How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum 
by Jessie Hartland
Blue Apple Books, 2011
ISBN: 9781609050900
Gr. K-3

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her local library.

Do you have dinosaur fans in your library? I work with patrons between the ages of 5-11 who are frequent flyers in the 567.9 section. They check out piles of dinosaur books each week. These kids can pronounce names dinosaur names perfectly, and they remember facts and stats about each species.  But, have they ever wondered How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum?

Inquisitive students and dinosaur lovers will enjoy this companion to How the Sphinx Got to the Museum. The story begins at the Smithsonian.  A boy standing beside an exhibit of a Diplodocus longus asks the docent, "So, how did the dinosaur actually get to the museum?" So begins the journey back in time to the Jurassic period. Using kid-friendly colorful illustrations and a lyrical text, Hartland provides young readers with an overview of how dinosaur bones covered with sand and silt turned into fossils over time and eventually became a museum exhibit.

"The rain comes- dripping, drenching, pouring- and turns into a torrential flood, sweeping the big dinosaur off its feet, down the river to its death."

Each turn of the page reveals another person responsible for bringing the dinosaur to the museum including the excavator, preparator, and curator. Kids will love reading the job titles written on special nameplates throughout the text. For example, the word "paleontologist" is written on the shape of a bone. Each job adds another layer to the story, which told in the style of This is the House That Jack Built. 

The topic, illustrations, and format work well together to create a book with lots of kid appeal. Even though the book is aimed at young readers, Hartland does not shy away from using complex vocabulary and rich language. Many new vocabulary words are defined within the story. Backmatter includes additional fact about the Diplodocus longus, information about fossils and links to dino dig web sites.

If you're looking for the perfect nonfiction read aloud for the K-3 crowd, then look no further.  The text also lends itself to choral reading and readers' theater.

Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Great Kid Books this week.

Gaia Warriors by Nicola Davies

Gaia Warriors

by Nicola Davies

Candlewick Press. 2011

ISBN: 9780763648084

Copy checked out from my local public library.

(Grades 5 and up)

Nicola Davies is a zoologist. Her passion for the environment is obvious by what she writes about. Topics she has covered include why animals are a certain size, (Just the right size), why scientist study animal feces, (Poop), animal communication (Talk, Talk, Squawk), and what are those little parasites that live on animal bodies (What’s eating you?) Her writing is accessible and perfect for sharing with students in grades 3 and up. 

My favorite book, the one I read to third graders every summer is Surprising Sharks. I love the last two lines, “But every year people kill 100 million sharks. If you were a shark swimming in the lovely blue sea, the last word you’d want to hear would be...human!”

In Gaia Warriors, Davies turns her pen to educate the middle and high school crowd about Global Warming. The book’s design is attractive and resembles a notebook or magazine, instead of an educational textbook. There are quotes in bold text from famous people who were not afraid to make changes and lots of color photos. Never preachy, (well, a little bit) Davies emphasize that we need to make some changes, big changes, if Earth’s inhabitants are to survive. 

“We all have a choice. We can carry on as usual and fry. Or we can take the opportunity climate change offers us to make a better world for everyone. In other words, we can CHOOSE to change for the better.”

The book is divided into two parts. 

Section One is a guide to some of the basic facts about what is happening to the earth and its climate, written in the form of answers to questions. In addition, interviews with experts or activists further explain the question’s answer.  Questions asked: What is Climate Change?, How do we know that the climate is changing?,  What’s causing climate change? But hasn’t the climate always changed?, Is climate change our fault? If it’s only a few degrees, what difference will it make? What if the Scientists have made a mistake, and we waste money preparing for something that never happens! It’s all to big and scary, and there’s nothing I can do about it!”

In Section Two,, Davies explains:

“So, here’s the problem: Our planet is warming up, and in your lifetimes and that of your children, it’s going to get a lot warmer.”

We can’t go back to the Stone Age because “we can’t support 9 billion people on Stone Age farming and technology. “ The solution is that we have to change.

