place" as they are refugees looking for a new place to call home. With the utilization of personal stories and live photography we are able to see real life glimpses of these children's' lives. Through the organizational method of story narration we are given an emotional narrative that lets the reader know the characters on a personal level. Through reference aids of an afterword and note by the author along with a glossary at the end of the text we are given personal and relevant information that give us information on the meaning of the words and the author's ties with the topic 

The scope of the text is for a more mature audience of young readers aged seven and above. The depth of the story touches on the harsh and realistic realties that children refugees face everyday. This book could use a caution or warning for readers, as it can be triggering to see some of the conditions these children live through. Through these personal photographs they were are able to further enhance the stories and put faces to the brave protagonists. 

Verdict: This informational text, gives readers an emotional, true and thoughtful narrative of the lives of children waiting for a place to call home. This is a must read for grades 7 and above!