But I Read It on the Internet!

by Toni Buzzeo, Sachiko Yoshikawa (Illustrations)

Hunter and Carmen disagree whether George Washington really had wooden teeth, and Mrs. Skorupski encourages them to research the story on the internet and use her "Website Evaluation Gizmo" to evaluate websites and come up with the correct answer.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Technology, School, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 14, 2013

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really quite good, but the format works against it. The reading level of the book is quite high for a picture book, and the format is very young for the audience that could really benefit from the book.
The basic premise, of teaching kids that not all information is created equal, is an excellent one. I just have a problem with the format.
In the story, kids in a classroom setting are given various challenges that require researching facts, and ways to evaluate sources. The payoff at the end is really cute, and the story itself is interesting and believable, for the most part. I did have a problem with the boy who is so thoroughly into books having never gone to the library, since the reader was never given any reason for it.

[Rll52014_lori Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thinking of realistic fiction, I thought that this was a great read! It is a picture book for older readers, but I really do think that the message about getting information from reliable sources on the Internet can really hit home with elementary school readers! I loved how the librarian, Mrs. Skorupski, let the two students (Hunter and Carmen) find out for themselves how to research for information instead of just telling them how to.
Elementary school children will really be able to see themselves in the two characters of Hunter and Carmen!

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect picture book to use when teaching about website evaluation! Join an elementary class with a great teacher and a fantastic librarian as they learn to fact-check websites. Couldn't be better (except that the students learn that citations are just URLs, but they are doing the work of identifying the author).

The book cover says "A Mrs. Skorupski story" (and she was the amazing librarian). I'll be looking for more!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

School Library Journal (July 1, 2013)

Gr 3-5-Mr. Dickinson's students have opposing ideas on how to do proper research. Hunter relies on "true books" from the school library and Carmen believes that everything she reads on the Internet is true. Super librarian Mrs. Skorupski bounds in to save the day. She helps the fourth graders on their presidential fact-finding mission by teaching them how to evaluate and cite their resources, providing them with a terrific research tool, her "Website Evaluation Gizmo." The girls and boys record a number of the facts on a Know/Want to Know/Learn chart. Hunter and Carmen disagree over whether George Washington actually had wooden teeth. For homework, they are assigned the task of verifying the story. To Hunter's dismay, Mrs. Skorupski wants them to use Internet sources, no books. She advises him to visit the public library, where he and the librarian search the Internet for "George Washington" "wooden teeth" and then use Mrs. Skorupski's Gizmo to evaluate the website. At school the next day, Hunter is surprised when Carmen suddenly agrees with him. She changed her mind because thanks to her teacher she "knew how to make sure the Internet was right!" The cheerful illustrations of Hunter and his classmates perfectly capture their curiosity and eagerness to learn. Mrs. Skorupski, with her lesson-coordinated accessories and quirky cat-eye glasses, dances across the pages exuding energetic enthusiasm. Pair this fine addition to the series with Kathleen Fox and Lisa Downey's The Pirates of Plagiarism (Upstart, 2010) for a fun-filled lesson on information literacy.-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little nervous when the book starts out because the narrator (and therefore the book) begins with a fairly simplistic "books good, internet bad" mentality, but over the course of the story, the message changes to being more about the need to fact check and verify the reliability of your sources, which is a great message. There is also characterization that speaks to status and the digital divide as well that is realistic and doesn't draw attention to itself.

I would only add that in this post truth age, having a gizmo to determine the reliability of books published as nonfiction wouldn't be a bad thing either. There are books written on multiple sides of every issue, and an unscrupulous person an any side can spin their "facts" to mislead someone, regardless of whether it is a print source or a digital one.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is for all my teacher and librarian friends. How many times have you heard "It must be true, I saw it on the internet?" This book explains what good sources for different types of information are and how the internet can qualify. There is also the back story of a child with limited access to the internet outside of school, a fact that everyone should be talking about more. Of course, the public library comes to his rescue, so all's well that ends well!

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see structuring several library lessons around this story. Mrs. S uses tools that will be familiar to most students and teachers such as a KWL chart, and the story shows teacher librarian collaboration in a realistic, positive way. I would like a more definitive ending, but it works in the context of ongoing conversations about assessing and citing all sources.

[Rachel Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the thought of using this as a read-aloud to compliment a lesson on information literacy in the library; however, as other reviewers have noted, it's a little dense for a picture book, and might not be the best format for the age group that needs it most. I still think it's a cute way of introducing the topic and highlights the role of librarians in meeting these instructional needs.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining read that will help students learn about selecting reliable internet sources.
It is just one of the books in a series about Mrs. Skorupski, a school librarian with character, enthusiasm, and quirkiness. I have found that most students enjoy her books.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading to plan for digital citizenship teaching unit. This will fit into teaching about reliable sources of onformation and citing sources.

Buzzeo has a great website with resources available for download. Teaching guide, readers theater, and a website evaluation "gizmo!"

[Jnase1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and a great way to introduce research to upper elementary students. They need to be read to, too.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this all week in lessons with the 4th adn 5th graders on choosing reliable sources on the internet.

[Mrs Jameson AKA Library Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

read to 5 th grade. good way to start the year

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This simple story would work well with a research lesson on the accuracy of sources, internet and other formats as well.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more a learning tool for older kids learning about research on the Internet and a great example of that.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this - most high school students need this information just as much as the younger ones the book is written for.

[Karla Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this as a prompt for fourth grade. Students were engaged in the plot of the book. Cemented a concept that we had been discussing in the library the past semester.

[Diana Pettis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a great read aloud for a teacher looking for a book to illustrate the importance of evaluating websites and how to site information in a research report. I really enjoyed it.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read with students when teaching them how to evaluate Internet sources.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information, but for that reason it isn't a very fun book for something like a storytime. It is a great book if you were teaching kids how to research for a school assignment though.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookaday #30. Great book for students to think about the accuracy of sources, print, and especially websites. Need to read this one next school year!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharing this book for part 2 of our digital literacy lessons for elementary students in grades 4-6. It's amusing and the kids get exasperated (in a fun way) with know-it-all Carmen; the more times I read it, the more I enjoy it. It allows for some discussion on domains, the motivation of the content creator, etc. It helps us remember to STOP and evaluate before immediately believing or sharing information we see.
We pair this with a video - "Fact vs. Fake" - and headline evaluation activity from CBC kids, they do a great job with this topic.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great informative and fun book for children aged 6-9 about how to verify sources and information whether in print or internet form. Younger readers might also benefit from the information with assistance from an adult. As an early reader this would work for advanced second graders and up due to larger blocks of text and more advanced vocabulary, but still broken up by illustrations and white space.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid resource for school librarians and teachers. I can’t imagine a kid reading this for fun.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both my kids liked it too. Useful as part of a curriculum about when to use what resource.