My weekly post will be delayed..Many apologies. We have been working to set up our Emergency Child Care Program and my focus sadly has not been on books. Check back on Friday for an updated post!
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: The Great Chicago Fire (History Comics)
The Great Chicago Fire: Rising From the Ashes (History Comics)
by Kate Hannigan, Illustrated by Alexandra Graudins
First Second (June 30, 2020)
Nonfiction * History * Comics
Audience: Ages 9 to 12
Indiebound | WorldCat
Description from GoodReads:
With History Comics you can travel back in time to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, the deserts of the American southwest, the riot at the Stonewall Inn, and beyond! In this new nonfiction graphic novel series from First Second, the past comes alive!
In this volume, a deadly blaze engulfs Chicago for two terrifying days! A brother, a sister, and a helpless puupy must race through the city to stay one step ahead of the devilish inferno. But can they reunite with their lost family before it’s too late? With History Comics: The Great Chicago Fire, you'll learn how a city rose up from one of the worst catastrophes in American history, and how this disaster forever changed how homes, buildings, and communities are constructed.
Quicks thoughts on the book:
Ahh! Where is the line between historical fiction and nonfiction? Or Informational fiction and Nonfiction? These are questions that pop, especially when reading graphic or illustrated books. And kept nagging me as I was reading The Great Chicago Fire (History Comics) by Kate Hannigan and illustrated by Alex Graudin.
I have been a big fan of First Second’s Science Comics and was excited to see that there would be a series of history comics being released. As I read through the story, I learned a lot about the facts that led up to the Chicago Fire of 1871 and the evolvement of Chicago into a thriving city as change came to the city. Hannigan doesn’t shy away from acknowledging and pointing out the bias towards the immigrant communities, particularly the Irish during this period of time. Hannigan, also, explores multiple possibilities for how the fire began that October evening. Like many people I assumed that Mrs. O’Leary and her cow had started the fire that fatal night, only to learn that she was cleared of this accusation in 1997.
Though the addition of Franny and her brother, JP, and a very small pup named Lucky provides the book with a narrator for the events of the night and following days, I had to assume that they were fictional. I am excited to share this new graphic novel with students and think there can be many conversations about how Hannigan clearly identifies factual information while also using fictional elements. This is an especially important skill for children to develop when reading informational texts.
At the end of the book, back matter includes an author’s note, timeline, fast facts, places to visit and bibliography & resources.
And during this time of #stayhomestaysafe, consider supporting your local indie bookstores .
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: June and July New Releases
This month I decided to post upcoming releases for June and July. I know that I am missing titles and if you are aware of new nonfiction titles that are coming out this month, or July or August can you post them in the comments. With all that is going on in the world right now, I feel like I am missing some important things like book releases. Anyway, I am excited for the books I did find that are releasing soon.
If you missed the previous posts, you will find them here: 2020 Preview | January/February Post | March Post | April Post | May Post
June 2, 2020
I’m Trying to Love Rocks by Bethany Barton (Viking Books from Young Readers)
June 9, 2020
Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt (Scientists in the Field) by Mary Kay Carson, Photographs by Tom Uhlman (HMH Books for Young Readers)
June 16, 2020
The Mars Challenge by by Alison Wilgus, Illustrated by Wyeth Yates (First Second)
June 23, 2020
Eels (Super Power Field Guide) by Rachel Poliquin, Illustrated by Nicholas John Frith (HMH Books for Young Readers)
Ivan: A Gorilla's True Story by Katherine Applegate, Illustrations by G. Brian Karas (Clarion Books)
Insects: By the Numbers by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers)
Solar System: By the Numbers by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers)
June 30, 2020
History Comics: The Great Chicago Fire: Rising From the Ashes by Kate Hannigan, Illustrated by Alex Graudins (First Second)
History Comics: The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer (First Second)
Play in the Wild: How Baby Animals Like to Have Fun (In the Wild) by Lita Judge (Roaring Brook Press)
July 21, 2020
Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg by by Rob Sanders, Illustrated by Levi Hastings (Henry Holt & Co.)
V Is for Voting by Kate Farrell, Illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald (Henry Holt & Co.)
July 28, 2020
Condor Comeback (Scientists in the Field) by Sy Montgomery, Photography by Tianne Strombeck (HMH Books for Young Readers)
And during this time of #stayhomestaysafe, consider supporting your local indie bookstores .
