Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Locomotive

Author/Illustrator: Brian Floca
Publisher: Atheneum (September 3, 2013)
Source: Copy from Publisher
Audience: 2nd to 5th graders
History * 19th Century United States * Locomotives

Description from GoodReads:
All aboard! From the creator of the “stunning” (Booklist) Moonshot, a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads.

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

My thoughts on this book:
Recently, I had the chance to hear Brian Floca speak at the SCIBA Children's Breakfast.  Floca's newest book is about trains, specifically steam engine locomotives.  Readers experience the first transcontinental journey made by the crew and families, as this iron horse travels across the country. 

During his speech at the breakfast, Floca shared with the audience about the making of the book.  He spoke about his own travels across the country to stop at locations where the train would have made stops.  Many of these are identified in the book.  He shared about the various primary and secondary sources he researched in order to bring this story to life. And through photographs, the audience also had the chance to watch Floca's creative process and how each step from sketches to ink drawings to watercolor paintings brought the book one step closer to the book we can now hold in our hands.

Trains hold a fascination for many.  Young children love stories about trains, watching a train barrel down a track, or riding on a train at a local park. Many of these children grow up to still maintain the fascination and interest in trains.  The brilliance of Locomotive is that it makes readers feel like they are right there from the first "ring of hammers on spikes" to the incredible attention to detail that is within each illustration to the types of fonts used to emphasize specific words and phrases. 

Floca has another winner on his hands with Locomotive.  Look for a copy of this book at your public library or local independent bookstore and experience the magic of trains.
   
More information about Brian Floca:  website | blog | facebook | twitter | YouTube

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - October Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I try to give a heads up on new releases for the month. Late September/October Releases...

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World by Elizabeth Rusch; Oliver Dominguez (Candlewick)

Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber; Illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Candlewick)

Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers, Matt James; Illustrated by Matt James (Groundwood Books)

Wow, I Didn't Know That: Surprising Facts About Animals by Emma Dods; Illustrated Marc Aspinall (Kingfisher, September 24, 2013)

Let's Make a Difference: We Can Help Orangutans by Gabrielle Francine (BBM Books)

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Rotten Pumpkin

Author: David M. Schwartz
Photographer: Dwight Kuhn
Publisher: Creston Books (July 23, 2013)
Source: Copy for Review
Audience: 2nd to 4th graders
Keywords: Food Chains * Mold * Nonfiction

Description from GoodReads:
Compost won't mean the same thing after readers have seen the amazing transformation of Jack from grinning pumpkin to mold-mottled wreckage to hopeful green shoot. The story of decomposition is vividly told so that science comes to life (and death). Part story, part science, and a whole lot of fun. Features a teacher guide in the back of the book, and additional material (including instructions on how to put on a Rotten Pumpkin play in your school) are on the Creston and Author websites.

My thoughts on this book:
This book is gross.  Seriously, I don't mean that in a bad way, but how else do you describe a book that is basically filled with images of various kinds of molds and insects?  Schwartz and Kuhn give readers a whole new insight into the concept of decomposition in ROTTEN PUMPKIN.

When someone creates the beautiful carved pumpkin for Halloween, the process for decomposition has been triggered.  However, most of us do not keep our Jack-o'-lanterns around until they have completely broken down and resulted in compost for next year's crop of pumpkins.  Dwight Kuhn's photographs are vivid and very descriptive on their own, but David M. Schwartz's simple but clear text helps readers understand the various stages of decomposition that a carved pumpkin goes through.  In addition to understanding the decomposition process, readers learn about the various rodents and insects that further facilitate the process.

In some ways, I have to say that this book is not for the faint of heart.  However, I suspect there will be a number of children who will pick this one up out of curiosity or to make someone else say "ewwww".  If you are looking for something with a more science related focus to use around Halloween, you might want to take a look at Rotten Pumpkin. The end of the book also contains key vocabulary and classroom investigation ideas.

If this book isn't available at your local bookstore or public library, I would suggest requesting that they carry it.  For more information about the book, read about David M. Schwartz's creative process for ROTTEN PUMPKIN.

