Nonfiction Form (Biography and Nonfiction Books)

Your Name: Lizeth Reyes Title: The Secret World of Walter Anderson
Author: Hester Bass Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Publisher/Date: Candlewick, 2009 Genre: Biography
EVALUATE THE BOOK USING THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS
1. Explain how the cover and first pages of the book attract and hold the reader’s interest. Give
3examples from the book

1. The cover of the book has Walter Anderson on a canoe around a lake. The first page inside the book has
seagulls around the title. This can attract the readers by looking of what Anderson is going to do.
2. Using the same texture and colors, Walter Anderson in the first page is looking out in the ocean around the
seagulls. He is curious looking out, making the readers wonder if he is going to swim or not.
3. Walter Anderson was on top of the tree to draw. He would always have his hat, and when he found the
canoe, he fixed it.
STYLE AND LANGUAGE – Explain how the book shares information with children. Examples: “little-known
facts;” new vocab sprinkled in the text; and selection of information to create/maintain reader’s interest.
Give 3 examples from the book
1. The book shares information with children by using calm words such as “banquet, paradise, and brackish.”
These words were dropped easily and did not create conflict on understanding the text.
2. To expose the details, the author uses words such as sunset, breath away, and creative to show the readers
what the painter’s masterpiece.
3. The author uses and adds the word “intensely” to describe how the painter felt about a painting. He was
focused on it and transformed it into shapes lines patterns, and colors.
ACCURACY – up-to-date research, references given, no mixing of fact and fiction.
Explain: The author included how many miles he traveled (12 miles) to Horn Island to paint. The story talks
about his life in Horn Island escribing of his artwork that was not shown to the public when he was alive. When
he got sick in 1965 and continued to draw in the hospital of other patients. He died and was buried in New
Orleans, where he was born.
INFORMATION – Child’s interest, unusual subjects or viewpoints - personalized content – new perspectives,
first-person accounts, and fascinating comparisons. Give 3 examples from the book.
1. The animals getting close to Walter could be interesting to the children because he would feed them in the
island.
2. The children could be interested as to why he would go to an island instead of doing the paintings at home.
Nobody lived there anymore, and he would row the boat to get there.
3. Something unusual that can grab the readers attention is that Anderson sometimes used his boat as shelter
when it would rain on the shore.
EVALUAT THE BOOK FOR ILLUSTRATION WITH THE FOLLOWING:
Media (paints, pencils, pen, watercolors, charcoal, photographs, crayon, acrylics, chalk, oils ): Paint, watercolors, oils
Visual elements (line, shapes, colors, textures): Lines are thing and light. The shapes were precise making it look like real life setting.
The colors were a warn hue making it bright, like a bright summer day. The texture is smooth to create the illustration, to represent the type
of tone to the story, which is calm.
How are illustration and text combined to share the information? What does illustration show that text does not explain?
The illustration tells the reader the story, but the illustration shows the story. Illustration shows actions and exposes the mood of the story.
Describe the Page design: use of borders, text placement and font size, information boxes, charts, vocab identified, use of white and
dark space, illustrations placement and types of illustrations:
The two-page spread in the book is used to create one scene. Both pages are used up from one painting, and
the text is on the right page disguising in the background of the illustration. There is no dark space, and white
space is on the bottom of the pages. The type of illustration is realism because the illustration can look like a
real-life setting.
2. Child Development Theories –Emotional
Identify the age level: 7-11 for the theory.
Explain the development for this level: Understand that others have emotions, increasing the
development of cognitive and thinking based. Empathy increases as well.
Explain how the book fits the developmental level: Readers will look at this book and feel some
empathy towards Walter Anderson and his paintings, because it represented something.
Give 3 specific examples from the book to support your evaluation.
1. Watching how calm the [painter was drawing his work can help understand how he was a person
2. Riding in a boat 12 miles to get to his island to draw can show his dedication and love.
3. Looking at the artwork in the end shows and reveals how he represented life through his work.
3. OVERALL RATING (3 high, 1 low) 3
Explain the rating:
The book gives a good story to his life in Horn Island. He is a good human being who helps the animals too.
What I really liked about the illustrations is that they did not show his face. His hat was a major symbol to him,
and the book represented that too. What he wore looked exactly what a normal person would where. This story
shows how he was a painter, but also a person who cared about things. He was fascinated with paintings
objects that were peculiar in the island. This is a good story to read to young readers to show how a famous
painter could also be a human being with good values.