Informational Nonfiction – Page 25

2015 Mock Sibert Award Hosted By Kid Lit Frenzy, Unleashing Readers, and There Is A Book For That

January 16, 2015January 16, 2015 by Kellee

Over the past three years, Alyson, of Kid Lit Frenzy, has hosted, and Carrie, of There Is A Book For That, and I have participated in, a book challenge pushing ourselves to read more nonfiction picture books. Since we read many of the best nonfiction picture books published each year, in 2014 we decided to start hosting a Mock Sibert Award.

The Sibert Award is given annually to the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year. Although the Sibert Award is not just for picture books, we are going to focus on the nonfiction picture books we feel would be honored or win this year. To be honored/win the Sibert Award, the book must include these important elements and qualities:

-Excellent, engaging, and distinctive use of language.
-Excellent, engaging, and distinctive visual presentation.
-Appropriate organization and documentation.
-Clear, accurate, and stimulating presentation of facts, concepts, and ideas.
-Appropriate style of presentation for subject and for intended audience.
-Supportive features (index, table of contents, maps, timelines, etc).
-Respectful and of interest to children.

After reviewing the qualities and elements needed to win the Sibert Award, I chose the following five titles as my Mock Sibert Finalists that I hope will win or be honored on February 2nd. Check out Kid Lit Frenzy and There is a Book for That to see what Alyson and Carrie chose as their picks.

Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World
Author: Steve Jenkins
Published April 1st, 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Steven Jenkins is the master of informational nonfiction! His unique artwork is always eye catching, and he chooses the most information to share with students. Many of his books, including this one, sound like something that would be boring to read about, but Jenkins makes it so it is not. This book, includes information about different animals’ eyes with a close up of their eyes and an overview illustration of the whole animal. I had no idea there were so many different types of eyes! And animals that I thought didn’t have eyes actually do!

As for Sibert criteria, Jenkins hits it out of the park! His use of informative yet appealing language mixed with his beautiful visual presentation is above the rest, the book is organized for readers to easily understand, has back matter that supports the text, it is appropriate and interesting for children.

Neighborhood Sharks
Author: Katherine Roy
Published September 30th, 2014 by David Macaulay Studio

This one surprised me. From the cover and artwork, I thought it would be just a simple shark book, but it was so much more! This book completely contradicts any statement that says that a book with illustrations and not photographs cannot be an exemplar informational text. Neighborhood Sharks takes you through a Great White Sharks routines, anatomy, habits, and how scientists study them. The diagrams are exceptional and really add to the text.

Once again, this text is spot on when it comes to Sibert criteria. The entire book is excellent, engaging, and distinctive! It was a pleasure to read!

The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus
Author: Jennifer Fisher Bryant
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Published September 15th, 2014 by Eerdman’s

Roget was such a fascinating man, and I had no idea before picking up this text. He was a genius, creative, scientist, and a good father and husband. I loved that Bryant and Sweet teamed up again (they also did A River of Words about William Carlos Williams) to tell us Roget’s story. I think what makes their books so special are the unique way that illustrations and text intertwine and together become the story. Every part of the page is essential to the book.

I feel like a broken record, but again this book definitely fulfills the criteria for the Sibert award. I actually think that because of the unique use of illustrations and text, it is probably my most distinctive use of visuals.

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
Author: Katherine Applegate
Illustrator: G. Brian Karas
Published October 7th, 2014 by Clarion

Anyone who knows me knows that I adore apes (see my Nerdy Book Club Top Ten Ape books and my Hurt Go Happy interview with Ginny Rorby as well as my Hurt Go Happy, Primates, and Endangered reviews). They are such fascinating creatures. I enjoy reading about them and am a true advocate for their care here on Earth. This book is just another supporting document in the beauty, intelligence, and awesomeness of these creatures. Katherine Applegate has written a perfect companion to her Newbery winning One and Only Ivan which takes the reader into Ivan’s life and once again makes our heart break for him. It is written in verse with words that transport you into Ivan’s life. This book made me cry because of the power of the words, but more importantly, the power of Ivan’s story. Please read this. You will thank me (and curse Katherine Applegate for the tears).

This book may be my only book that does not meet all of the criteria for the award, but I had to put it on the list because of its beauty, importance, and closeness to my heart. Although it does not include any supportive features, I feel that that does not take away from the amazing use of language, beautiful illustrations, and fascinating story.

Feathers: Not Just For Flying
Author: Melissa Stewart
Illustrator: Sarah S. Brannen
Published February 25th, 2014 by Charlesbridge

This is another book, like Eye to Eye, that I thought could not be as good as everyone had said. It is a book about feathers which could never be interesting, right? Wrong. Stewart does an amazing job of sucking you in, showing the beauty and importance of feathers, and she does so with some amazingly beautiful imagery (using similes). Her language mixed with the soft-toned illustrations, which are perfect for a book about feathers, makes you lose yourself in her information. Then she sneak attacks at the end, after you are already sucked in, with the scientific classification of feathers. Next thing you know, you are fascinated with feathers.

