Mark GreenwoodCritiques

This non-fiction book describes the long and arduous journey of the Mayflower. The beautiful, painted illustrations make this an engaging read for young students. Timeline, Resources.

Midnight: A True Story of Loyalty in World War 1, is a tale of bravery and loyalty. Guy and Midnight are conscripted into the military during WW1, seeing combat in the African desert. The loyalty comes from the relationship between Midnight and Guy. Their bond is what gets them through the war, as they support each other in that dark time. The story can be mature for a picture book, as it shows several battles and some injuries. Overall a tense read, one that has a somber atmosphere and eye catching illustration.

My favorite part ofc this book is the illustrations. They are very eye catching. The style of writing is easy to understand and it doesn't go too deep into the hardships of soldiers during WW1 so I think it'll be good for younger audiences. I do not think this book provides enough information about the war though. I feel like there could have been more back ground about when and why the war started.

Midnight is a brave horse who takes his trusted partner on the rough journey that is World War I. When Guy must leave Midnight behind, he wonders if they will ever meet again. Once reunited they continue their journey, Midnight continuing to be brave and faithful. The bond between the two grows ever strong and they go through the challenges and evils of war together, never leaving one another.
The story is told with the setting as World War I and is told in the most simple but powerful way. The words throughout the story are written in a poetic way that makes the story not only easy to read, appeals to one’s emotions. Through all the challenges faced, the bond between Guy and Midnight is always strong, until the very end. The ending is a sad one, not really letting the reader know if either of them will survive, but still Midnight even in pain is as strong as ever. It was a very good story, simple but still telling the details of the period and what was happening during the time.

A story about a "guy" and his horse. The story takes place in the height of World War 1. The book takes us from home in Australia and continues to the war. The bond that the two shared was a unique one that we were prive to experience up until the time of death.

This book is about the journey for the Puritans seeking religious freedom in the New World aboard the Mayflower. I love the different illustrations throughout the book, despite some bad things happening during the voyage. One thing that I learned in this book is that there were two dogs aboard the Mayflower. I would not use this book to specifically teach about the Mayflower, but I think it would be a great addition to read during a thematic Pilgrim unit.½

This book does a great job showing what loyalty can do for a person. I also believe it might be a great tool to demonstrate a loss. I enjoyed this book because it is kid friendly, but also teaches important aspects of history. I would definitely recommend this book.

Telling the story of the Mayflower with details that are not always shared, Greenwood did a good job by writing this book. Learning about the Mayflower can seem interesting when reading it through the eyes of a child. Although this book did give details about the Mayflower, it also showed what the children did during their time on the ship. Children learn through other children. Reading this book would be beneficial for my students to learn about the story and what happened because of the Mayflower.

A book about a soldier and his horse that go through events like separation, fighting in a war, and even death. The art style is simple but follows along with the story.½

In my personal opinion, this book is very well written. First, I love the theme; traveling to different places and experiencing different cultures throughout the book. The main character, Jack, travels to Australia, for example. He works in the sugar cane field, and experiences the Australian way of life. Even though this is not the only theme in this book, (the other being related to military involvement in World War 1), I believe it is the one that stands out to me. The second thing that really got me into this book was the illustrations. The illustrator seemed to really capture the emotion in the characters, as well as the descriptions of the culture. For example, when Jack is on the ship with the rest of his team (military personnel), he says “I wish I were home...” and you can really see the fear/longing that he is emphasizing. It definitely makes it more relatable and personable. Lastly, I believe the author did a great job of discussing the brutality of war, with a positive spin. The author shows Jack in the beginning as excited to enlist in the military, but then Jack becomes scared. He sees all the violence, yet continues to fight because he knows that it is the right thing to do. All together, the author does a great job emphasizing the importance of culture, and experience.

Historical fiction suitable for 8 years and older. Diamond Jack relates the true story of a plane shot down on the Kimberley Coast. Inside the plane lies a wax-sealed package. It's fate is the theme of the story.

