Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - what's in my nonfiction stack? 5.29.19

Wednesdays I join Alyson Beecher from kidlitfrenzy and other
#kidlit bloggers to share wonderful nonfiction picture books.
The intention of today's blog post is to give professionals that work in the
education field new nonfiction reading material and ideas to use 
with students to promote a love of reading nonfiction materials.


Some nonfiction that jumped out of the stacks recently:


Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando
Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando
written by Andrea Wang
illustrated by Kana Urbanowicz
Anyone who has been through college, probably survived in some point in time, on ramen noodles.  This is the story how they came to be!  A story about determination and making do with what you have, a story about an inventor whose product has withstood the test of time!  

If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon
If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon
written by Joyce Lapin
illustrated by Simona Ceccarelli
This book is so cool!  
Melissa Stewart has talked a lot about voice and nonfiction reading.  This is one I would add to her conversation.
Lapin takes the idea of having a birthday party on the moon and then explains how the logistics of everything would work.  For instance, how long it will take you to get to your birthday party (answer:  3 days via rocket ship, another 9 birthdays if you choose to walk...) and how while you're celebrating, the sky from the moon will look black even though if you're party was on Earth is would be blue (answer: it has to do with the fact that Earth has air in the atmosphere and the moon doesn't).  And did you know there are some "artifacts" left from space trips on the moon?  Who knew there was a four-leaf clover, golf balls, and moon boots?
I'm looking forward to pairing this one with Stacy McAnulty's upcoming Moon! Earth's Best Friend (publishes June 11th).

Two Brothers, Four Hands
Two Brothers, Four Hands: The Artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti
written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
illustrated by Hadley Hooper
I always find it fascinating when I read about someone I should probably know but I don't.  That's the case with this one, and I'm grateful for the backmatter since I found photos of the artwork of the Giacometti brothers that looked familiar.
A biography that really goes through the lifetime of the brothers - organized with headings that detail the years it is discussing, readers travel from the early years to their deaths learning about the passion of these two artists.
Illustrated by Hadley Hooper, it is a gorgeous picture book, one you'll want to have some time to read.

Super Summer: All Kinds of Summer Facts and Fun
Super Summer: All Kinds of Summer Facts and Fun
by Bruce Goldstone
If you ever need a book to teach about the seasons or patterns in a day/month/year, this series is perfect!  It is one of the most kid friendly book when teaching about the seasons because it does such a great job making connections to young readers.  The book is clearly organized by a main heading and then it connects the information being learned to something in a young reader's life.  



Hope you've added a new book to your stacks!

4 comments:

  1. I've read the Magic Ramen & loved hearing the story of how Cup Noodles came about. The others are all new to me. Since my youngest granddaughter cannot wait until summer vacation, she will love Summer! Thanks, Michele!

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  2. Thanks for spotlighting these books! I ADORE non-fiction!!

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  3. ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™ MAGIC RAMEN, Michele! I'm a friend of Andrea's, so I was able to see the early versions of it.

    I have the Giacometti brothers bio in my library queue. Excited to read it!!

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  4. Michele, thank you for your beautiful words about "If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon." It's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as Melissa Stewart! Best regards, Joyce Lapin

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