Category: Picture book- nonfiction

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Where Else In The Wild?

Where Else In The Wild? More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed is a enchanting combination of poems by David M. Schwartz and his wife, Yael Schy, and photographs by Dwight Kuhn. It is a sequel to their award-winning Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed… and Revealed.

In each spread, on the right is a photograph with a creature or creatures hidden inside. On the left is a poem with clues as to the camouflaged critter(s) identity. The photograph page opens as a gatefold and underneath is the same photograph with the background faded to show where the animals are hiding, as well as a full page of information about the animal that has been revealed.

The photographs steal the show in this book. A lot of credit has to go to the photographer for locating interesting animals and finding appropriate backgrounds. That can’t have been easy. Some of the animals are definitely easier to spot than others, but they are all visually appealing.

The first book gathered numerous awards and the second isn’t far behind. Where in the Wild? won the 2008 SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, as well as the 2008 Animal Behavior Society Outstanding Children’s Book Award. It was also a 2008 Cybils finalist in the nonfiction picturebook category. Where Else In The Wild? More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed has been nominated for a Cybils in 2010, and is an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12.

These books are gaining attention because they are not just fun and informative, they also encourage children to develop their observation skills. Teachers will find the books especially useful because they encompass both language arts and science. See if you can find where one is hiding today!

Where in the Wild?

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 44 pages
Publisher: Tricycle Press; illustrated edition edition (September 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582462070
ISBN-13: 978-1582462073

Where Else In The Wild? More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 50 pages
Publisher: Tricycle Press (October 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582462836
ISBN-13: 978-1582462837

If your children enjoy these books, they might also like the older book How to Hide a Butterfly and Other Insects by Ruth Heller.

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 Anastasia Suen’s Nonfiction Monday page. This week’s post is at Picture Book of the Day.

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Seeds of Change

Seeds of Change:  Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton and illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler Seeds-of-Changeis about the life of Wangari Maathai, a woman whose story is both uplifting and complex.

The book begins with a scene of Wangari’s mother showing young Wangari the mugumo, the wild fig tree, and explaining its importance to both the environment and her culture.

Her brother tells her of the things he learns at school, and Wangari decides she would like to go too. Although it is unusual for a girl to receive an education, Wangari does go to school. In fact she goes all the way to study in the United States and becomes a scientist.

When Wangari returns to Kenya, she find many things have changed. She finds the trees have all been cut down and the resulting environmental damage means that people can no longer grow food for themselves. In a move that is in one hand simple, and in the other incredibly insightful, she encourages the women to re-plant the trees.

Her tree-planting movement grew and flourished as did the trees themselves, but not completely without hardship. Wangari had to overcome harsh political resistance and was even briefly imprisoned. She was released, however, and in 2004 Wangari became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

You will not believe this is Jen Cullerton Johnson’s first picture book. She has done a masterful job of incorporating multiple layers of meaning. She adds important concrete details, such as the feel of the rough bark of the tree, the sounds of the birds, and the things Wangari’s brother taught her from his school. Children can relate to these things. Mothers reading the book can relate to the mothers being able to feed their children. People interested in environmental issues will be encouraged by the message that simple things initiated by a handful of people can make a positive difference in our world. People of many ages and backgrounds will find something that resonates in this wonderful book.

Sonia Lynn Sadler’s illustrations are bright, bold and beautiful. I was not surprised to read that she is inspired by quilts, you can see the influence of warm, colorful, geometric quilt designs on almost every page.

Together the text and illustrations make a fabulous package, sure to sow some Seeds of Change of its own.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books (June 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160060367X
ISBN-13: 978-1600603679

Book supplied by publisher.

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Anastasia Suen’s Nonfiction Monday page. This week’s post is at Apples with Many Seeds

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Ants for the Youngest Reader

Ants by Melissa Stewart is part of the National Geographic Readers series. That means the lucky author has access to the fantastic photographs available in the National Geographic archives. Right away I recognized a couple of photographs by ant specialist and National Geographic photographer, Dr. Mark Moffett. What a visual treat!Ants-stewart

The text is both spunky and age appropriate. Even better, all the information is current and accurate. In the margins are extremely silly riddles and puns, sure to catch the interest of young children.

Most of the different kinds of ants are identified, but the names aren’t central to the text. If the child is curious about the ants in the photograph, he or she can find out what kind of ant it is. Otherwise the child can continue reading without interruption.

In the back is a novel visual glossary showing a photograph of an ant colony, for example, with the word and definition below it. I really like the idea, although Stewart could have easily added more words. I expect she didn’t because space was a constraint. Inside of the back cover is an activity to do an “Ants Dance” to celebrate reading the whole book, which is a wonderful addition.

If you are looking for a beginning reader book about ants, I strongly recommend this one. It is excell-Ant. 🙂

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (January 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426306083
ISBN-13: 978-1426306082

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Anastasia Suen’s Nonfiction Monday page. This week’s post is at Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian.

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Three Tree Books

To wrap up our month devoted to learning about trees, we have three older books to consider.

Be a Friend to Trees by Patricia Lauber, and illustrated by Holly Keller, is part of the popular Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out-Science series. be-a-friend-to-treesThe emphasis of this book is how useful trees are. Starting with products and foods we use that come from trees, Lauber then devotes several pages to how many animals need trees for food and homes. Finally she moves to less concrete benefits of trees, such as holding soil and water, and producing oxygen. The last three pages are devoted to simple ideas of how you can be a friend to trees through activities like recycling and planting a tree.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Collins; Revised edition (January 30, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064451208
ISBN-13: 978-0064451208

tell-me-treeWe are huge fans of Gail Gibbons, so of course we picked up her book Tell Me, Tree. We were not disappointed. Gibbons has a huge talent for presenting a wealth of information so simply and logically that you finish the book astonished at all you have learned, whether you are a child or an adult. Starting out with general information abut parts of trees, such as seeds, leaves, bark and roots, Gibbons emphasizes identifying trees. She illustrates the overall shape, leaves and bark of sixteen different trees (although she also identifies leaves and trees throughout the earlier pages as well.) At the end she shows how to make your own tree identification book with pressed leaves, and leaf and bark rubbings. The last page is full of unusual and interesting facts about trees, sure to entice children to want to find out more.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316309036
ISBN-13: 978-0316309035

Last, but certainly not least we have A Tree is Growing by Arthur Dorros and illustrated by S.D. Schindler.A-tree-is-growing

This book is suitable for a slightly older audience. The text is a bit more complex and detailed, as it follows an oak tree through the seasons. Along the way are interesting sidebars of other species. Did you know that baobab trees store water in their trunks and actually swell up? I knew saguaros could do that, but not other trees.

When you first open the book, you might be surprised by the darker paper background and more subdued look of the illustrations. It is not the glaring primary colors of a board book. If you stay with it, however, you will begin to realize how the illustrations really capture the actual hues and tones of nature. Schindler’s renderings of tree bark are particularly amazing.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (April 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0590453009
ISBN-13: 978-0590453004

I’m sure you will find each of these books are “tree-rific.”

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Anastasia Suen’s Nonfiction Monday page. This week’s post is at Shelf-Employed.