Georganna Pizanowski

ECE 260-Fall Semester

Professor Kalas

November 5, 2017

Biography Book File

Evaluation of Non-Fiction-

Author- Diane Stanley

Title- Mozart The Wonder Child

Publisher- Harper Collins Publishers

Synopsis- A play made into three acts that tells the story of Mozarts childhood and short

adulthood and how he composed music.

Evaluation-

Style and language: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There is a strong and clear exposition of this story. Mozart is the exposition this story

explains what he went through with his family and how it ended for him.

Compelling details: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There is some quotations showing what was said all those years ago.

Fascinating comparisons- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comment: I found how the story compared his first written music to blobs of ink. Was

fascinating.

Unusual subject or viewpoints- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I did not find any unusual subjects or viewpoints in this story.

Personalized context- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I did not recognize any personal context in this story.

Accuracy- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: In the back of the book it gives a detailed timeline of his life.

Attractive design- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I really enjoyed the artwork of this story. It felt relatable.

Photo or artwork captions- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: You could see the emotions Mozart was going through from the pictures.

Is it a well-rounded piece? - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment- It told the story of how Mozart began composing with great artwork, but nothing

stood out about it.

Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I enjoyed the story. I learned some new things about Mozart.
Evaluation of Non-Fiction-

Author- Judith St. George

Title: Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln

Publisher- Philomel Books

Synopsis- A story of Abe Lincolns younger life with his step-mother inspired him to become the

great president that he was.

Evaluation-

Style and language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Has a clear exposition and avoids didacticism.

Compelling details- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Uses quotations a few times but mostly the story is told in third person

Fascinating comparisons- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I found it fascinating how they compared the school season to be going to school in

littles.

Unusual subjects or viewpoints- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment- The viewpoints of how life was in the 1800s was very different then todays life they

did a good job showing the differences

Personalized context- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comment: Even though Abe gained a new perspective with his step-mother it was not from a

first-person view.

Accuracy- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: In the back of the story it has a bibliography of where the information came from.

Attractive design- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The texture and colors of the illustration helped with how the Lincolns were feeling.

Photo or artwork captions- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: From the artwork you could see the determination in Abe.

Is it a well-rounded piece? - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: It states this book is for younger children. In my opinion a three or four-year-old

would have difficulty paying attention because it is a lot of words.

Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I gave it a seven because I would say the age range is off a little.
Evaluation of Non-Fiction-

Author- Elizabeth Chew

Title- Thomas Jefferson a day at Monticello

Publisher- Abrams

Synopsis- A story of Thomas Jefferson at his home after his presidency with his family and

gadgets and things around his home. That become one of the most famous homes in America.

Evaluation-

Style and language- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Very detailed with a clear exposition on how Thomas Jefferson loved his home. Too

much detail on some parts.

Compelling details- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Quotations from the daughters memory of her father and how well he dressed.

Fascinating comparisons- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Didnt have any comparisons that stuck out.

Unusual subjects or viewpoints- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Some unusual subjects about the slaves making furniture for their master.

Personalized context- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: No new perspectives or context.

Accuracy- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comment: Very good research from the timeline shown in the back of the book.

Attractive design- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Great photos from the actual house.

Photo or artwork caption- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The photos and artwork give you a view of what the real property looked like and

how Jefferson spent his days.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The pictures brought the whole book together there was unnecessary details in parts

of the book.

Rating- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: This was a good book for older children to learn about a former president.
Evaluation of Non-Fiction-

Author-Jennifer Berne

Title- On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein

Publisher- Chronicle Books

Synopsis- A book about Albert Einstein and how he was known for some of the greatest

discoveries of our universe.

Evaluation-

Style and Language: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Uses precise vocabulary and has a strong exposition on how Albert Einstein wanted

answers to his questions.

Compelling Details: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There were quotations used. The anecdotes used seemed to be very truthful.

Fascinating Comparisons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There was a comparison of the light being a beam of light that he could ride.

Unusual subjects or viewpoints: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I found it unusual that he did not speak much until his father gave him a compass and

it made him so curious that he became the most famous scientist.

Personalized Content: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I didnt find any new perspectives in this story or any first-person accounts.
Accuracy: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There was not much of a time-line or reference in the back of the book. There was a

list of suggested books out of the fifty books that the author read for the information on Einstein.

Attractive design: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The pictures have a nice texture design to them and the colors stand out.

Photo or Artwork Captions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The photo work has good textures and the captions were funny and playful.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I gave it an eight because the accuracy of references on the time-line seemed very

short.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: A good book overall and a fun way to learn about Albert Einstein.
Evaluation of Non-fiction-

Author: Barbra Kerley

Title: The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Synopsis: Waterhouse Hawkins put together the first models of dinosaurs in England for the

queen. People came from all over to see his work and then one day he was invited to New York

to build dinosaur models for America but then The Boss got in the way of that and had it all

destroyed.

Evaluation-

Style and Language: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Very precise vocabulary and easy to understand. Avoids condescension and shows

you who the person was.

Compelling details: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The details of how Waterhouse figured out what the dinosaur looked like was a very

compelling detail to this story.

Fascinating comparisons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: There were no comparisons that stood out to me.

Unusual subjects or viewpoints: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The only thing I found that was unusual was how the boss thought that the museum

was a waste of money.

Personalized content- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Waterhouse found a new perspective when his stuff was vandalized. He did

eventually return home to his original place.

Accuracy: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: Good time-line in the back of the book about the artist and his models.

Attractive design: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The photo and artwork are very colorful and shows what the dinosaurs may have

looked like.

Photo or artwork captions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: No new information was found from the photo or artwork of this book.

Is it a well-rounded piece? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: The colors were vivid and the and the story was very easy to understand.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comment: I have never heard of Waterhouse until I read this book and I found it very interesting

how one artist decided to help the scientists by piecing together the fossils of dinosaurs.