Nonfiction

The 50 States written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan, illustrated by Sol Linero

~ Janet Dawson ~ 8 Comments

Published by Wide Eyed Editions

Summary: Each two-page spread in this oversized book is teeming with information about one of the fifty states. A large map is covered with small illustrations showing interesting, occasionally offbeat, places to visit.  Sidebars give introductory information, key facts such as state symbols and where the state name comes from, and moments to remember in the state’s history.  Famous people from the state are given head shots around the map, with women and minorities well-represented.  Back matter includes state flags; pictures of all the U.S. Presidents with the years of their terms, birthplaces, and wives’ names; and an enormous index.  112 pages; ages 8 and up.

Pros:  Great fun for browsing, this book offers much standard state information, as well as unique trivia.  Readers will be ready to set off on a cross-country trip.

Cons:  It’s a difficult book to put down…or to wrest from your teenager when you’re ready to write a review of it.

Five Favorite Nonfiction Books

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

So, if I could be on the Newbery or Caldecott committee, which would it be?  Neither.  I’d chose the Sibert award for best informational books.  I love nonfiction, both for children and adults.  The topics are so varied, and truth really can be stranger than fiction.  Here are a few of my favorites from this year.  (And, okay, I probably wouldn’t say no to the Newbery Committee…).

We Rock! (Music Lab) by Jason Hanley.  Published by Quarry Books.

Maybe not great literature, but one of the most fun nonfiction books of the year.  Keep on hand to introduce kids to all your favorite songs and artists…and to gain a new appreciation of them yourself.

 

A Chicken Followed Me Home: Questions and Answers About a Famous Fowl by Robin Page.  Published by Beach Lane Books.

Everything you ever wanted to know–but didn’t know you wanted to know–about the humble chicken.

 

Water Is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin.  Published by Roaring Brook Press.

All the forms water takes in our every day life, gorgeously illustrated.  Jason Chin deserves to make it to the Caldecott list one of these years.  Maybe it will be 2016.

 

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsburg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin.  Published by Roaring Brook Press.

This could be a Newbery contender.  A fascinating history of the Vietnam War, how U.S. government secrets made it happen, and one man’s brave campaign to bring it to the public, via the leaked Pentagon Papers.

 

The Founding Fathers: Those Horse-Ridin’, Fiddle-Playin’, Book-Readin’, Gun-Totin’ Gentlemen Who Started America by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Barry Blitt.  Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

The founding fathers come to life in this endlessly browseable (is that a word?) collection of profiles on the famous and the less-famous.  Readers won’t get the whole story here, but they will get engaged in the history.

Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game by John Coy, illustrated by Randy DuBurke

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Published by Carolrhoda 

Summary: In 1944, two college basketball teams met for a secret game. The men from Duke University Medical School knew they were playing a game, but had no idea until they arrived, that they were playing an African American team at the North Carolina College of Negroes.  Coach John McLendon had arranged the game, even though he knew he could face death if the local Ku Klux Klan got wind of his actions.  The game started slowly, but pretty soon McClendon’s team started to dominate.  The final score was 88-44, North Carolina College of Negroes.  The teams then mixed it up to make things more even, playing shirts versus skins.  Afterwards, the Duke team members visited the other team’s dorm and sat around talking basketball.  For years, no one ever knew about the game for fear of reprisals.  John McLendon went on to win three national titles at Tennessee State, and was the first African American coach inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. 32 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  A fascinating and powerful story about one man’s contributions toward ending racism and promoting greater understanding.  The illustrations have plenty of great basketball action and grow more colorful as the story unfolds.

Cons:  The less colorful illustrations on the first several pages, combined with the typewriter-like font, had an unappealing look.  The second half of the book was better visually.

Inside Biosphere 2: Earth Science Under Glass by Mary Kay Carson, with photographs by Tom Uhlman

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Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing 

Summary: Back in 1991, eight scientists sealed themselves inside Biosphere 2, a gigantic structure built to approximate different habitats on Earth. They lived there for two years, eating food they raised and breathing oxygen created through photosynthesis.  Those Biospherians have moved on, but the structure still stands in the Arizona desert, and it is still being used by scientists to model various ecosystems.  Chapters in the book cover rainforests, oceans, earth science, and sustainability.  Each chapter profiles a scientist working in one of these fields, the work he or she is doing, and how it is relevant to our lives.  The original experiment is described in the first chapter, and sidebars entitled “Flashback to the Biospherians” scattered throughout the book tell anecdotes about what life inside Biosphere II was like for those eight.  Back matter includes a glossary, bibliography, and how to find out more information.  80 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros: Another excellent entry from the “Scientists in the Field” series which seems to unfailingly be able to make science look both fun and inspiring. As always, the photos and text work together to bring the science to life.

Cons:  I read quite a bit about the Biospherians while working at the Boston Museum of Science in 1991, and they seemed a little loony to me.  This book didn’t do a whole lot to dispel that perception.

The Boy Who Fell off the Mayflower, or John Howland’s Good Fortune by P. J. Lynch

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Published by Candlewick 

Summary:  John Howland describes his voyage from England to the New World, working as a servant to John Carver.  He does, indeed, fall off the Mayflower, right in the middle of the storm, and is extremely lucky to be seen and pulled back on board.  For much of the trip, he dreams of his family back in England, and of returning to London to start his own business.  During the first tough year in Plymouth, Carver dies, and Howland is a free man.  When a ship arrives with another group of residents for the new colony, John thinks he will go aboard and sail back to England.  But his friend Lizzy Tilley convinces him to stay with his new community and help build the colony.  An author’s note explains that John and Lizzy got married and had ten children, certainly doing more than their share to populate the New World.  64 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  P.J. Lynch is known more for his illustrations than writing, and the pictures here capture the wild sea and sick misery of life on the Mayflower.  The writing is engaging, as well, with John’s voice a perfect blend of 17th century words and 21st century wit.  The whole group of Mayflower passengers really come to life as this story unfolds.

Cons:  Too bad I didn’t read this a few weeks ago.  Oh well, only 50 weeks until next Thanksgiving.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophia Blackall

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown and Company 

Summary:  When Cole asks him for a bedtime story, his mother tells him the tale of Harry Coleburn, a veterinarian who rescued a bear at a train station.  It was 1914, and Harry was traveling from Winnipeg to basic training before going overseas to be an army veterinarian.  The bear, named Winnie for Winnipeg, went with him on all his travels, proving himself to be a most intelligent and entertaining addition to the troops.  Finally, it was time to go to the front, and Harry knew he couldn’t take Winnie with him. Winnie moved to a new home in the London Zoo, where he was later discovered by Christopher Robin Milne, and found his way into stories written by Christopher’s father, Alan Alexander (A. A.) Milne.  The story unfolds in much the same way the Winnie-the-Pooh books do, with a parent telling a child a story.  At the end, the mom/author reveals that Harry Coleburn was her great-grandfather and is her son Coe’s namesake.  Six pages of photos of Harry, Winnie, Lindsay, and Cole are included at the end.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  Lovely illustrations illuminate Lindsay’s fascinating and endearing story to her son.  The revelation of the family connection is an interesting bonus, and the photos enhance that.

Cons:  Two excellent, well-illustrated picture books telling this exact same story (see Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally Walker) in the same year seems like a bit of an unfortunate glut on the market.

The Nutcracker Comes to America: How Three Ballet-Loving Brothers Created a Holiday Tradition by Chris Barton, illustrated by Cathy Gendron.

