From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books
by Kathleen T. Horning
|
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $5.50
Your Save: $ 9.49 ( 63% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
|
Average Customer Rating:   
|
|
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 028.162
EAN: 9780064461672
ISBN: 006446167X
Label: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: 1997-03-31
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 1997-02-27
Studio: HarperCollins
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: A better subtitle would be understanding children's books
Comment: I get paid for writing reviews of children's books. Most of the books that I'm asked to review are art instruction books or picture books because I also am a freelance artist. I thought that I should read this book to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. However, the title is misleading. It is not really a book about "Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books". A better title would be understanding children's books. Only the last chapter in the book deals with reviewing children's books and that is the shortest chapter. Most of the book is comprised of a comprehensive overview of the different categories of children's books (non-fiction, poetry, picture, easy readers, transitional and fiction). If I had the opportunity to browse through this book in a regular bookstore, it would have stayed on the shelf.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good book, a bit overstated
Comment: First let me say that this is a good book, I am glad that I purchased it. It codifies many of the characteristics of a quality children's book, and helps writers and reviewers exercise better critical judgment.
However, the author sometimes "puts a bit too fine a point on it," as a Brit might say. There is a section on the layout of early readers and transitional books which describes a specific target number of words per line, lines per page, text size, etc. I found this section quite helpful overall, and I specified changes to our style guide after reading it. But as useful as this material is, I felt the author's attempt to distinguish numbers of words per line between level 1, level 2 and level 3 early reader books was taking the process a bit too far.
Overall, this is a minor issue. As other reviewers have mentioned, writers will find value in the detailed descriptions of how children learn to read, how they react to themes, styles and plots (and how to recognize weakness in each), and how to target different age groups. Indeed, this is the only book I have found with detailed and usable information on these points.
Summary: Buy it if you are a creator or reviewer of children's books.
Customer Rating:
Summary: All right for a textbook
Comment: The book isn't really all that interesting. Some of the good aspects are that the print is big, and it is easy reading. You can knock a chapter or two out of the way in an hour easily.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good tool for writers, too
Comment: This book is should be an essential for anyone writing for children. Horning covers all the genres, offering insight into pacing, character and plot. She better defines what makes a picture book, an early reader, a chapter book, a mid-grade and a young adult -- definitions that are often murky in writing books. Although this book may have been intended for librarians and others in the book industry, I recommend it highly for anyone contemplating writing for children.
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: A better subtitle would be understanding children's books
Comment: I get paid for writing reviews of children's books. Most of the books that I'm asked to review are art instruction books or picture books because I also am a freelance artist. I thought that I should read this book to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. However, the title is misleading. It is not really a book about "Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books". A better title would be understanding children's books. Only the last chapter in the book deals with reviewing children's books and that is the shortest chapter. Most of the book is comprised of a comprehensive overview of the different categories of children's books (non-fiction, poetry, picture, easy readers, transitional and fiction). If I had the opportunity to browse through this book in a regular bookstore, it would have stayed on the shelf.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good book, a bit overstated
Comment: First let me say that this is a good book, I am glad that I purchased it. It codifies many of the characteristics of a quality children's book, and helps writers and reviewers exercise better critical judgment.
However, the author sometimes "puts a bit too fine a point on it," as a Brit might say. There is a section on the layout of early readers and transitional books which describes a specific target number of words per line, lines per page, text size, etc. I found this section quite helpful overall, and I specified changes to our style guide after reading it. But as useful as this material is, I felt the author's attempt to distinguish numbers of words per line between level 1, level 2 and level 3 early reader books was taking the process a bit too far.
Overall, this is a minor issue. As other reviewers have mentioned, writers will find value in the detailed descriptions of how children learn to read, how they react to themes, styles and plots (and how to recognize weakness in each), and how to target different age groups. Indeed, this is the only book I have found with detailed and usable information on these points.
Summary: Buy it if you are a creator or reviewer of children's books.
Customer Rating:
Summary: All right for a textbook
Comment: The book isn't really all that interesting. Some of the good aspects are that the print is big, and it is easy reading. You can knock a chapter or two out of the way in an hour easily.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good tool for writers, too
Comment: This book is should be an essential for anyone writing for children. Horning covers all the genres, offering insight into pacing, character and plot. She better defines what makes a picture book, an early reader, a chapter book, a mid-grade and a young adult -- definitions that are often murky in writing books. Although this book may have been intended for librarians and others in the book industry, I recommend it highly for anyone contemplating writing for children.
From Cover To Coveris a fresh, up-to-date look at some of the best examples of children's literature today, and also includes practical advice on how to write clearly articulated, reasoned opinions so that others can learn about books they have not yet read. It includes: - a short explanation of the process of making a children's book from manuscript to final bound book
- a description of the importance of the many different parts of a book (jacket flaps, title page, copyright, Cataloging-in-Publication information, etc.)
- six thought-provoking chapters that explain how ot think about and critically evaluate several different genres of children's books:
books of information - traditional literature (myths, legends, tall tales, folktales)
- poetry, verse, rhymes, and songs
- picture books
- easy readers and transitional books
- fiction
- a concluding chapter on how to write reviews that are both descriptive and analytical
From Cover To Cover is an invaluable resource for all professionals who wish to write book evaluations that go beyond a simple personal response. This definitive guide to reviewing children’s books makes it effortless for parents, teachers, librarians, children’s literature students and general readers who are interested in becoming children’s book reviewers to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a children’s book. An authoritative reviewer in her own right, Kathleen Horning provides practical guidelines for reading critically, evaluating an initial response, answering questions raised during the first reading, putting a response into words, balancing description with criticism, and writing reviews for a particular audience.
|
|
|
- Ask about this education product "From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books" in the forum
- Give review on this education product "From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books" in the forum
- Search related information in the forum
|
|
|
|
|
| OOEN Referral Program Spotlight |
 | | Florida Career College
Train for a successful career in healthcare or information technology—two of today’s hottest fields—with real-world skills from Florida Career College. Earn your degree, diploma, or certificate at times convenient for you. Our flexible day, night, and weekend classes allow you to achieve your dreams without altering your lifestyle. Our state-of-the-art facilities expose you to the latest technology and healthcare equipment, giving you an edge on the competition from other colleges. We offer individual tutoring to help you choose the best career, and to help you achieve success in your chosen career. Get started today! | |  | |
 | | Florida Technical College
Florida Technical College realizes that a successful education requires a lot more than just reading books and taking tests - especially in today’s highly competitive job market. That’s why they’ve structured their Health Care, Technology, and Programming curricula to achieve one thing for their students: success in the real world. Students benefit from personal attention from experienced instructors and hands-on training in fully equipped lab classrooms. | | | |
 | | University of Phoenix
Learn the skills you need to succeed at University of Phoenix, the school chosen by more working adults than any other university in the U.S. With over 170 conveniently located campuses for you to choose from, you can earn a degree in disciplines such as Business, Technology, Criminal Justice, Nursing, and Education. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. | | | |
|
What is OOEN Referral Program Spotlight?
OOEN provides comprehensive listing of online courses, degree programs, colleges and universities.
Also OOEN provides links to their information request pages; if you want to find out more about any course,
degree program, college or university, you can just fill out the form linked from OOEN and request information.
It is completely free for anyone to request information, and you can request information from as many colleges
and universities as you'd like. We list featured schools and their brief information
in this "OOEN Referral Program Spotlight" section of OOEN Store for Education,
in case that you are interested in taking a class or two or even pursuing degree program
through these featured schools.
|
|
|
