Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Frog Song

Author: Brenda Z. Guiberson
Illustrator:  Gennady Spirin
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. (February 5, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy
Audience: Ages 4 to 8
Nonfiction * Frogs * Habitats/Behavior

Description from GoodReads:
Since the time of the dinosaurs, frogs have added their birrups and bellows to the music of the earth. Frogs are astonishing in their variety and crucial to ecosystems. Onomatopoeic text and stunning illustrations introduce young readers to these fascinating and important creatures, from Chile to Nepal to Australia.

My thoughts on the book: 
The team of Guiberson and Spirin have partnered to create a beautiful book about various frog species.  

"Frogs have a song for trees, bogs, burrows, and logs.  When frogs have enough moisture to keep gooey eggs, squirmy tadpoles, and hoppity adults from drying out, they can sign almost anywhere. CROAK! RIBBIT! BZZZT! PLONK! BRACK! THRUM-RUM!"

Guiberson goes on to talk about 11 different frogs in various countries.  Sometimes the focus is on child-bearing behaviors and other times about how they co-exist in a delicate balance with other creatures.  Regardless of the particular focus on the page, each frog species has a unique song which has meaning and purpose.  Frog Song, in a way, is Guiberson's ballad to the health and survival of frog in a world where the existence of humans has in many places thrown off the delicate balance of the ecosystem.  

Spirin's paintings are stunning and give the impression of almost being so real that if you are still enough you may just see a frog jump off the page.  The end of the book contains additional information on each of the 11 frog species, additional resources, and an author's note about the survival of frogs.  Definitely a book to add to any classroom or school library collection. 

Check out the Macmillan Publisher's page for a preview of the pages. 

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Nelson Mandela

Author: Kadir Nelson
Paintings by: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books (January 2, 2013)
Source: Copy for Review
Audience: Grades 2nd to 5th
Biography * South Africa * Political Leaders

Description from GoodReads:
One day when Nelson Mandela was nine years old, his father died and he was sent from his village to a school far away from home, to another part of South Africa. In Johannesburg, the country's capital, Mandela saw fellow Africans who were poor and powerless. He decided then that he would work to protect them. When the government began to keep people apart based on the color of their skin, Mandela spoke out against the law and vowed to fight hard in order to make his country a place that belonged to all South Africans.

Kadir Nelson tells the story of Mandela, a global icon, in poignant verse and glorious illustrations. It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country by believing in equality for people of all colors. Readers will be inspired by Mandela's triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world.

My thoughts on the book:
Over the past few years, Kadir Nelson has focused on what he does best - picture book biographies.  Kadir Nelson has taken on the former South African president Nelson Mandela as the focus for his latest book.  It is quite conceivable that someone would want to purchase a book by Kadir Nelson simply for the artwork.  The oil painting portrait of Mandela on the cover captures the illustrious leader with warmth and power.  Each two page spread demonstrates Nelson's ability to communicate deeply through his paintings which convey emotion and strength.  Yet, Nelson's choice of words including the verse-like style of text is perfectly suited to relay to the reader the story that is Nelson Mandela.

Kadir Nelson has created a picture book biography on Nelson Mandela that will provide young readers with an introduction to the South African leader from his childhood to the end of apartheid.    The author's note and additional bibliographical information at the end will provide readers with some further details about Nelson Mandela.  Whether you choose to pick up a copy of this book because of the amazing illustrations or as an addition to a school or classroom biography collection, Kadir Nelson's newest book Nelson Mandela is an excellent choice. 

For additional books to consider, check out the New York Times post Black History Greats.

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - February 2013

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I try to post new releases for the month.  Here are some of titles that I found being released in February 2013.  Books marked with an asterik (*) indicated full length chapter books for grades 5 to 8. 


February 1, 2013

*A Marked Man: The Assassination of Malcolm X by Matt Doeden (Twenty-First Century Books)

February 12, 2013

Becoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares (Candlewick Press)

February 19, 2013

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone; Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Henry Holt and Co.)

