I have never in my whole life read a kangaroo book—until now. I just never had the interest until I picked up Kangaroos. When I started reading it, I just wondered what I was going to learn next so I just kept reading. I think the author, Denise Burt, did a really great job on this story. Kangaroos was a really good book because it had clear words, awesome photographs and great vocabulary. Over all, the whole book was great, awesome and terrific.

A good place to start with is the strengths. I think there are lots of great photographs on every page. I thought the captions next to the pictures were cool because it tells me what is going on. The length of the book is not too short but not too long but it is an appropriate length for that book.

Next, I would like to talk about the weaknesses. I don’t really think there were any weaknesses in this book. I think the book was good overall. Like, I would have to say if someone read the book I think they won’t think there are any weaknesses either. I would also like to talk about the things I disliked. It’s kind of like the weaknesses. I didn’t find any dislikes in this book. I just think to myself that it is a really good book so I don’t think there will be very many dislikes for other people who read this story.

A good way to end this section of the review is to share what I liked. I liked how the photographs, by Neil McLeod, are real and not cartoon characters. I also think the photographs were awesome because I enjoyed looking at them and seeing how they showed different species of kangaroos. I also learned some words I didn’t know, like: marsupials, macropods, and potoroids.

The style of the writing was clear and I think the author did a great job on the organization. It was clear, not sloppy. It has the words straight and clear—not all over the place. I also want to talk about the glossary. The glossary was useful because it clearly explained what the words meant, which helped a lot.

I would also like to say, “no,” the book was not challenging, but it was not too easy. Like, if a first grader read it, I think it would be a little too hard, but if a 9th grader read it, I think it would be a little too easy. I think the reading level should be 3rd – 6th grade because then it won’t be too hard or too easy.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this book, Kangaroos. I like it because it taught me new words, I really liked the photographs, the captions were specific and the vocabulary was great! I think for the five-star rating I would give it a 5 out of 5 because it was a really awesome book and I really liked it. Yes, I do think this kangaroo book should stay as a Cornerstone book because it is a cool book and I think lots of kids or adults will be interested in it.

~ Quincie Q., Phoenix, AZ
3rd Place 4th Grade, 2007 Read, Write & Win