Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - 12/12/12

For those who have been participating in the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge 2012 (Twitter: #nfpb2012), we have entered our last month of the challenge.  For the next several weeks, I am going to share a few books at a time.  There are just too many good ones to leave any out.

Here is what I found and read this week:

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd (Dial, September 2012) - Electric Ben sports psychedelic cover art and is packed with significant details and information about Ben Franklin.  Despite the picture book format, this is a book geared for 5th to 8th graders.  Readers can read this book several times and get something new with each reading.  Pictures, sayings, and embedded textbooks and captions provide learners with a significant amount of material.  Though the book is not what I would consider conducive to a read aloud, it will provide the right student readers with great background information on Ben Franklin.  My only concern with a book like this is that it will be overlooked by teachers of older students due to the format, and yet it is the format which makes this one very unique biography.

It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate; Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Lee & Low Books, April 2012) - I knew little about Bill Traylor, son of slaves, share cropper, and eventually an artist.  In It Jes' Happened, readers learn about the life of Bill Traylor and how he began to draw with whatever he had on whatever material was around.  Traylor's life was not an easy one and he even spent some of his older years homeless.  With the support of Charles Shannon, Traylor received additional material and support to draw.  However, it wasn't until years after Traylor's death that he received greater recognition for his work. 

This biographical picture book would work well with 2nd to 4th grade readers and tie in with units on African American History.

The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh; Paintings by Layne Johnson (Calkins Creek Books, September 2012)- This may have been one of my favorite biographical picture books of the week.  I knew about the symbol of the red poppy for veterans but knew little of the history or how it began.  In The Poppy Lady, readers learn about the passion and dedication of Moina Belle Michael as she focused her work on supporting soldiers and veterans and their families.  The paintings by Layne Johnson are gorgeous. The proceeds of the book will benefit the National Military Family Association's Operation Purple.  Read Aloud Level: 2nd to 4th grade  Independent Reading Level: 3rd to 5th grade.  I would love to see this one in more classroom and school libraries. 

Look for each of these books at your local bookstore or public library.  Don't forget to buy from an Independent Bookstore whenever possible.

Link up your nonfiction picture books below:

Four Poetry Books to Add to Your Collection

I thought that over the year I had found a lot of the poetry published for children.  When the Nerdy Award Nominations were released I discovered a few that I hadn't read.  

Here they are...

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs that Squeak, Soar, and Roar by J. Patrick Lewis (compilation) -One of the things that I love about National Geographic is the incredible photos.  And this compilation is no exception.  Gorgeous photos of wildlife paired with some outstanding poetry.  If you can only give one book of poetry to a teacher, I would suggest this one.  The end notes and resources and poetry tips definitely move this to the top.

In the Sea by David Elliott and Holly Meade -This book of poetry that celebrates sea life would pair beautifully with Water Sings Blue (also on the Nerdy list) and compliment Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems.  Both the illustrations and poems will win new fans.

Edgar Allan Poe's Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems by J. Patrick Lewis and Michael Slack - I am still amazed that there is a poetry book that blends poems/puzzlers and math.  Definitely can't wait to share this one with my teacher friends. 

Poem Runs: Baseball Poems by Douglas Florian- I am quickly becoming a fan of Florian.  I loved UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings which also made the Nerdy list this year.  This fun and creative book of poetry celebrates baseball.  Another must add to the list of poetry books for the classroom.

So what poetry books on the Nerdy list did you love the best?

It's Monday! What are your reading? From Picture Books to YA (47)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

My reading continues to be influenced by the Nerdy Book Club nominations, as well as my search for more nonfiction picture books.

Here is what jumped out this week...

Giants Beware! by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre - Adventure, friendship, fun and some great lines and references.

Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning - Part picture book and part graphic novel - the illustrations are lovely in this tale of a young shoe shine boy who goes in search of the person who lost a red scarf and discovers the diversity of his neighborhood.

Mal and Chad: Food Fight by Stephen McCranie - This has been on my list to read and glad to finally find it. 

Holiday choices...

The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood; Illustrated by Renata Liwska - Check out the book trailer.  I love The Quiet Book and The Loud Book.  This is a great addition to the collection.

A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea - I am a fan of Dunrea's books and I enjoyed this holiday story about a young girl who dreams and plans for a Christmas Tree.

Check back in on Tuesday and Wednesday for the poetry titles and the nonfiction picture books that I read.

So what are you currently reading?

Nonfiction Picture Book Releases 2012

The Nonfiction Detectives and I are hosting a Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge.  My goal has been to kick off the month with the new nonfiction picture book release titles.  December isn't a huge month for new releases, but I am including many titles that I have recently discovered were released in 2012.  Please share with me titles that you have found.

January 2012

Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper by Ann Malaspina; Illustrated by Eric Velasquez

March 2012
Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman Olympic High-Jump Champion by Heather Lang; Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

June 1, 2012

George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! by Robert Burleigh

June 19, 2012
Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert by Gary D. Schmidt; Illustrated by David Diaz

September 18, 2012

From the Good Mountain: How Gutenberg Changed the World by James Rumford

September 26, 2012

Birds of a Feather by Bernadette Gervais

October 1, 2012

Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S.D. Nelson

Nic Bishop Snakes by Nic Bishop

October 9, 2012

The Extraordinary Music of Mr. Ives: The True Story of a Famous American Composer by Joanne Stanbridge

December 4, 2012

Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington by Jabari Asim; Illustrated by Bryan Collier

The links for the above books will take you directly to the IndieBound.org book page for purchasing information, unless otherwise noted.  Please note, I do not make anything off these links or profit in anyway from posting the links.   If you know of a book that should be included in this list, please include the title and author in the comments section and I will update the list.  

Link up your nonfiction picture book reviews below...