“We will have to stop driving everywhere, flying everytime we go on vacation, eating whatever we want, and having lots of deep, hot baths. But then, most of the people in the world have never been able to do those things anyway, so it’s only fair that we should stop being so greedy and selfish with the planet’s resources.”

We are then introduced to everyday people who are out there making important and necessary changes in how they eat, get to work, vacation, and many other ways in which they try to use our resources wisely.

The book does include more information, glossary, and index. Unfortunately, it has no documentation as to back the author’s information. Despite that, which is important, this British import is an appealing presentation on Global Warming and its solutions.

I feel like a Gaia Warrior because I can commute to work riding my bicycle 5 months of the year. I acknowledge that I was very, very lucky to find a great job closer to where I live. 

Place this in your display for Earth Day.

And, speaking of saving the Earth, visit this site with high school students. We all know Daryl Hannah from her role as movie actor, but she is also a committed activist for the environment. Click on "Show" and see the many movies, no longer than 5 to 8 minutes, Daryl has made that explores ways to save our planet. They are charming and will inspire students to become Gaia Warriors.

Nonfiction Monday

Welcome to Nonfiction Monday!

We are pleased to host the first Nonfiction Monday of 2012.

Please link your nonfiction reviews using Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.

We've posted two new reviews for Nonfiction Monday.

Click on the links below to see our reviews, and be sure to check out all of the nonfiction reviews linked at the bottom of this post.

Black and White: The Confrontation Between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth  

and Eugene "Bull" Connor by Larry Dane Brimner

 Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg

Announcing: The Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2012

We are excited to be partnering with Kid Lit Frenzy for the
2012 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. 

Our goal is to encourage everyone to read more nonfiction picture books this year.

Take the challenge by setting a goal for yourself.
Maybe you want to read one nonfiction picture book each week or each month.
Visit both the Kid Lit Frenzy and The Nonfiction Detecetives blogs
throughout the year for nonfiction reviews and giveaways!

Tweet about the challenge using the hashtag #nfpb2012.

Feel free to add the Non-Fiction Picture Book badge to your web site.

Add your nonfiction review below.

Black and White: the confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor by Larry Dane Brimner

Black and White: the Confrontation between Reverend Fred L.

Shuttlesworth and Eugene “Bull” Connor

By Larry Dane Brimner

Calkins Cree, 2011

ISBN: 9781590787663

This book was sent to me by the publisher.

(Grades 7 and up)

February is Black History Month. Soon teachers, students, parents, and day care providers will be coming into my library looking for books on Martin Luther King, Jr, Ruby Bridges, and other titles about the civil rights movement. In a matter of hours, almost every book on the subject will be checked out.  Now we can add another great title to the mix. Black and White by Larry Dane Brimner offers readers another perspective on the events in that dark and ugly time in our nation’s history. Black and White offers readers a deeper understanding of the movement.

The book centers on Reverend Shuttlesworth and his commitment to getting rid of the unfair Jim Crow laws in Birmingham, and the South, during the 1950’s and early 1960’s. Those laws restricted African-Americans the right to work in stores, be policemen, or allow children to attend all-white schools.

The author does an excellent job, in 80 pages, documenting the confrontation between these two larger-than-life men, Fred Shuttlesworth and Bull Connor. Without this immense hatred Connor had towards African-Americans along with his abhorrent actions, the nation might not have ever learned of the struggle going on in Birmingham. (Called Bombingham because of all the bombings taking place there per orders of Bull Connor) Brimner makes it very clear that without Fred’s involvement the equal rights legislation of 1964 might never have happened.

“Without Fred Shuttlesworth, the Birmingham campaign and the role Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., played in it may have taken a vastly different appearance. It was Fred who urged a reluctant Dr. King to shine the light of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on the city. It was Fred who planned strategy and provided soldiers from the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights for local demonstrations, even as Dr. King was the national voice of the civil rights movement. Fred’s actions in the 1950’s and 1960’s helped pave the way to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

The book’s design is very dramatic, a mixture of black, white, and red. The black text, placed alternately on white and red backgrounds grabs readers’ attention and holds it. Each page is loaded with historical black and white photos that are well captioned. Sidebars have additional information that is pertinent to what is being discussed.

Brimner, an award-winning author of more than 150 books of fiction and nonfiction, is respectful of his subjects. In the author’s note he acknowledges that Eugene “Bull” Connor was the perfect foe for Fred.

“Without his staunch racist and his harsh response to the African American cry for justice, civil rights progress might have taken an even longer time in coming.”

This is an outstanding addition to the growing literature about the Civil Rights Movement. Though this book is for a slightly older audience, still Include it in a display with  The Watson's go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, Boycott Blues: how Rosa Parks inspired a nation and Sit-in: how four friends stood up by sitting down, both by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg

Titanic Sinks!: Experience the Titanic's Doomed Voyage in this Unique Presentation of Fact and Fiction
by Barry Denenberg
Viking (an imprint of Penguin Group), 2011
ISBN: 9780670012435
Grades 5-8

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her local library.

Titanic books are quite popular with the readers in my library, and I'm predicting a surge in Titanic nonfiction book requests in 2012. In case you haven't heard, April of 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the infamous ship. James Cameron's blockbuster movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet will be re-released in April of 2012, and dozens of new Titanic books will be published this year.

Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg stands out as a highly engaging look at the historic event. The book blends fact and fiction as it details the events leading up to one of the greatest disasters of modern time. The story is told through magazine articles and journal entries written by fictional reporter, S.F. Vanni, while on board the ship. Even though there are fictional elements, this is truly a nonfiction books. Denenberg researched the event thoroughly and provides source notes and an extensive bibliography.

The magazine articles begin in 1910, two years before the Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage. Readers learn about The White Star Company and how the Titanic and its sister ship, Olympic, were built. Kids who love facts and figures will enjoy reading the pages about Titanic's statistics:

Number of Furnaces- 159
Largest Whistle Ever Made
Cost- 7.5 Million Dollars

Through Vanni's journal entries, readers learn about the inner workings of the ship along with the social activities of First Class passengers. Black and white photographs are used effectively throughout the book to give readers a glimpse into life aboard the ship. After striking the iceberg, an hour-by-hour report details the sinking of the vessel. Readers will be interested in the notes from the publisher featuring updates of what happened after the Titanic sunk. The update describes what happened to White Star Chairman, J. Bruce Ismay, who withdrew from society after heavy scrutiny by the media and the public.

Titanic Sinks! provides readers with a up-close look at one of the most famous disasters of the twentieth-century. It's sure to attract the attention of middle grade readers making it a solid addition to  libraries and classrooms.

CYBILS- Nonfiction Short Lists

We recently had the wonderful opportunity to serve as first round panelists for the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards or CYBILS. Louise judged the middle grade and young adult nonfiction books, and Cathy judged the nonfiction picture books.

For months we read, read and re-read the nominated titles. There were four panelists in Louise's group and seven in Cathy's, with each person living in a different part of North America and each panelist hosting their own book review blog. Email and Google Docs were our primary modes of communication as we evaluated each book using the CYBILS criteria: literary merit and kid appeal.

After weeks of evaluating, discussing, and debating the nominated titles, our work is complete. Here are the short lists for middle grade & young adult nonfiction books and nonfiction picture books. (We have linked each title that we reviewed in 2011.)

CYBILS Short List: Middle Grade and Young Adult Nonfiction (In alphabetical order)

 Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg

Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea and Air

by Stewart Ross/Stephen Biesty

 The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon 

by Carla Killough McClafferty

The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin

Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I 

by Ann Bausum

CYBILS Short List: Nonfiction Picture Books (in alphabetical order)

 

All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon

Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale

Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins

The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs by Sandra Markle

 I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History's Strangest Cures by Carlyn Beccia

Planting the Wild Garden by Kathryn O. Galbraith

Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators by Jim Arnosky

The books on the short lists are now being evaluated by round two judges, and the winners will be annonced on Valentine's Day.

