Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-February 4, 2015

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Woman of Gambia

by Miranda Paul

Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Published February 1, 2015 by Millbrook Press

32 Pages

Digital copy obtained through Netgalley

Goodreads Summary

Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred.

The bags accumulated in ugly heaps alongside roads. Water pooled in them, bringing mosquitoes and disease. Some bags were burned, leaving behind a terrible smell. Some were buried, but they strangled gardens. They killed livestock that tried to eat them. Something had to change.

Isatou Ceesay was that change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community. This inspirational true story shows how one person's actions really can make a difference in our world.

My Thoughts

I was captivated by this story. It is a great example for children about the power one person's choices can have. Ceesay saw a problem and instead of ignoring it, decided to do something about it. 

The book starts with Ceesay as a young girl who notices a discarded plastic bag blowing across the ground. She uses it to hold her fruit after the basket she is carrying breaks. As she grows up, the plastic bag problem multiplies. Miranda Paul does an excellent job using present tense narration to show Ceesay's process of dealing with the hug piles of bags, washing them and figuring out how to recycle them. The women finally try cutting the bags into strips and crochet them together to make purses to sell which benefits the whole community. 

I would recommend One Plastic Bag for grades all elementary grades. 

Resources:
Click here to read some scary statistics about plastic bags. 

Watch the Book Trailer

Isatou Ceesay shows how to crochet plastic bags into purses. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-A Boy and a Jaguar

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

A Boy and a Jaguar
by Alan Rabinowitz
Illustrated by Catia Chien
Published 2014 by Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt
Nonfiction Picture Book
32 Pages
Disclosure: Borrowed this book from my wonderful nerdy friend Susan Dee!

This is the true story of Alan Rabinowitz. Alan is a wildlife conservationist and a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America. He also grew up as a stutterer. As a child, the only times he did not stutter were when he was singing or speaking to animals. He has a fondness for big cats such as lions and jaguars and his father often took him to the zoo. As he got older, Alan decided that he wanted to be a voice to help protect wild animals, especially jaguars and other big cats. But who would listen to him if he could not speak fluently? This book chronicles his life's struggles and triumphs. 

My Thoughts
The message in this book is so powerful. If you are passionate, determined and ready to work hard, you can overcome many of life's difficulties and obstacles. Alan writes his story honestly and in a way that will have children (and adults) eager to find out what happens next. The way he overcomes his condition and becomes a person who makes important contributions to the world is inspiring. It would make a great read aloud for grades 1-5. 

Companion Texts
Visit this link to go to a site containing many books that deal with the topic of stuttering. 

Other Resources
A special page for kids who stutter
Stuttering for kids-Stuttering Foundation
Kids Health-Stuttering
Information about some of Rabinowitz's work.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-Just As Good: How Larry Doby Changed America's Game

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America's Game

by Chris Crowe
Illustrated by Mike Benny
Published 2012 by Candlewick
32 Pages
Nonfiction Picture Book
Obtained from public library

Most Americans have heard of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the baseball color barrier in 1947. But have you heard of Larry Doby? Well, I hadn't until I read this book. Some say he is an underappreciated pioneer in baseball. 

Larry Doby played for the Cleveland Indians the year after Robinson entered Major League Baseball. That year the Indians faced the Boston Braves in the World Series. 

My Thoughts

This books is described as a tribute to Doby and I would call it just that. It has some biographical information, but is not a biography of Doby's life. Doby's impact on baseball, and America, is seen through the eyes of Homer and his father as they follow their favorite team in the World Series on the radio. The story builds to a climax as Homer narrates the action at game four. 
This book could be used in many ways. It would be a great companion to books about Jackie Robinson or in discussing civil rights. It could be used to show the time period (Late 1940's). It is also a story of hope. Homer and his father have a lot riding on Doby's success, beyond the World Series. 
I would recommend this book for grades 1-4. 

Here is a short video about Larry Doby's legacy

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-June 11, 2014

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

Oh my word, it has been at least a month since I have posted and linked up a nonfiction picture book. Now that there is a week of school left, I am beginning to see a few streams of light at the end of the tunnel. 

Feathers: Not Just for Flying

by Melissa Stewart

Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen

Published 2014 by Charlesbridge

32 pages

Nonfiction Picture Book

Summary from Goodreads

Young naturalists meet sixteen birds in this elegant introduction to the many uses of feathers. A concise main text highlights how feathers are not just for flying. More curious readers are invited to explore informative sidebars, which underscore specific ways each bird uses its feathers for a variety of practical purposes. A scrapbook design showcases life-size feather illustrations.

