Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - New Releases for April



Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  At the beginning of each month, I like to try to do a post to spread the word about recent releases or upcoming nonfiction/informational titles.  It is not comprehensive, but I do try to include a variety of titles that might be of interest to readers.  Some of them I have read and some I have yet to read.  Often I include reviews in later posts. 

Here are some April titles that I missed posting last month.  April is a huge month for nonficiton.  I also found some additional titles that came out earlier in the year.  If you missed the posts from the past three months, I have included them below.

Link to January & February Releases Post
Link to February & March Releases Post
Link to March & April Releases Post

Releases this month...
April 1, 2014


Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart; Illustrated by Constance R. Bergum (Peachtree Publishers)


Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers)


Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature by Sarah C. Campbell; Photographed by Richard P Campbell (Boyds Mill Press)


Tooth & Claw by Jim Arnosky (Sterling Children's Books)

April 3, 2014


A Mom for Umande by Maria Fasal Faulconer (Dial)

April 8, 2014


Galápagos George by Jean Craighead George; Illustrated by Wendell Minor (HarperCollins)

New Releases for Older Students...
April 1, 2014


Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home by Michelle Mulder (Orca Books)


Secrets of the Sky Caves: Danger and Discovery on Nepal's Mustang Cliffs by Sandra K. Athans (Millbrook Press)


Schools of Hope: How Julius Rosenwald Helped Change African American Education by Norman Finkelstein (Calkins Creek Books)


Underworld: Exploring the Secret World Beneath Your Feet by Jane Price; Illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock (Kids Can Press)

April 15, 2014


Bugged: How Insects Changed History by Sarah Albee; Illustrated by Robert Leighton (Walker Children's)

Past 2014 Releases...


Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage as the First Black-And-White Jazz Band in History by Lesa Cline-Ransome; Illustrated by James Ransome (Holiday House, January 2014)


It's Raining! by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House, January 2014)


Plants Feed Me by Lizzy Rockwell (Holiday House, January 2014)


Sea Turtle Scientist by Stephen R. Swinburn (HMH Books for Young Readers, January 2014)


Swamp Chomp by Lola Schaefer; Illustrated by Paul Meisel (Holiday House, January 2014)


Do You Know Leeches? by Alain M. Bergeron; Michel Quintin Sampar (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, March 2014)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews....

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednseday - March and April New Releases


Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  At the beginning of each month, I like to try to do a post to spread the word about recent releases or upcoming nonfiction/informational titles.  It is not comprehensive, but I do try to include a variety of titles that might be of interest to readers.  Some of them I have read and some I have yet to read.  Often I include reviews in later posts.  Here are some titles that I missed last month, and some additional titles that will be arriving in March and April.

Missed February Releases (for more February Releases, check here)
February 25, 2014


Alaska's Dog Heroes: True Stories of Remarkable Canines by Shelley Gill; Illustrated by Robin James (Little Bigfoot)


Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart; Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen (Charlesbridge)


Light is All Around Us by Wendy Pfeffer; Illustrated by Paul Meisel (HarperCollins)

Upcoming March Release (please check back to this post for more titles)
March 1, 2014


A Trip into Space: An Adventure to the International Space Station by Lorie Haskins Houran; Illustrated by Francesca Marquez (Albert Whitman & Co.)


Cold, Crunchy, Colorful: Using our Senses by Jane Brocket (Millbrook Press)


How to Make a Planet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building the Earth by Scott Forbes; Illustrated by Jean Camden (Kids Can Press)


On Kiki's Reef by Carol L. Malnor; Illustrated by Trina L. Hunner (Dawn Publications)


The Swamp Where Gators Hide by Marianne Berkes; Illustrated by Roberta Baird (Dawn Publications)


Sea Slime: It's Eeuwy, Gooey And Under the Sea by Ellen Prager; Illustrated by Shennan Bersani (Sylvan Dell Publishing)

Upcoming April Releases:
April 1, 2014


Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa's Fastest Cats by Sy Montgomery; Photographs by Nic Bishop (HMH Books for Young Readers)


Water Can Be... by Laurie Purdie Salas; Illustrations by Violeta Dabija  (Millbrook Press)


Plastic Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Patricia Newman; Photographs by Annie Crawley (Millbrook Press)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews below and stop by and comment on others:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Upcoming Releases - February & March


Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  At the beginning of each month, I like to try to do a post to spread the word about recent releases or upcoming nonfiction/informational titles.  It is not comprehensive, but I do try to include a variety of titles that might be of interest to readers.  Some of them I have read and some I have yet to read.  Often I include reviews in later posts.  Here are some titles that I missed last month, and some additional titles that will be arriving in March.