In this true story from World War 1, we meet a horse named Midnight and his owner, Guy. From the beginning of the book I could tell that Midnight was a special horse. He was born with a white star on his forehead. Midnight sticks with his owner even when they had to go into war. Midnight showed his loyalty to Guy. Guy was worried about Midnight, and so was I. Midnight suffers a pretty brutal death. I didn't anticipate the harshness in a book geared for young readers.

Drummer boy of John John is a children's book about a boy named Winston and his experience in celebrating carnival living in Trinidad. I loved this book. I thought that the illustrations were fantastic, they were bright and colorful and did an excellent job at depicting the culture of the island of Trinidad. The illustrations contain just fun details and aid in bringing the words to live in an exciting way. Another reason why I loved this book is because of the characters. The main Character Winston is very relatable because he is just a fun loving kid who wants to enjoy his holiday with his family. Overall this book is an excellent account of the holiday of Carnival, as well as the culture of Trinidad.

Loyalty of animals knows no measures. A man and his horse are enlisted in the war and fight a bitter fight in a transitional era in battle and war. The introduction of trench warfare into battle changed how the game is played and many lost their lives within this transition.½

This children's picture book is based on a true story. On October 31, 1917, two Australian Light Horse regiments took part in one of the last great cavalry charges in history. Among the first to leap the enemy trenches was Lieutenant Guy Haydon, riding his horse, Midnight, the beloved mare that this book is about. This book is a good example of poetry, because the text is lyrical poetry that doesn't exactly rhyme, but is still poetically written by the lines and way the words and sounds flow.
Media: gouache.

I really liked this story for a few reasons, but mainly because the author demonstrated strong character development and an interesting plot. This book reflects events from World War II and follows the life of a soldier through his childhood and time at war. The author is able to develop the soldier’s character as we see his successes and struggles throughout life, while also learning interesting facts about the war. The book also incorporates the help of a donkey, who was used to transport wounded soldiers to first aid stations overseas. Establishing characters make the story more inviting and the plot even more interesting. The plot contains rising action, a climax and resolution, which really keeps the reader engaged the story moving.

While the story is based on facts, it is not an information text therefore, plot is important especially for young readers. Towards the middle of the book the author writes, “Simpson and his donkey earned the admiration of all who watched them work. The colonel decorated Duffy’s forehead with a Red Cross armband. ‘You’re worth a hundred men to me,’ he said.” The solider and his donkey become war heroes. After reading, I think the big idea of this story is that through tough times and war with countries divided, there are soldiers that will do anything for their men and country even when it means risking their own life.

The illustrations made this book for me.

This book is a very exciting read! It features so many different types of music and food which inspires the reader. I would love to share this with students.

Okay introduction to the subject for younger children.

An Australian cavalry soldier and his heroic horse in the Middle East theatre.

I love all the music and the food that is in this book! Very exciting!

This was a very informative book on The Mayflower. It is not just about the boat that brought 102 passengers from England to the New World. It explains why they decided to leave England and the trials and tribulations they came across before heading back to England. The illustrations in the book were beautiful and the words were appropriate for the intended audiences' age. I would read this book when we discussed the Puritans and Strangers coming to the New World or around Thanksgiving time. At the end of the book is a timeline of when the Puritans decided they were coming to the New World up until the day that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing that the fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving. There is also a resource page letting readers know where the author got the information used throughout the text from.

A story about a little boy celebrating carnival in a town called John,John Trinidad. It talks about the food and music of the festival.

A young boy makes music to celebrate Carnival in Trinidad. A story inspired by the life of Winston "Spree" Simon (1930-1976), the inventor of the steel drum.

The simplistic artwork helps to demonstrate the power of music made from everyday objects. Winston lives on the island of Trinidad. Everyone is getting ready for Carnival, but Winston has nothing to play. Using metal containers he perfects drums, finding that different dents can produce different tones. The bright colors help convey the festive feel of the Carribean. Team this with some selected videos from YouTube to show how these drums are such an important part of music.