Click here to view all of the CYBILS short lists.

Unraveling Freedom by Ann Bausum

Unraveling Freedom: the battle for democracy on the home front during World War I

Ann Bausum.

National Geographic. 2010

ISBN: 9781426307027

I obtained a copy of this book from my public library. 

I reviewed Unraveling Freedom even though it is a 2010 publication because it is under consideration for CYBILS middle grade/young adult nonfiction.

Before I read Unraveling Freedom, I did not know that based on the 1910 census, Germany claimed the greatest number of offspring in America. Prior to WWI, the presence of so many Germans meant that German food and beverages, the German language, German-American clubs and music groups, and bilingual schools all flourished. German was the language of scientists!

Then, the Luistania was attacked by Germans at 2:10 p.m. on May 7, 1915. Because of the attack, Americans would change their attitudes from supportive to mistrust.

The US did not enter World War 1 immediately after the sinking of the Lusitania. It took almost two years, April 2, 1917, before President Woodrow Wilson called the nation to arms. When Wilson spoke to congress on that day in April, he noted that it was the “German government that was the nation’s true enemy. “We have no quarrel with the German people.”” He went on to proclaim, “They are, most of them, as true and loyal Americans as if they had never known any other fealty or allegiance.”

Bausam states that, “The sinking of the Lusitania was the 9-11 of its time, and, like 9-11, it served as a backdrop as the United States moved toward war.”

An eerie resemblance to the feelings after 9-11 can be seen in the aftermath of Wilson’s address. The President cautioned his listeners and soon “tension over who could be trusted, whether criticism of the war effort symbolized disloyalty, what it meant to be an American, and whether one could retain connections to a motherland during wartime would dominate the American home front for the rest of the decade.” (1917-1919)

Like the Patriot Act, the Espionage Act of 1917 called for, among other things, “the creation of harsh procedures for identifying and detaining spies, penalties for interfering with the war effort, censorship of the news media, and restrictions on the distribution of printed material through the US mail.” Those who spoke out against the war were put in jail. German newspapers were unable to be sent through the US mail

I could not put this book down. It was so interesting and well crafted. The similarity of that time to post 9-11 made me feel unsettled. Our society urges us to learn from our mistakes, yet here is a perfect example of how citizens allowed our government to strip us of our rights.

The book includes black and white historic photos, cartoons, and posters. There is a guide to wartime presidents (those presidents who must balance the needs for national security against the rights of individual citizens), a timeline, notes and acknowledgments, bibliography, resource guide, citations, and index.

The topic covered in this book is important for students to read and understand so that we can try to avoid it happening ever again.

Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time by Steve Jenkins

Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time
by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011
ISBN: 9780618708963
Grades K-4
5 stars

The reviewer borrowed a copy of the book from her public library.

Did you know that a black mamba snake can travel 24 feet in just one second? Each second four babies are born in the world, and a flea lays 100 eggs in an hour. Readers will marvel at Steven Jenkins' newest nonfiction picture book which is full of fascinating facts related to time. The book is organized by units of time: one second, one minute, one hour, one day, one week, one month, and one year. Facts range from animal trivia to statistics on human consumption.

In a minute:
"Around the world, 59,000 barrels of oil are used (almost all of them in the United States)."

Using his signature torn and cut-paper collage, Jenkins illustrates each statistic; several facts and illustrations are arranged on colorful page. The vibrant colors and textured paper will appeal to young readers. A pictograph representing the history of the universe is located in the back along with a timeline showing the life span of plants and animals.

Curious readers, especially kids who love world record books, will spend hours poring over the facts and illustrations in Just a Second. It's a fascinating read that will appeal to kids of all ages and may serve as a springboard to learning about the topics in-depth. It would also make a great book for an adult to share with a child and could lead to some rich discussions.

Click here to see a book trailer for Just a Second.

