Beginner Reader

This book has lot of facts about owls. This book tells how owls eat, fly, sit, and even move. It tells about all kinds of different owls and even the camouflage ones that are hard to see. The owls have lots of fun facts about them that makes them great hunters at night.
I choose this book because I was having a discussion with my daughter about animals we do not see often. I thought this book was good for learning about animals. It had a lot of information that one might not know about owls. I enjoyed how we had to find the camouflage owns hiding in the pictures. This made us interact with the book instead of just reading the words. This book had simple facts, but a lot of them. I think the children will remember the picture of the owls first the facts because there is so many kinds.
An extension to this book could be informing the reader that some owls live at the zoo. Also talk about how to care for an owl and how much hard work it is to ensure they are healthy and make them feel like they are in the wild. Another extension could be showing pictures of humans holding owls. Then explain that protection measure have to be taken so they are not cut by the sharp claws. Also, explain why they don’t fly away like other birds when they are being interacted with humans. ( )

Summary of Book:
This is a book about owls. It tells what owls eat, how many species there are, where they live, and how many owlets an owl might have.

Personal Reaction:
I loved this book. It had excellent information about owls that people may not know.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. I would first have the students talk about owls, and then read them the book.
2. I would have the students get in groups, and use their imagination to create an owl that they want to learn more about.

Being that it's from National Geographic, I knew before reading that this informational book on owls would be accurate and interactive information. I was right, and the book's structure is what made me like it so much. Unlike a lot of nonfiction books on animals, this book's language is fun and friendly, making it much more appealing than most. It even begins with a rhyme - "What hoots in the night and flies through the air? What has feathers and big eyes, but do not have hair? You may never see one, but you'll know if you do. Did you guess? yes? It's an owl, that's who!" This stood out to me since most informational books aren't as engaging language-wise and it pulled me right in. I knew I was in for a treat. Its rich with real, quality photographs and bright-colored pages and text, making it very visually appealing. Each photograph has a caption, and each page is structured differently, keeping the reader on their toes. This does have its disadvantages, however, since it's not consistent and could throw off a young reader a little bit. Every harder vocabulary word is defined right on the page in a "bird box," which really stood out to me as a useful tool. The same vocabulary also has pronunciations in parentheses right next to them. On the same note, they include multiple Q&A questions at the top with interesting facts that kids would likely ask themselves while reading, which I really enjoyed for its success in engagement. It ends with a picture quiz with the answers included in the back - it's like we just completed a lesson on owls. Defined as a Level 1 book on the cover, this book is designed for younger readers, though it could easily be enjoyed at all ages. This is probably the best nonfiction book I've read in a while. ( )