Spots - Elspeth Graham

This is a fascinating set of information books on a popular children's topic, suitable for guided, shared or independent reading, with good cross-curricular links. These books exemplify the different text types required by the National Literacy Strategy - recount/record, alphabetical reference, report, instructions. "Spots and other Lumps and Bumps" (report, recount) contains information about all sorts of spots, from chicken pox and freckles to the Black Death (Jenner, Ramessess II, beauty patches Lots of ugh! factor for children here). "Experiments on Myself" (instructions, report) includes information about the human body and experiments to prove it. Is your foot as long as your forearm? How many smells can you sense in a day? How does holding your nose affect taste? It models scientific approach and writing. "A Body Dictionary" (alphabetic reference, report) is a classic reference book with an entry for every letter, sometimes two. It contains vital facts and some wacky ones too - you have enough blood to fill 15 drink cans, people eat the weight of 8.5 elephants in a lifetime.;"A History of the Flu" (report, recount) charts various outbreaks showing how deadly (and otherwise) this virus can be. It includes first-hand accounts and newspaper reports.