My Thoughts

Melissa Stewart has written over 150 books for children! She is a nonfiction master who does her research. One thing about this nonfiction picture book that is different from many other animal books is that Melissa Stewart and Sarah Brannen show how each of the different types of feathers is similar to something children they can relate to. For example, "Feathers can shade out the sun like an umbrella" or "Feathers can soak up water like a sponge". Then the illustrations and information clarify the similarities. I feel this connection would be very engaging for young readers and help them understand birds when they see them in their natural habitats. Stewart has certainly done her research here and Brannen's illustrations are incredibly life-like.

Use this book...

as part of an animal unit.

to practice nonfiction reading.

to compare and contrast.

as a mentor text for using similes in writing.

Teachers, grab Melissa Stewart's Teacher's Guide for curriculum connections and activity ideas. She also has a video about how she used similes in this book. 

Her whole website is amazing. Click here to visit. 

Companion Texts

Click on the cover to learn more about these books.

 

Other Resources

Here is a video that takes a close look at feathers. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers also shared this book a few weeks ago, but after I read it, I thought it worthy of another share. Click here to see their review.

Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
by Patricia Newman
Photography by Annie Crawley
Published 2014 by Millbrook Press
Genre: Nonfiction
48 pages
Disclosure: Review copy provided by Netgalley.com


Goodreads Summary
These scientists are on a mission. As part of a research expedition known as SEAPLEX, they're studying the massive accumulation of plastic in the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. As they use the scientific method to conduct their investigation, their adventures will introduce readers to the basics of ocean science and the hazards of plastics.

My Thoughts

As I read Plastic, Ahoy! I felt ashamed that I don't do enough to help the environment and I immediately wanted to DO something. I think that was the main goal of this book, to make us take a hard look at what we have done, and are doing, to our planet. I was drawn into this book and just had to keep reading to see what the scientists found. The author does a terrific job breaking down some of the complicated information into manageable pieces that kids (and adults) will understand. She also makes the scientific process visible by showing the questions that each scientist was trying to answer and how they collected and analyzed data and modified their hypotheses. The information is accompanied by excellent photographs of the scientists at work on their ship in the middle of the ocean. I would recommend Plastic Ahoy for students in grades three through middle school. 

Use this book....

as a nonfiction read aloud.

during a unit on ecology or the ocean. 

near Earth Day.

before a school clean up day.

to demonstrate the scientific process.

for close reading of nonfiction. 

to discuss the use of plastics and recycling.

Resources

PBS Need to Know video: An Ocean of Plastic

Kids World: Pacific Ocean's Plastic Island

Kid Ocean: Ocean Pollution for Kids

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday- Boys of Steel

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

Boys of Steel

by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Illustrated by Ross MacDonald

Goodreads Summary

JERRY SIEGEL AND Joe Shuster, two misfit teens in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent—meek, mild, and myopic—than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote stories, and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format—the comic book. The author includes a provocative afterword about Jerry and Joe’s long struggle with DC Comics when they realized they had made a mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130!
Marc Tyler Nobleman’s text captures the excitement of Jerry and Joe’s triumph, and the energetic illustrations by Ross MacDonald, the author-artist of Another Perfect Day, are a perfect complement to the time, the place, and the two young visionaries. 

My Thoughts

I knew nothing about who created Superman before I read this book.  I found it to be very interesting. I loved how Jerry and Joe loved to read and write as kids. They were not traditionally "cool" guys so they wanted to create a hero with an alter-ego that was like them. They faced rejection but didn't give up on Superman for 3 years. Sadly they did sell the rights to DC comics for next to nothing. 

The illustrations feel like you might be reading a comic book and support the story very nicely.  The author's note in the back is full of more interesting information about these two creative men. This is a nice one to add to your biography collection, especially for comic book lovers. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday- Rachel Carson and her Book that Changed the World

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

Rachel Carson and Her Book 
That Changed the World
by Laurie Lawlor
Illustrated by Laura Beingessner
Published 2012 by Holiday House
Copy obtained from public library

If you don't know anything about Rachel Carson, this book gives a great overview of her journey to becoming a biologist and changing how people look at the environment. After writing two books about the ocean: The Edge of the Sea and The Sea Around Us, she began to notice disturbing trends in the environment. Determined to show the government and the American people how toxins were affecting the environment, she wrote perhaps her most important book: Silent Spring. This book detailed how poisons like pesticides were polluting the air and water and what it meant for people and all living things. The epilogue describes the changes in environmental policy were put in place after Carson's death as a result of Silent Spring.  This book is written in a manner that is appropriate for grades 2-5. 

Here are some of the most interesting tidbits:

*When she was eleven, Carson had a story published in a children's magazine. This is when she decided to become a writer.

*She was a shy person who had trouble fitting in socially at college. She would much rather go to the science lab than a party or dance.

*Rachel was inspired to become a biologist because of a biology professor named Mary Scott Skinker. 