Just a Second was also reviewed by:
A Year of Reading
Shelf Employed

OUR BEST OF 2011 LIST

Taken from the 65 titles we reviewed since April, here is our Best of 2011. Note: there are a few books we would have loved to include, but because we couldn't get our hands on a copy to review it, we are unable to include it on this list.

A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
Amelia Lost: The Life & Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001 The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
Baby Mammoth Mummy: Frozen in Time! by Christopher Sloan
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins
The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs by Sandra Markle
Coral Reefs by Jason Chin
Feynman by Jim Ottaviani
The Many Faces of George Washington by Carla Killough McClafferty
Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss
Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman
Talk, Talk, Squawk! by Nicola Davies
Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators by Jim Arnosky
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeannette Winter

We would like to thank all our followers and those who have posted comments since we began this blog back in April. Stay tuned for 2012 when we will roll out a few changes.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
by Candace Fleming
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011
ISBN: 9780375841989
Grades 5-8
6 Stars

The reviewer obtained a copy of the book from her school library.

As we near the end of 2011, it's time to reflect upon the year in books. Later this month we'll compile a list of our favorite nonfiction books of the year. There is one nonfiction book in particular that we haven't featured yet on the blog. So, better late than never...we review Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming.

If you poll middle grade readers about their favorite biography subjects you will undoubtedly hear Amelia Earhart's name mentioned again and again (along with Harry Houdini). We have a healthy collection (22 copies) of Amelia Earhart books in my library. These biographies span formats from graphic novel to picture book, and they circulate a lot. Why do kids enjoy reading about Amelia Earhart? I think they love the sense of adventure and the unsolved mystery. Over the years, some biographies have oversimplified the story of Earhart while others have perpetuated myths surrounding her life. Enter Candace Fleming.  Fleming spent a great deal of time researching Amelia Earhart, and she provides an in-depth look at the life of the famous aviator: the good, the bad, and the fibs. Yes, Amelia Earhart told fibs.

Upon reading the introduction, readers will discover that Amelia Lost is not the typical Earhart biography for kids. Fleming's impeccable research uncovers many truths that other Earhart bios have missed. Fleming pokes holes in the story Earhart told about seeing an airplane at the Iowa State Fair in 1908. The author investigated this claim, and it isn't true. While Earhart was an accomplished pilot, she was also clever at using the media to further her status and her celebrity.
"In short she left behind layer and layer of myth and legend."

The format of Amelia Lost is highly appealing to middle grade readers. Instead of a traditional, chronological biography, Fleming alternates between the story of Earhart's life and the story of her final flight. The first chapter begins with the ship, Itasca, attempting to communicate with Earhart's plane near Howland Island. Immediately, readers will wonder where Earhart could be.  Fleming builds suspense then ends each chapter with a cliffhanger before shifting back to Earhart's life story.
"Seconds turned to minutes.  Minutes became an hour. But the sky above Howland Island remained empty. And in the radio room, Leo Bellarts and the other crew members sat listening to the "mournful sound of that static." Where, they wondered, was Amelia Earhart?"

Fleming paints a portrait of a complex woman  who worked hard and lived a full life despite the ups and downs of her childhood. Readers will empathize with young Amelia when her family loses their home, wealth and status due to her father's drinking problem. While visiting California, Earhart convinced female pilot, Neta Snook, to give her flying lessons. Earhart was determined to learn to fly even if it cost $1.00 per minute. Sometimes her passion for flying impeded her judgement. When first learning to fly, Earhart decided to fly to Long Beach without checking to make sure the plane had enough fuel. Luckily, Snook was there to take the wheel and bring the plan back to the landing strip at Kinner Field.

Readers will root for Earhart as she attempts to fly across the Atlantic. I was surprised to learn that this was not technically a "solo flight." Veteran aviator, Bill Stultz, was on board the plane with Earhart. Upon landing in Wales, the publicity focused on the feat of the female pilot and largely ignored Bill's role.

