California A to Z [Paperback]

Rising Moon Editors (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Presents fascinating facts about California, representing each letter of the alphabet, from amusement parks to zebraperch zipping by Zuma Beach.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2Various letters of the alphabet are paired with place names, tourist attractions, and flora and fauna associated with the Golden State. The book almost has the feel of promotional literature issued by a board of tourism or chamber of commerce. As a tool for teaching the alphabet, many of the references are too specific, too adult, or too obscure for children. For example, even most natives will be unfamiliar with the K is for kinglet entry, which refers to a species of bird found only in the less-populated eastern portion of the state. As an introduction to geography, zoology, etc., this title also falls short because the factual information is too eclectic, unfocused, and sparse. The illustrations, done in dyes and colored pencils, have a bland, insipid quality and the format is similarly uninspired. Library dollars would be better spent on more child-oriented alphabet books or on information-rich state series.Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

In this alphabetic tour of the golden state, alliterative phrases illuminate the featured letter and relay pertinent facts about California, while colorful illustrations form the centerpiece of each page. Below the picture is the descriptive phrase and beneath that are both uppercase and lowercase version of the specific letter. For M, ``monarchs [are] migrating to Monterey'' with the accompanying scenic illustration showing said butterflies flitting around the coast. Readers can then turn to the detailed appendix for more information on both monarchs and Monterey. With such exhaustive detail, this outwardly simple book is packed with a wealth of information, blending art, history, marine and animal life, while providing a stimulating and colorful introduction to the alphabet. (map) (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Publishing Llc (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873586824
• ISBN-13: 978-0873586825
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,273,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teaching tool for all ages and all subjects., March 2, 2010

By 

Barbara Bell (San Carlos, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: California A to Z (Paperback)

"California A to Z" is a great book for kids 4-8 to be introduced to the Golden State, as well as to grow with the book. Not all 4 year olds are going to get the vocab, but it makes this book a great interactive read between adult and child. When you get to Q, for example, "Quail plant quivering during a quake" you have endless possibilities for learning in all subjects.

Science: What's a quail plant?
Bodily awareness: Can you quiver?
Language arts: What's 'quake' a nickname for?
Social Studies: Where do earthquakes tend to happen?
How does an earthquake happen?
Math: How are earthquakes measured?

GREAT, great, great learning book! I love the illustrations, as they are clear and simple. The visual aid supporting the sentence reinforces reading comprehension.

Another tidbit: the author has hit the nail of the proverbial head with teaching writing skills to children. She has a distinctive noun and then a strong action word followed by another distinctive noun. GREAT for teaching sentence structure to young writers. The setup is noun-verb-noun (n-v-n), as with the letter Q example above.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for older kids, not for younger ones., November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: California A to Z (Paperback)

I loved the illustrations in this book. However, being a book for learning the alphabet, it was a little over my three-year-old's head. With wording like "Irrigation invigorating the Imperial Valley", you can imagine that any 3-year-old would be clueless about what they're being read. There is a glossary in the back, but again, this is beyond a preschooler's attention span. My son was done by the letter "M" and wanted to move on to another book.