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion
Original Source of image is unknown - found on Twitter.
For the past week, it has been hard to break away from the news and what is happening. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis while being held down by police officers was just the latest death of a Black person at the hands of officers and it has set off protests in cities across the country. Additionally, people are beginning to talk more about how do we engage in conversations about racism? How do we talk with children about racism? It is never too early to talk about race.
Image from The Children’s Community School
I have been trying to understand racism and implicit bias for decades. If we are going to make a difference and to learn to talk about race, racism, equity, and inclusion, then we need to open ourselves up to learning. As a white woman, I am especially addressing this to other white people. We need to start reading more about what the world is like for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We need to get out of our comfort zones and place ourselves in situations where we are truly the minority and listen and learn. We need to stop making the conversation all about us. And we need to stop expecting Black people to do the work for us.
Below are just a few resources and titles to check out.
We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) compiled a list of resources on Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion. Definitely worth checking out this list that includes organizations, book recommendations, Black-owned bookstores, and educational resources.
Here are a few books that I will highlight for now…
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, Illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky (Kokila, June 16, 2020) - Though this is not a nonfiction title, it is a great way to start the discussion with young children.
Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood, Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III (Roaring Brook Press, March 2020)- From GoodReads - Woke is a collection of poems by women that reflects the joy and passion in the fight for social justice, tackling topics from discrimination to empathy, and acceptance to speaking out.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, March 2020) - From GoodReads - “…this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.”
Just Mercy: (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson (Delacorte Press, 2018)
The movie version of Just Mercy will be available this month for free rentals.
Consider ordering one of these books from a Black-owned Bookstore. My favorite is Kathy Burnette’s Brain Lair Books. The Brain Lair has also created an Anti-Racist Reading List. It can be found here.
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: The Next President by Kate Messner
The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and
Unwritten Future of America’s President
by Kate Messner, Illustrated by Adam Rex
Chronicle Books (March 24, 2020)
Nonfiction * Biography * Presidents
Audience: Ages 8 to 12
Indiebound | WorldCat
Description from GoodReads:
An inspiring and informative book for kids about the past and future of America's presidents.
Who will be the NEXT president? Could it be you? When George Washington became the first president of the United States, there were nine future presidents already alive in America, doing things like practicing law or studying medicine.
When JFK became the thirty-fifth president, there were 10 future presidents already alive in America, doing things like hosting TV shows and learning the saxophone.
And right now—today!—there are at least 10 future presidents alive in America. They could be playing basketball, like Barack Obama, or helping in the garden, like Dwight D. Eisenhower. They could be solving math problems or reading books. They could be making art—or already making change.
Quick thoughts on the book:
Over the past several months, I have been looking at nonfiction picture books from the perspective of the choices that authors and illustrators have to make when creating a book. What should be kept in the book and what needs to be left out? Whose voice should narrate the book? What angle will uniquely highlight the most important facts without making things unclear. It is how an author answers those questions that often leave me in awe.
Kate Messner’s recent book The Next President happens to be one of those books that left me admiring the choices that she made. Most nonfiction survey books about all of the presidents often focus on a similarity that all of the presidents shared or some quirky fact about each one. However, Messner takes a unique look at the presidents by grouping them around a specific president in office and what future presidents were alive at the time. Did you realize that forty-five presidents can be divided into four groupings?
In addition to these four groupings, Messner includes fun facts and snapshots about various presidents, and other pieces of presidential history to engage readers. Additional resources about the requirements for being a president, and further reading suggestions are included at the end. A fabulous book to add to your classroom library and to share as we look towards our upcoming election in November.
And during this time of #stayhomestaysafe, consider supporting your local indie bookstores .
Check out this video of Kate Messner as she reads aloud The Next President:
About the author: Kate Messner is an award-winning author whose many books for kids have been selected as Best Books by the New York Times, Junior Library Guild, IndieBound, and Bank Street College of Education. She lives on Lake Champlain with her family.
About the illustrator: Adam Rex is the author and illustrator of many beloved picture books and novels, including Nothing Rhymes with Orange and the New York Times bestseller Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. He has worked with the likes of Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, Jeff Kinney, and Neil Gaiman. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…