Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Kicking Off a New School Year

Whether you started the new school year a couple of weeks ago or won’t start for a couple of more weeks, I want to wish everyone a fabulous start of the new year.

As I have scrolled through Twitter and Facebook, I have seen many posts about read alouds for the start of the year. One of the things I have noticed is that many of the posts focus on the latest fiction picture books. Occasionally, though, a teacher will mention that they are looking for some nonfiction recommendations. It made me realize that I needed to dust off a few of my old blog posts about nonfiction read alouds.

If you are looking for some tips on reading aloud nonfiction including expository nonfiction, check out these previous posts:
Nonfiction Read Alouds, Part II

Reading Aloud Nonfiction

If you are a regular reader of this weekly challenge, then you probably have a list of nonfiction that you would include in your stack of books to share with students. A few weeks ago, I shared my favorite nonfiction picture books from the first part of 2019. If you missed the post, you can check it out here. These are definitely titles that I will be sharing with teachers and students.

Here are a few upcoming releases that just miss the first few weeks of school that I am looking forward to reading and sharing with students:

Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayer, Illustrated by Rafael Lopez (Philomel Books, September 3, 2019)

What Miss Mitchell Saw by Hayley Barrett, Illustrated by Diane Sudyka (Beach Lane Books, September 3, 2019)

If Elephants Disappeared by Lily Williams (Roaring Brook Press, September 17, 2019)

Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, Illustrated by Chris Sasaki (Schwartz & Wade, September 24, 2019)

Cells: An Owner’s Handbook by Carolyn Fisher (Beach Lane Books, October 15, 2019)

Mark your calendars for when these books are released, and may you have a fabulous year of picture book read alouds and don’t forget to include nonfiction in your book sharing.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Taking a Vacation

I don’t take vacations very often from this weekly post but as I get ready for the start of the new school year I realized that I needed some time to think about the direction of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge along with catching up on some of reading. The weekly challenge will be back on Wednesday, August 21st. Until then, happy reading everyone.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…


Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Don't Miss These Titles

Recently, I needed to recharge and spent Sunday morning reading picture books. Nothing helps to change my mood or perspective more than curling up with a stack of picture books. The four books listed below are all upcoming releases and shouldn’t be missed.

You Are My Friend: The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood by Aimee Reid, Illustrated by Matt Phelan (Abrams Books for Young Readers, August 6, 2019) - I will be doing a full review of this book next week. However, I will say that Reid does a nice job introducing children (and adults) to the Mister Rogers behind the TV show.

Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul, Illustrated by John Parra (Clarion Books, September 3, 2019) - Paul introduces readers to the founder of Little Free Libraries, Todd Bol. It was fascinating to learn more about how the Little Free Library movement was started.

Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Saénz and the Great War by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 3, 2019 - I tend to be a fan of Tonatiuh’s work and I really enjoyed this newest book. I knew nothing about José de la Luz Saénz and his role in the “creation of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which is the oldest Latino civil rights organization”.

Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children by Kath Shackleton, Illustrated by Zane Whittingham (Sourcebooks Explore, October 1, 2019) - Six short stories of children who survived the Holocaust as told in a graphic novel format. Given what is currently happening at our own borders, I may have gotten a little choked up as I read this one.

Mark your calendars for when these books will be out!

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: July & August Releases

I love technology but occasionally things malfunction. The system i use to track new releases has a glitch and I have been trying to recreate my list. I definitely know that there are several other books coming out this summer and once I track them down I will do an update in August. Also there are quite a few amazing titles coming out this fall and I can’t wait to share them with you. Until then, here are several titles that I haven’t shared in previous posts. I have also included the links to past month round-ups in case you want to look back on books you might have missed.

January | February | April Part 1 | April Part 2 | May | June

Look Again: Secrets of Animal Camouflage by Steve Jenkins, Robin Page (HMH Books for Young Readers, July 2, 2019)

Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine G. Johnson (Simon & Schuster, July 2, 2019)

Dinosaurs: By the Numbers by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers, July 16, 2019)

Earth: By the Numbers by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers, July 16, 2019)

Look! I Wrote a Book! (and You Can Too!) by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Neal Layton (Schwartz & Wade, July 23, 2019)

Did You Burp?: How to Ask Questions (or Not!) by April Pulley Sayre, Leeza Hernandez (Charlesbridge, August 6, 2019)

Migration: Incredible Animal Journeys by Mike Unwin, Jenni Desmond (Bloomsbury, August 6, 2019)

Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle, Rafael Lopez (Simon & Schuster, August 27, 2019)

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



Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Top Nonfiction Picks for the First Half of 2019

On Monday, I saw this tweet from @mrs_cmt1489 ….

… and decided that I would share my top choices from the first half of 2019.

After reviewing what I have read to date, here are some of the books that stand out.

Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me by Susan L. Roth (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, May 14, 2019)

Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman, Illustrated by Keith Henry Brown (Page Street Kids, April 16, 2019)

The Crayon Man: the True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow, Illustrated by Steve Salerno (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 19, 2019)

The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Sarah Jacoby (Balzer & Bray, May 21, 2019)

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison (Little Bee Books, January 8, 2019)

Seashells: More Than a Home by Melissa Stewart, Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen (Charlesbridge Publishing, April 2, 2019)

Trees: A Rooted History by Piotr Socha, Illustrated by Wojciech Grajkowski (Harry N. Abrams, April 9, 2019)

Two Brothers, Four Hands by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, Illustrated by Hadley Hooper (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, April 23, 2019)

Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Verify, April 2, 2019)

Yogi: The Life, Loves, and Language of Baseball Legend Yogi Berra by Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by Terry Widener (Calkins Creek, February 5, 2019)

I realized that this list currently includes a lot of biographies so I need to make sure that I work a bit harder to get my hands on science themed books. It will also be interesting to see which of these will make my Mock Sibert list later this year.

Look for these at your local bookstore or community library.

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