February 2014 - For additional February releases click here:


Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfe; Illustrated by Alix Delinois (Carolrhoda, February 1, 2014)


Sugar Hill: Harlem's Historic Neighborhood by Carole Boston Weatherford; Illustrated by R Gregory Christie (Albert Whitman & Co, February 1, 2014)


A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley; illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham (Scholastic Press, February 25, 2014)

March 2014


Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns (Millbrook Press, March 1, 2014)


The Streak: How Joe Dimaggio Became America's Hero by Barb Rosenstock; Illustrated by Terry Widener (Calkins Creek Books, March 1, 2014)


Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi; Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Beach Lane Books, March 4, 2014)


At the Same Moment, Around the World by Clothilde Perrin (Chronicle Books, March 11, 2014)


In New York by Marc Brown (Knopf Books for Young Readers, March 11, 2014)


A Baby Elephant in the Wild by Caitlin O'Connell (HMH Books for Young Readers, March 18, 2014)


Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray; Illustrated by Kenard Pak (HMH Books for Young Readers, March 18, 2014)


Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Upcoming Releases January & February 2014


Thank you everyone for signing up for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  I am excited already by a number of titles that I have found that will be released this year.  At the beginning of each month, I like to try to do a post to spread the word about recent releases or upcoming nonfiction titles.  It is not comprehensive, but I do try to include a variety of titles that might be of interest to readers.  Some of them I have read and some I have yet to read.  Often I include reviews in later posts.

January 2014 New Releases:


Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell; Illustrated by Christian Robinson (Chronicle Books, January 14, 2014)

February 2014 New Releases:


Endangered and Extinct Mammals by Jennifer Boothroyd (Lerner Publications, February 1, 2014)


The Pullman Porter by Vanita Oelschlager; Illustrated by Mike Blanc (Vanita Books, February 1, 2014)


Tools and Treasures of Ancient Egypt by Matt Doeden (Lerner Publications, February 1, 2014)


Florence Nightingale by Demi (Henry Holt, February 4, 2014)


Hippos Can't Swim and Other Fun Facts by Laura Lyn Disiena, Hannah Eliot; Illustrated by Pete Oswald (Little Simon, February 4, 2014)


Nest by Jorey Hurley (Simon & Schuster, February 4, 2014)


Weeds Find a Way by Cynthia Jensen Elliott; Illustrated by Carolyn Fisher (Beach Tree Lane Books, February 4, 2014)


The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock; Illustrated by Mary GrandPré (Alfred A. Knopf, February 11, 2014)


Dare the Wind: The Record Breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud by Tracey E. Fern; Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully (Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux, February 18, 2014)

Please feel free to grab the new image at the top that was created by @frootjoos (aka Alethea of Read Now Sleep Later) or one of the smaller buttons here:






Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews for the week....


Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker


Words by Patricia Hruby Powell
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Chronicle Books (January 14, 2014)
Biography * Jazz Age * Women's History


"I shall dance all my life...I would like to die, breathless, spent, at the end of the dance." 
- Josephine Baker, 1927

Description from GoodReads:
In exuberant verse and stirring pictures, Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson create an extraordinary portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine's powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.

My thoughts on this book:
For Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays, I usually try to review only books that are current year releases.  It's just the way I set up the challenge.  However, when this book arrived in the mail from Chronicle Books, I just had to share it.

I first learned of Josephine Baker when I was exploring different African American writers, artists, and musicians that were part of the Harlem Renaissance for a project.  However, I wish I had had this book when I was working on that project.

Patricia Hruby Powell and Christian Robinson make a dynamic duo with this book.  Powell moves through Josephine's life beginning in St. Louis and traveling through her life as she journeyed from St. Louis to New Orleans to Philadelphia to New York and eventually Paris.  Josephine found a home and place where she felt accepted in Paris.  Throughout the book, readers discover Josephine as an entertainer and also some of the other aspects of  her life which included being a spy for France and her tendency to live in excess.  The story is told through quotes, poems, and verse in a manner that captures the essence that was Josephine. Robinson meticulously matches Powell's text with vibrant illustrations that perfectly captures Josephine's personality.

At the end, both Powell and Robinson include notes about their research, inspiration, and process in creating this beautiful tribute to Josephine Baker. 

This book is a must add to your classroom or school library biography collection for middle graders. Look for it at your local independent bookstore when it comes out in January.      

Pair it up with:
by Jonah Winters; Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (January 2012)



Link up your nonfiction reviews: