Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 2.12.14

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into our students' reading.  I quickly discovered I had a "gap" in my reading diet - the genre of informational texts!  To help me fill the gap this year, I am going to participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays!  This is a great link-up hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this website to see other educator's link-ups.  My goal is to read at least one informational text each week and post information on the blog.  The more books and subjects I read, the more I can encourage (my #OLW for 2014) other teachers to use in their classroom! 

Our kindergarten teachers teach a unit on bears every winter.  The students compare and contrast different types of bears, they read about them, research them, and watch live feed videos!  I found a few new(er) books to add to their collection.  I love how these newer books use accessible text for young readers and there is additional information utilized in the Author's Notes.  Each of these three books also have different illustrations - ranging from real photographs, illustrations and Steve Jenkins's traditional artwork!


Brown Bear by Suzi Eszterhas
part of the Eye on the Wild series
Details the first three years of a brown bear's life.  Wonderful details, great text for young readers, and fascinating photographs.  


Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre
Great book for young readers who are looking for information about brown bears, specifically their eating habits. I loved how this book showed through the months a brown bear spends on the prowl, how it finds food, what type of food it eats and how it looks for its food. Text that flows, yet it does not shy away from using some important vocabulary ("forage", "unearth", "talus slopes"). So much information can be taken from the story! The author includes additional information at the end of the book that goes into more depth about the eating habits of the brown bear.


Where Do Polar Bears Live? by Sarah L. Thomson
Informational text about polar bear cubs.  Gives the reader information, not only about where polar bears live, but also additional information about global warming and the effect on the home of the polar bear.