Feathers also meets all of the Sibert criteria–especially the engaging use of language and stimulating presentation of facts.

Which book from my, Alyson’s, or Carrie’s list do you think should be honored by the Sibert committee? Complete our poll below to share which you think should win, and also enter to win the winner of our poll.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner of the Mock Sibert and giveaway will be announced on Wednesday, January 28th. I cannot wait to see which book wins!

It’s All True! Series by High Noon Books

December 31, 2014 by Ricki

Nonfiction Picture Book 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!

About the Series: These 15 books focus on grades 4 through 8 content but are focused on students with lower reading levels. They contain high-interest nonfiction topics like Earth and Space, Living Things, History, Technology, and Careers, and highlight content areas outside of English/language arts.

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: As a former high school teacher, I know the struggle to match kids with great books. Oftentimes, struggling readers cannot find books that match their reading abilities and interests. For instance, a student may find books with grade-level topics to be interesting, but the texts are simply too challenging. This series is great because the books contain middle school topics but are written at lower elementary school reading levels. They are carefully crafted with attention to vocabulary and sentence structure to support readers.

I enjoyed We Made It by Lisa Benjamin. It was composed of five chapters about manmade structures: the International Space Station, the Great Pyramid, the Lincoln Cathedral, Skyscrapers, the Three Gorges Dam, and the Eden Project. I learned a lot, and I suspect future engineers will enjoy learning about these structures. Teachers could explore interdisciplinary connections by integrating other content areas, like science and social studies. High Noon Books rates this book one star, which means it is designed to be at a first grade reading level.

Robots by Allison Lassieur was at a higher reading level, ranked grade three (three stars) by High Noon Books. I immediately noticed a difference from We Made It. While both books are the same number of pages, the sentences in Robots were closer together, and the book was longer. Additionally, the book contained complex sentence structures. Robots explores a lot of interesting aspects about…you guessed it, robots! Dancing robots, robots that keep us safe, firefighting robots, ancient robots, and robots of the future are just a few of the topics of this text. I am saving this book because if my son enjoys robotics when he is a bit older, he will definitely love this overview. I think teachers could have a guest speaker come in and discuss real-life applications of robots. Or, students could research robots that are used in their community.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I am the reading coach at my school and have worked with struggling readers for for the last few years. One of the struggles that struggling readers have, as Ricki stated, is finding a book that is at their interest level but also at their reading level. It’s All True! is trying to remedy that by having informational nonfiction texts at a middle grade interest level, but at a reading level that these students can reach. It reminds me of fiction series like Bluford, but with specific purposes for instruction. I could see these texts being used in a small group setting when teachers differentiating for their students.

I read two different books in the “Living Things” series: This is Huge by Lisa Benjamin (1 star) and Healers and Killers by Allison Lassieur (3 stars). Both included very specific information about the topics they were focusing on: This is Huge was about large animals over time; Healers and Killers was about plants and animals that can kill or heal us. The information in both seemed to be on grade level (middle school); however, the “three star” book had more text per page, tougher vocabulary, and more complex sentence structures.

Teacher Materials for Each Level:

http://www.highnoonbooks.com/pdfs/Its_All_True_TG_Level1_v4.pdf
http://www.highnoonbooks.com/pdfs/Its_All_True_TG_Level2_v4.pdf
http://www.highnoonbooks.com/pdfs/ItsAllTrueTGLevel3_V5c.pdf

More Information

http://www.HighNoonBooks.com
http://www.highnoonbooks.com/HNB/realnonfiction-hnb.tpl

Sample Chapter:

Weird Science, Chapter One
(2 star text)

Read This If You Love: How it Works series by various, Informational nonfiction by Jen Green, Informational nonfiction by Seymour Simon

Recommended For:

and

**Thank you to Steve at High Noon Books for providing these books for review**

The Holocaust: A Concise History by Doris L. Bergen

November 26, 2014 by Ricki

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

This week, I did not review a picture book. This text, however, is an incredibly informative nonfiction text that will help teachers and students who are learning about the Holocaust. I wanted to feature it on Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday because this is a topic that is taught in classrooms with students of all ages.

The Holocaust: A Concise History
Author: Doris L. Bergen
Published September 16, 2009 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

GoodReads Summary: In examining one of the defining events of the twentieth century, Doris Bergen situates the Holocaust in its historical, political, social, cultural, and military contexts. Unlike many other treatments of the Holocaust, this history traces not only the persecution of the Jews, but also other segments of society victimized by the Nazis: Gypsies, homosexuals, Poles, Soviet POWs, the disabled, and other groups deemed undesirable. With clear and eloquent prose, Bergen explores the two interconnected goals that drove the Nazi German program of conquest and genocide purification of the so-called Aryan race and expansion of its living space and discusses how these goals affected the course of World War II. Including illustrations and firsthand accounts from perpetrators, victims, and eyewitnesses, the book is immediate, human, and eminently readable.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I read this in preparation for a Teaching the Holocaust Workshop I attended.

I felt a gamut of emotions while reading this important text: anger, disappointment, disgust, and utter sadness. Bergen excellently balances the timeline of the Holocaust in this concise book of fewer than 300 pages. While many books that are taught in schools focus on concentration camps during the Holocaust, Bergen provides a wealth of information of the events both pre-war and post-war. I appreciated the ways in which she dispelled many myths that exist in books, textbooks, and the media. I’ve read over a hundred books about this time period, and while I considered myself an expert, this book was humbling to me. I was unaware of many aspects of the Holocaust that Bergen described, and she situates herself as an expert (and rightfully so, as she has received accolades for her work regarding the time period). I believe all teachers of history and English/language arts (at a minimum) should read this text. Moreover, it would pair well with any fiction or narrative nonfiction about the time period because it gives context of the events. Teachers might elect to use short portions to inform students and contextualize events in history.

I Recommed This Book If You: Teach any book that is set during the Holocaust

Recommended For:

Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina L. Brooks

November 13, 2014 by Ricki

Writing Great Books for Young Adults
Author: Regina L. Brooks
Published: October 7, 2014 by Sourcebooks

Summary from the Publisher:

From a top young adult literary agent, the only guide on how to write for young adults.

With an 87 percent increase in the number of young adult titles published in the last two years, the young adult market is one of the healthiest segments in the industry. Despite this fact, surprisingly little has been written to help authors hone their craft and truly connect with the young adult audience.

Writing Great Books for Young Adults gives writers all the advice they need to tap into this incredible and innovative market. Literary agent Regina L. Brooks shows writers how listening to young adults will help them create characters their audience can identify with.

Topics covered include meeting your protagonist, engaging your readers, trying on points of view, and many more.

Review: Regina clearly positions herself as an expert of the field of young adult literature. Her knowledge is very apparent in her tips to writers. Interestingly, I wouldn’t just recommend this book for adults looking to write for young adults. Her tips are very useful for student writers as well. She provides insider advice about the industry and gives step-by-step tips for writers. Beyond being very informative, I was pleased with the fact that this book made me want to drop everything and write! Teachers would find this to be a valuable guide for students with its informative and inspirational writing advice.

Read an Excerpt from the Publisher by Clicking Here!

About the Author: Regina L. Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and has been developing award-winning authors and books for over a decade. She has been highlighted in several national and international magazines and periodicals, including Poets and Writers, Essence, Writer’s Digest, and Sister2Sister,Forbes, Media Bistro, Ebony, and Jet. She lives in New York City.

Connect with Regina: @serendipitylit facebook.com/serendipitylit serendipitylit.com

Recommended for:

*Many thanks to Kathryn Lynch and Sourcebooks for providing this book for review.*

Nonfiction Graphic Novels

October 22, 2014 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book 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!

Although many elementary students enjoy and love nonfiction, this love tapers off when students get to middle school. Very few of my students read nonfiction at all. However, there is a wonderful thing happening that is helping increase the amount of nonfiction read in my school: memoir and informational nonfiction graphic novels. Here are some that I have read that my students and/or I have truly enjoyed.
(Clicking on any cover will take you to the Goodreads page or my review.)

Children’s/Middle Grade

primates

Middle Grade/YA

Hope you and your students enjoy some nonfiction graphic novels!

On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City by Alice Goffman

July 27, 2015October 2, 2014 by Ricki

On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City
Author: Alice Goffman
Published: May 1, 2014 by University Of Chicago Press

Summary: Forty years in, the War on Drugs has done almost nothing to prevent drugs from being sold or used, but it has nonetheless created a little-known surveillance state in America’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Arrest quotas and high-tech surveillance techniques criminalize entire blocks, and transform the very associations that should stabilize young lives—family, relationships, jobs—into liabilities, as the police use such relationships to track down suspects, demand information, and threaten consequences.

Alice Goffman spent six years living in one such neighborhood in Philadelphia, and her close observations and often harrowing stories reveal the pernicious effects of this pervasive policing. Goffman introduces us to an unforgettable cast of young African American men who are caught up in this web of warrants and surveillance—some of them small-time drug dealers, others just ordinary guys dealing with limited choices. All find the web of presumed criminality, built as it is on the very associations and friendships that make up a life, nearly impossible to escape. We watch as the pleasures of summer-evening stoop-sitting are shattered by the arrival of a carful of cops looking to serve a warrant; we watch—and can’t help but be shocked—as teenagers teach their younger siblings and cousins how to run from the police (and, crucially, to keep away from friends and family so they can stay hidden); and we see, over and over, the relentless toll that the presumption of criminality takes on families—and futures.

While not denying the problems of the drug trade, and the violence that often accompanies it, through her gripping accounts of daily life in the forgotten neighborhoods of America’s cities, Goffman makes it impossible for us to ignore the very real human costs of our failed response—the blighting of entire neighborhoods, and the needless sacrifice of whole generations.

Review: Inspired by a college course in her sophomore year, Alice Goffman seeks an ethnographic experience in inner-city Philadelphia. She gets a part-time job tutoring an African American girl, Aisha, and soon befriends the boys of 6th Street (pseudonym). Mike adopts her as a younger sister, and she comes to live with these boys—studying their every move. This quality piece of ethnographic research is a page turner. While it reads a bit more like a book than a scholarly publication, readers can glean her methodological approach through the footnotes. Goffman’s mission is clear. She wants readers to understand the inequities these African American boys of 6th Street face, and she shows how the criminal justice system (both law enforcement and the justice/prison system) are not working. I was ashamed at the actions of the police, specifically, and think this is very educational to readers of all ages, particularly in the wake of the racially based crimes that we consistently see in the news.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: This book is written for adults, but I think it would be very educational for high school students. I would use excerpts of this text to show students the realities of life on 6th Street in Philadelphia. It could be used to better understand crimes in the news, to teach inequity, to examine class issues, to understand the drug trade, and to fight racism. It would be eye-opening for students. While teaching this, I would also consider pairing it with Malcolm Gladwell’s review.

Discussion Questions: What can we do to stop the injustice of the court system? How is it flawed?; What role does race play in this text?; Was Goffman too close to the subjects of her ethnography? Do you think this affected her portrayal of 6th Street? What are the positives and negatives of this approach of qualitative study?

We Flagged: “To be on the run is a strange phrase for legally compromised people, because to be on the run is also to be at a standstill.”

“Thus, the great paradox of a highly punitive approach to crime control is that it winds up criminalizing so much of daily life as to foster widespread illegality as people work to circumvent it. Intensive policing and the crime it intends to control become mutually reinforcing. The extent to which crime elicits harsh policing, or policing itself contributes to a climate of violence and illegality, becomes impossible to sort out.”

Read This If You Loved: Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys by Victor M. Rios; The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Recommended For:

Recent Nonfiction (Mostly) Picture Book Reads Part One: Informational

September 24, 2014 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Over the last few months, I’ve read some nonfiction (mostly) picture books that I haven’t reviewed, but that I definitely need to share with you all.

The Angry Little Puffin
Author: Timothy Young
Expected Publication: September 28th, 2014 by Schiffer Publishing

My Thoughts: This book isn’t completely nonfiction as it is told from the point of view of the puffin, but I love that it includes some very important information about puffins vs. penguins. As someone who loves penguins (and puffins), I love that someone is finally addressing the confusion between the two. This would be a very fun book to pair with Neversink.

A Timeline History of the Thirteen Colonies
Author: Mark K. Pratt
Expected Publication November 1st, 2014 by Lerner Publications

My Thoughts: I thought that this book was such a great way to talk about the start of our country. It has fun infographics and illustrations that hold the attention that goes along with chronological information.

Best Foot Forward: Exploring Feet, Flippers, and Claws
Author: Ingo Arndt
Published August 1st, 2013 by Holiday House

My Thoughts: What a fun and different way to look at animals. The photographs are very well done, and I loved seeing the close ups of their feet. It also is interactive because it starts with the foot close up and inquiry, then gives the answer. Will keep kids engaged.

Gravity
Author: Jason Chin
Published April 29th, 2014 by Roaring Brook Press

My Thoughts: First, if you have never seen a Jason Chin book, you need to get one now just to see the illustrations. Beautiful! Gravity explains gravity in a simple way yet is very scientifically accurate. Great introduction to the natural phenomenon of gravity.

How Big Were Dinosaurs?
Author: Lita Judge
Published August 27th, 2013 by Roaring Brook Press

My Thoughts: When I finished this book, I was so excited to share the title with my friend whose daughter loves dinosaurs. How Big Were Dinosaurs? introduces the reader to a wide variety of dinosaurs and shares a comparison to a modern object. Very entertaining and informative.

Stubby, the Dog Soldier: World War I Hero
Author: Blake Hoena
Illustrator: Oliver Hurst
Published July 1st, 2014 by Picture Window Books

My Thoughts: What a hero! It is always so amazing to learn about the surprising heroes during war and other tough times. Stubby is an amazing animal. He overcomes more than most humans will ever encounter. This story is inspiring and also informative about how animals can really change the game.

All Recommended For: