The picture book Wired by Anastasia Suen (illustrated by Paul Carrick; Charlesbridge, 2007) gives two levels of text to teach about electricity in our communities. First, rhythmic poetry provides just a few words on each page to give a gentle poem about electricity going from a power station to a home for young readers. The other text is very detailed on how electricity works, including details about electrons, power plants, generators, transformers, substations, fuse boxes, and more.
Carrick’s detailed illustrations (acrylic mixed media) illustrate the more detailed paragraphs. With so much complex detail, the paragraphs are most likely too much for a group read aloud. Consider reading the rhythmic text to a group first, and, if students are old enough, return to the beginning of the book to discuss the illustrations, summarizing some of the concepts from the detailed text. Power safety tips, web references, and a glossary with index follow. The instructional material is deep enough for this to be a resource book for older children.
