The Story of Silk by Richard Sobol

The Story of Silk: from worm spit to woven scarves
Richard Sobol
Candlewick Press. 2013
ISBN: 9780763641658
Grades 3 and up
I borrowed this book from my local public library.

Richard Sobol calls himself “the Traveling Photographer” because he travels the globe looking for stories. One will agree as you scroll down and read the descriptions of the topics covered in his books. (Breakfast in the Rainforest, Elephant in the Backyard). My introduction to Sobol was while serving as a first-round judge for the 2011 Cybils Awards. His book, Mysteries of Anykor Wat was one of the nominees. Besides his stunning photography, what I love about Sobol’s books is how he seamlessly incorporates an interesting narrative along with historical details , or as in The Story of Silk, how this sturdy and beautiful fabric is made: from worm spit to woven scarves.

For The Story of Silk: from worm spit to woven scarves, Sobol returned to the remote village Huai Thalaeng located in the Issan Province.(the scene of his book The Life of Rice) He wanted to find out how the farmers spent their time “until the rainy season began the rice growing process started up again.” The farmers answered him with one word: “Worms!”
“Worms?” “Yes, worms! the farmers replied. “Millions and millions of worms!” For in this tiny village, during the dry season, they make silk.

Sobol takes us along as he explains every aspect of the production of silk, from hatching the caterpillar eggs to boiling the cocoons to releasing the silk. The tone of the writing captures the gentle rhythm of the village and how everyone, young and old, work together to create the silk that is essential to their survival. The silk is woven into fabric that is used for their clothing, but also when needed, a product to sell.

In all his books Sobol captures the children going about their day. Whether meditating at the temple, playing jump rope, cleaning off the poop from the cocoons or helping with the weaving, we see their smiling faces.

There is a glossary and facts about silk. The end papers show a map of the world with Thailand colored in red. The color photographs that grace every page are exquisite; I just wish the book designer had placed the captions directly under the photos, instead of at the top of each page. 

Pair The Story of Silk with Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park, a fiction title I recommend all the time. The two books make a perfect match. Other great fiction titles include Red Butterfly: how a princess smuggled the secret of silk out of China by Deborah Noyes and Dragons of Silk by Laurence Yep.

Nonfiction Notes: 2013 ALA Conference Preview

I'm getting ready to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago this weekend. My bags are packed, and I have a stack of Nonfiction Detectives business cards ready to go (thanks to Louise!).  I have several committee meetings on my schedule, but I'm also planning to spend some time on the exhibit floor and at various sessions. I'll be on the lookout for what's new in nonfiction children's books; and I hope to meet many authors and illustrators in the exhibit hall.

Will you be in Chicago fo ALA?
Here are some events (with a focus on nonfiction) that you won't want to miss...

Friday, June 28th
6:00-6:30 p.m. Tanya Lee Stone will sign copies of Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell at the Macmillan booth.

6:00- 7:00 p.m. Carla Killough McClafferty will be at the Lerner book signing copies of her latest Fourth Down and Inches: Concussions and Football's Make-or-Break Moments.

6:00-7:00 Sally M. Walker will sign copies of Their Skeletons Speak: Kennwick Man and the Paleoamerican World at the Lerner booth.



Saturday, June 29th
8:30-10:00 a.m. Program: Multicultural Programming for Tweens and Families

10:30-11:00 a.m. Jessie Hartland will sign copies of Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child at the Random House Children's Books.

10:00-11:00 a.m. Seymour Simon will sign books at the StarWalk Kids Media booth.

11:00-12:00 Janet Halfman will be at the Lee & Low booth signing copies of her new picture book Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story.

11:30-12:00 Book Buzz Theater featuring Random House

11:00-12:00 Melissa Sweet signs Caldecott Honor, A River of Words, at the Eerdmans Publishing booth.

12:00-1:00 Graphic Novel Stage- "Comic Books and Civil Rights History" Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story

12:30-1:30 Meet Tanya Lee Stone, author of Courage Has No Color, at the Candlewick booth.

1:00-2:00 Deborah Hopkinson will sign Titanic: Voices from the Disaster at the Scholastic booth.

1:00-2:00 Melissa Sweet with sign A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin at the Random House Children's booth.

1:00-4:00 2014 Notable Children's Book Committee Meeting (Hilton Chicago)- The committee will discuss the titles on this list.

