Nonfiction

My Leaf Book by Monica Wellington

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Published by Dial Books for Young Readers 

Summary: It’s autumn, and the narrator fills up her leaf book with specimens she finds around her. She sees leaves that look like fans, stars, and hearts. Some are red, some orange, yellow, or violet. Pages alternate between bright trees with simple shapes on them and close-ups of more accurate renditions of the different types of leaves; these pages have a fact or two about trees and leaves. The last page gives directions for leaf prints and leaf rubbings. Ages 3-7.

Pros: A good introduction to different types of leaves. Young kids will be inspired to get outside and see if they can find leaves that match the ones in the illustrations.

Cons: Yet another tiny font, this time for the facts about leaves. And, editors, yellow print on an orange background?  No.

How to Swallow a Pig: Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary: Each page gives an illustrated how-to guide for different animals and the unusual things they do: how to trap fish like a humpback whale, how to crack a nut like a crow, how to woo a ewe like a mountain sheep. There are 4-6 steps for each process, all featuring lots of interesting animal information with a touch of humor. The last three pages include thumbnail pictures and further information on each animal, plus a bibliography. Grades 1-4.

Pros: Steve Jenkins and Robin Page team up yet again for another fascinating look at the animal kingdom. Lots of gross, funny, and interesting facts are illustrated with the usual detailed cut paper illustrations. This would make a good mentor text for teaching procedural writing.

Cons: The format of this book makes it a bit difficult to read cover to cover. Unlike the pig of the title, it is probably best digested in small chunks.

Emu by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Graham Byrne

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Published by Candlewick

Summary: After a female emu helps build a nest and lays eggs, her responsibilities are done. It’s up to the male to sit on the eggs for eight weeks, not even leaving to eat or drink, then to take care of the young hatchlings for over a year until they are ready to look for mates of their own. The Australian author-illustrator team that produced last year’s Red Kangaroo follows the life of a male emu as he waits on the nest, welcomes the new babies, and teaches them to fend for themselves. The text is written in two different fonts; one could be read aloud while the other gives additional related facts and information. A brief author’s note and index are included at the end. Grades K-3.

Pros: Sure “emu” is a good Scrabble or Boggle word, but there’s lots more to the world’s second largest bird.  One of the lesser-known Australian animals, it is nonetheless fascinating, and Emu has a lot of information for a picture book. The illustrations are unusual but striking and complement the text well.

Cons: I wasn’t crazy about the color pallet used for the illustrations.

Woodpecker Wham! by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

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Published by Henry Holt and Company

Summary: Brief rhyming text describes what woodpeckers do, including eating, grooming, nest building, and reproducing. Colorful cut-paper illustrations provide detailed pictures of different types of woodpeckers. The final seven pages contain much more information about the topics covered in the main part of the book, including how to find woodpeckers and additional resources for learning more. Preschool-Grade 3.

Pros: Award-winning writer April Pulley Sayre teams up with the equally-decorated Steve Jenkins to produce an eye-catching and informative picture book. The additional information at the end is complete enough for a beginning research report.

Cons: Regular readers of this blog may begin to weary of my incessant praise of Steve Jenkins’ amazing illustrations.

Wrap-Up Wednesday: Listen to the Music!

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Is it just me, or are there a lot of picture book biographies of musicians this year? Here are a few books to share with those kids coming home with their first band instruments:

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier.  Published by Harry N. Abrams.Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews tells how he started his musical career as a young child in New Orleans.  He and his friends made their own instruments from castoffs, and he got his big break when he started playing along at a jazz festival.  Beautifully illustrated by Caldecott medalist Collier.

Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King by Bonnie Christensen.  Published by Henry Holt and Company.Can’t help falling in love with the story of how a poor boy from Mississippi became the king of rock and roll.

Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen Deans, illustrated by Joe Cepeda.  Published by Holiday House.

The inspiring story of the all-female, almost all African-American jazz band that traveled around the United States and Europe in the 1940’s.  Breaking racial and gender boundaries, the group was a true sisterhood of talented musicians.

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez.  Published by HMH Books for Young Readers.

Another barrier-breaking musician, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, became a drummer in Cuba when girls and women weren’t allowed to play drums.  More than one blogger has picked this book as a potential Caldecott winner.

Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, illustrated by Adam Gustavson.  Published by Henry Holt and Company.

Once upon a time, there were four boys growing up in postwar Liverpool named John, Paul, George, and Richard.  This book looks at the stories of those four, and how they intersected and eventually connected to become the Beatles.

Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski

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Published by Henry Holt and Company

Summary: Told in the second person (“When sunlight warms your honeybee wings, off you go on flower patrol!”), Bee Dance recounts a day in the life of a bee. He sets off to find nectar, and discovers a whole field of flowers. Returning to the beeswax comb, he communicates through a dance so that the other bees can join him in collecting nectar and pollen. At sunset, the bees return, weighted down with their treasure, and enjoy a restful night before waking to begin the process all over again. An author’s note explains more about the bee’s dance and the role it plays in honey making. Ages 3-6.

Pros: Brief text in a large font and beautiful cut-paper illustrations make this a good choice for an informational read-aloud.

Cons: It’s a pretty brief introduction to bees and honey.

Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, illustrated by Adam Gustavson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

.Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Summary: Most kids today have heard of the Beatles, but many would be hard-pressed to come up with the names John, Paul, George, and Ringo, let alone give any details about the Fab Four. This book goes back to the early days of the four lads growing up in post-war Liverpool. Each band member is given a few pages for his own story, with all the tales eventually coming together with the formation of the Beatles. The book ends in the fall of 1963, just as Beatlemania was beginning to sweep the globe. Back matter includes an author’s note telling of her love of the Beatles that began in childhood, a glossary, notes on the many quotes in the text, and additional resources. Grades 2-5.

Pros: The Beatles are such a phenomenon, it was interesting to read each boy’s story and see them as struggling teenagers, deeply devoted to music. The illustrations perfectly capture the various personalities of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Cons: Kids with grandfathers younger than Paul and Ringo may not appreciate the Beatles enough to persevere through this somewhat lengthy picture book.

Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and the Greatest Show on Earth by Laura A. Woollett

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Chicago Review Press 

Summary: On July 6, 1944, the big top of Ringling Brothers Circus caught fire and burned to the ground in ten minutes. 167 people died, including 59 children under the age of ten. This carefully researched book tells the story of many of the people who were at the circus that day and what happened to them when the fire broke out. It also looks at two questions that arose in the aftermath of the tragedy: did a troubled 15-year-old circus employee named Robert Segee set the fire? And who was Little Miss 1565, a little girl whose body was recovered from the fire but who was not identified by any relatives? In the years since the fire, Little Miss 1565 has been almost definitely identified as Eleanor Cook, but the cause of the fire remains classified as “Undetermined”. Grades 5-8.

Pros: This is a meticulously researched book, with 18 pages of notes and citations. It’s also a well-written, gripping account, both of the fire, and the detective work that continued on the case for decades.

Cons: 59 kids dying in a fire at the circus?  Probably not a subject for everyone.

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Sean Qualls

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Random House Children’s Books 

Summary: “In this world, we are not perfect. We can only do our best,” says Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. When Emmanuel was born, his right leg was deformed. Growing up in Ghana, he learned to use his left leg well enough that he could hop the two miles to school, play soccer on crutches, and ride a bike. His mother was his biggest supporter, and when she died, her final words to him were, “Don’t give up.” Emmanuel used these words to inspire himself to pursue his dream…riding a bicycle from one end of Ghana to the other. Wearing a shirt reading “The Pozo” (meaning “the disabled person”), he completed his ride of over 400 miles. He’s continued to raise awareness about the disabled in his country, and was instrumental in the 2006 passage of the Ghanaian Persons With Disabilities Act. Grades 1-6.

Pros: An inspiring read for anyone to pursue their dreams, no matter what the odds.

Cons: Four miles of hopping a day.

Mad Scientist Academy: The Dinosaur Disaster by Matthew McElligott

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Published by Crown Books for Young Readers 

Summary: It’s the first day of the Mad Scientist Academy for Ken the Frankenstein Monster, Thora the Insect, Tad the Tadpole, Scarlet the Vampire, Wolfgang the Werewolf, and Nicole the Robot. Their teacher Dr. Cosmic greets them with the news that their school pet is a dinosaur, then leads them on a Jurassic Park-style tour of the school’s dinosaur exhibit. The dinosaur models are all quite lifelike, but harmless unless someone activates them, which, of course, someone does. The kids use their cool school handbooks to acquire the dinosaur knowledge they need to safely navigate their way to the off switch. At the end they meet their class pet, Oscar the ostrich, and learn why Dr. Cosmic called him a dinosaur. These kids are sure to be back for another lesson in science. Grades K-3.

Pros: Dinosaur information presented comic-book style with a school full of monsters=a sure-fire hit.

Cons: Still trying to figure out if this book should be shelved with picture books, nonfiction, or graphic novels.