Fleming goes on to describe Earhart's rise to fame, her fashion business, her marriage to George Putman, and her record-breaking flights. The story continues to shift between life story and final flight until the two stories intersect. Not only will readers gain insight into Earhart's life, but they will also learn about the history of aviation and its impact on society. Black and white photographs, maps and newspaper clippings are interspersed effectively throughout the book. An extensive bibliography and source notes are located in the back of the book.

When I picked up this book, I thought I already knew the story of Amelia Earhart. It turns out I only knew the legend. Fleming helped me see the real Amelia, a brave aviator and a brilliant self-promoter.
*Looking for an exciting read aloud for middle grades? This would make an excellent nonfiction book to read aloud.

Other Reviews of Amelia Lost:
Abby the Librarian
Reading Rants
Heavy Medal (School Library Journal)
Sonder Books

Fake Foods: Fried, Fast, and Processed by Paula Johanson

Fake Foods: Fried, Fast, and Processed

Paula Johanson

Rosen Central. 2011

ISBN: 9781448812691 (Grades 4 and up)

Series: Incredibly Disgusting Food

I checked this book out of my local public library.

Did you know that the "buttery" flavoring used in microwave popcorn is made of artificial ingredients "that cause factory workers to get rashes and lung disease, and even die? Or that the "average soda pop has up to 12 teaspoons of sugar?"

Author Paula Johanson is on a mission. She wants to be sure that children understand that eating fake foods, the stuff that is highly processed, have negative health and environmental consequences.

"Much of the food eaten in North America is fast food, or fried or processed to the point that it is no longer healthy, natural food. Nutritionist Marion Nestle calls it fake food and junk food, low in nutrition and high in salt, fat, sweeteners, and chemical preservatives and additives."

Johanson holds nothing back as she tells the disgusting story of fake food and how it affects our health and its ongoing impact on our environment. The five chapters: Making Fake Foods, How Fake Foods Affect Your Body, Health Changes: Now and Later, Eating Real Food, are packed with a lot of information.

Making Fake Foods, Johanson explains that animals raised for meat consumption live very miserable lives. "On factory farms, pigs are crowded into pens. Their tails are cut off so they don´t bite each other from boredom. Some pigs are kept in small cages all their lives." The same goes for chickens. "Chickens raised for meat grow so quickly that their legs often become crippled from trying to hold up their big meaty chests."  The food that those animals consume is also pretty disgusting. Their food grain "is mixed with chopped animal guts and dried blood from slaughterhouses."

In How Fake Foods Affect Your Body we learn that "Eating fake foods has negative effects on people´s bodies, making it difficult to build strong muscles or get better for a head cold because the fake foods often lack vitamins, minerals, and protein."  Johanson recommends reaching for an apple or orange instead of a yummy candy bar that, by the way, shares the same ingredient as shoe polish: carnauba wax.

Throughout, Johanson makes it clear that for every piece of fake or junk food we eat, there is always a healthy alternative. The hard part is training ourselves to think before we eat. She encourages readers to speak out and demand healthier food choices.

Color photos are included, however, the captions are located at the bottom of the page. Text boxes that highlight a particular point are also interspersed throughout the chapters.

The book ends with some suggestions for eating "Real Food."

"There are plenty of reasons for eating real food instead of fake food. Start with good tastes and interesting textures. Try new recipes and new small restaurants. Good health feels better than being bloated or tired. Those are good reasons to make salad for lunch."

The book includes a glossary, a listing of organizations for more information, a link to the Rosen Publishing web site for updated web resources, further reading and a bibliography, and index.

Other titles in the Incredibly Disgusting Food series published by Rosen:
Carbonated Beverages; Mystery Meat: hot dogs, sausages, and lunch meats; Salty and Sugary Snacks

Use in conjunction with Chew On This: everything you don’t want to know about fast food by Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: the secrets behind what you eat adapted by Richie Chevat to introduce middle grade or high school student about the pitfalls of junk food. This book should also be included in a display encouraging people to eat organic or locally grown products.

