Book review: Made By God series of I Can Read! books
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My sweet girl decided recently that she is no longer interested in board books and big picture books. When we go to the library, all she wants is the I Can Read! books. Katie Woo
, Fancy Nancy
, Biscuit
...she's not picky. Which is why I was psyched when I got these: three I Can Read! books published by Zonderkidz.
She has asked to read them so many times that I almost have them memorized. Every page has a photograph matching the text, and the basic science info all seems accurate. I like that they include God in the story in a natural and unforced way.
Made by God: Poisonous, Smelly, and Amazing Plants
This one is my favorite. The writing flows well, as children are introduced to fly agarics (a type of mushroom), corpse plants, venus fly traps, redwoods, and sequoias. Tonight at dinner a precious little three-and-a-half year old told Daddy all about fly agarics, emphasizing that we can't eat them for dinner because they would make us sick (which is true!). She has also decided that we should own a venus fly trap. I like how naturally God is woven into this book. For example, the section about corpse plants reads, "Another plant to stay away from is very smelly. It is called the corpse plant. God made this plant smell like rotten meat!" A secular text would have the same content, just with something like, "This plant smells like rotten meat!" Here God is given credit for creation without changing the type of content that would be included in any other book about plants.
Made by God: Cats, Dogs, Hamsters, and Horses
There's a certain sixteen-month-old little guy who likes this one best because he loves pictures of cats, dogs, and horses (though he's not too interested in the hamsters). The writing in this one is formulaic with each section beginning, "God made all animals. Some animals have become friends for people. One special animal pet is called a..." Then it continues with the animal's name and basic facts about each (number of different types/breeds, dietary needs, tips for care). The formula makes it a little boring for me to read, but it doesn't seem to bother the kids at all. Also, I was thinking that older kids could use the formula as a prompt to research and write their own section (about parakeets or iguanas, for example). My only issue with this is a couple of rough grammar and punctuation errors: a missing comma in one place and lack of parallel structure in another ("All cats have strong teeth and jaws, good hearing, and can see well in the dark."). I still would definitely recommend this one, though.
Made by God: Spiders, Snakes, Bees, and Bats
This one follows a formula as well: "God made everything. It is all good. He made the [insert likable creature here] and the [insert name of creepy, crawly creature here]." (For example, the first one contrasts the "gentle butterfly" and "the hairiest, biggest spider.") As the title suggests, the creatures discussed as spiders, snakes, bees, and bats. The only thing I dislike about this one is the content, which makes my skin crawl a little, but I'm the only one bothered by that. Our daughter tried to figure out how/if she could sleep upside down after learning about bats. (Thankfully, she has given up on that for now.) Once again, I think the formula in this book could be used to research and write about another creepy crawler, which would be a great writing extension activity.
I am looking forward to reading other I Can Read! books by Zondervan and will be checking to see if other Christian publishers offer the same kinds of books. A search for "I Can Read!" books on the Zonderkidz website returned 161 results, including some in Spanish, so there are plenty more for us to check out!
The FTC requires that I include a disclaimer that Zonderkidz provided me with these books. I was not asked to give a positive review - though, in this case, I was pleased to do so because we loved them! - just an honest one.
, Fancy Nancy, Biscuit...she's not picky. Which is why I was psyched when I got these: three I Can Read! books published by Zonderkidz.She has asked to read them so many times that I almost have them memorized. Every page has a photograph matching the text, and the basic science info all seems accurate. I like that they include God in the story in a natural and unforced way.
Made by God: Poisonous, Smelly, and Amazing Plants
This one is my favorite. The writing flows well, as children are introduced to fly agarics (a type of mushroom), corpse plants, venus fly traps, redwoods, and sequoias. Tonight at dinner a precious little three-and-a-half year old told Daddy all about fly agarics, emphasizing that we can't eat them for dinner because they would make us sick (which is true!). She has also decided that we should own a venus fly trap. I like how naturally God is woven into this book. For example, the section about corpse plants reads, "Another plant to stay away from is very smelly. It is called the corpse plant. God made this plant smell like rotten meat!" A secular text would have the same content, just with something like, "This plant smells like rotten meat!" Here God is given credit for creation without changing the type of content that would be included in any other book about plants.
Made by God: Cats, Dogs, Hamsters, and Horses
There's a certain sixteen-month-old little guy who likes this one best because he loves pictures of cats, dogs, and horses (though he's not too interested in the hamsters). The writing in this one is formulaic with each section beginning, "God made all animals. Some animals have become friends for people. One special animal pet is called a..." Then it continues with the animal's name and basic facts about each (number of different types/breeds, dietary needs, tips for care). The formula makes it a little boring for me to read, but it doesn't seem to bother the kids at all. Also, I was thinking that older kids could use the formula as a prompt to research and write their own section (about parakeets or iguanas, for example). My only issue with this is a couple of rough grammar and punctuation errors: a missing comma in one place and lack of parallel structure in another ("All cats have strong teeth and jaws, good hearing, and can see well in the dark."). I still would definitely recommend this one, though.
Made by God: Spiders, Snakes, Bees, and Bats
This one follows a formula as well: "God made everything. It is all good. He made the [insert likable creature here] and the [insert name of creepy, crawly creature here]." (For example, the first one contrasts the "gentle butterfly" and "the hairiest, biggest spider.") As the title suggests, the creatures discussed as spiders, snakes, bees, and bats. The only thing I dislike about this one is the content, which makes my skin crawl a little, but I'm the only one bothered by that. Our daughter tried to figure out how/if she could sleep upside down after learning about bats. (Thankfully, she has given up on that for now.) Once again, I think the formula in this book could be used to research and write about another creepy crawler, which would be a great writing extension activity.I am looking forward to reading other I Can Read! books by Zondervan and will be checking to see if other Christian publishers offer the same kinds of books. A search for "I Can Read!" books on the Zonderkidz website returned 161 results, including some in Spanish, so there are plenty more for us to check out!
The FTC requires that I include a disclaimer that Zonderkidz provided me with these books. I was not asked to give a positive review - though, in this case, I was pleased to do so because we loved them! - just an honest one.