2:30-3:30 Cynthia Levinson will sign copies of We've Got a Job at the Peachtree Publishing booth.

3:00-4:00 What's Cooking @ ALA: Cool Kids Cook with Kid Chef Eliana on the What's Cooking Stage

3:30-4:30 April Pulley Sayre will sign copies of Here Come the Humpbacks! at the Charlesbridge booth.

4:00-5:00 Meet Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of Nelson Mandela, at the Harper Collins Children's Books booth.



Sunday, June 30th
8:30-9:30 Auditorium Speaker Series: Temple Grandin Author, animal science specialist, and advocate for people with autism, Temple Grandin, will be the featured speaker on Sunday morning.

8:30-10:00 Creating Out-of-This-World Children's Programming with NASA Materials

10:00-11:00 Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney will sign Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America (winner of the Coretta  Scott King Author Award) at the Disney Hyperion booth.

11:15-12:15 Christy Hale will sign Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building at the Lee & Low booth.

11:30-12:00 Ignite Sunday Session: STEM: Save the Library, Save the World 

12:00-1:00 Meet Derf Backderf, author of My Friend Dahmer, at the Abrams booth.

12:00-1:00 Meet Vladimir Radunsky, illustrator of On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein, at the Chronicle Books booth.

2:30-4:00 It's Time for the Feud!...Family Feud! Librarians and authors will compete in a Family Feud-style game show at the Hyatt Regency.

3:00-4:00 Brian Floca will sign copies of Locomotive! at the Simon & Schuster booth.

4:00-5:00 Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney will sign Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song at Little, Brown for Young Readers.

5:45-10:00 Newbery, Caldecott, Wilder Awards Banquet- If you don't want to shell out the money for a banquet ticket, you may sit in chairs in the back of the room and listen to the acceptance speeches. It's bound to be a magical night as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Medal.





Monday, July 1st
8:30-10:00 ALSC Awards Presentations- The Sibert, Geisel, Batchelder and Carnegie Awards will be presented at this time.

11:00-12:00 Steve Sheinkin will sign copies of Sibert Medal winner, Bomb, at the Macmillan booth.

11:00-12:00 Robert Byrd will sign copies of Sibert Honor book, Electric Ben, at Penguin Young Readers Group.

11:30-12:00 Book Buzz Theater featuring books from Lerner Publishing Group

1:00-3:00 Charlemae Rollins President's Program: Think With Your Eyes (Visual Thinking Strategies & Children's Picture Books)

1:30-2:15 Conversation Starters: Unprogramming: Recipes for School-Age Program Success

2:45-3:30 Conversation Starters: Going Up the Down Slide: School and Public Libraries Partner to Reduce the Summer Slide

More Summer Reading Suggestions

As school librarians are winding down and enjoying their summer vacation, things at the public library are ramping up. Why? Everyone comes in to stock up on summer reading. I love it, and I know the kids do too. “Finally! I can sit and read whatever I want and not worry about doing homework,” said Sam, a 7^th grader at the local middle school. 

What I enjoy are all the requests to recommend a good book.

Here are a few books that I suggest time and again. 

Bodies from the Ash : life and death in Pompeii
by James M. Deem 
Houghton Mifflin. 2005

An archaeological mystery that details the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the burying of Pompeii in 79 A.D. by looking at the skeletons that were unearthed. 

The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China

by Jane O'Connor.

Viking. 2002

Before she became famous for her Fancy Nancy series, author Jane O’Connor wrote an  fascinating nonfiction title describing the archaeological discovery in 1974 of thousands of life-sized terracotta warrior statues found in Northern China. 

Cathy reviewed these two last year. They are hardly ever on the shelves.

Puffling Patrol 
by Ted and Betsy Lewin 
Lee & Low. 2012

and 

Life in the Ocean: the story of Oceanography Sylvia Earle

by Claire A. Nivola

FSG. 2012

Any title in the Scientist in the Field series are great to recommend. One of my favorites is:

The Hive Detectives:  chronicle of a honey bee catastrophe
by Loree Griffin Burns

Houghton Mifflin. 2010

Bee scientists from around the country are rushing to discover the cause of bee colony collapse disorder. 

