Book List

Nonfiction Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Because of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, I find myself often with huge piles of picture books from the library that were highly recommended by fellow bloggers. I celebrate many of the nonfiction pictures books on Wednesdays, but I want to share some of the fiction picture books I have enjoyed. So, I decided to start series here on UR where I can pass on the love for these books sporadically as I read them. Here is a list of some great pictures books that I’ve read recently from my huge library pile (part 9!).

I have read and reviewed about some amazing nonfiction titles throughout 2015: Women Who Broke the Rules (series) by Kathleen Krull, Frozen Wild by Jim Arnosky, Fab Four by Susanna Reich, I Am Lucille Ball by Brad Meltzer, Jump Back, Paul by Sally Derby, Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash, The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale, Seeds of Freedom by Hester Bass, The Sky Painter by Margarita Engle, The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella, and I am Jackie Robinson by Brad Meltzer. I also reviewed Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, Tricky Vic by Greg Pizzoli, and Drowned City by Don Brown last week (two award winners!).

However, at the end of the year when blogs such as Kid Lit Frenzy and There’s a Book for That were sharing their favorite nonfiction texts from 2015,  I realized there were some amazing books I had not read yet, but I made sure to fix that! Last week I shared three of the titles; today I am going to share four more.

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton
Author and Illustrator: Don Tate
Published September 1st, 2015 by Peachtree

I know that I am blessed to live as I do, but I forget that even words are something that I am lucky to have. Tate’s story of George Moses Horton shows that words are not something we should take for granted, and also shows the beauty and strength of words. In Horton’s story, words not only influence him to become a poet but allow him to make money and live on his own throughout some of his life. Eventually, as a free man after the Civil War, Horton was able to live as the poet he always was. My favorite quote is the last lines of the book: “George’s love of words had taken him on a great journey. Words made him strong. Words allowed him to dream. Words loosened the chains of bondage long before his last day as a slave.”

Water is Water
Author: Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Jason Chin
Published May 26th, 2015 by Roaring Brook Press

Chin’s artwork is some of my favorite of all picture book illustrators, and in this story of the beauty behind the water cycle, Chin’s illustrations bring Paul’s words to life. I really love the set up of this book. It is a mix of science and poetry. The only way to show you the beauty is to give an example:
” Drip. Sip. Pour me a cup. Water is water unless… it heats up. Whirl. Swirl. Watch it curl by. Steam is steam unless…”

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
Author: Sally M. Walker
Illustrator: Jonathan D. Voss
Published January 20th, 2015 by Henry Holt and Co.

Winnie-the-Pooh is such a beloved character, but it is not common knowledge that Winnie was an actual bear that had quite a journey, and I loved learning the story behind the story. Walker begins the book with actual photos of Harry, the soldier who owned Winnie, and Winnie which grabs the readers attention and drags you into the time period and the truth of the story. She then writes a tribute to Winnie and Harry alongside Voss’s beautiful watercolor illustrations. By the end you love Winnie as much as Winnie-the-Pooh.

Earmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs
Author and Illustrator: Meghan McCarthy
Published January 6th, 2015 by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

Often times we forget that things we use every day were once none existent and someone had to invent them. This is the story of ear muffs and how one man didn’t invent them but instead made them better and is thought to be the inventor. McCarthy gives quite a history into muffs and ear muffs and other inventions alongside her fun illustrations.

Are there any must read 2015 nonfiction titles that I missed? 

Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Four? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Five: We Need Diverse Books (NF)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Six: We Need Diverse Books (F)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Seven? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Eight: 2015 Nonfiction Titles? You can view it HERE.

Nonfiction Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Because of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, I find myself often with huge piles of picture books from the library that were highly recommended by fellow bloggers. I celebrate many of the nonfiction pictures books on Wednesdays, but I want to share some of the fiction picture books I have enjoyed. So, I decided to start series here on UR where I can pass on the love for these books sporadically as I read them. Here is a list of some great pictures books that I’ve read recently from my huge library pile (part 8!).

I have read and reviewed about some amazing nonfiction titles throughout 2015: Women Who Broke the Rules (series) by Kathleen Krull, Frozen Wild by Jim Arnosky, Fab Four by Susanna Reich, I Am Lucille Ball by Brad Meltzer, Jump Back, Paul by Sally Derby, Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash, The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale, Seeds of Freedom by Hester Bass, The Sky Painter by Margarita Engle, The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella, and I am Jackie Robinson by Brad Meltzer.

However, at the end of the year when blogs such as Kid Lit Frenzy and There’s a Book for That shared their favorite nonfiction texts from 2015,  I realized there were some amazing books I had not read yet, but I made sure to fix that!

Tricky Vic: The Impossible Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower
Author and Illustrator: Greg Pizzoli
Published March 10th, 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers

This is one of the most fascinating, page-turning, funny, exciting nonfiction picture books I’ve ever read! Pizzoli does a wonderful job of bringing Tricky Vic’s story to life. Learning about all of his cons from conning Al Capone (and living!) to making people believe he was Count Victor Lustig to selling the Eiffel Tower, you just want to keep turning the pages to see what else he gets away with! I also loved the artwork. It is a simplistic almost political cartoon style, but Tricky Vic’s face is always just a finger print because who is he, really?!

Trombone Shorty
Author: Troy Andrews
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Published April 14th, 2015 by Harry N. Abrams

I love stories that celebrate music, diversity, and passion, and this book does all of that. Troy’s story of learning how to play a trombone at age four, playing with Bo Diddley at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at age 4, leading his own band by age 6, finding a deep love in music, and becoming a successful musician is inspiring. I love his stories of forming a band with his friends–nothing could stop them, even the lack of instruments! It is also so amazing that  The illustrations are beautiful as well. They are collage and watercolor and truly bring the story to life. I love how Collier brought the music to life by visualizing it in his illustrations.

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans
Author and Illustrator: Don Brown
Published August 4th, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers

I am a big fan of both of the books I’ve read by Don Brown because he does an amazing job at telling truth in an interesting way but without bringing any bias into it. He includes all of the truth with illustrations that make history come to life. Drowned City transports you back to the terror that was felt after Hurricane Katrina, but also shares information that wasn’t common knowledge because the media didn’t include it. This is a must read.

Check back next Wednesday for some more 2015 nonfiction titles!

Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Four? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Five: We Need Diverse Books (NF)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Six: We Need Diverse Books (F)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Seven? You can view it HERE.