Official Review: Annie Ware by D.Tennelle Smith

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kfwilson6
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Official Review: Annie Ware by D.Tennelle Smith

Post by kfwilson6 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Annie Ware" by D.Tennelle Smith.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Annie Ware is an adventurous girl who will take you anywhere you could want to go, even to a football game, Geaux Saints, Geaux! In Annie Ware: Adventures in Wordplay, Annie doesn’t go to New Orleans for a football game, but she does take a ride on a boat, visit the library, and spend an afternoon shopping at the mall. Her adventures are chronicled in a unique manner by D. Tennelle Smith. Smith has written a clever poem in which all of the rhyming words are homophones. Young readers can learn the differences between words that sound the same but are spelled different or words that are spelled the same but can have more than one meaning. Contextual clues and bright, full-page illustrations guide young readers through this “wordplay”.

First, I would like to make it clear that in this beautiful, educational poem, Smith does not provide the definitions of any of the homophones. The definitions are meant to be learned through context. In most cases, the context is sufficient to give the reader a clear idea of a word’s meaning. There are very few that are not obvious, but this provides elementary-aged readers the opportunity to look them up in the dictionary. One of the few improvements I would suggest is a glossary at the end listing all of the homophones and their meanings. Making the definitions more accessible would be helpful to educators who could easily incorporate this into their classrooms when teaching about homophones.

The illustrations do more than provide context and clues about the definitions of the homophones; they make the book bright and fun. When viewing the hardcopy of Annie Ware, the page on one side presents a full-length illustration of Annie in the many places she visits throughout the book. Annie is the focal point of most of the pictures, and there is very little detail surrounding her. The pictures have enough content to provide the context in which the words apply. Since the focus of the book is on learning homophones, I think the lack of detail in the images is appropriate as that makes it easier for young learners to focus on the important aspects of each image. On the pages adjacent to the illustrations, the text is presented over a lightly colored background making it very visible.

The only minor improvement I can suggest in regards to the illustrations is a problem of consistency. In most of the drawings, Annie is wearing a flower-patterned dress, but on occasion, her outfit is changed to suit the situation. At one point, Annie is planning to go to a party. She has her party attire on, but when the reader turns the page, Annie is back in her flower-patterned dress even though she is still prepping for the event.

Despite my suggestions for improvement, this is a superb learning tool. I highly recommend that any teacher who provides lessons on homophones adds this as a part of that curriculum. This is also a great book for parents of children in elementary school who are learning about homophones or recently learned about them and could benefit from a book that will help instill those lessons. Children who enjoy poetry would particularly find this book appealing. The highest praise I can give is to award Ms. Smith 4 out of 4 stars on her excellent book. I did not find a single error in the text which only added to my desire to grant Ms. Smith a high rating.

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Vanivah kwamboka
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Post by Vanivah kwamboka »

An exciting book for the young readers struggling with rhyme scheme I loved how the homophones are used...excellent review
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Post by kandscreeley »

Wow! Even for adults, homophones can be tricky. It's great that the author has written a book like this to teach them at a young age! I'm not really in need of a book like this, but I enjoyed your review. Thanks!
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Bianka Walter
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Post by Bianka Walter »

This does seem (seam?) like fun! I like the idea of a glossary at the end as well, it would (wood?) definitely add to the cool concept.
Great (grate?) review!
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Post by sarahmarlowe »

Thanks for the detailed review! This book sounds like something my reading teacher friends would love! I like your suggestion about the glossary and the illustrations. Thanks, again!
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Post by Book Lover 35 »

Sounds like a cute book. I agree with you on the pictures and the consistency. Children love great pictures. Thank you for the review! Have a great Thanksgiving!
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Post by MsTri »

I have sum/some grown friends on Facebook who could use such a book, ha-ha! I also think I'd like to read/reed it just four/for the fun of it. Thanks for/four the interesting review and introduction!
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Sushan Ekanayake
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

Seemingly a good book for children. Thank you for the detailed review 👍👍
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Chibae jos
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Post by Chibae jos »

Its an exicting and educative book it can help the reader understand the homophone
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kfwilson6
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Post by kfwilson6 »

MsTri wrote: 22 Nov 2018, 03:39 I have sum/some grown friends on Facebook who could use such a book, ha-ha! I also think I'd like to read/reed it just four/for the fun of it. Thanks for/four the interesting review and introduction!
I failed to mention that large target market you highlighted so quickly. I hate when wedding season comes around and brides are supposedly going to be walking down the isle. Unfortunately, aisle and isle are not one of the sets of homophones Smith uses.
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MsTri
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Post by MsTri »

kfwilson6 wrote: 23 Nov 2018, 10:30
MsTri wrote: 22 Nov 2018, 03:39 I have sum/some grown friends on Facebook who could use such a book, ha-ha! I also think I'd like to read/reed it just four/for the fun of it. Thanks for/four the interesting review and introduction!
I failed to mention that large target market you highlighted so quickly. I hate when wedding season comes around and brides are supposedly going to be walking down the isle. Unfortunately, aisle and isle are not one of the sets of homophones Smith uses.
I would laugh if it wasn't so true and sad.
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Chibae jos
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Post by Chibae jos »

Its about ann ware a girl who love adventure..
This book can be appealing for children who love poetry
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Cecilia_L
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Post by Cecilia_L »

I love children's books and this one seems like a fun educational tool. I enjoyed your review.
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Lyrikal82
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Post by Lyrikal82 »

This book should be in school libraries easy tool to use to learn homophones!!!
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