Nonfiction

Two books about birds

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

How to Bird by Rasha Hamid

Published by Free Spirit Publishing

How Birds Sleep by David Obuchowski, illustrated by Sarah Pedry

Published by minedition

Summary: These two books about birds encourage kids to be curious about the world around them. In How Birds Sleep, the author and illustrator explore the unusual ways birds slumber, including sleeping while flying, hanging upside down, or standing on one leg. Each page or spread has an illustration of the resting bird, labeled, with a few sentences of text. The back matter includes additional information about birds’ sleep, the effects of climate change, and how the book came to be written. While there hasn’t been a lot written on the topic, there are three additional resources listed.

How to Bird is a bright, colorful celebration of birding, illustrated with photos of kids getting out in the city to observe the birds. Different birders have different superpowers, such as keen observation, good listening, and fast counting. The emphasis is on the fun and easy accessibility of birding, which requires little more than being curious and getting outside. Includes an author’s note, a list of questions to think about, birding words with definitions, and additional resources. Both books are 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: I love how both authors encourage kids to go outside and look at the world around them. The illustrations in both books are eye-catching and add to the appeal of birds and birdwatching, and the additional information at the end makes them both great resources for older readers.

Cons: I was curious as to how long birds sleep each night, but that wasn’t covered.

How to Eat in Space by Helen Taylor, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  You can’t eat everything in space, but the options have improved considerably since the early days of space travel.  It’s a whole different experience from Earth eating, though, and this book gives lots of good tips.  Water is at a premium and can’t be poured.  Burping in space can have some pretty unpleasant consequences.  Floating crumbs can become a menace on board the spaceship. From cooking to doing dishes to growing your own food, there are plenty of details here that are sure to intrigue kids.  Includes three pages of additional information, along with additional resources and a list of sources.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Life in space is a fascinating topic, and this book provides a wealth of interesting information presented with a chatty tone and appealing illustrations.

Cons:  Reading this made me realize how much I take gravity for granted.

Why Do Elephants Have Big Ears? Questions–and Surprising Answers–About Animals by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

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Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Nineteen animals are profiled with the trademark Steve Jenkins cut-paper illustrations and a question and answer about each.  Why do hippos swish their tail when they poop?  Why are naked mole rats naked?  Why do red-eyed tree frogs have big red eyes?  Each question is answered with a short paragraph.  A small silhouette at the bottom shows the animal in comparison to a human or a human hand for smaller animals.  Includes additional information about each animal and a bibliography.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  You can’t go wrong with a Steve Jenkins-Robin Page animal book.  This one is full of striking illustrations and fascinating information that will engage even the most reluctant readers.

Cons:  I was hoping for a format that would lend itself to guessing, like Jenkins’s Biggest, Strongest, Fastest, which is one of my all-time favorite books to share with kids.

We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition by Reem Kassis, illustrated by Noha Eilouti

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Published by Crocodile Books

Summary:  This introduction to Palestine and Palestinian culture includes chapters on geography, cultural symbols, creative minds, agriculture, cuisine, performing arts, and history and religion.  The author has written cookbooks (the food section is particularly strong) and seeks to preserve her Palestinian culture for her daughters.  Each section contains “Did you know?” and “Fun fact” sidebars, as well as an illustration or two. The difficult history of Palestine is woven throughout the text, not only in the history section.  Includes an index.  112 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  I enjoyed learning more about Palestine, which, of course, is all over the news, but is probably a culture that is not well known to most Americans, including myself.

Cons:  I would have liked more back matter, especially additional resources.

Stone Age Beasts by Ben Lerwill, illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Following a four-page introduction to the Stone Age, the book gets down to business with a series of two-page spreads on some of the large animals of the era.  Each one includes a portrait with a few paragraphs of information and some sidebars, including one with fast facts, a map showing the animal’s range, and a size comparison to a human.  There are old favorites like the woolly mammoth and saber-toothed cat, along with some that may be less familiar, such as the elephant bird and giant short-faced kangaroo.  A final page looks at why the animals disappeared and how we learned about them.  Includes a glossary.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Dinosaur fans will enjoy learning about gigantic beasts from another time period, particularly the ferocious illustrations that dominate each page.  The information is engagingly written and presented.

Cons:  The Stone Age seems scary.

Tomfoolery!: Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age Children’s Books by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  In this follow-up to Balderdash! John Newbery and the Birth of Children’s Books, Michelle Markel looks at the man who was the namesake for another famous children’s literature award.  Despite a weak heart, Randolph Caldecott loved being outdoors, hanging out with animals, and capturing what he saw on paper.  His father sought to quash his love of art with a career as a banker, but Randolph kept drawing.  When offered a chance to illustrate children’s books, he went against the prevailing fashion of stilted decorations and created art with plenty of action and animals.  Kids and adults loved his work, and Randolph became an international success, his work continuing to influence illustrators 150 years later.  Includes a list of the Caldecott reproductions included in the illustrations; a list of annotations; a picture of the Caldecott medal; additional information about illustrated Victorian periodicals and the big three toy book illustrators (Caldecott, Walter Crane, and Kate Greenaway); and a list of books by Randolph Caldecott.  44 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  This exuberant book brings Randolph Caldecott to life with beautiful illustrations inspired by his art.  It seems only fitting for this to be considered for a Caldecott medal or honor.

Cons:  There’s a great illustration of several Caldecott medalists reading their own books; I wasn’t able to identify all of them, and I wish the back matter had included a list.

Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater

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Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Summary:  When Albany (CA) High School junior Charles created a “fake” Instagram account for posting racist memes, he thought it was a way to be funny that his friends would appreciate.  But some of the Black girls he targeted found the account in 2017, and the discovery ripped the school and the community apart.  The school administration tried both traditional methods of discipline (suspension and expulsion) as well as a disastrous restorative justice mediation session to try to bring healing.  A messy combination of lawsuits, school board confrontations, and conversations among the kids themselves eventually allowed them to move on, but the reverberations continue to affect the students, now young adults, and the community.  496 pages; grades 9-12.

Pros:  I don’t usually review young adult books, but I loved Dashka Slater’s The 57 Bus, and a long train ride gave me some extra time to dive into this book.  Like her previous book, this one looks at a hateful incident through the eyes of teenagers, emphasizing the devastating impact on the victims, while digging into the motivations of the perpetrators.  All the kids are presented sympathetically, even the boys, who, with one striking exception, came to see, at least to a certain extent, the harm that they caused.  There are no easy answers, and diving into the complexity of the issues would make this an amazing book discussion choice for high school and possibly older middle school students.

Cons:  It was sadly evident how ill-prepared educational institutions are to deal with cyberbullying and social media in general.

When Moon Became the Moon by Rob Hodgson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Rise x Penguin Workshop

Summary:  In 11 very short chapters, readers learn about the moon–how it was created, its orbit, craters, phases of the moon, and its relationship to Earth.  Most chapters are just a few sentences, illustrated with colorful anthropomorphized celestial bodies that talk with cartoon bubbles.  Kids will gain a greater appreciation for the moon and its effects on Earth and may be inspired to dream of traveling there some day after reading the final chapter on space exploration.  64 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Fans of Stacy McAnulty’s Our Universe series will enjoy this book with its colorful illustrations and humorous, easy-to-understand information.  

Cons:  No back matter? Lunacy.

Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Diana Sudyka

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Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  There are lots of books about plants’ life cycles, but this one focuses on fungi, which grow from spores, not seeds.  The text begins with how the spores travel and reproduce, then describes all kinds of fungi, showing readers a colorful array that they can see, as well as cutaways that show the underground fungal world.  Specific species are described in greater detail with a smaller font.  Fungi can be poisonous, but they can also help humans in a variety of ways.  Includes additional information and a glossary, list of sources, and additional resources.  48 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  A fascinating and beautiful look at a wide range of species that many readers may have noticed in passing but will now have reason to examine more closely.  Diana Sudyka is one of my new favorite illustrators this year, illuminating the text with bursts of colorful mushrooms and other fungi.  

Cons:  The zombie ant fungus may give you nightmares.

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art Is Changing the Tide by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Catia Chien

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  Chinese artist Ai Weiwei spent his childhood in a labor camp after his father, a renowned poet, was targeted by the government.  They lived in an underground hole, where Ai would create sculptures from the dirt.  He grew up to be an artist, studying in the US before returning to China where he was imprisoned for criticizing the government.  After his release, he moved to Germany where he uses his art to bring attention to the plight of refugees, people displaced from their homes the same way he was.  One of his most famous works was created from lifejackets left behind by refugees landing in Greece.  Ai’s art “challenged the world to see differently…[and] invited the world to take action.”  Includes four pages of additional information and photos.  48 pages; grades 3-8.

Pros:  A beautiful and moving tribute to Ai Weiwei’s work with illustrations in shades of blue and orange that incorporate photos of refugees and his art into the pictures.

Cons:  I think this would be a very difficult book for kids to understand without having a considerable amount of background knowledge.  I was pretty confused by the story until I read the information at the end.