Simon, Seymour. 1987. Icebergs and Glaciers. New York: William Morris and Co., Inc. ISBN: 06880618696.

Icebergs and glaciers are alluring subjects to study. Some places on earth remain cold all year long and are covered by deep layers of ice and snow. Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Iceland are such places. During summer, ice and snow cover 1/10 of Earth’s land surface.

Upper slopes and peaks of high mountains are covered by ice and snow. These are above the snow line. Summertime snow fields are found in the Rockies, Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Above the snow line, glaciers begin.

Simon explains about snowflakes and ice, how they make up ice fields, and how these huge masses move. When they move, they become glaciers. Ice sheets, called icebergs, break away and float. Seven-eighths of the icebergs are under the sea. The part of the iceberg that is not seen is the most dangerous. For example, the Titanic found this to be true in 1912.  The International Ice Patrol was established within the next year of the disastrous sinking of the Titanic.  

Scientists hope to use icebergs for fresh water in dry lands and ways are being devised to transport layers of the icebergs by tugboats and helicopters.

Magnificent photographs adorn the pages of this book. Some included are of Canada and Alaska and definitely enhance the author’s subject. The organization of the book is chronological because it covers from the point of snow fall, glaciers, and then icebergs. Simon’s book is very appealing to a child. The actual photographs of glaciers and icebergs alone are very stunning to the eye and captivating. Simon’s writing style is to the point and clear. The author also leaves the reader with a question, “ Will the ice age return?” to stimulate the imagination.

Gibbons, Gail. 1992. Stargazers. New York: Holiday House. ISBN: 082340983x

Gibbons explains about the stars, constellations, and telescopes in this book. Stars give off heat and light because of hot gases which make them shine. Stargazers, often called astronomers, watch the night sky.  The sun, of course, is the largest star. It is a million times larger than the Earth. Stars look tiny because they are so far away. Cool stars are red, the warmer ones are yellow, and the hot ones are bluish white. The North Star has guided people for hundreds of years.

The eighty-eight constellations can be seen at different times of the year. This book includes information on how stars were named, and the different types of telescopes, and how they work. There is also a timeline showing the important dates in history of stargazing. Some interesting facts include that during the early times people believed the stars were gods, Isaac Newton built the first reflecting telescope, and in 1970, the biggest telescope in the world was in place in Puerto Rico. It was a radio telescope.

Gibbon's book about stars, telescopes, and stargazing is more appealing to the younger child. The cartoon-like characters and illustrations would be more motivating to the younger child. The information in the book is very informative and could be used for both pleasure reading and research. This author has written many other titles for children. The author’s style is  shown through the use of the vocabulary which is targeted for younger children.  The topic is not written in depth. Actual photographs would target an older audience had they been used for this topic. There is no bibliography included in the book for source information.

Fritz, Jean. 1989. The Great Little Madison. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN:0399217681.

James Madison became the fourth President of the United States. Madison was born to a large family.  He was a sickly child with a weak voice. He read everything he could find. He learned Latin, Greek and French so he could read in those languages also. He studied geometry and algebra and the history of other nations. He chose to attend The College of New Jersey which later became Princeton.

Madison was concerned about the welfare of the country and became interested in politics. He bought some of his father’s land so that he could vote or hold office in the future. Madison was later involved in politics with many of the historical figures such as, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,  and John Adams. Thomas Jefferson became one of his closest friends.  He became a delegate to Congress in 1780, shortly after his twenty-ninth birthday.  Even though his voice was not easily heard in a large crowd, after the constitution was written, Madison proposed adding a bill of rights because he was very much an advocate of equal rights for everyone. Although a few men did oppose him, such as Patrick Henry, many listened to Madison when he spoke.

He did not marry until he was in his forties. James Madison later became the fourth President of the United States. Even his wife’s name is a relic to America, Dolley Madison. She was well known for the parties she threw as the first lady.  Madison died in 1836, having served his country well because of the great impact he brought to the nation, and was buried on his family’s plot.

Jean Fritz’s book was full of American history as well as James Madison’s life. The book has an index, a bibliography and notes.  This book could be used for pleasure reading or for research. The depth of the information is quite detailed in nature, showing various aspects of Madison’s life. The author’s focus was mainly on the impact that Madison brought to the government with the issues he strongly supported, such as the bill of rights.  The author’s style is evident when read that the intended audience was for young adult children. The Great Little Madison was the Orbis Pictus Award winner for 1999.