For the comparative analysis of social studies books, I chose two first grade texts, My World, published in 1997 by Harcourt Brace and Company and My World: Adventures in Time and Place, published in 1997 by Macmillan McGraw-Hill.
     The overall structure of both books was similar, in that they each contained a detailed table of contents and picture glossary.  These features allow the reader a quick, but informative, overview of the book and its topics.  I especially found the picture glossaries to be valuable, as they stated definitions of unfamiliar words and provided extended explanations with small, but useful pictures.  In addition, neither book contained an appendix; however, My World: Adventures in Time and Place displayed an index, while My World did not.  The structures of both books were comparable, and each included several user-friendly features.
     With respect to overall content, both books again contained information on essential first grade concepts, such as communities and neighborhoods, goods and services, families, government, citizenship, and people and places around the world.  However, My World: Adventures in Time and Place did possess more up-to-date content, with photographs of President Bill Clinton and images of New York City.  Therefore, My World: Adventures in Time and Place seemed to focus on more recent issues, which would allow students to connect social studies topics with current events.
     Both books were organized around large unit themes, which were divided into smaller lessons.  Main ideas of the selections, such as Sharing the Land and Families Make Choices, were specified in the titles.
     Instead of introductory paragraphs or sections, both texts used poems, stories, or songs to focus the reader’s attention to what should be learned in each lesson.  Both books were organized so that students can connect new knowledge with previously learned information.  For example, a progression of ideas is illustrated as a lesson on communities in My World: Adventures in Time and Place is followed by a lesson on living in the United States.
     Both books used repetition of important words and statements as a means of reminding students about learned concepts.  In My World, brainstorm sections were included, which encourage students to apply learned knowledge to new situations, and cloth story summaries prompt students to remember learned information by generalizing about a group of related pictures.  Furthermore, both books integrated study questions throughout the lessons, such as “Why is voting a good way to choose leaders,” and “What kinds of things do you vote about at school and at home?”  Thus, students are able to think critically about concepts they have learned, as well as understand how social studies topics have personal relevance.
     With regard to unit summaries, My World incorporated reviews that focused on vocabulary and main ideas.  In addition, unit summaries in My World included skills, or activities, in which students evaluate and analyze information learned in lessons.  In contrast, My World:  Adventures in Time and Place did not offer in-depth unit reviews, which would challenge students to evaluate and analyze information gained through the lessons.  Furthermore, unit conclusions did not recap main ideas or offer students opportunities to apply new knowledge through skills, or activities.
     With regard to sentence level and detail, both texts emphasized important vocabulary words by using bold print, and both books also contained short, simple sentences, relevant for first graders.  In My World, bold vocabulary words were additionally enclosed in yellow boxes, which were sure to catch the reader’s eye.  In addition, My World offered more detailed definitions of words and used specific examples to explain unfamiliar words.  However, My World: Adventures in Time and Place included details that seemed somewhat irrelevant to the development of the main idea.  For example, the words, “Taino Indians,” were used in describing the first Thanksgiving celebration.  In both books, the majority of verbs were in the active voice, such as in the sentences, “Many trees grow in a forest,” and “The world is all the people and places on Earth.”
     With respect to vocabulary density, My World contained the least amount of words likely to be unfamiliar to a first grader, and most of these unknown words could be developed through context, direct definition, or restatements. For example, the word “symbol” is directly defined as “a picture that stands for something real.”  In contrast, My World: Adventures in Time and Place contained a higher number of unfamiliar words, which were more difficult to develop through context, definitions, and restatements.  Neither book defined unfamiliar words through contrast, the explanation of a concept by what it does not mean.  Overall, My World seemed to be the more reader-friendly text.
     The numbers of visual aids in both texts were sufficient; however, the visual aids used in My World were of a wider array.  For example, My World included city maps, time lines, pictographs, globes, a table of goods and services, and a bar graph of toys made in different countries.  Both texts included pictures that were representative of race and gender, including photographs of Japanese, Hispanic, African American, Asian, Caucasian, American Indian, and disabled/handicapped individuals.  The visual aids in both books served to enhance and supplement the written text.
     Overall, both social studies books were well-structured and organized, included appropriate content, and offered appealing visual aids.  However, I found My World to be the better textbook, since it was more focused on main idea development, through catchy introductions and elaborate unit reviews.  The paragraphs in My World were simple but provided relevant details for conceptual understanding, and the text also contained a fewer number of unfamiliar words, which were more often explained through an assortment of contextual clues, including direct definition and restatement.