*Although she never married, she adopted her niece's 5-year-old son. 

*She wrote Silent Spring while bedridden with cancer and never lived to see the effects of her book. 
*Sadly, Rachel Carson died at the very young age of 56. 

This book could be used.....

As part of a unit on biographies.

As part of a science/ecology unit.

To discuss how writing can change the world. 

More Information

Rachelcarson.org

Kid Scoop

Teacher Tube Biography

Nonfiction picture Book Wednesday- A Little Book of Sloth

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

A Little Book of Sloth

by Lucy Cooke

Published 2013 by Margaret K Elderry Books

64 Pages

Copy obtained from public library

I wanted to hold a baby sloth in the worst way as I read this adorable book. Lucy Cooke writes about a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. Not only does she give interesting information about sloths, but she introduces the reader to individual sloths and makes you fall in love with them. Her writing is funny and entertaining and her compassion for sloths really shines through her narration. The illustrations are heartbreakingly adorable. Kids will absolutely love it! Read it, if not for the information, then for the cuteness. 

Here is a link to the sanctuary's website. 

Click here for more books about these huggable animals. 

Check out his video about the Sanctuary.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday- The Animal Book

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

The Animal Book
by Steve Jenkins
Published 2013 
HMH Books for Young Readers
Hardcover 208 pages
Disclosure: Copy obtained from library

I have seen many people talking about this book over the last several months, but I have not really been interested in reading it. It seemed to me like it was another "animal encyclopedia" and I thought it would be boring.  I don't normally love reading nonfiction and I hardly ever read them in their entirety.  After I saw another mention of The Animal Book last week on a friend's blog, I decided just to give it a glance.  I ended up reading it cover to cover.  

The Animal book is like "one-stop shopping" for animal information. Inside, the reader will find information on animal families, reproduction, adaptations, lifespan, Darwin's theories, predators, prey and a ton more! To top it all off, Jenkins' signature illustrations add more information and support the text beautifully. 

I learned a lot, but here are a few of my favorite facts.  

• The tailorbird used her beak, plant fibers or spider web silk to sew a leaf closed after laying her eggs in it. 
• There are more species of insects than all of the other species combined. 
• A baby blue whale can gain 200 pounds in a day. 
• Peregine falcons practice "stooping" or attacking prey by flying to it from above, with their siblings, pulling up at the last minute to avoid hurting each other. 

 Of course there are also plenty of gross animal facts that will delight young readers. A glossary, extra info section and lots of charts and graphs help add to the information. 

Steve Jenkins has been informing young (and not-so-young) readers for years. Click here to visit his website. I had fun just moving the curser over the animals on the home page, but the rest of the website is nice also.   

Watch this video where Steve Jenkins 
talks about creating his book. 

Nonfiction Wednesday- Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a 
weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. 

Please visit her amazing website. 

Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey

by Loree Griffin Burns

Photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz

Published January 1, 2014

Millbrook Press

32 Pages

Digital copy obtained through Netgalley.com

As the title says, this is not your typical butterfly story. This book describes how a butterfly "farm" in Costa Rica grows butterflies for museums. Through gorgeous photographs and descriptive text, Handle with Care takes you from egg to butterfly and all the stages in between.  Then you get to see how the "pupa" are packaged and shipped all over the world. 

I really enjoyed this book for several reasons.  First, the pictures by Ellen Harasimowicz are absolutely amazing, big, clear and colorful. Then, the book is very different from any other butterfly life cycle text I have seen. I loved being able to see the inner workings of the farm.  

Handle with Care would make a great informational text to use with younger students in grades 3-4. There is a ton of scientific information, vocabulary and text features to support the text.  In the back of the book there are facts about insects and their life cycles, vocabulary a glossary and suggestions for further reading.

This is a wonderful author/photographer team!

Loree Griffin Burns has written several science texts.  Please visit her website for more information.

Please visit Ellen Harasimowicz's website to see more of her beautiful photography. 

Nonfiction Wednesday- ABC's of Yoga for Kids

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a 
weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. 

Please visit her amazing website. 

The ABC's of Yoga for Kids

by Teresa Anne Power and Kathleesn Rietz

Illustrated by Brookes Nohlgren

Published 2009 by Stafford House

32 Pages

Nonfiction/Poetry

Disclosure: I received a digital review 

copy from Netgalley.com

The ABC's of Yoga for Kids uses poetry and illustrations to demonstrate yoga poses to children.  The illustrations are easy to follow and the rhyming text is fun to read.  I do not practice yoga and never have, so I learned many new poses from this book. 

I could imagine this book being used in K-3 classrooms to give children a movement break by choosing a few poses a day.  I also love the fact that it combines poetry with nonfiction. 