Nonfiction & "The Nerdies"

There's a new children's literature award in town: The Nerdies. The award is part of The Nerdy Book Club, which is the brainchild of teachers Donalyn Miller & Colby Sharp. If you're on Twitter, you may be familiar with The Nerdy Book Club movement (#nerdybookclub). There is only one requirement to join: you must have a passion for books and reading.

Donalyn and Colby asked readers to submit their nominations for the first annual Nerdies Award. The award recognizes books in six categories: Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Poetry, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Nonfiction. The nominations were tabulated, and the short list was unveiled this weekend. Readers have until December 17th to vote for their favorite books: Click here for The Nerdies ballot.

The nonfiction field is strong and includes a variety of formats including two graphic novels. I was pleased to see we had reviewed many of the nonfiction books on the ballot. Here are the nonfiction titles from the short list. We've linked our reviews below if you want to gather more information before voting.

Nonfiction Nominations for The Nerdies

Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

America is Under Attack by Dan Brown

Around the World by Matt Phelan

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

Big Wig by Kathleen Krull

A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins

The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs by Sandra Markle

The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson

Fenynman by Jim Ottaviani

Heart & Soul by Kadir Nelson

How They Croaked by Georgia Bragg

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg

Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman

Stay tuned because later this month we'll reveal the Nonfiction Detectives' favorite nonfiction books of  2011.

Migrant Mother: how a photogragh defined the Great Depression by Don Nardo

Migrant Mother: how a photograph defined the Great Depression
by Don Nardo
Compass Point Books, a Capstone Imprint. 2011
ISBN: 9780756543976
This book was sent to me by the publisher.
(Grades 8 and up)

Captured History, a new series from Capstone, asks the question: Can a photogragh change the world?

In Migrant Mother, Nardo examines the photo that defined The Great Depression. Taken by Dorothea Lange in March of 1936, Migrant Mother has been viewed as perfectly capturing the meaning and the desperation of the people most affected by The Great Depression...the poor. Nardo, a prolific author of well-researched history books for children, traces the events that led up to Lange taking the picture, the woman who was photographed, and the long-lasting impact that that picture had on American society. It is an interesting idea for a book.

The book begins with an explanation of how Lange made the decision to visit the camp after seeing a hand-lettered sign that read, “pea pickers’ camp.”  

“A driving rain was falling on California’s Highway 101 that March day in 1936.”  Lange had been gone from her family for a month taking pictures in the southern part of the state. Longing to go home, Lange recalled, “Sixty-five miles an hour for seven hours would get me home to my family that night, and my eyes were glued to the wet and gleaming highway that stretched out ahead.”

Then she saw hand-written letters on a sign by the side of the road that, 20 miles later, had her turning around. It was at this camp where she saw a woman and her four children sitting under a crude tent.  The session was informal and lasted about 10 minutes. Lang shot six pictures. She was in a hurry and didn’t even get the woman’s name. Within days of arriving back in San Francisco, Lange sent some of the pictures to the newspapers and by March 11, 1936, her photo, Migrant Mother made headlines. As a result of that picture, and public demand, the government sent 20,000 pounds of food to that the pea pickers’ camp located in Nipomo, California.

Lange died in 1965 and never did learn of the identity the woman whose face she made famous. That face belonged to Florence Thompson. Nardo gives us a brief, but thorough history of how Thompson ended up in the camp that day. We also get a brief over view on the causes of the Great Depression.

The book has four chapters: Snapping an Iconic Photo, A Nation Fallen on Hard Times, To Capture the Careworn, A Truth as Old as Humanity. Each chapter is lavishly illustrated with period black and white photos that are captioned. There is a Timeline, Glossary, Additional Resources, Source Notes, Selected Bibliography, and index.  Nardo covers a lot in just 64 pages.

Nardo ends the book with an interesting comment. “No matter how photos like Lange’s are used later, their original meaning is never lost.” I question if that is true. I fear the original meaning of photographs, and that of protest music that ends up advertising products or streams as Muzak in stores, will be lost if we do not have books like this one to educate a new generation to their social impact and importance.

