Nonfiction

Enormous Smallness: a story of E. E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess, illustrations by Kris Di Giacomo

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Published by Enchanted Lion Books 

Summary: Starting with his somewhat enchanted childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts (complete with happy family, summers on a New Hampshire farm, and a large tree house heated by a wood stove), this book recounts the life of Edward Estlin Cummings. Estlin was both a poet and an artist.  From an early age, he loved spending time drawing and playing with words, and he continued with both activities for his entire life.  This book emphasizes how he responded to life with his creativity, experimenting with words and poetic forms to express what he experienced as he moved from his home in Cambridge, to Harvard, to France, where he drove an ambulance during World War I, and to 4 Patchin Place in Greenwich Village, his home for much of his adult life.  End matter includes a chronology, several poems, and an author’s note.  Grades 2-5.

Pros:  This book captures the joy E. E. Cummings experienced through his creativity, both in the writing and the illustrations, in which Estlin is consistently portrayed with a smile on his face.  The poems are well-selected to appeal to young readers.

Cons:  Despite their brevity, the poems of E. E. Cummings could be a bit difficult for elementary readers.

Swan: the life and dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad

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Published by Chronicle Books 

Summary:  When Anna Pavlova was a small girl growing up in Petrograd, her mother took her to see a ballet.  From then on, she could think of nothing but dancing.  After two years of dreaming, she was finally admitted to the Russian Imperial Ballet School.  While she had natural grace and beauty, her body was very different from the sturdy, acrobatic dancers of the time.  Nevertheless, she worked hard and became a famous ballerina, best known for her role as the lead in The Dying Swan.  Always remembering her own impoverished childhood, Anna traveled the world, bringing dance to people who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to experience it.  Sadly, at the age of 50, she was in a train accident, caught pneumonia from being outside in the cold, and died.  Grades 1-5.

Pros:  Dance fans will love this beautifully illustrated book with spare, poetic text telling the inspiring story of Anna Pavlova’s life.

Cons:  The text is spare enough that readers might be a bit confused by some aspects of the story.  Be sure to read the author’s note at the end for some clarity.

Spidermania: Friends on the Web by Alexandra Siy, photomicrographs by Dennis Kunkel

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Published by Holiday House

Summary: The cover of this book will undoubtedly scare off some potential readers. And that’s kind of the point of this book…to debunk the myths that spiders are scary and dangerous.  Sure they have fangs and venom, but most of them are pretty harmless to humans and they do some darn interesting things, the most famous of which is spinning amazing webs from a material that is strong, tough, flexible, lightweight, hypoallergenic, and totally biodegradable.  Ten unusual spiders are profiled, all with amazing photomicrographs of various parts of the spiders that have been brilliantly colored to make them stand out.  Back matter includes information on how to identify spiders, additional resources, and a pretty extensive glossary and index.  Grades 3-6.

Pros:  There’s a lot of great information that might make an arachnophobia sufferer see spiders in a much more positive light.  The pictures are super cool; spider fans will enjoy seeing the amazing details of various arachnid body parts.

Cons:  I would have liked to learn more about the photography process used.  I was unfamiliar with the word “photomicrograph” and finally found a brief paragraph about this process under the copyright information.  It didn’t completely satisfy my curiosity, though, and made no mention of the brilliant colors used.

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.