Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: New Releases for January & February 2020

January 15, 2020 Alyson Beecher

It's January! Time to get excited about all of the new nonfiction books coming out in 2020. I have started
scrolling through publisher catalogs, online book review sites, and searching for favorite nonfiction authors to see when their next books are being released. Though this is not an exhaustive list, I hope this gets you excited about reading more nonfiction. Also, if you missed my December 18th post, click here to see more January and February new releases.

January Releases:

Bear Goes Sugaring by Maxwell Eaton III (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, January 7, 2020)

A Ride to Remember: A Civil Rights Story by Sharon Langley, Amy Nathan, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Abrams Books for Young Readers, January 7, 2020)

A Voice Named Aretha by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Illustrated by Laura Freeman (Bloomsbury Children's Books, January 7, 2020)

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, Illustrated by Oge Mora (Schwartz & Wade, January 7, 2020)

By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Bryan Collier (Atheneum Books for Young Reader, January 14, 2020)

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon by Kelly Starling Lyons, Illustrated by Laura Freeman (Lee & Low Books, January 14, 2020)

Fred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers by Laura Renauld, Illustrated by Brigette Barrager (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, January 14, 2020)

Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln by Shari Swanson, Illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Katherine Tegen Books, January 14, 2020)

Machines in Motion: The Amazing History of Transportation by Tom Jackson (Bloomsbury, January 14, 2020)

The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by by Lesa Cline-Ransome, Illustrated by John Parra (Simon & Schuster, January 14, 2020)

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl by Megan Reid, Laura Freeman (Balzer & Bray, January 21, 2020)

Earth Hour: A Lights-Out Event for Our Planet by Nanette Heffernan, Illustrated by Bao Luu (Charlesbridge, January 21, 2020)

Hard Work But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter by Bethany Hegedus, Illustrated by Kyung Eun Han (Balzer & Bray, January 28, 2020)

Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield, Illustrated by Alleanna Harris (Little Bee Books, January 28, 2020)

February Releases:

Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin, Illustrated by Felicia Marshall (Creston Books, February 4, 2020)

Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, Illustrated by Mehrdokt Amini (Carolrhoda Books, February 4, 2020)

A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson, Nina Crews (Millbrook Press, February 4, 2020)

The True Story of Zippy Chippy: The Little Horse That Couldn’t by Artie Bennett, Illustrated by Dave Szalay (NorthSouth Books, February 25, 2020)

Look for these upcoming releases at your local indie bookstore or community library.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews….

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Kicking Off the 9th Year

January 8, 2020 Alyson Beecher

Welcome to the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge! I am excited to share that this fabulous community of readers will be embarking on our 9th year of celebrating nonfiction. Once again, I am inviting you to join me on this amazing journey of books and learning.

Last year, I was hoping to explore more ways to expand and feature additional posts on nonfiction. I didn’t quite meet that goal but I hope to try again this year. I would love to hear what would be helpful to you and other teachers and librarians. Feel free to make suggestions in the comment section.

Stop by next week to learn about new releases that will be coming out in January and February 2020.

For those of you, who are new to the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I want to welcome you and encourage you to read the guidelines below.

If you would like to participate in the challenge in 2020, here are the details:

1. Set a goal as to how many nonfiction picture books (or nonfiction MG or YA books) you would like to read over the course of 2020. Maybe you want to read one a month or one a week. Will they all be from 2020 or will you be reading ones previously published? Do you have a gap with a particular area of nonfiction? The important part is to set a goal that will be fun and not stressful.

2. My nonfiction book reviews and posts will be on Wednesdays. There will be a link if you want to connect up one of your reviews or progress towards your goal. If you post on Mondays (Nonfiction Mondays) or Fridays (STEM Fridays), please feel free to link up on Wednesdays with us, we would love to get to know more bloggers talking about nonfiction.

3. There will be interviews, guest posts, giveaways, and new release posts for you to check out.

4. If you would like to participate in this challenge, please link up your blog or GoodReads Shelf using the Widget at the very bottom of the post. Please know that you can join in at anytime throughout the year.

5. If you tweet about what you are reading as part of this challenge, please use the twitter hashtag #nfpb2020.

6. You are welcome to grab the image at the top of the post to use in your weekly posts.

7. On behalf of this community, we welcome your participation and look forward to learning about the books that you have discovered.

Please use the link up widget below to link up a review or your challenge goals.

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: A Sneak Peak at 2020

December 18, 2019 Alyson Beecher

Sometimes the best packages that arrive come without fancy packaging and bows. Recently, I received a few of those boxes. Upon opening them, I found the best kind of present. Advanced copies or F & G’s (folded & gathered) of nonfiction picture books that will be out in 2020. Since not all of these books are on GoodReads yet, I have linked to IndieBound. Have fun creating a list of books to discover in 2020. It’s going to be a great year for nonfiction.

Coming in 2020…

Cezanne’s Parrot by Amy Guglielmo, Illustrated by Brett Helquist (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, February 11, 2020)

After Dark: Poems About Nocturnal Animals by David L Harrison, Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis (Wordsong, February 25, 2020)

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, Illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Neal Porter Books, February 4, 2020)

Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson For The Vote by Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by Sarah Green (Calkins Creek, February 25, 2020)

Wood, Wire, and Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten W. Larson, Illustrated by Tracy Subisak (February 25, 2020)

Amphibian Acrobats by Leslie Bulion, Illustrated by Robert Meganck (Peachtree Publishers, March 1, 2020)

Seagulls Soar by April Pulley Sayre, Illustrated by Kasia Bogdanska (Boyds Mills Press, April 14, 2020)

Jacob Riis’s Camera: Bringing Light to Tenement Children by Alexis O’Neill, Illustrated by Gary Kelley (Calkins Creek, May 5, 2020)

Saving Lady Liberty: Joseph Pulitzer’s Fight for the Statue of Liberty by Claudia Friddell, Illustrated by Stacy Innerst (Calkins Creek, June 30, 2020)

Stop by next week for my final NFPB Challenge post of 2019 and a review of some of my favorites.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: End of the Year Releases

December 11, 2019 Alyson Beecher

Over this past year, I have celebrated new releases nearly every month. I am not exactly sure how many titles have been featured as part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge but I suspect the number is well over 120 books. I hope that as you have stopped by to check out posts that you have found some amazing new books and possible new favorites. And most importantly of all increased your awareness of and joy in reading nonfiction books.

There isn’t a lot of titles left of 2019 but here are a few that I missed.

Splash and Bubbles: Shark by The Jim Henson Company (HMH Books for Young Readers, November 12, 2019)

Splash and Bubbles: Penguins by The Jim Henson Company (HMH Books for Young Readers, November 12, 2019)

A Picture Book of Alexander Hamilton by David A. Adler, Illustrated Matt Collins (Holiday House, December 10, 2019)

Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis (HMH Books for Young Readers, December 10, 2019)

In the comments feel free to share one title that you discovered through the challenge that you really loved.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Best of Book Lists 2019

December 4, 2019 Alyson Beecher

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The time when bloggers, organizations, and publications begin releasing their best of lists. Of course, this is a bit of a two edged sword. For those authors and illustrators who find themselves on a list or on multiple lists, it is exciting. However, for others, it can produce disappointment. For me, I am excited to see books that I loved on a list but I also enjoy finding books that I missed and adding them to my “to read” list.

Here is the start to a list of Best Books. Some additional lists will be released in the next few weeks and I will update the links as they come out.

New York Public Library Best Picks of 2019 - This is mix of fiction and nonfiction titles. However, you have to scroll through all of the titles since the sort feature is kind of glitchy.

Chicago Public Library Best of 2019