Helen Roney SattlerCritiques

All about whales.

The youngest and smallest witch in her community, Wendy longed to join the other witches on Halloween night, as they set out on their annual cobweb-gathering flights. Judged too little and too forgetful to participate, she was helping the dispatcher keep track of her elders when Hagatha returned with a broken broom. Allowed, after much pleading, to take over Hagatha's route, Wendy was warned to keep her mind on her task, and to be sure to gather the cobwebs that the witches relied upon for all of their spells. Successful at first, Wendy became distracted when she spied some trick-or-treaters, and she was soon engaged in this fun activity. But what would she do when she discovered that the night was coming to a close, she had lost her cat (necessary for flight), and had a bagger more filled with candy than cobwebs...?

Pairing an engaging story from author Helen Roney Sattler with appealing artwork from illustrator June Goldborough, The Smallest Witch makes for a charming read. I have never before read anything from either of these creators, although I see that they are both quite prolific, and I sought this one out because of my fondness for witchy picture-books (a perennial pet project of mine). The basic story here - a little witch is somehow excluded from her elders' activities, and must find a way to participate - is one I have seen explored before, in such tales, but here there is a slightly different element, in that the witches' Halloween ride serves a larger purpose, with regard to their magic-making. I liked that element of the story, and I liked the fact that cats are required for broomstick flight, something also seen in Elizabeth Hull Froman's Eba the Absent-Minded Witch, which I read recently. I've really been enjoying my recent spate of vintage witchy picture-books, as it has allowed me to see some of the patterns followed by such tales more clearly. The artwork here manages to be cute, without making the witches themselves beautiful. All in all, a winsome little witchy tale, one I would recommend to picture-book readers who enjoy such fare.

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This book gives a great explanation of how the earth's crust moves. It details all plate tectonics on earth. It explains continental drift, mountain building and the types of faults. It includes many diagrams, scientific photographs, and maps with map symbols. This is a great book for a study of volcanoes and earthquakes in the classroom. The book gave accurate information; however, no sources were listed by the author. In the acknowledgements, the author stated that the complete manuscript was read and corrected by the chief geophysicist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey Observatory. This would lead the reader to believe that the book contains accurate information. The author also includes a "For Further Reading" section; however, the majority of the articles listed are from the same journal source (Scientific American). I liked this book for its images and diagrams and clear explanations of complicated geological topics.

Geophysics is explained in a well organized understandable way in "Our Patchwork Planet". Models could easily be made from some of the explanations written of how tectonic plates move and shape our Earth

Lauren Fields
Our Patchwork Planet is a wonderful geology book for children. It presents highly technical information in a strait forward and not condescending fashion. The drawings were very clear and used effectively to help the reader understand the material. I would recommend this to ant student who wanted to have a thorough understanding of plate tectonics.

This is a great illustrated informational book because the author provides a wealth of information about the multiple relatives of the T-Rex, including size, weight, diet, and time period during which they supposedly thrived.

Media: Ink and Wash water color paints

A beautifully illustrated book for children, containing interesting information about these beautiful birds.

For all I know the information is out of date, but the illustrations are great.