Pair this with

UnBEElievables :  Honeybee poems & paintings

by Douglas Florian

Beach Lane Books. 2012

Snuggle up and share these enchanting poems with other bee lovers. Or, read them aloud to the bees in your yard. I'm sure they will love them. buzz.



Stay tuned for more great recommendations.

Happy Reading!

Nonfiction News

Nonfiction News 

June 2013

Over at Interesting Nonfiction for Kids, Elizabeth Rusch details the the field research she did for her latest book. Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives. Talk about dedication; you won't believe what Elizabeth went through to see a volcano up close. Read Elizabeth's post: On How Research Can Make You Throw Up.


School Library Journal recently posted highlights from SLJ's Day of Dialog in New York. Picturing the World: Informational Picture Books for Children was this year's theme, and five authors and illustrators of children's nonfiction took part in the panel discussion. Naturalist and author/illustrator, Jim Arnosky, spoke about the inspiration for his work and writing for children. Arnosky's lastest book is Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life.

Betsy Bird (aka: The Nonfiction Dialogue Stickler of Doom) takes on the issue of invented dialogue in nonfiction for children following Marc Tyler Nobleman's Horn Book article, Danger: Dialogue Ahead!

Want to motivate kids to pick up nonfiction books for pleasure this summer? Show them book trailers. It can be tricky finding book trailers for nonfiction books as Travis Jonker pointed out in December in his blog post, A Humble Demand: More Nonfiction Book Trailers Please.

It looks like Travis is getting his wish. Here's a book trailer for Bomb: The Race to Build- and Steal- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin.

Summer Reading Suggestions

Summer officially begins on June 21st, and it's the perfect time for children on vacation to get in some pleasure reading. Here are some nonfiction titles that young readers will enjoy reading during their free time this summer.

Friend: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships 
by Catherine Thimmesh
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011

Kids love looking at photographs of animals; Friends will please  animal lovers. The book features unlikely animal friendships such as a tawny owl and basset hound and a giraffe and ostrich. Each photo is accompanied by a paragraph about the friendship and a stanza from a poem. This is not a book that is meant for deep reading or for learning in-depth information. It's purely for pleasure, and it may inspire readers to check out more animal books from the library.



Look Up!: Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard  
by Annette LeBlanc Cate
Candlewick Press, 2013

Summer is the perfect time to get outside and do some bird watching. This picture book with comic book elements will inspire young readers to Look Up! See Louise's review from earlier this year.




Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum 
by Meghan McCarthy
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010

Kids will want to blow bubbles after they read McCarthy's nonfiction picture book about how bubble gum was invented. Readers will enjoy the cartoon-like illustrations as they learn about the history of chewing gum and how a worker at the Fleer Company created Dubble Bubble gum. You'll also learn why bubble gum is traditionally pink.




Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing
by Paul B. Janeczko
Candlewick Press, 2004

Readers will enjoy reading under the covers with a flashlight and a notebook as they learn to make their own codes and secret messages. Janeczo provides readers with the history behind various codes and ciphers, and he gives readers many opportunities to crack the codes in the book.





You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!
by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Terry Widener
Schwartz & Wade, 2013

Summer is a time for playing and watching baseball. Sports fans who also love history won't want to miss the latest picture book biography by Jonah Winter. Read Louise's review of You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!

For other summer reading suggestions...

Horn Book compiled an extensive list of fiction and nonfiction titles for summer reading.

School Library Journal's On the Common Core column recently focused on reading nonfiction for pleasure.

Where on Earth? by DK

Where on Earth?: Geography as you’ve never seen it before!
DK.2013
ISBN: 9781465402455
All ages
I borrowed a copy of this book from my local public library.

I fell in love with Geography not because of a GPS, but because of maps in print format. My father, who was a traveling salesman, always had a copy of the Rand McNally Road Atlas within arms reach. I knew every state's capital, major highways, national parks, rivers and lakes, and their terrain. I would sit for hours dreaming of all the places I’d go when I was a grown up. (I still have a long list yet to see) 

DK’s Where on Earth: Geography as you’ve never seen it before! will stir a child’s excitement for maps. It is packed with facts, statistics, graphics and a collection of 80 specially commissioned world maps that will show readers not only where things are, but will help them understand why tectonic plates cause volcanoes and earthquakes, what is the most common cause of shipwrecks, and what can cause a hurricane to form.

The information is divided into six chapters: Land, sea, and air; Living world; People and planet; Engineering and technology; History; Culture. The design is similar to other DK books; heavy on photo and light on text. Each chapter begins with an introduction. Let’s look at Culture. 

The word “culture” is a broad idea and includes the values, beliefs, and behavior of a society, or group of people. Culture includes many things, including customs, language, religion, music, art, food, and clothing. Some points of culture are traditional, having survived virtually unchanged for centuries. Others are short-lived, such as fashion styles and trends in pop music. Photos around the page offers brief examples to support the above statement.

Now turn the page to see a world map of languages and where they are spoken. Other maps within Culture show holy places, tourism, art, statues, festivals, television, stadiums, car racing, roller coasters, and national flags. 

This is a good book for browsing and can be used as an introduction to the variety of topics it covers. Each chapter can be connected with other nonfiction and fiction titles. 

Partner the chapter on 'People and planet' with Peter Menzel's book, Material World: a Global Family Portrait. 

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building 
by Christy Hale
Lee & Low Books Inc., 2012
ISBN: 9781600606519
Grades K-4

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

The winners of the 2013 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were announced recently. The nonfiction winner this year was Electric Ben. Two books were name nonfiction honor books: Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building and Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America.

If you haven't had a chance to read Dreaming Up, you need to seek out this book. It's amazing! This nonfiction picture book by Christy Hale incorporates poetry, architecture and children at play. Don't be fooled by the young boy pictured on the cover, Dreaming Up will appeal to a wide range of readers from grades K-4.

Each two-page spread contains a poem accompanied by a mixed media illustration on the left side of the page. The illustrations depict children building with material such as cups, cardboard boxes, sand, Legos, and playing cards. The right side of the page includes a photograph of a building related to the poem and the illustration.

Not only do the illustrations and photographs show specific architectural designs, but the poems take the shape of the design as well. For example, the Sclera Pavilion in London is shown near the end of the book. "Vertical slats of wood were used to create this circular building." In the illustration, two boys are pictured glueing popsicle sticks to a round container. The poem on that page is written in vertical lines that reflect the same structure as the Scelra Pavilion.

Dreaming Up would make an ideal read aloud. With the combination of poetry, architecture, creative play, and artwork, readers will find many aspects to discuss in a group setting. Children will also enjoy learning more about the architects and their designs in the pages at the back of the book. Readers may become inspired to experiment with design as they build their own structures out of everyday material.

It's fitting that ALSC included Dreaming Up in the Lego: Read, Build, Play activity guide and reading list: http://www.readbuildplay.com/Reading-Summer-Guide-Age-3-5.pdf

Visit Christy Hale's web site to view pages from the book.

Other reviews of Dreaming Up:
Great Kid Books
Book Dragon
Wrapped in Foil
STEM Friday

Becoming Ben Franklin by Russell Freedman

Becoming Ben Franklin: how a candle-maker’s son helped light the flame of liberty

by Russell Freedman

Holiday House. 2013

ISBN: 9780823423743

Grades 6 and up

I checked this book out of my local public library

Benjamin Franklin was born in colonial Boston on January 17, 1706. 

We remember him as a printer, editor, and publisher; a community organizer; a scientist and inventor; a statesman, humorist, and philosopher; and an influential writer. His contributions to society include a library, a university, a fire company, a philosophical society, the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocal glasses. And he helped give birth to a new kind of nation, ruled not by a hereditary monarch but by “We, the People".

In Becoming Ben Franklin, the award-winning Russell Freedman, himself considered one of our most significant writers of juvenile nonfiction, has penned a moving account of the life of one, if not the, greatest American. 

We read about Franklin and how, in 1723, at age seventeen, he ran away from home to live in Philadelphia. In 1728, he opens his own printing shop with a partner and at the age of 27, published the first copy of Poor Richard’s Almanack, a publication that was widely popular and which allowed him, in 1748 at age 42, to retire.

After retiring Ben Franklin would spend the rest of his life, when not inventing something, a busy man.  The public, now considering me a man of leisure would appoint him to various position in the civil government.

Franklin was a faithful British subject, until a series of taxes (No Taxation without Representation!) changed his mind, making him one of the most outspoken advocates of the American Revolution. He was happily married for forty-five years, had three children and was a loving and attentive grandfather. During his later years, after signing of the Constitution of the United States, Franklin devoted the rest of his life attempting to eliminate slavery. 