Planting the Wild Garden by Kathryn O. Galbraith

Planting the Wild Garden
by Kathryn O. Galbraith
illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin
Peachtree Publishers, 2011
ISBN: 9781561455638

The reviewer received a copy of the book from the publisher.

As a first round judge for the CYBILS, I've spent the past few months poring over stacks of picture books. There are many strong contenders in the nonfiction picture book category this year. Planting the Wild Garden is an example of a nominated title that eloquently opens up the world of science to young readers.








Follow the journey of seeds in nature in Planting the Wild Garden, a beautiful nonfiction picture book. Upon opening the book, readers will discover intricate seed illustrations adorning the end-papers.  The first page shows a farmer and her son planting seeds in a vegetable garden. I was pleased to see the farmer in the book is female which goes against the typical picture book depiction of farmers as older men with white beards. Galbraith uses the example of the farmer planting seeds to serve as a contrast to wild seeds, which are not planted by humans.

The story follows seeds in nature as they are scattered by the wind, strewn by birds, washed away by rain, and caught in the tail of a fox. Galbraith effectively uses onomatopoeia to bring the sounds of nature into the narrative.
"Stomp! Stomp! People help plant the meadow too. Seeds travel on muddy boots. Hitchhike on sweaters. Snag on socks and whoosh! Sail on a puff of breath."

Halperin's pencil and watercolor illustrations reflect the fragility of the seeds and nature with soft pastel colors.  Panels are used effectively on a number of pages to show change over time. The gorgeous illustrations and the simple text work well together making the science concepts accessible to young readers.

The seeds aren't labeled or identified, and there is no supplemental information about seeds in the back of the book. That's because the book isn't meant to be an intensive study of seeds. Its purpose is to introduce young children to how seeds travel and grow in the wild, and it would make an excellent read aloud.  Planting the Wild would also pair nicely with A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston.

Children and adults who are inspired to learn more about seeds should consult the extensive bibliography in the back of the book.

4 stars
(Preschool- Gr. 3)

Talk, Talk, Squawk! a human's guide to animal communication by Nicola Davies

Talk, Talk, Squawk! : a human’s guide to animal communication
Nicola Davies; Illustrated by Neal Layton
Candlewick Press. 2011
ISBN: 9780763650889
I checked this book out from my public library.
6 Stars
(Grades 4 and up)

“Human beings never stop communicating!
With words…
With faces…
With hands…
Not to mention with signs, signals, flashing lights, and sirens.
And we aren’t the only ones. Wherever you go on the planet, animals are doing it, too!”

Best known for “Surprising Sharks”, “What’s eating you?”, “Extreme Animals: the toughest creatures on Earth”, Davies again pairs with Layton to bring us an irresistible science book that combines fact with humor. These are the type of science books that children love to read.

Here, readers learn that there are a myriad of ways animals communicate for many different reasons. To find mates, to locate food, to define territory.

There are 22 entries (the title appears in bold at the top of the page) that cover a wide spectrum of animal communication.

“Stripes Spell Danger” explains why animals go to the trouble of being bright and stripy “if you already have a nasty bite, sting, or taste to keep predators at bay.”

I learned why bird songs vary depending on their habitats in “Sing It to Win It”. “Woodland birds tend to have lots of clear whistles in their songs, as these carry well in the still air of a forest.” 

Throughout the book Layton’s playful illustrations are everywhere.  His characters give humorous comments in text balloons which blend perfectly with the text.

There is so much information packed into this book’s 62 pages.

Davies closes with a thought-provoking idea: Can animals really talk and understand our language?

“Scientists listening out for alien communications from space have developed computer programs that can spot the tell-tale footprint of a language in any signal. One day this technique could be used on dolphin sounds, which might be close to our idea of language. Maybe then we’ll finally know what animals have to say about us.”

Maybe they are saying, “Go Away and Stop Messing Up the Planet!”