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Published by Millbrook Press 

Summary:  Although the Nutcracker ballet seems like a timeless holiday tradition, it’s only been around since the second half of the twentieth century.  Three brothers from Utah, Willam, Harold, and Lew Christensen, were responsible for bringing the Russian ballet to the U.S.  The Christensens came from a dancing family and grew up to become dancers, vaudevillians, and, eventually, teachers and producers.  During World War II, money and dancers were both in short supply.  The brothers were working in San Francisco and needed a hit to keep ballet alive in that city. When Willam heard someone whistling Tschaikovsky on a city street, he was reminded of a production of the Nutcracker he had been involved with years before.  The brothers’ low-budget production premiered on Christmas Eve and was a huge hit.  Over the next several years, the show spread to other cities across the country, so that by the 1960’s, the Nutcracker tradition had taken hold.  Back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator about their research, a timeline, a summary of the story of the Nutrcracker, and suggestions for further reading.  Grades 2-5.

Pros:  I was surprised to learn how recently the Nutcracker came to America.  The history was interesting, and the illustrations, inspired by Edgar Degas, capture the grace and beauty of ballet.  The conversational tone of the text keeps the story moving along.

Cons:  Some of the details of the brothers’ lives seemed extraneous to the main story.  A little editing might have made this a better read-aloud for younger readers.

We Rock! (Music Lab): A Fun Family Guide for Exploring Rock Music History by Jason Hanley

~ Janet Dawson ~ 4 Comments

Published by Quarry Books

Summary:  Billed as a book to help families enjoy rock and roll music together, each two-page spread of this book features a single hit by a famous artist.  There’s a “Historical Fact/Social Connections” paragraph, “Song Facts”, “Try This at Home”, and a sidebar that tells what to listen to in each verse of the song, broken down by time.  Chapters include Rock and Roll Basics, Rocking Out, Deep Soul, Punk Rock, Dance Music, New Rock Sounds, and New Wave.  An appendix includes additional singers and bands related to each of the 52 artists profiled.  Ages 10-110.

Pros:  Written by the director of education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is a pretty definitive guide to rock music.  Any fan will find it a difficult book to put down, and it would make sharing your favorite oldies with the kids a great deal of fun.

Cons:  No Grateful Dead?

Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History by Don Brown

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Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary: Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton were almost the same age.  Both grew up as orphans, fought in the American Revolution, and were key figures in early American government and politics.  Moving in the same social and professional circles, they were friends early in their careers, but later became bitter political enemies.  Hamilton helped defeat Burr in his presidential campaign against Thomas Jefferson, and again in his bid for governor of New York.  Finally, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel.  It was an illegal but not uncommon practice at the time; Hamilton had been challenged eleven times before, and Burr had had had a hole shot through his coat in a previous encounter.  On the morning of July 11, 1804, they met in Weehawken, New Jersey, stood thirty feet apart, and shot at each other.  Hamilton was hit and died the next day.  Burr survived, but was forever after despised by much of America.  Includes an author’s note and bibliography.  Grades 2-5.

Pros:  The names Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton may be familiar to kids, but they are unlikely to know much about them aside from their famous duel.  This picture book introduces both men sympathetically and gives a good overview of their lives.

Cons: The details of their political differences are a bit skimpy.

A Passion for Elephants: the real life adventure of field scientist Cynthia Moss by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Holly Berry

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Published by Dial Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Cynthia Moss was never afraid of BIG things.  That’s the recurring refrain in this story of scientist Cynthia Moss, who grew up riding horses in Virginia and went on to become a journalist.  An invitation from a college friend sent her to Africa, where she got a job photographing elephants for a zoologist.  This ignited a passion, and she began to recognize individual elephants and their families.  She went on to found the Amboseli Elephant Research Project and made many new discoveries about elephant behavior.  Eventually, concerned about the decline of elephant populations caused by poaching, Cynthia became an activist, working to get a global ban on the sale of ivory in 1990.  Her work continues today, both researching and protecting the elephants she loves.  Back matter includes further information about Moss, further reading, and additional sources.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  An inspiring biography of a scientist who has made a difference.  Less well-known the Jane Goodall, Cynthia Moss’s career parallels hers, in her long years studying animals in Africa and her work around the world to protect them.  The colorful illustrations would make this a great read-aloud to share with kids.

Cons:  The most recent source listed in the additional resources is from 2010.