Freedman incorporates Franklin’s own words, whenever possible, throughout the narrative which allows Franklin to tell most of his own story. The book’s design places historic photos and engravings on every page including Franklin’s drawing considered to be America’s earliest original political cartoon.

Freedman excels at making history accessible and interesting for readers. This book has a timeline, source notes, picture credits, selected bibliography, and index.

Read our review of Freedman's The Boston Tea Party

A Reason to Read: Linking Literacy and the Arts by Eileen Landay and Kurt Wootton

A Reason to Read: Linking Literacy and the Arts
by Eileen Landay and Kurt Wootton
Harvard Education Press. 2012
ISBN: 9781612504605
I requested a copy of this book from the publisher.

Every once in awhile we need to read a book that invigorates our creativity. 

How well, or how poorly, a child does in school affects their future. If you dream of creating a classroom or library where students develop a stronger sense of self and a deeper passion for learning, but aren’t sure where to begin, read A Reason to Read: Linking Literacy and the Arts. Based on their 'Performance Cycle' taught at the ArtsLiteracy Project at Brown University, founders Eileen Landay and Kurt Wootton explain techniques they've developed over the years and how to implement them.

A Reason to Read outlines steps for educators, using literature and acting, to create a fun and stimulating environment for learning. 'The Performance Cycle' offers teachers and learners a shared approach and a common vocabulary. The goal is to design environments that help students develop receptivity, focus, effort, and the ability to think, learn, create, and reflect.

'The Performance Cycle' is a series of interconnected steps that, when pulled together, have proven to stimulate a students desire to learn. 

Each of the eight chapters explains the different phases of the Cycle. The overall tone is definitely geared towards educators, but even those unfamiliar with the educators language will find the book an interesting and thought provoking read. The authors say in their epilogue that,  

we want to challenge the seemingly relentless press towards uniformity that appears to be winning the day in education circles. As an alternative, we want to propose that educators seek a balance between uniformity and diversity, between establishing fixed learning standards and honoring the innovation,exploration, and unique context that marks every classroom environment.

Landay and Wootton's book is for professional development. It will give those who work with children of all ages some very important and useful tools to make learning fun.

Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries- Frogs!

We are excited to launch Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries, a new series with Kid Lit Frenzy, Great Kid Books, and 100 Scope Notes. Today we're exploring several books about frogs written for a range of readers. Our goal is to help libraries build their nonfiction collections as they support teachers in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Head over to these blogs to read all of today's reviews:

Kid Lit Frenzy

Great Kid Books

100 Scope Notes

The Frog Scientist

Scientists in the Field series
by Pamela S. Turner
Photographs by Andy Comins
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009.
ISBN: 9780618717163
Grades 4-6

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

The Scientists in the Field series has made a name for itself as quality nonfiction for middle grade readers. In The Frog Scientist, readers are introduced to Dr. Tyrone Hayes, a charismatic biology professor at UC Berkeley. Pamela S. Turner takes readers into the field as Tyrone and his students catch leopard frogs from a pond in Wyoming. Tyrone is an amphibian expert, and he's testing his theory about how atrazine (a pesticide used in the U.S.) affects the development of frogs. Tyrone's research takes him from the pond into the lab where he and his students care for tadpoles and dissect frogs to examine under a microscope.

Turner incorporates sensory details and dialogue into the narrative to make the science story a pleasing read.

"This corner of Wyoming seems untouched by humans. The water, air, and sweet-smelling grass are abuzz with life. You wouldn't know it, but even in a place like this there can be pesticides that can harm wildlife" (p. 3).

Throughout the book readers are asked to ponder questions and think like scientists as Tyrone searches for answers to how pesticides affect frogs and toads. When the samples from the study are analyzed, the results are "puzzling" which shows readers that science isn't black and white. Often scientists must make adjustments to their theories and try again. The author also provides readers with the pros and cons for using pesticides on crops; this could lead to some thoughtful discussions and debates with students.

Stunning, close-up photographs of amphibians with detailed captions make this book a perfect blend of informational text and visuals. Back matter includes a glossary, a page identifying different species of frogs, a list of websites and selected bibliography.

The Frog Scientist would make an interesting read aloud with a fourth grade class or an independent read for fifth and sixth grade students. The structure and ideas presented in the book connect to the following Common Core State Standards:

6.RIT.6 (Informational Text)
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

6.RIT.8 (Informational Text)
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Pair this book with The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs to compare/contrast environmental and human impact on two different species of frogs.

Reviewed by Cathy



The Mystery of Darwin's Frog  
by Marty Crump
Illustrations by Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez
Boyds Mill Press, 2013.
ISBN: 9781590788646
Grades 4-6

I checked out a copy of this book from my local public library.

Frogs! Some are harbingers of spring (spring peepers), while others keep us company during the hottest part of summer ‘ribbiting’ in slimy ponds(bull frogs). According to an article in National Geographic Extreme Explorer (Mar2010, Vol. 3 Issue 5, p2-9) there are over 5400 kinds of frogs which can be found all over the world, as long as they have access to water. (After all, they are amphibians!)

Usually, frogs deposit their jelly-like eggs in water. They hatch into tadpoles and within a few weeks those tadpoles grow four legs and lose their tails. (Remember Swimmy by Leo Lionni?)  

But did you know there is one frog where the male swallows the tadpoles and keeps them inside his vocal sac until they come crawling out, fully developed? 

Sound weird? In The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog, behavioral ecologist Dr. Marty Crump, Ph. D. tells of the story of a very unusual frog that lives in the forests near Valdivia, Chile.

Rhinoderma darwinni, the Darwin’s frog, was first recorded by Charles Darwin on his now-famous voyage on the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836. Darwin saw an unusual frog with a flap of skin on its nose in December 1834, while on the island of Lemuy in southern Chile. A few months later, in February 1835, Darwin sees the same frogs, but this time in a ‘thick & gloomy forest near Valdivia, Chile.’ Darwin described these frogs as “very pretty & curious.” This unusual frog was given its name in 1841. 

Crump takes us on a 175-year journey and describes in very simple, straightforward language how scientists finally discovered that it is the father, not the mother, who incubates the polliwogs until maturity. The story doesn’t end there. Now Darwin’s frogs, and many others, are being threatened by extinction because of a killer fungus: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd. Bd was first discovered by scientists back in late the 1990s and scientists know of no way to rid environments of Bd. 

The book is handsomely illustrated with photos, and illustrations by award-winning artist Steve Jenkins, and Cuban-born artist, Edel Rodriguez. The book ends with a glossary, books and websites and a bibliography to learn more, an author’s note, and index. The Mystery of Darwin’s Frogs is an excellent example of quality nonfiction for children.

Place The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog in a display with other nonfiction titles: Growing Frogs by Vivian French, Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley, Face to Face with Frogs by Mark W. Moffett, The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs: a scientific mystery by Sandra Markle, and Frogs by Nic Bishop.

Fiction: Tuesday by David Wiesner, 999 Tadpoles by Ken Kimura, the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel, Froggy books by Jonathan London, Green Wilma by Tedd Arnold, In Memory of Gorfman T. Frog by Gail Donovan, The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor, and The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker. 

Reviewed by Louise

New Series Coming Soon...

We are excited about a new project we have in the works with Kidlit Frenzy, Great Kid Books, and 100 Scope Notes. Read Mary Ann Scheuer's introduction to our new series, and be sure to check back on Wednesday, May 22nd to read the reviews.

Introduction to Common Core IRL: In Read Libraries by Mary Ann Scheuer at Great Kid Books

Warning: Adorable Animals! A review of A Little Book of Sloth

A Little Book of Sloth by Lucy Cooke  
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013.
ISBN: 9781442445574
Grades K-4

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

Are you looking for a way to draw more readers to the nonfiction sections? All you need to do is put A Little Book of Sloth on display, and the readers will flock to the 600s. We've had it available in the collection a short time, and children and adults stop what they are doing and come running (or briskly walking) when they see the book.

What makes A Little Book of Sloth so appealing? First, it's about sloths. Who can resist these slow-moving, unique creatures? Also, the book is full of colorful photos of sloths living in Slothville, a preserve for injured sloths located in Costa Rica. Sloths are pictured relaxing in buckets, hanging from trees, cuddled up with stuffed animals, and eating vegetables from plates. These up-close photos take up most of the page and are accompanied by a just the right amount of text for an independent reader. Readers will find the narrative writing and author's voice engaging as they learn about the daily life and habits of sloths in the sanctuary.

