Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - endangered animals - 7.10.19

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.


There's always so much we can learn by looking into the past, and some living creatures we're hoping do not come something only found in our past.  Some books to celebrate - 


When Sue Found Sue by Toni Buzzeo
When Sue Found Sue: Sue Hendrickson Discovers Her T. Rex
written by Toni Buzzeo
illustrated by Diana Sudyka
This picture book biography shares with readers the past of paleontologist Sue Hendrickson, the person who discovered one of the most famous dinosaur finds of our time - the impressive T. Rex we know as "Sue".  We meet young Sue and really understand her passion of finding things.  When she was little, she would find everything, from lost items to figuring out answers to the life around her.  As she grows up, we see how Sue funneled her passion for finding things to becoming a paleontologist.  The book explores the time when she found her most famous discovery, the T. Rex that eventually is named after her.
I always love how picture book biographies show us how passionate a young person can be about something and how that drives their adult life.  Great for showing young readers that what they feel strongly about can impact their future!

Don't Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton
Don't Let Them Disappear - 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe
written by Chelsea Clinton
illustrated by Gianna Marino
Clinton has given us 12 beautiful layouts (amazingly illustrated by the extremely talented Gianna Marino) of animals that are in danger of disappearing.  Each animal is written in a way that makes them seem a part of our daily lives, like an animal we know personally, and one we should definitely care about.  Using the collective nouns to describe the group of animal, Clinton shares information about each one, giving us brief details about the ways they live their daily lives.  On the opposite side of the layout lists the places the animal lives, what the animal's endangered status is and why the animal is endangered.  I like the the why is included because it may just be the sliding door that readers are looking for - it may give them ideas how they can help the animals.  While it might have taken away from the beautiful illustrations (done in gouache on Fabriano watercolor paper), I wish a small map that shows a more exact location of where to find the animals had been included.
The backmatter includes ideas for what you can do to help the animals and additional information why the animals are endangered. 


Picture book biographies and animal books are always enjoyed by readers.  I think both of these will be a hit.  What other newly published animal books are on your radar?

3 comments:

  1. One memory that will never go away is seeing the last dodo at the Harvard Museum of Natural Science. There is much to lose when one animal "link" in the chain is gone. I know about When Sue Found Sue, but not Don't Disappear, Michele. Thanks for both reviews!

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  2. Not an animal book but Carrie Pearson's new book, Reach for the Sun, about coastal redwoods is also about an endangered ecosystems. I liked it a lot.

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  3. I've been debating whether to read When Sue Found Sue. We have it in the store.

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