Also available - Teacher Resources from Creston Books:
Curriculum Guide |  Activities | Rotten Pumpkin Play

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library

Author: Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator: John O'Brien
Publisher: Calkins Creek Books (September 1, 2013)
Source: Purchased
Audience: 2nd to 4th grade
Keywords: American History, Biographical, American Presidents, Libraries

Description from Publisher:
Thomas Jefferson loved books, reading, and libraries, and he started accumulating books as a young man. This original and lyrical picture-book biography tells the story of how Jefferson's vast book collections helped to create the world's largest library, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Filled with excerpts from primary documents, including Jefferson’s thoughts on books, reading, and learning, this title also features John O’Brien’s whimsical and detailed illustrations. Rosenstock and O’Brien worked closely with experts to ensure the text and images are accurate. The book concludes with an author’s note, bibliography, and source notes.

My thoughts on this book:
Last year I read, Barb Rosenstock's The Camping Trip that Changed America.  This was my first introduction to Rosenstock's work, and I really enjoyed the book.  I was excited to see that she had a new one out, and pulled if off of the new release wall at Vroman's.  I don't think I had read more than a couple of pages when I knew that this was one that I had to have.   A few days later, I attended a book group of about 20+ teachers and librarians who book talk their latest book finds.  Guess which book I brought with me? If you said Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library, you would be 100% correct.

What made me like this book as much as I did?   Page 6.  Well, yes, I did love page six and it is in the book trailer. Hint: What word did Jefferson spell out?  But, let me be serious for a minute.  Rosenstock fully captures Thomas Jefferson's love for books.  Jefferson loved to read nearly above all else.  Jefferson loved books so much that he began collecting them.  On his first trip to Europe, Jefferson shopped for books.  "Tom bought two thousand books in five years, more than a book a day."  That is some serious book shopping.

Still, there is more to love about this book.  Did you know that Jefferson had his own system for organizing books?  Did you know that while president, Jefferson tripled the number of books in the Library of Congress?  And after the Library of Congress experienced a fire that burned through 3,000 books, Jefferson donated his personal collection to the Library of Congress.

Though this book is focused on specific events in Jefferson's life as they related to books, the foucs is a good one that works.  The book does include an author's note and other tidbits of information and various resources at the end.  I encourage you to read through them.  Also, Rosenstock's text provides readers with information for further research on Jefferson and the Library of Congress.  Readers are invited to read through the book using the main text to inform and inspire them.  However, readers can read the book for a second or third time, as they look through the illustrations and read all of the small text boxes.  

Rosenstock's Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library would make a nice addition to any  classroom or school library.  Look for this book at your public library or pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore.

Official Book Trailer:




Educator's Guide, click here.

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - No Monkeys, No Chocolate

Author: Melissa Stewart; Allen Young
Illustrator: Nicole Wong
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (August 1, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy
Audience: 2nd to 5th grade
Keywords: Nonfiction, Cacao Plants, Microhabitats

Description from GoodReads:  
Most kids love chocolate, but few of them know that its main ingredient, the cocoa bean, comes from a tree that grows in tropical rain forests. Dual-layer text describes the life cycle of the tree, emphasizing its botanical structures and highlighting the interdependence of the plant and animals such as the pollen-sucking midge, brain-eating coffin fly, and aphid-munching anole lizard. Two wise-cracking bookworms offer meta-textual commentary and humor in this fascinating depiction of a microhabitats survival.

My thoughts on this book:
I love chocolate.  So, of course, a title like No Monkeys, No Chocolate caught my attention.  Stewart, with input from Young,  has effectively combined factual information about cocoa beans with a touch of humor to make an enjoyable read for children.

In addition to the great illustrations, there are several elements to this story.  One element is the headline like sentences that continue across two pages.  Another element is the detailed text that shares how cocoa beans grow in tropical rain forests.  Another element are two funny bookworms that provide humorous commentary on the story.  Finally, there is a build up to the title by a play on the title:  "No midges, No chocolate." "No lizards, No chocolate."

The progression of the story helps readers understand not only the way a cocoa tree grows but also how so many other things like midge insects, leaf-cutter ants, maggots, aphids, lizards, and eventually monkeys all have a part in the successful growth and development of cocoa trees and their seed pods.  Nicole Wong's colorful and detailed illustrations are a beautiful compliment to the text.

This is one book to definitely add to a classroom or school library. Look for this book at your local independent bookstore or library.

Though I couldn't find a book trailer for No Monkeys, No Chocolate, here is a short video from Kew.org that compliments the book:

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