Picture book- nonfiction

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The Ugly Duckling Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Tale

April 26, 2011 in Picture book- nonfiction by Roberta | No comments

We have been on a dinosaur kick this week. Today we have the delightful fiction picture book The Ugly Duckling Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Tale by Cheryl Bardoe and illustrated by Roy D. Kennedy, a new take on the well-known ugly duckling tale.

When mother duck’s last egg takes an extra long time to hatch, she isn’t worried. But when the newest duckling pops from the shell, everyone thinks “That is the ugliest duckling I’ve ever seen!” Through a humorous series of mishaps, the ugly duckling learns he is not a duckling at all, but a magnificent Tyrannosaurus rex.

Like yesterday’s The Voyage of Turtle Rex, this book mixes fiction and nonfiction. In this case, the book falls squarely on the side of fiction, although a lot of research went into getting the details right. As she points out in her Author’s Note at the end, Bardoe based her mother duck and ducklings on an actual bird that lived during the time of the dinosaurs, Vegavis iaai. The creatures that the main character stumbles across are actual dinosaurs, like Stegosaurus, and Deinonychus.

The watercolor illustrations by Roy D. Kennedy of big-eyed birds and dinosaurs add to the child-friendly silliness of the book. In the Artist’s Note in the back he writes he used watercolors because that is the medium used by scientific illustrators, but that “there had to be some poetic license.”

As an adult reading this book you might think the plot is stale or the premise a bit of a stretch, but in the eyes of a child it is fresh and fun. The message that it is okay to be different definitely stands up well in today’s environment. Plus The Ugly Duckling Dinosaur could be just the right book to tempt the dinosaur fan enamored with nonfiction to branch out into fiction.

For a fun romp through prehistory with a worthwhile message, be sure to give it a try.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (May 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 9780810997394
ISBN-13: 978-0810997394

Book was provided for review purposes.

Be sure to look for more information about children’s books at today’s Book Talk Tuesday.

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The Voyage of Turtle Rex

April 25, 2011 in Animals, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review, Picture book- nonfiction, Poetry by Roberta | 5 comments

Kurt Cyrus has done it again with his new book, The Voyage of Turtle Rex. Cyrus travels on the border between fiction and nonfiction successfully with the dramatic story of a giant sea turtle’s adventures growing up in ancient seas.

If you are familiar with Cyrus’ previous award-winning book, Tadpole Rex, you already know about his breathtaking, vibrant illustrations and tightly-crafted rhyme.  Although a computer screen does not do them justice, Cyrus has examples of some of the illustrations at his website. How does Cyrus create the stark black lines of varying width that give such depth to each page? He uses a scratchboard technique and adds details like bubbles and a crust of barnacles to make the giant sea turtle come alive.

Not only has Cyrus done his research about the creature, Archelon, itself (he even includes the fact the turtles may sleep under the mud for long periods), but also he obviously spent the time to craft the story to perfection. Showing the contrast in size between the tiny baby turtles on the beach in the beginning, to the adult turtles laying eggs on the same beach at the end, by including the same local dinosaurs for scale in both scenes is pure genius. He also brings the story neatly to present day with a few perfectly-chosen words.

The Voyage of Turtle Rex is a must-have book for your shelf, because it can be used in so many ways. You could pull it out for a poetry unit, a science unit, and for any reader interested in dinosaurs. This book sure to thrill and entrall dinosaur-loving children of all ages.

See an interview with Kurt Cyrus at Miss Rumphius Effect

Growing with Science has related science activities

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books (April 4, 2011)
ISBN-10: 9780547429243
ISBN-13: 978-0547429243

Book was supplied for review purposes.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Writing Nonfiction for Children.

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Is A Worry Worrying You?

April 12, 2011 in Picture book- nonfiction by Roberta | 2 comments

Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Herriet May Savitz, and illustrated by Marie LeTourneau may not take all your worries away, but it is a wonderful way to start a conversation about anxieties, a situation that may be debilitating to some. The text is not only soothing and humorous, but also suggests logical and appropriate solutions. What a perfect balance!

The first things you notice about the book are the whimsical illustrations. The monster representing worry is a hairy beast reminiscent of the monsters from Where The Wild Things Are. Much of the humor is emphasized and elaborated in the illustrations.

The text shows the reader that everyone has worries, it is normal. But you don’t have to be a prisoner of those worries. By telling about some situations where a child might worry (a few of which are extremely silly, like an eagle nesting in your hair) and how to deal with each one, a child will add real world coping skills to his or her tool kit.

Having recently read an article about how picture book authors need have a subtle message to attract adults to buy the book as well as being appropriate for young readers, I was thinking about how well this works in Is a Worry Worrying You? The book shows the way by being absolutely child friendly, but the topic and message work well for adults, too. Everyone can definitely benefit from having a copy on their shelf to reference whenever stressful events arise.

The publisher’s website has instructions for a related activity of making a worry box. it is towards the bottom of the page.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Tanglewood Press (May 8, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933718056
ISBN-13: 978-1933718057

The electronic review copy was provided via Net Galley.

Be sure to look for more information about children’s books at today’s Book Talk Tuesday.

Planting the Wild Garden

April 4, 2011 in Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review, Picture book- nonfiction, Plants by Roberta | No comments

Planting the Wild Garden by Kathryn O. Galbraith and illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin is a lovely new picture book about how seeds are spread in nature.

“OOOOOO-whishhhh! The wind scatters seeds. It spills them. And spins them.”

The text is full of action, with verbs highlighted. It is an absolute pleasure to read aloud. Galbraith has a superlative writing style. In fact, her last book won a Parents’ Choice Award, and this one will probably be in contention for upcoming awards as well.

The text is also informative. Did you guess that fish might eat seeds that fall in the water? Or that some plants pop out their seeds? Galbraith packs a lot of facts into very few words.

What a visual treat! The endpapers are exquisite, with many interesting seeds and fruit to explore. The illustrations show movement or the passage of time in a novel way. Halperin has blocked out small squares of details within a bigger picture, so it is almost like a slide show, or even a movie.

Planting the Wild Garden would work equally well as a read aloud for a group, or a quiet cuddle in a chair. This book is a wonderful, gentle introduction to the topic of seed dispersal. It is sure to engage young children and inspire them to want to learn more about nature.

Jennifer at Jean Little Library, has a recent review.

Look for related hands-on science activities at Growing With Science

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (April 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1561455636
ISBN-13: 978-1561455638

Book was supplied for review purposes.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at L. L. Owens.

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Three Books For Black History Month

February 21, 2011 in Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review, Picture book- nonfiction by Roberta | No comments

This year there were three wonderful books to celebrate African American History Month on the Cybils nonfiction picture book shortlist.

Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Travares (Candlewick Press)
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Little Brown Kids), illustrated by Brian Pinkney.
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald by Roxane Orgill (Candlewick Press)

Although all are about a piece of black history, the flavor of each is distinct.

Henry Aaron’s Dream is an uplifting history of a man who broke barriers with quiet hard work and unquestionable talent. The earthy real story is wonderfully done and Matt Tavares’ illustrations are simply luscious. His illustration of Henry Aaron reading the lineup to see that he was starting a baseball game for the Milwaukee Braves captures an incredibly emotional moment with delicious simplicity.

I like the layout, with a single column of text on each page. It is easy to read aloud to a group. The audience can see the illustrations clearly and you can find the text to read without having to search. Henry Aaron’s Dream is perfect for struggling readers, and the story appeals to all baseball fans, but particularly to boys.

I recently did a blog post about the amazing writing/illustrating pair of Andrea and Brian Pinkney. Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down is adds yet another high quality book to their bibliography. Although it is not a personal story of one individual, it does tell a piece of history that deserves to be remembered.

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald by Roxane Orgill has a lot of educational potential, but it comes with a warning. Ella Fitzgerald’s early life was a difficult one. Her father wasn’t around, her mother passed away and Ella fell into the wrong sort of crowd. Some of the rough spots may make children uncomfortable. But you could do many fun tie-in activities with reading Skit-Skat:  Play some of Ella Fitzgerald’s music, learn some of the dances, explore the clothes of the time, delve into the history of the Depression, read about Ella Fitzgerald’s later life. Skit-Skat has a vibrant energy that could be a jumping off point to many discoveries. Ready, set, go.

Note: Henry Aaron’s Dream was provided by the publisher as part of the Cybils review process. The other books were available at my local library.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian .

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