Do You Know Dewey?: Exploring the Dewey Decimal System

by Brian P. Cleary, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Illustrator)

Overview

Are you ready for a library adventure? Join a group of children as they explore the Dewey decimal system! Search for ghosts in the 100s section, track down everything from costumes to cars in the 300s, and be on the lookout for sports and music in the 700s. By the end of the book, you'll be more than ready to dive into Dewey on your own!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761366768
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2012
Series:	Millbrook Picture Bks
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	634,838
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Brian P. Cleary is an American humorist, poet, and author. He is best known for his books written for grade-school children that explore grammar, math and poetry in humorous ways. In his role in the digital division of American Greetings, he's put words in the mouths of Dolly Parton, Christina Aguilera, William Shatner, Meghan Trainor and more. The multi-million selling author has performed poetry workshops in 500 elementary schools across the county. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joanne Lew Vriethoff has been illustrating since the age of four. She grew up in Los Angeles on her own from the age of 12. Life wasn't easy so art became her one true solace. Her love and passion for art and telling stories through art has given her the opportunity to illustrate some very fun books such as I'm Big, The Dancing Pancake, Summerhouse Time, Peace Baby, The Punctuation Station, and Do You Know Dewey? by Brian P. Cleary. She has published books with Dutch and U.S publishers. Currently she is living in Amsterdam with her two children and husband. Besides illustrating books, she loves photographing street art, traveling, reading to her kids and cycling along the Amsterdam canals in the middle of the night.

Editorial Reviews

The Great Library Code is deciphered simplistically and, more problematically, in labored rhyme. After opening with an introduction to young Melvil Dewey, who "would grow up to make a system / to organize those stacks of books and classify and list 'em," Cleary conducts a tour from 000 to the 900s. With occasional oversimplifications--"Peek in the 800s, and you'll have all kinds of sightings / of works in many languages and many types of writings"--he highlights general subjects and a few scansion-fitting specific topics (700s: "Motown, Mozart, Ellington, the Beatles, and the blues, / along with most activities that you might ever choose"). He breaks down call-number structure in a more detailed (prose) closing section and also notes that most (public and school) libraries use different classification schemes for fiction, picture books and biographies. He also at least drops in a mention of online catalogs, if not librarians, as helpful resources. Though the loosely shelved books visible in Lew-Vriethoff's cartoon illustrations are all fat, generic tomes unrealistically free of titles, jackets and even (despite suggestive streaks of lighter color) spine labels, at least her library scenes bustle with happy patrons of diverse ages and skin tones. Not likely to be much help in an actual library, but the concept that there's a system may be reassuring. (basic chart) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews