Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 11.19.14

NF PB 2014

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into ourstudents' 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! 


I'm always thrilled to find new books to read and add to my collection to use with students.  The books I am showing today are not new.  You probably saw them reviewed on another blog earlier this year.  But just in case you forgot about them, here's a quick reminder about these fantastic books!

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis
I absolutely loved this book.  The soft, muted colors used in the illustrations only enhance this narrative informational text.  I love how the information is presented like a story but has captions to add to the learning.  Our 4th grade students go on a "road trip" every year, and I know this will be a great book to use when they are studying the midwest.  And since we're a suburb of Chicago, they'll be studying hometown history!  I loved this blog entry by Sunday Cummins about this fantastic book HERE

Sequoia
Sequoia by Tony Johnston
Johnston has written such beautiful prose and I love that the story is told from the sequoia's point of view.  With the beautiful illustrations of the talented Wendell Minor, the sequoias' magnificence comes to life.  Johnston has included information about the difference between the sequoia and the redwood, a different famous California tree.  Another great text to use on our 4th graders road trip - to California!

Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents
Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents by Lita Judge
Organized by headings ("The baby needs protection", "The baby is part of a family", "The baby learns"), readers learn how different animal babies grow up and learn how to do the same things we do when growing up.  Read in a day, or enjoyed over several days, kids will be captivated by learning about what these animal babies do.  I love how Judge introduces new vocabulary to her readers - "nurturing", meerkat family is called a "mob", "regurgitate".  So much to learn in this book!

3 comments:

  1. You are reading some amazing titles! I really love the look of this Lita Judge title. Would love it for my class collection. Especially hearing you talk about all of the great vocabulary introduced.

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  2. Sequoia is just gorgeous, still need to read about Mr. Ferris! Have fun at NCTE!

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  3. I've heard a lot about Sequioa. Definitely a book to savor, I predict. :)

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