Tag: Cybils 2011 Nonfiction

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A Stranger At Home: A True Story

A Stranger At Home: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton with illustrations by Liz Amini-Holmes is a moving sequel to the memoir Fatty Legs by the same team. It was nominated for a 2011 Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category.

In Fatty Legs, Margaret Pokiak is a young Inuit girl who is sent off to a Catholic “residential” school at the age of eight to learn English and the ways of another culture. A Stranger At Home follows the trials of her return home after two years away. Instead of the happy reunion she had long awaited, Margaret (whose Inuit name is Olemaun) finds her own mother doesn’t recognize her and that coming home again is not as easy as it seems it should be.

Christy Jordan-Fenton is Margaret Pokiak-Fenton’s daughter-in-law. She has done a marvelous job of capturing the first person voice of a young, scared Inuit who has been cut off from her roots. The dark-colored illustrations help maintain the atmosphere and the historical photographs fill out the setting.

Although this book takes up where Fatty Legs left off, it is really stands on its own as well. A Stranger At Home is a very readable book that stays with the reader even after the last page is done. Recommended for children interested in history, geography and other cultures.

Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Hardcover: 124 pages
Publisher: Annick Press (July 14, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1554513626
ISBN-13: 978-1554513628

Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, with illustrations by Liz Amini-Holmes

Book provided by the publisher for review purposes.

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 Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s round-up is at Wende’s Wanderings.

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Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I

Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I by Ann Bausum not only a summarizes domestic events during World War I, but also shows how these events parallel those from 9/11. The book brings to mind the quote from George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is a finalist for a 2011 Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 

Starting with the sinking of the Lusitania, Bausum sets the stage for the United States entering World War I. Focusing on domestic events, she shows how a propaganda machine whipped up patriotism at the same time liberties were being curtailed, and anti-German sentiments were pumped up to the level where German language courses where discontinued at schools and people dumped German beer. Eventually it reached the point where it was illegal to speak out against the war, and suspicious individuals were jailed and even killed for doing little more than protesting.

In addition to the riveting text, the illustrations are outstanding as well. Bausum is fascinated with the political cartoons of the time, and the book includes several as illustrations, as well as a forward by editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. His two-page spread cartoon summarizes the thesis of the book. You can see more about political cartoons and how to use them for learning at Bausum’s website.

The book has extensive back matter for those who want to learn more.  It includes a “Guide to Wartime presidents”, a time line, research notes, resource guide, bibliography, and an index.

Unraveling Freedom is a thought-provoking book that can be useful on many levels. For example, would be an outstanding addition to a unit on World War I, an awesome resource for reports on U.S. History (including many extra details, such as an overview of President Woodrow Wilson’s later life), naval history (the sinking of the Lusitania) and even for a lesson on understanding political cartoons. It would also be informative for compare and contrast for lessons on 9/11.

Have you read Unraveling Freedom yet? What did you think of it?

Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (November 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426307020
ISBN-13: 978-1426307027

The book reviewed was my personal copy.

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 Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s round-up is at Great Kid Books.

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Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication

Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication by Ann Downer is a comprehensive look at elephant social behavior, including a detailed overview of exciting recent findings about how elephants communicate. This book has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 

In the first chapter Downer explores many aspects of elephant biology, laying a firm foundation for the chapters on elephant communication that follow. She discusses the three species of elephant found in the world today, the African, Asian and forest elephants, as well as their distribution.

Once the groundwork is laid, she reveals many amazing new scientific findings. Did you know that elephants regularly make sounds that humans can’t hear? Did you know that elephants can “talk” to one another via their feet? How about that some “chirp” and other “shake hands”? It turns out that elephants are incredibly intelligent social creatures.

In one example not found in the book, a scientist tested elephants tendency to cooperate by creating a rigging that gives a reward of a banana snack only if two elephants work together to pull on ropes. An article in Wired Science discusses how one elephant not only learned to cooperate to get a snack, but it also learned a shortcut by standing on the rope instead of tugging it. Wow!

In the final chapter of her book, Downer examines some of the complex relationships between humans and elephants throughout the world. Although some of the facts are grim, there are reasons for hope that elephants will be able to survive to be a source of wonder for future generations.

Simply Science has another great review and several related links and activities.

This has been a good year for elephant books. We also reviewed The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson, and Beco’s Big Year:  A Baby Elephant Turns One by Linda Stanek with related activities at Growing With Science.

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Library Binding: 112 pages
Publisher: Twenty First Century Books (January 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761357661
ISBN-13: 978-0761357667

Stem Friday is at Booktalking. Click through for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to Booktalking blog for more information.

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The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon

The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty is much more than a biography of George Washington, it is about literally rebuilding a person from historical information. It has been nominated for a 2011 Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 

Sometimes it pays to reread a book. The first time I “read” this one I admit I was distracted. I skimmed some pages. I set it aside. Hey, who doesn’t know about George Washington? Then my son picked it up an read it cover to cover. From then on, all I heard about was George Washington this, and George Washington that, and George Washington’s teeth… So, I picked it up again. This time I really appreciated what The Many Faces of George Washington is about.

First, once you realize that by training Carla Killough McClafferty is a radiologic technologist who is interested in history, you know this isn’t going to be the standard biography. At the heart of this book is the story of making three life-sized figures of George Washington at ages nineteen, forty-five and fifty-seven for the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center.

How do you make realistic life-sized models without access to the person’s skull or photographs? You assemble a team of forensic anthropologists, textile artists, taxidermists, dentists and historians, and let the experts piece together the most complete portrait of the man possible, right down to the age spots on his hands.

The experts went after every detail they could. Washington’s horse was recreated using taxidermy techniques. They used Washington’s surviving dentures to recreate his jaw shape. Someone who was near Washington’s size wore the new breeches while horseback riding to give them an authentic look. Amazing!

The backmatter of the book includes plenty of ways to delve into Washington’s life further, such as a timeline, source notes, a bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and an index.

The Many Faces of George Washington is an unusual combination, sure to enthuse budding historians and forensic anthropologists alike.

Reading level: Ages 10 and up
School & Library Binding: 120 pages
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (April 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761356088
ISBN-13: 978-0761356080

Provided by the publisher for review purposes.

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 Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Practically Paradise.