In a conversational tone, Cooke tells the stories of individual sloths and the circumstances that brought them to Slothville.

"If hugging were an Olympic sport, then Ubu would be a gold medalist, but he wasn't always so strong. As a baby, Ubu lost his grip on his mother and fell. When he hit the ground he hurt his spine, and now his back legs don't work. But plenty of physical therapy has given the paraplegic baby sloth the upper body strength of a champion wrestler."

A Little Book of Sloth is not the type of book students would read for research projects. There is not much back matter except for a link to the Slothville site and a note from the author about the sloth sanctuary. The purpose of the book is reading for pleasure, and it will hopefully serve as a "gateway book" to other nonfiction titles such as Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World, Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, or Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot.

Visit the Slothville site to learn more about the sloth sanctuary.

Watch "A Bucket of Sloths" video filmed by Lucy Cooke.

From the Backlist -- Dogs on Duty by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Dogs on Duty : Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond

By Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Walker & Company. 2012

ISBN: 9780802728456

Grades 2 – 5

To write this review, I checked a copy of the book out of my local public library.

Dogs are man’s best friend. We’ve reached for the tissues when reading Finding Zasha (Barrow), Cracker! : The best dog in Vietnam (Kadohata), Letters from Wolfie (Sherlock), and Eyes of the Emperor (Salisbury). 

In Dogs on Duty, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent goes one step further to fill us in on just how much we've depended on a dog's special senses during wartime and what it takes to turn a lovable, playful puppy into a canine commando that will faithfully serve in every branch of the military. We learn which breeds have traits best suited to the job, the training process, and the final placement as a Military Working Dog(MWD). (Not all dogs become a MWD). 

What do they do as a Military Working Dogs? They jump out of aircrafts and float to earth in a parachute, sniff out explosives, find hidden illegal weapons and drugs, and help find dangerous land mines. They may wear cooling vests and goggles if working in a desert, heavy assault armor for protection in battle, or booties to protect their feet from cold and ice. Small dogs are used in submarines.  And when the mission is over, they comfort their handlers with a lick and a warm snuggle.

The straightforward text is complimented by color photos that capture the dogs at work and play.  Sidebars give more details about some special dogs. In one heartbreaking sidebar we learn about Afghanistan War Hero Hound, Eli.Eli accompanied Marine Corps LCpl. Colton Rusk in Afghanistan. While at work in a dangerous area of Afghanistan in December 2010, Colton was shot and died. The Marine Corps decided to retire Eli, even though he was only four years old, so that Colton’s family could adopt him. Eli provides a loving bridge between Colton and his grieving family.

What I found hard to comprehend was the vast number of dogs used. By late 2011, United States forces had 2,700 dogs on active duty. The training facility at Lackland Air Force Base (TX)is expecting to train around five hundred dogs a year, with no end in sight. The goal of the puppy-raising program there is eventually to provide about 30 percent of US MWD’s. Where do the other dogs come from? Lackland staff travel throughout the US and Europe to find young dogs with the right traits for military careers to join the Lackland puppies for training.

Included are websites and books for further reading, a glossary, index, and a list of sources used by the author.

Though sobering in its subject, Dogs on Duty will complement any display about working animals or books about war.

From the Backlist- Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman

Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman 
by Marc Tyler Nobleman
illustrated by Ross MacDonald
Knopf, 2008.
ISBN: 9780375838026
Grades K-5

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

Superman has been in the news recently. 2013 marks the 75th anniversary of the comic book superhero, and Man of Steel, a new Superman movie, is scheduled to open in theaters on June 14. While Superman fans anxiously await for the movie to premiere, it's the perfect time to read Boys of Steel by Marc Tyler Nobleman.

The narrative nonfiction picture book follows the lives of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, co-creators of Superman. The two friends grew up in Cleveland during the Great Depression. Jerry was a reader, a dreamer and a writer while Joe was a budding artist. Together the pair created a new kind of superhero.

"This hero would be an alien. Not a slimy green giant with two hundred eyes who prowled the moon and snacked on astronauts. Rather, an alien who protected humans. An alien who even looked human. An alien who came from far away and now lived on Earth. The real Earth, the Great Depression Earth."

