Gabby and I loved learning more about the man behind the mouse. This book was very clear and well-written, an easy to read biography for kids about an inspirational historical figure. ( )

I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the information and was definitely interested by it but I think it could have been presented in a more interesting matter and I think that the writing was not academic enough. I loved reading about Walt Disney and was interested by all the fun facts that they added to his biography. The book kept me focused since it wasn't long or drawn out and the information was good but I wish it would have been presented more interestingly. I think that the way the book was laid out was a little bit boring and could have been done better. The writing also did not impress me in this book; it was very unacademic and a little too casual. This may be because it was aimed at a younger audience but it didn't hold my attention. The big idea was to tell the biography of Walt Disney and I think overall the book was alright. ( )

I thought that this was a good book. I liked this book for a couple of reasons. The first thing that stood out to me was one of the first pages in the book that said, “Find the Truth”. On this page there are two sentences that are either true or false and also says, “Everything you are about to read is true except for one of the sentences on this page.” I really liked this because it engages the reader and makes them want to read and play the little game to find out which sentence is true and which is false. The second reason I like this book is because of its extra textual features. There are textual features such as headings (name of chapter), sub-headings, extra information bubbles, and captions. All of these textual features are in different colors than each other and the text which makes them stand out from one another. One of the textual features that I noticed was little bubbles of information like, “Some of Walt’s earliest memories were of the natural world around him”. The big idea of this book is to teach readers who Walt Disney is and what accomplishments he has made throughout his life. ( )

This book is a biography about the life of Walt Disney, including the development of Mickey Mouse and Disneyworld among his many accomplishments. I like this book for three reasons, beginning with the fact that it does not portray Disney’s rise to the top of family entertainment as smooth or without struggles. For example, a character he had created early on, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, became a movie star, but was taken from him under the terms of a contract he had signed with another company. I also like Orr’s authentic point of view of Disney. A good example is when he discusses Disney’s involvement in creating training and propaganda films for the military during World War II. Finally, I like how this book is appropriately written for elementary school aged children. This is exemplified in the glossary, which is titled Important Words, where the definition of terms such as carousel, propaganda, and slogan are found. ( )

Walt Disney: The Man Behind the Magic
By Tamra Orr (2013)

I liked Walt Disney: The Man Behind the Magic by Tamra Orr for two reasons. First, I liked the first page of the book. Specifically, the first page is titled, Find Out the Truth! and reads, “Everything you are about to read is true except for one of the sentences on this page.” Following, Orr writes two facts, and asks readers if they are true or false. She then explains to readers that the answers are in the book. Positively, Orr motivates her readers to read the book, and find out the answers. Second, I liked how the photo descriptions are printed in red. This is beneficial to readers, so they do not confuse the photo descriptions with the actual text. Overall, the “big idea” of Walt Disney: The Man Behind the Magic is to inform readers about Walt Disney’s career and show them how his sketches turned into one of the largest business empires in the world, Disney World. ( )