Nonfiction

Mama Dug A Little Den by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Beach Lane Books

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Summary:  Each two-page spread has a rhyme beginning with the line “Mama dug a little den” (“Mama dug a little den/beneath a fallen tree./An earthy home as soft as moss,/a nursery for three” is the first one about red foxes).  A smaller paragraph gives additional information. The illustrations are in Steve Jenkins’ signature cut-paper collage style, and show the animal in its den and some of the surrounding habitat. A final page contains a note from the author about how she came to write the book, and some additional information about what to look for if you find a den to determine what kind of animal lives there.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  In this follow-up book to Mama Built A Little Nest, preschoolers will learn a bit about animal homes and how to discover them in their own backyards.  As president of the Steve Jenkins fan club (well, I would be, if there were such a thing), I appreciated the beautiful illustrations.

Cons:  The back matter was so small and unobtrusive, many readers may miss it.

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So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt, illustrated by Daniel Minter

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Roaring Brook Press

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Summary:  Each section of Isabella Baumfree’s life (later renamed Sojourner Truth) begins with a page that starts “In Slavery Time”.  “In Slavery Time, when Hope was a seed waiting to be planted,” or “In Slavery Time, when Happiness was a dream never coming true,”.  The last few sections begin with “In Freedom Time”. Each section tells part of Isabella’s remarkable life, starting with her childhood in slavery, and continuing with the determination that eventually led her to run away to freedom, and to bring a lawsuit to demand her son be returned home from a plantation in Alabama (he was).  Fifteen years after running away, now calling herself Sojourner Truth, she traveled across New York, to Washington, D.C., and to other parts of the country, first working to end slavery, then later speaking for human rights in other areas. She died in her 80’s, and the book ends with her quote: “My lost time that I lost being a slave was made up.”  Includes a biographical note and an extensive bibliography with notes about the various sources. 48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  The poetic text and stunning illustrations give a compelling outline of Sojourner Truth’s life.  The excellent bibliography will help readers learn more. Deserving of an award or two for both the writing and the illustrations.

Cons:  There are some disturbing elements to Sojourner Truth’s story which young readers may need some help with.

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Who Eats Orange? by Dianne White, illustrated by Robin Page

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Beach Lane Books

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Summary:  Animals, foods, colors, and habitats are introduced in this book that has a repeating question and answer format: “Who eats orange? Bunnies in their hutches do. Chickens in the henhouse too.  Who else eats orange? Goats. Pigs. Gorillas too? Gorillas? No! Gorillas don’t eat orange. They eat…green.” The large illustrations have plenty of color on a simple white background. Humans, the book concludes, eat a rainbow of colors.  The last two pages list various habitats with the animals from each listed and additional information about what and how that animal eats. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Catchy rhymes and eye-catching graphics make this an appealing introduction for a wide variety of topics.

Cons:  The habitats listed at the end include farms, Africa, ocean, forest, rainforest, and tundra; but Africa is a continent with many different habitats.

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The Secret Life of the Little Brown Bat by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Kate Garchinsky

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Published by Boyds Mills Press

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Summary:  This story starts shortly after Otis, a little brown bat, has left his mother and is living on his own.  Watching how Otis spends his days and nights, the reader will learn the physical characteristics of bats, their diet, where they live, how they hunt using echolocation, and their life cycle.  The illustrations mostly portray Otis at night in a variety of settings: roosting in an abandoned building, hibernating in a cave, flying through the sky, and hunting for insects in a meadow. At the end, Otis has found a mate and is settling down for a long winter’s sleep.  Includes two pages of additional information about little brown bats and a glossary. 32 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  An excellent introduction to a bat’s life, told in a narrative form that will hold readers’ interest.  The pastel illustrations on the dark background provide striking portrayals of Otis (whose name comes from his species’ scientific name, Myotis lucifugus) and the other bats.

Cons:  Otis didn’t really seem to be leading a “secret life”.

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What Can a Citizen Do? By Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris

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Published by Chronicle Books

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Summary:  The team that brought us Her Right Foot takes a look at the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.  The rhyming text is simple, emphasizing the importance of helping others and working to make a better society.  Suggestions include helping a neighbor, joining a cause, writing a letter, and the generic “righting a wrong”. There may be a sly political message in the “No Trumpets” sign in a couple of the illustrations.  The conclusion? “So forget yourself a second/Grab a shovel or a pen/Do something for another./Don’t you dare doubt that you can!/Everything makes an impact/on a bigger big than you./And it all starts with the question:/What can a citizen do?”  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A basic introduction to civics for preschool and primary students.  The illustrations are the star of the show here, with a diverse cast of kid characters portrayed in collage illustrations that seem to pop out of the page.  

Cons:  If ever a book cried out for back matter, this is it.  What is a citizen? What are some specific actions citizens can take?  Definitely some missed opportunities here, particularly after the thought-provoking Her Right Foot.

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Proud: Living My American Dream (Young Readers’ Edition) by Ibtihaj Muhammad

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

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Summary: In 2016, Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first Muslim American woman to compete in the Olympics wearing hijab, and she and her teammates won the bronze in the team saber fencing competition. She tells her story here, starting as a young child growing up in a close-knit family in New Jersey. She and her siblings were always active in sports, and fencing appealed to her and her parents because she could compete without having to alter her team uniform. She was part of a championship high school team, then went on to fence for Duke. Ibtihaj struggled as one of the few African Americans in a traditionally white sport, and found herself often having to explain her faith and decision to wear hijab. She assumed she was done with fencing after college, but when she struggled to break into corporate America, she found herself back at her old gym, where her coach encouraged her to reach for her Olympic dream. At the same time, Ibtihaj founded Louella, an online company selling fashionable clothing for Muslim women. As she pursued her dreams, Ibtihaj often found herself serving as a role model for her faith community; the book ends with the Olympics, but an epilogue tells of her post-Games activities, including more fencing, activism, and continuing with her business. Includes a fencing glossary, Ibtihaj’s advice, and a few questions and answers for her. 304 pages; grades 5-12.

Pros: Any reader with a dream will find encouragement and inspiration in Ibtihaj Muhammad’s story. She has learned to proudly be herself and in the process realize her goals through incredibly hard work and determination.

Cons: Although there were eight pages of color photos, I could have enjoyed seeing even more.

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Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Lulu Delacre

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Philomel Books

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Summary:  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tells the story of her life, with an emphasis on how words and books have shaped it.  Starting as a young girl listening to her grandmother quote poetry from Puerto Rico, Sonia realized the power of words. Later, books helped her when she was diagnosed with diabetes at age 7, and after her father died when she was 9.  In high school, reading Lord of the Flies made her understand how important laws are to a society, and stories about Jesus in her religion class showed her not to judge other people for mistakes they have made.  She emphasizes the importance of books in helping her to create her own story, and invites readers to do the same. Includes a timeline and photos on the endpapers; a Spanish version of this book, Pasando Páginas: La Historia de mi Vida was released simultaneously.  40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  An inspiring story of a successful woman who used books and libraries to educate herself.  It’s enough to make any librarian happy.

Cons:  Some of the photos on the endpapers were covered by the taped-down dustjacket of my library copy.

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Five-Minute True Stories: Animal Rescue by Aubre Andrus

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Published by Scholastic

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Summary:  In this follow up to Five-Minute True Stories: Animal BFF’s, twelve stories tell of animals rescued by humans and each other.  The animals are pets (dog, cat), farm dwellers (donkey, goat, pig), and wild animals (penguin, rhino, bear, wolves, serval), and the rescuers include the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team (Hank, the stray dog they rescued and made their mascot, is pictured above), a donkey, a chicken, and a wide variety of humans.  Each story is 12-15 pages long, with large text and lots of full-color photos. 160 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Sure to appeal to a wide variety of animal fans, these stories are simple enough to engage beginning readers, yet will also undoubtedly find fans in the upper elementary grades.  

Cons:  There are no extra text features (e.g. headings, captions, etc.) or back matter, making this less useful for teaching about informational books.

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The Sinking of the Vasa: A Shipwreck of Titanic Proportions by Russell Freedman, illustrated by William Low

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Published by Henry Holt and Company

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Summary:  On August 10, 1628, the warship Vasa set sail, the flagship of the Swedish navy, commissioned by the king and two years in the making.  The crew was on board with their families; to their horror, a wind blew that ship over less than a mile into the voyage, sinking it and killing many men, women, and children.  An investigation ensued, and several theories were put forth, but the cause of the accident was never determined. Centuries later, in 1956, the remains of the Vasa were discovered by Anders Franzen.  It took five years to figure out how to raise her, but this feat was accomplished on April 24, 1961.  Today the ship has been restored and is on display at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Includes a list of sources. 44 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Quite a bit shorter than Russell Freedman’s usual works (maybe because he passed away in March), this is nevertheless an interesting and well-researched story of a tragedy that will draw readers in.  The illustrations are sumptuous, particularly the large foldout page, and are done in a style appropriate for the period of the story.

Cons:  From the title, kids may be expecting a story more similar to the Titanic.  It would make an interesting compare/contrast exercise, though, for those familiar with that story.

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My Family Divided: One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero, with Erica Moroz

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Published by Henry Holt and Co.

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Summary:  TV actress Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black, Jane the Virgin) relates her struggles growing up as the child of two undocumented parents.  When Diane was 14, she came home from school one day to find out that both of her parents had been arrested.  They were ultimately deported to Colombia, and Diane stayed with friends for the next four year so she could finish school.  Halfway through college, she began suffering from depression that resulted in cutting and a suicide attempt. She was fortunate to get therapy, learning to finally deal with her emotions about what had happened to her.  Her work with her therapist influenced her to pursue her passion for acting. Not only has she launched a successful television and movie career, but she has become an advocate for undocumented immigrants and their children. 256 pages; grades 5-9.

Pros:  Diane’s story is pretty riveting, and shines a light on children whose lives are affected by an undocumented status in their families; those who are fortunate enough not to be dealing with those issues will relate to her everyday struggles with family, friends, and school.

Cons:  Not necessarily a con, but just be aware that Diane expresses some pretty strong anti-Trump sentiments in the final chapter.

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