When the Superman comic was published in 1938, it "was an instant hit." It's evident that Nobleman did his homework for this book. Selected sources are included on the copyright page, and all dialogue used in the story came from interviews with Joe and Jerry. Nostalgic watercolor illustrations reflect the 1930s setting. MacDonald effectively weaves comic book elements into the illustrations.

Readers should be sure to read the author's note. Nobleman details a lengthy story of how the co-creators of Superman sued DC Comics for rights to Superman. Jerry and Joe lost their court case, and "their names were removed from Superman comics." The battle for the rights to Superman and a percentage of the profits dragged on for decades.

Librarians looking to attract more readers to nonfiction should add Boys of Steel to their collections. Fans of comics, young and old, will be quick to scoop up this treasure.

Tito Puente: Mambo King Rey del Mambo by Monica Brown

Tito Puente: Mambo King * Rey del Mambo
A bilingual picture book by Monica Brown; Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Blue Slip Media. 2013
ISBN: 9780061227837
Preschool to Grade 4
Upon request, the publisher sent me a copy of this book for review.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, clap your hands for Tito Puente…

Brown and Lopez (Pura Belpre Honor winner My Name in Celia: the life of Celia Cruz Me llamo Celia: la vida de Celia Cruz) have again created a wonderful tribute to a famous Latin American. In this colorful, and very festive bilingual picture book biography readers will learn about the man considered the ‘Godfather of Salsa” and the “King of the Mambo” -- Tito Puente.  

Born Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. on April 20, 1923, in Spanish Harlem in New York City, the young Tito was making music before he could walk. He would bang on pots and pans making so much noise that his neighbors said, “Get that boy some music lessons!” 

¡Tum Tica! ¡Tac Tic! ¡Tum Tic! ¡Tom Tom!

During World War II, Tito was in the Navy. He joined the ship’s band and learned to play the saxaphone and write music. After the war, Title went to the Juilliard School of Music and dreamed of having his own band.

And, he did have his own band—The Tito Puente Orchestra and he made music with Celia Cruz, Santana, and La Lupe.

Lopez uses bold colors to create large, double-page paintings. In every one we see the hyperactive Tito constantly in motion. Whether he was playing stickball, blowing on the saxophone off the bow of the ship while in the Navy or banging his timbales in his orchestra, Tito was a man in perpetual motion. The book dares readers to sit still. But you just can’t!

¡Tum Tica! ¡Tac Tic! ¡Tum Tic! ¡Tom Tom!  

The book concludes with a brief recap of Puente’s life (he died June 1, 2000), and a sample of a simple rumba beat that is traditionally played with these three instruments: the bongos, the congas, and…the timbales, of course! (A set of Tito’s timbales is on display in the Smithsonian)

A must for any collection. 

¡Tum Tica! ¡Tac Tic! ¡Tum Tic! ¡Tom Tom!

Watch the bilingual book trailer for Tito Puente. 

For more information on Tito, listen to Jazz Profiles on NPR.

Nonfiction News

A number of nonfiction articles and news items have caught our attention recently. 

Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of Boys of Steel and Bill the Boy Wonder, wrote an interesting article for the May/June issue of Horn Book: "Danger! Dialogue Straight Ahead." Nobleman coins the term "nonfictionesque" as he examines how authors use dialogue in nonfiction texts. When we review books for The Nonfiction Detectives blog, we look closely at the dialogue used as well as the source notes. We hope many publishers read Nobleman's article and make sure authors have the space they need to cite their sources in nonfiction books.

Margie Culver shares her admiration for illustrator, John Hendrix, on the Nerdy Book Club blog. Hendrix has illustrated a number of picture books including Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds and A Boy Called Dickens.

The 2013 Green Earth Book Awards were announced earlier this year, and two books we reviewed last year won. Citizen Scientists by Loree Griffin Burns won a Green Earth Book Award in the Children's Nonfiction category, and Moonbird by Phillip Hoose won in the Young Adult Nonfiction category.


Marc Arsonson examines close reading and "rereading" of nonfiction texts and the Common Core State Standards in the "Consider the Source" column for School Library Journal. Arsonson asks librarians and teachers to think about the nonfiction books in our collections. He challenges readers by asking: "Can you point to a single book, a paragraph, or a chapter in a nonfiction book that you can highlight as rewarding rereading?" Food for thought!