I did not enjoy this book for several reasons. First of all, the nonfiction text was not very engaging or organized. The text jumped subjects from page to page, which made the concept very confusing. For example, one page three, the book has hand held magnets and states, “Like magic, magnets pull together and push apart. What give magnets their strange strength?” However than on page four, the book abruptly jumps to “Some magnets, called lodestones are found in the earth”. This abrupt change will make the concept hard to following not establishing clarity for the young reader. Despite this, the book has very interesting pictures. For example on page 8 and 9, the photograph shows a big magnet with lead powder, showing the magnets attractive and repulsive forces. This image really helps to clarify the invisible forces of a magnet. For this reason, I think the pictures are a key part of this book in having the student be able to understand the complex nature of magnets. The big idea of this story is for students to be able to understand how magnets are made and how they work. ( )

Magnets Push, Magnets Pull was an informative book that teaches about magnets but also important reading skills that can be transferred to other books. I liked how there were captions for the pictures because they really helped describe what was going on. Also there was a glossary for when vocabulary words were bolded throughout the text. I liked how the book showed how learning about magnets through the text could be applied to real life. For example, the author wrote, “to make his music louder, a guitarist uses an amplifier. The speakers in an amplifier use magnets to make sound.” This shows how the knowledge from the book can be transferred to other subject areas. There was also an index, which is an important part of an informational text. The main message of the book was about how magnets work and what kinds of materials they attract and repel. ( )

Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by Mark Weakland is an informational nonfiction book all about magnets. Each picture relates to the topic being described on the page. There are page numbers to designate different topics and to allow readers to look up specific topics up in the index. This book also features labeled visuals with arrows pointing to what is being labeled. For example, page five was about lodestones and there was a label pointing to it. The north and south poles were also labeled on a picture of the Earth. There was a page for real life applications which listed examples including spinning fans, egg beaters, and an amplifier. The main idea of this book is that science is all around you, just look. ( )

I like this informational book for several reasons. First, I like the interactive elements the author included in this book. Weakland keeps the readers engaged by asking questions in the text. For example, he asks readers, “Have you ever held two magnets close together?” and “What do these magnets spell?” It also makes the reader think about what they are reading and make connections. In science, it is important to ask questions to find a solution. Second, I like the textual elements the author includes such as the labels, glossary, Internet sites related to this book, read more, and index. These additional resources are helpful for those learning about magnets. For instance, if a reader needed to find a key term they could use the glossary or index to navigate the text. Third, I like the content of the book. This book is for beginners and teaches the basics of magnets without overwhelming information. Lastly, I like how the author used real life photographs of everyday objects, so that there is a real life application and connection. For instance, the text states, “there would be no spinning fans and no whirring beaters on a cake mixer.” These are household items that anyone can envision. The author made a point that magnets can be found in everyday things such as the fan or cake beater. The big idea of the book is that magnets can be found anywhere and everywhere. ( )

I like this book for three reasons. First, I like how the book was engaging and brought in relevant examples. The book displays the importance of magnets by providing the reader with multiple examples. For instance, the book shows the need for magnets in fans, beaters or cake mixers, and amplifiers for guitars. These examples provide weight to the importance of magnets. In addition, the employment of relevant examples leads to an engaging text.
Second, I like how the author employs photographs and illustrations that enhance the story and bring a greater understanding to the reader. For instance, one page discusses a rolling magnetic sweeper. On this same page, there is a blown up picture of what this machine looks like. Thus, the photograph when paired with the writing provides the reader with a greater amount of information. In addition, there is a picture that displays the Earth with labels at the North and South poles. The image and labels provide the reader with information on the magnetic aspect of the world.
Third, I like how the book is organized. The book contains a series of short statements throughout the general text, which are both informative and easy to read. For instance, the author states, “Magnets are made from metals.” This statement is short but it contains key information on magnets. The book then has a glossary, index, and list of sources to discover more information on the subject. The glossary defines difficult vocabulary found within the book. Then, the index provides a quick method to find out where a specific concept can be found within the book. All of these items provide important tools to use to discover more information on magnets.
Throughout the book, the author wanted to show the main message as displaying the key concepts of magnets and how they work in addition to displaying the importance of magnets in everyday life. The author did this by providing information on where the metals come from, where they are used, and more. In conclusion, this book is an informative book that provides information surrounding the concept of magnets. ( )