Book Review - Little Cub

Author/Illustrator: Olivier Dunrea
Publisher: Philomel (November 27, 2012)
Source: Personal Copy
Audience: 2 to 6 years
Friendship * Foster Care * Bears

Description from GoodReads:
A darling companion to Old Bear and His Cub from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Gossie books.

What's an Old Bear to do when he finds a Little Cub all alone and afraid of the dark? Adopt him, of course! And help him try to get over his fears. In this book we see the father and son from Old Bear and His Cub meet for the first time--and grow to love one another.

With the same bold art and humorous twist on parenting, Olivier Dunrea's tumbling bears will melt your heart and show how strong the bond is between any father and son pair.

My thoughts on the book:
I am a softie for picture books with bears.  I seem to always be picking them up and reading them.  So it was no surprise that I would pick up Little Cub when I saw it in the bookstore.  As much as I adore bear picture books, I usually am a little harsh on the one more mother/child or father/child or grandparent/grandchild story that is meant to tug on the heartstrings.  However, Dunrea manages to completely win me over with his story about an orphaned cub and a crotchety old bear.  Little Cub is all alone and Old Bear is pretty set in his ways.  I love how Dunrea contrasts the two with the illustrations.  In one scene you have Little Cub, who is hungry, contemplating how he could catch a fish.  On the next page, you have Old Bear walking along with his catch of the day.     

Just as the illustrations contrast, the text does the same:

Every morning, the little cub splashed in the stream.
He watched the silvery fish swimming around his toes.
"Hmmpf," said the little cub.  "I wish I knew how to catch a fish."
But there was no one to teach him.

Turning the page....

Every morning, Old Bear trudged to the stream.
He caught a large fish for his breakfast.
"Hmmpf," said Old Bear.  "I wish I had someone to share this fish with."
But there was no one.

Dunrea understands his young audience.  Simple yet detailed pencil and gouache on watercolor paper pop on stark white backgrounds.  Text that has a pattern and a predictability allows young pre-readers to learn the rhythm of the story and to "read along".  Additionally, there is enough emotion and "awww" without being too saccharine.  

Of course, readers who began with Old Bear and His Cub two years ago will know that these two will ultimately find and adopt each other.  Yet there is something special about seeing how Little Cub and Old Bear came to be.  These two bears certainly caught my heart and I hope they catch yours. 
 
Check out the Little Cub page on Dunrea's site.  I loved seeing an original page before it was transformed into a book page.

 
Old Bear and His Cub (Board Book released November 2012; original hardcover 2010) - the original story of Old Bear and Little Cub is now available in a board book format.   

Little Cub or Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea are perfect holiday gifts for special little ones in your lives.  They are available at your local bookstore.  Remember to buy from an Independent Bookstore when you can.

For more information about Olivier Dunrea: website | blog 

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (46)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

My reading recently was influenced by Sunday's Nerdy Book Club nominations.  There were a few in the nonfiction picture book category and early reader that I hadn't found yet so I went in search of them.  Here are some of what I loved...

Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell - This one is laugh out loud funny.

Birds of a Feather by Bernadette Gervais - How did I miss this one?  I love this oversized nonfiction flap book.

Nic Bishop Snakes by Nic Bishop - This is really well done, and creepy in a really good way.

Teen Boat by Dave Roman and John Green - A graphic novel that needs to be read more than once to catch all of the references. Lots of fun.

Some other titles not on the Nerdies...

Little Cub by Olivier Dunrea - One of those really sweet books (child/parent type) and I just fell in love with it.

I Funny by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein, and Laura Park - Fans of A Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love this one.

There were so many more but I am saving a few for Wednesday's Nonfiction Picture Book Post.

So what are you reading?

Author Event - Tao Nyeu and Salina Yoon

Sometimes when I see a book I can't stop thinking about how I would like to do an event around it.  In those moments, I let my book event partner in crime, Alethea, in on my thoughts and we see what we can do.  When I read Squid & Octopus Friends For Always by Tao Nyeu, I knew I wanted to host an author event with Tao and her book.  Alethea picked up on the possible knitting connection and checked to see if Unwind Yarn Store in Burbank would be willing to allow us to use their space for the event.  Thank you to Nicole White, Marisa Russell and Penguin Books, for arranging for Tao Nyeu to be apart of this event.

Next, I saw the book Penguin & Pinecone by Salina Yoon.  Another great picture book about friendship with a knitting tie-in.  

Penguin & Pinecone Official Book Trailer:



Alethea and I brainstormed further.  What if Tao and Salina were to do the event together?  A few more emails and working out the logistics and now Bridge to Books had knitting related book event with not one but two fabulous authors.

There was yummy food and drinks - thanks Alethea!

And really yummy and special cake pops made by maskipops by adri

Tao created a knitting pattern for the hat that Squid wears in the book.

Salina brought special crafts.

There were even knitting lessons and attendees were able to make scarves for their own pinecones.

Nicole White (Penguin Sales Rep) gets a lesson in knitting from Alethea.

And of course there was storytime...

Tao reads Squid & Octopus.

Salina reads Penguin & Pinecone.

Attendees listen to stories.

There was also a photo op available with Penguin.

Jen Pino with Penguin

And Once Upon a Time in Montrose provided books for sale.  Tao and Salina were kept busy signing books for those who came.

Tao and Salina sign books.

Thank you all the Bridge to Books volunteers, Unwind Yarn Store, Once Upon a Time Bookstore, and all the fabulous folks who came out on a rainy Saturday to hang with Tao Nyeu and Salina Yoon.  And of course a special thank you for Tao and Salina who came and interacted with everyone and made this a very special event.

Salina Yoon and Tao Nyeu

For more information on upcoming Bridge to Books events, join our mailing list located on http://bridgetobooks.org/