Frog Pose Squatting with my feet apart wide I am a 

frog with a big underside. Bringing my arms inside my knees

 I jump up and say, “r-r-r-r-i-b-b-i-t!” on the count of three.

Here is a link to the ABC's of Yoga for Kids website.  

On a Beam of Light- Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein 
by Jennifer Berne
Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
Chronicle Books 2013
56 Pages
Genre: Nonfiction, biography
Format: Picture book
Disclosure: Obtained from public library

Summary from Goodreads

A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty road. But in his mind, he envisions himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light. This brilliant mind will one day offer up some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly fascinated by the wonders around him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows into a man of genius recognized the world over for profoundly illuminating our understanding of the universe. Jennifer Berne and Vladimir Radunsky invite the reader to travel along with Einstein on a journey full of curiosity, laughter, and scientific discovery. Parents and children alike will appreciate this moving story of the powerful difference imagination can make in any life.

My Thoughts
I think everyone is a little bit fascinated with Einstein and I am no exception.  I found this book to be very interesting.  The author does an amazing job of weaving the story of Einstein's life into a picture book format.  The whimsical, disheveled style of the illustrations seem to reflect the personality of Einstein himself. Although this book discusses some of his theories, it is written in "kid friendly" language.  I would imagine students in grades 1-5 enjoying this book. 

Use This Book.....
in a biography unit.
as a mentor text for discussing differences and strengths.
as a springboard for brainstorming big and small questions.

Click here to see a short video about Einstein for kids. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-October 9, 2013

Please visit the host of this weekly nonfiction book event: Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy

No Monkeys, No Chocolate 

by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young

Illustrated by Nicole Wong

Charlesbridge Publishing

2013

32 Pages

Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book

Disclosure: Obtained from public library

Goodreads Summary

Most kids love chocolate, but few of them know that its main ingredient, the cocoa bean, comes from a tree that grows in the tropical rain forest. Dual-layer text describes the life cycle of the tree, emphasizing its botanical structures and highlighting the interdependence of the plants and animals such as the pollen-sucking midge, brain-eating coffin fly and aphid-munching anole lizard. Two wise-cracking bookworms offer commentary and humor in this fascinating depiction of microhabitat survival. 

My Thoughts

One thing I love about nonfiction picture books is the fact that they can convey information in an understandable and relatable way. With just the right amount of text and big, detailed pictures, kids will enjoy this book and learn a ton. The two "bookworms" are lots of fun. Kids will also appreciate the small amount of "grossness" that is included such as the brain-eating flies.  The information at the end of the book and the "What you can do to help" section offer more valuable information. 

Use this book......

in a unit on ecology or animals. 

as a mentor text for writing a "without this, then that" type of informational writing.

to model cause/effect.

to model think alouds for informational text. 

Resources

A teacher's guide from Melissa Stewart's website

Kids Do Ecology

ECO Kids

How it's made video-cocoa beans

How chocolate is made video

Nonfiction Wednesday: Through Georgia's Eyes by Rachel Rodriguiez

Through Georgia's Eyes
by Rachel Rodriguez
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Published in 2006 by Henry Holt and Company
32 pages
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Nonfiction-Biography
Disclosure: Book obtained from library
 I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary From Goodreads.com
Georgia O’Keeffe saw the world differently from most people. As a child she roamed the prairie with a sketch pad in her hand, struggling to capture on paper what she saw all around her. At art school she learned to speak in paint on canvas.
But Georgia felt confined by city life. She longed for vast expanses of space, and she found it in the red hills and silent deserts of New Mexico.
Lyrical and vivid, this is a portrait of an exceptional artist, a woman whose eyes were open to the wideness and wonder of the world.

My Thoughts
I have always been fond of Georgia O'Keeffe's work. She found wonder in nature and the world.  The story chronicles her life starting from what the author imagines is her her first memory. The section "More About Georgia O'Keeffe" offers some additional info. The illustrations in this book are reminiscent of her artwork with big pictures and a great use of color. I really enjoyed it and think it would make a nice addition to a classroom biography collection.

Nonfiction Wednesday The Beatles were Fab (and They Were Funny)

Please visit the host of this weekly nonfiction book event: Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy

The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny)
by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer
Illustrated by Stacey Innerst

Published in 2013 by HMH Boks for Young Readers
40 pages
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Nonfiction Biography
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary
This book briefly summarizes the Beatles band from beginning to end.  The reader will learn about how the band came together, and chronicles their rise to fame. It offers a bit more of a look into their personalities and how they interacted with one another. They were a very silly and fun-loving bunch. 

My Thoughts
I was born just after the Beatlemania craze so I did not know much about The Beatles other than a few of their songs until reading this book.  I found it to be entertaining and informative. I really loved the whimsical style of the illustrations. 

Students who enjoy music or have an interest in the 1960's may enjoy this book.