Snakes

Snakes

By Valerie Bodden

Photographs by various sources

Creative Education, 2010

24 pages 

Nonfiction

          Snakes is an informational picture book with a descriptive structure. It is a very formal structure with large detailed pictures on one page and informative text on the next. It provides general information about snakes as a whole. The book is a great size with very large pictures that would make it easy to use in the front of the classroom. The book uses lots of captions. I also appreciate how the book provides a brief definition for words young students may not be familiar with. Rather than putting the words in a glossary at the back of a book where young students may not look, they put the definitions at the bottom of the page. The back of the book contains a brief index and website and book resources for further research.

          Snakes is appropriate for grades K-3 and is a second grade reading level. This book would be great when doing a unit on snakes or reptiles. It could also be used to introduce scientific vocabulary. The author does a good job at only introducing about 5 new words so it is not hard for young readers to understand. I would also using this book when discussing text features, especially captions. 

          This book is one of a series of books called Amazing Animals. With its vivid, oversize pictures and easy-to-follow text I hope to acquire these books for my personal classroom library.