If you know of a book that should be included in this list, please include the title and author in the comments section and I will update the list.  

If you have posted any nonfiction book reviews, please link them up with this post:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction & the Robert F. Sibert Medal

On Monday, the world celebrated one of the most important days in Children's Literature with ALA's Youth Media Awards.  Congratulations to all of the winners of the YALSA's Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction and the Robert F. Sibert Medal Award.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 

Winner: Bomb: The Race to Build — and Steal — the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon written by Steve Sheinkin, published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Honor: Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different written by Karen Blumenthal, published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Honor: Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 written by Phillip Hoose, published by Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Honor: Titanic: Voices from the Disaster written by Deborah Hopkinson, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic

Honor: We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March written by Cynthia Levinson, published by Peachtree Publishers

2013 Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children 

published in 2012 

Winner: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon written by Steve Sheinkin and published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press.

The Sibert Medal Committee selected three Honor Books:

Honor: Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin written by Robert Byrd and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Honor: Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 written by Phillip M. Hoose and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers.

Honor: Titanic: Voices from the Disaster written by Deborah Hopkinson, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic 

Of course, I would have loved to see some more nonfiction picture books on this list, but given that two different Award Committees selected nearly all of the same books, these need to go on my list of books to read.

If you have a nonfiction picture book or nonfiction book post that you would like to link up, please include them below. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - A Splash Of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

Author: Jen Bryant
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Publisher: Knopf/Random House (January 8, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy
Read Aloud Level:  2nd to 4th grade
Independent Reading Level: 3rd to 5th grade
Art * Biographical * Nonfiction

Description from GoodReads:
As a child in the late 1800s, Horace Pippin loved to draw: He loved the feel of the charcoal as it slid across the floor. He loved looking at something in the room and making it come alive again in front of him. He drew pictures for his sisters, his classmates, his co-workers. Even during W.W.I, Horace filled his notebooks with drawings from the trenches . . . until he was shot. Upon his return home, Horace couldn't lift his right arm, and couldn't make any art. Slowly, with lots of practice, he regained use of his arm, until once again, he was able to paint--and paint, and paint! Soon, people—including the famous painter N. C. Wyeth—started noticing Horace's art, and before long, his paintings were displayed in galleries and museums across the country.

Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet team up once again to share this inspiring story of a self-taught painter from humble beginnings who despite many obstacles, was ultimately able to do what he loved, and be recognized for who he was: an artist.

My thoughts on the book:
The second picture book biography from the team of Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet looks at the life and art of Horace Pippin.  The book begins with Pippin's birth and childhood in West Chester, Pennsylvania at the end of the 19th century.  From the time he was a child until an injury in World War I, Pippin drew for people.  Often using charcoal and scraps of paper.  It took years for Pippin to regain his ability to draw after his injury.  He developed a new technique to accommodate his injured arm and began to work with paints and other materials. With the support of the painter, N.C. Wyeth, Pippin's work began to be viewed by people in an exhibition.  The world became aware of Pippin as an artist at this point.
 

Bryant's storytelling is supplemented by quotes from Pippin and those who knew of him and his work.  As I read the words Bryant had written, I sensed her appreciation and admiration for Pippin.  Readers will feel the partnership and the journey undertaken by author and illustrator.  Both Bryant and Sweet confirm this in their endnotes.  Sweet utilizes watercolor, gouache, and collage in her illustrations which bring both depth and texture to each illustration.
    

The picture above of Pippin drawing as a young child and the one below of the art supplies he won in a contest are two of my favorite pictures in the book. 

The end of the book contains a Historical Note on Horace Pipping, notes from the Author and Illustrator, Quotation Sources, and further Resources.  I am excited to introduce Horace Pippin to students and thankful to be able to do it with this particular book. I look forward to seeing this picture book biography in classrooms and school libraries.  

Look for A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin at a local independent bookstore or community library near you.

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews below: