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| Permission is granted to view materials from this website for personal, non-commercial use only. Any copying, distribution, retransmission or modification of the information in this document, whether in electronic or hard copy form, without the express prior written permission of Shaye Miller, is strictly prohibited. In the event of any permitted copying, redistribution or publication of copyrighted material, no changes in, or deletion of, author attribution, trademark legend or copyright notice shall be made. Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved. |
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| Shaye Miller |
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| Gail Gibbons |
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| Gail Gibbons has been one of my favorite children's book authors during all of my elementary teaching years. When I was awarded over $1,000 in grant money one year, the first thing I did was start a long list of books specifically authored by Gibbons to be purchased with the money. My students have always loved her educational books with their challenging vocabulary and informative illustrations. I hope you will enjoy the results of this author study as much as I enjoyed creating it! |
| Introduction |
| Author and Illustrator |
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| Want to SEE an Interview? |
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| Who is Gail Gibbons???? |
| This website was created in partial fulfillment of LS5603 Literature
for Children and Young Adults at Texas Woman's University. Material on this site is representative of my personal opinions and beliefs. |
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| Works Consulted |
| Featured Books |
| Contact Information |
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| Brodie, Carolyn S. 1999. Gail Gibbons: Tell me why! School Library Media Activities Monthly 15(10):44-46. Field, Anne. 2001. Reading, thinking, and writing with Gail Gibbons. Book Links 11(2):38-42 . Holzschuher, Cynthia. 1995. Across the curriculum with favorite authors: Gail Gibbons. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc. Koralek, Derry. 2003. When pictures are worth a thousand words: The nonfiction books of Gail Gibbons. YC Young Children (March): 22-23. McElmeel, Sharron L. 2000. 100 most popular picture book authors and illustrators: Biographical sketches and bibliographies. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited [book on-line]. In netLibrary [database online]. Available from http://www.netlibrary.com. Accessed 18 June 2004. Silvey, Anita. 1995. Children’s books and their creators. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Trade and Reference [book on-line]. In netLibrary [database online]. Available from http://www.netlibrary.com. Accessed 18 June 2004. Thomson Gale. 2001. Gail Gibbons. Contemporary authors online [database online]. Available from http://www.gale.com. Accessed 18 June 2004. Wyatt, Flora, Margaret Coggins and Jane Hunter Imber. 1998. Popular nonfiction authors for children: A biographical and thematic guide. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited [book on-line]. In netLibrary [database online]. Available from http://www.netlibrary.com. Accessed 18 June 2004. Zvirin, Stephanie. 1994. The booklist interview: Gail Gibbons. Sci-Tech Books for Youth 1 (December): 676-677. |
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| Selected Bibliography |
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| Helpful Websites |
| Gail Gibbons on non-fiction writing for children: |
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| These are just two short segments of Gail Gibbon's exclusive interview by Reading Rockets. To see the full interview, please click on the link below. |
| Gail Gibbons as a child: |
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| To watch the videos you'll need a copy of the free RealOne Player (most computers already have it installed - or you can download it now) |
| Gail Gibbons c/o Author Mail Little, Brown and Company 1271 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 |
| Gail Gibbons HarperCollins Children’s Books 1350 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10019 (212) 261-6500 |
| Harcourt Trade Publishers Attn: Customer Service 6277 Sea Harbor Drive Orlando, FL 32887 800-543-1918 |
| Holiday House 425 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10017 or Fax 212-688-0395 |
| Scholastic Contact Info.
http://www.scholastic.com/custsupport/comment.asp 1-800-246-2986 |
| Franklin Watts The Watts Publishing Group Ltd. 96 Leonard Street LONDON EC2A 4XD http://www.orchardbooks.co.uk/contact.htm |
| Simon & Schuester
http://www.simonsays.com/content/consumer.cfm?sid=33&app=feedback |
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| Born in Oak Park, Illinois, August 1, 1944 ~ She now lives in Corinth, Vermont |
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| Studied graphic design at the University of Illinois in 1960s |
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| Worked as a television artist for a children's show |
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| Her first book Willy and His Wheel Wagon was written in 1975 |
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| She splits the pages to give more pictures and, therefore, more information |
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| She always picks experts on her book topics to refer to and to edit her books |
| She says Seymour Simon and Johanna Cole are excellent children's nonfiction writers! |
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| She has now written more than 100 non-fiction children's books! |
| She is most well-known for her nonfiction children's books |
| Her favorite part of writing a nonfiction book is the research and travel involved |
| She often uses her husband's photographs from their travels to draw her illustrations |
| She reserves 5 weeks a year for author visits to schools where she can meet children |
| Her house in Vermont is powered by solar power |
| She and her husband make and sell maple syrup every spring |
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| The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree was written for her son, Eric, because of his favorite tree |
| Awards |
| I selected the above listed books because they provide a broad overview of what Gail Gibbons has given to the world of non-fiction for children. These books range from publication as early as 1985 all the way to 2004 which will allow the reader to see Gibbon's many changes through the years. In addition, various publishers are represented in this list, which always provides a different feel to each book. These books are especially appropriate for ages 4-8 (although many older readers will appreciate them, as well) and the selection includes books which will fall into a number of disciplines in the elementary classroom. I can easily vouch for their attractiveness to students as well as their educational value for I have had many in my own classroom. For a full (to date) listing of Gail Gibbon's books, please click the link below. |
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| New York City Art Director Club Award for The Missing Maple Syrup Sap Mysery |
| American Institute of Graphic Arts Award for Clocks and How They Go |
| National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council award for Locks and Keys |
| National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council award for Tool Book |
| Certificate of appreciation from U.S. Postmaster General for The Post Office Book |
| Washington Post-Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award |
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| Picture citation: http://www.gailgibbons.com/ |
| Gibbons, Gail. 1985. Check it Out! The Book About Libraries. Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0152164006
Check it Out! The Book About Libraries is a nonfiction concept book which discusses libraries and their many services. As is her custom, Gibbons takes part of the dedication page to thank the many experts who assisted her in the creation of this book. The initial text includes a few pages on the invention of books beginning with clay tablets, to the lettering of books by monks, and then compares it to the modern printing press. Gibbons takes the reader from a small library to a large library and from a public library to a school library. Activities are discussed including how books are checked out, what a library budget is, how libraries raise money, and the many services performed by a library. It can be argued that this book is somewhat outdated as it discusses the card catalog as the way to find a book, yet on another page it also discusses using a computer. In addition, it talks about records and tapes, but not CDs, Videos, or DVDs. Gibbon's brightly colored illustrations portray people of all cultures and ages taking part in a wide-variety of activities. Many of the images split the page to show more information and allow for the often-overlooked details. Most illustrations show labels or asides which add amazing depth to the text. This book is a good overview of libraries and provides a broad perspective of the various services available in the library. To learn more, the reader would simply have to visit the library themselves, which would then fulfill the purpose of Gibbon's well-written introduction. “A delightful beginning concept book on libraries that gives a basic introduction to history, types, organization and services in a colorful, entertaining manner. The illustrations depict people of all ages, from all walks of life, enjoying many aspects of the library. The text shows thoughtful organization and method encompassing maximum information in minimum wording…” ~School Library Journal |
| Gibbons, Gail. 1998. Penguins! New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 0439061326 Penguins! is an introduction to penguins and their life cycles. Gibbons begins the text by introducing the penguin’s waddle, moves into describing many different kinds of penguins, and then continues by providing a map which shows where each type of penguin is from. Many exciting facts about penguins are provided as well as detailed labels within almost every picture. We learn about height, weight, body fat, swimming ability, and even are allowed a glimpse at the birth of a new penguin. The book ends with a reminder that penguins are in danger because of humans. Pollution, fishing boats, and tourists are all a large part of the concern. Detailed illustrations, created with pen and paintbrush, depict numerous penguins gliding on ice, swimming in the ocean, and raising their young. Multiple labels are provided in Gibbon’s illustrations showing virtually every species of penguin known to humankind. Those not shown in the book are presented in the back of the book. With difficult terminology and numerous details, the illustrations provide an ample visual interpretation of each type and statistic presented. ”Gibbons makes penguin facts accessible to young readers in an easy to read format with detailed drawings. Even though there may be hundreds of penguins in a rookery, each chick will recognize its own parent's call. This is an ideal accompaniment to Judy Sierra's poetry book, Antarctic Antics.” ~Jan Lieberman Children’s Literature |
