Pass the energy please by Barbra Shaw McKinney was a fun little read. It is a rhyming story which might seem like it is a little young for 5th graders but I think the rhythmic nature of the story will help students to remember the information from the story better. This book talks about the food chain and how it connects everything in circle of energy. I think this book would go great with the NGSS standard about energy which asks students to use models to describe that energy in animals' food was once energy that comes from the sun.

Written by Barbara Shaw McKinney and illustrated by Chad Wallace, “Pass the Energy, Please!” is an enjoyable book to read; although, I think it lacked a crucial and key element that would have better conveyed the purpose of the book. The purpose of the book is to teach readers, through poetry, the concepts of the food chain and how it connects herbivores, carnivores, insects, and plants together, through the use of energy, thus creating the “circle of life.” In order to convey the story’s purpose, the author used literary elements, such as rhyme scheme, similes, repetition, and illustrations.
One literary element, used by the author, is an AABB rhyming scheme. Meaning, in a stanza of four lines, the first and second lines rhyme, and the third and fourth lines rhyme. For example, the author states that all living things are connected for a reason in the text, “Each living thing is a link in a chain/ with a purpose that Nature can always explain.” The ending words “chain” and “explain” makes these lines rhyme, which is true of all the AA and BB ending words used throughout the book. The use of this rhyming scheme produces a book that is easy to read due to its smooth flow and structure, which gives the reader an opportunity to focus more closely on what the poems are saying because the reader is able to reader with a steady flow and pace.
The author also used the literary technique of similes throughout the book. For instance, a simile can be seen in the text, “Like an engine that powers the rest of a train/ a plant’s the first link in an energy train.” This simile, along with the many others used, help the reader to better understand the elements of the food chain. This is because the reader is able to compare the new, unfamiliar concept to a concept the reader is already familiar with, thus creating connections for the reader and aiding in his or her comprehension of the book. Additionally, the author uses repetition throughout the story. At the end of each “link,” or group in the food chain, the author repeats a form of the beginning stanza; “Energy passing from one to another/ is offered by Earth to each animal brother/ A chain unbroken along the way/ links plants and creatures from day to day.” This repetition serves to emphasize how energy connects all living things by powering the process of the food chain. This emphasis makes it easier for the reader to comprehend and remember these concepts, which is the story’s overall purpose.
Along with these elements, Chad Wallace’s oil painting illustrations also play a key role in fulfilling the story’s purpose. For example, each page’s illustration directly connects and relates to the text on the page. This relationship between the text and the illustration gives the reader the opportunity to make stronger connections to the text, in such a way that the reader is better able to comprehend the information being presented. The illustrations are also extremely detailed and colorful, which catches the reader’s attention and fully engages him or her in the story, which a crucial factor in whether or not the reader comprehends and understands the story’s main ideas. Although I found this book to be informative and fun to read, I believe it does a relatively poor job ensuring the reader understands the science jargon included. For example, the author uses the word “osmosis” in one of the stanzas. I think that even with the small explanation provided in the poem, many readers may have a difficult time understanding what this science-related word means and how the process of osmosis really works. I feel that the author should have included a glossary for the scientific words used in order to provide the reader with a better chance at successfully comprehending the information and concepts presented.
Even though I believe this book would benefit from the addition of a glossary, I still think it’s a decent book that ultimately fulfills its purpose. Through the illustrations and the author’s use of literary elements, such as rhyming scheme, similes, and repetition, this book fulfills the purpose of teaching the reader the concept of the food chain and how it connects herbivores, carnivores, insects, and plants, through the use of energy, thus creating the “circle of life.” ( )

The book, “Pass the Energy, Please!” is a great way to introduce how the food chain works to elementary school children. The book is broken down into different “chains”, or sections, of the food chain. Within these different subsections, the reader can see how energy is passed along through different organisms. Food chains and food webs can be a complex topic for young minds. This book helps to break down that barrier by offering a simplified, rhyming version of the food chain. The illustrations aid in the readers understanding of what is going on. You see the different organisms lined up so you know who will be eating what. I would definitely recommend this story due to its content and pleasing illustrations.

A beautifully illustrated book for teaching about the food chain told in poetry. I have seen children read and reread this book! ( )