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| Credits/Thanks Yous |
| Gary Wachtel ~ who sequenced the Twister theme music ~ Available at http://www.moviethemes.org/movie.html |
| Amazon and Barnes & Noble ~ multiple book covers provided ~ Amazon.com and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ |
| Gail Gibbons ~ for her picture and link to the full bibliography ~ website at http://www.gailgibbons.com |
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| Booklinks ~ video clips of Gail Gibbon's interview ~ found at: http://www.readingrockets.org/transcript.php?ID=58 |
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| My wonderful husband for watching our daughter for two whole days (plus) while I finalized this project. |
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| Gibbons, Gail. 1985. Fill it Up! All About Service Stations. New York: T.Y. Crowell. ASIN 0690044399. |
| ___________. 1986. Happy Birthday. New York: Holiday House. ASIN 0823406148. |
| ___________. 1986. Post Office Book : Mail and How it Moves. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0064460290. |
| ___________. 1991. Monarch Butterfly. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823409090. |
| ___________. 1996. Recycle! New York: Little Brown & Company. ISBN 0316309435. |
| ___________. 1997. Click! : A Book About Cameras and Taking Pictures. New York: Little Brown. ISBN 0316309761. |
| ___________. 1998. Moon Book. New York: Sagebrush Education Resources. ISBN 0613928970. |
| ___________. 1998. Knights in Shining Armor. New York: Little Brown & Company. ISBN 0316300381 |
| ___________. 2000. The Art Box. New York: Sagebrush Education Resources. ISBN 061393959X. |
| ___________. 2000. My Football Book. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0688171397. |
| ___________. 2000. Bats. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823416372. |
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| ___________. 2004. The Quilting Bee. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 068816398X. |
| In evaluating these two nonfiction books by accuracy, organization, design, and style, we find both similarities and differences:
Accuracy: Both books take a spot on the dedication page to thank the experts that Gibbons chose for the bulk of her information. In Check it Out! she thanks Marianne Cassell of the Vermont Department of Libraries, Patty Eckles of the Howe Library, and Margaret Drew and Doris Honig of the Bradford Public Library. And in Penguins! She thanks Jennifer Guille and Dyan deNapoli of the New England Aquarium. Her information was presented in a clear fashion in both books and it seems that the most noteworthy facts were included to provide a better understanding of both topics. While we can be confident that the information was accurate at the time of publishing, we know that time changes things. Most likely her scientific book on penguins will remain current for a long time, but we know that libraries constantly change from year to year and information in her book will eventually need to be updated. Neither stereotypes nor anthropomorphisms are included in either of these books. However, when examining for facts, I did discover one interesting opinion in Penguins! “They walk with a waddle, yet look stately and dignified.” Organization: Gail Gibbon’s books do not usually contain tables of contents or indexes; however, her content is presented very logically and clearly for children to understand. In Check it Out! Gibbons takes us from the familiar to the unfamiliar beginning with “There are small libraries. . . and there are big libraries” and then moving into the various unknown facts and explanations about these libraries. The book Penguins! is organized a little bit differently with a completely different subject matter. She begins with the many different types of penguins and then moves to discussing where they are from. Then she begins describing and explaining their characteristics, their physical needs and finally their life cycle. Both books move from general to specific, but in different ways. Each book provides numerous pictures with labels. In Check it Out! we see three cards from the card catalog. Each card has important information circled and each helps the reader know how to find what they are looking for. And in Penguins! Gibbons provides a map to help provide a framework for kids to understand location and size. Design: Both books are attractive and appealing to the eye. Gibbons uses bright, bold colors in her illustrations which are inviting to young children. There are many more words and more difficult words found in Penguins! than in Check it Out!, which might discourage a young child from attempting the book. However, the pictures are very informational all on their own. Style: It is obvious that Gibbons is passionate about whatever she writes. Both books provide an interesting perspective and offer lively explanations on each page. One of Gibbons mottos is not to talk down to children. She believes that if a child doesn’t understand a big word or concept, they can ask. Both books are appealing and will entice a child with ideas they’ve never encountered about each topic. Children will begin asking critical questions and anxiously looking forward to each new page. |
| Compare/Contrast |
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| Teddi Zonker, Betty Sandefur, and Cherry Bernard for checking all links and verifying this page is working properly. |