Tag: Nonfiction Monday Review

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Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards

I have to admit it was the title that caught my eye when I spotted Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards by Sneed B. Collard III at our local library. What middle-grade child can resist a title like that?

To say Sneed Collard’s book is special is an understatement. First of all, the text is written is a conversational, second person style that is relaxed and friendly. He starts out with “Meet Joe Lizard,” detailing the life of “your average” western fence lizard. Sometimes books that use the second person try too hard to be cool, but this one hits just the right note. I was also impressed with the detail and accuracy of the text.

Second, most of the lavish full-color photographs in the book were taken by the author. This allows the text and images to fit perfectly, plus there’s less chance that the photographs have been misidentified, a real hazard when using stock photographs. The best part is Sneed Collard is a fantastic photographer.

Third, the author reveals a real passion for his topic, and in fact admits a “special love of reptiles” in the author blurb on the book jacket. This love of reptiles has led him to include a section on lizard conservation and also a realistic look at keeping lizards as pets, which he doesn’t encourage for reasons he has obviously thought carefully about.

The bottom line is that Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards is a must-have for budding herpetologists, and an interesting and entertaining read for the rest of us. I am definitely going to pick up a copy for our family (we have been known to wear our local lizards*).

For some lizard science for kids, try Growing with Science

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580893244
ISBN-13: 978-1580893244

(*Note:  It was entirely the lizard’s own decision to climb up this person. It was not picked up or handled.)

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.

Today’s round-up is at Ana’s Nonfiction Blog.

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A Stick Is An Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play

Just in time for National Poetry Month we have the picture book A Stick Is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 

“School is done.

It’s a sunny day.

Goodbye, TV.

Let’s go out and play!”

Marilyn Singer’s poems are fast-paced, upbeat, and succinct. She effortlessly creates the rhythm and energy of children at play.

LeUyen Pham’s watercolors also capture the joy of children playing outdoors. All the children are smiling, laughing, moving.

It is easy to get caught up in nostalgia reading these poems. Remember the joys of blowing bubbles, playing with jacks or jumping rope? The reality is, however, that many children will never have the memories we adults take for granted because they don’t have many opportunities to go outside and play. Hopefully this book will inspire them to do just that.

Spring is a perfect time to read A Stick Is an Excellent Thing and then go outside and enjoy some of the activities pictured. When they come back inside, perhaps it will also entice children to read and enjoy poetry, and even write their own poems.

(Personal Note:  Kudos to Singer for suggesting children release their fireflies after only a minute or two.)

Reading level: Ages 4 and up
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Clarion Books (February 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547124937
ISBN-13: 978-0547124933

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.

Today’s round-up is at Rasco From RIF.

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Migrant Mother: How a Photograph Defined the Great Depression

Just in time for the end of Women’s History Month, I have a book regarding a famous photograph that is actually about the history of two women. Migrant Mother: How a Photograph Defined the Great Depression by Don Nardo captures not only the life of Florence Owens Thompson, the subject of the iconic portrait, but also reveals the life of the photographer, Dorothea Lange, a woman with her own impact on history.

The story of the photograph is much more dramatic than you might think. Dorthea Lange was just finishing a month-long assignment and was driving home to see her family. She was exhausted and it was raining. When she saw the sign “pea-pickers camp” along the highway, she drove right by. She continued driving for 20 miles. She was going home. But something made her turn around and drive all the way back. The result is this era-defining photograph:

The woman in the photograph was part of a group of migrant workers who went from farm to farm picking vegetables during the Great Depression. They were huddled in a makeshift tent. She told Lange that they were eating leftover frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields and any birds they could catch. Later in the book we learn more about Thompson and her situation and how she came to resent the photograph.

Nardo fills the book with black-and-white images, including other images taken of Thompson taken the same afternoon. (In fact, the size of the book and number of photographs give the book the look of a picture book at first glance, although the text is obviously for an older audience.) The only color image is a modern one of Thompson’s grown-up daughter, Katherine McIntosh, shown in the video interview below.

Migrant Mother is a look at the complexity of the lives of two women whose paths crossed during a difficult time in history. This book is an awesome resource for teachers, with a Timeline and Source Notes. It speaks to both the themes of education and empowerment.

One of Thompson’s daughters speaking briefly about their life:

Nonfiction Detectives also has a review of Migrant Mother

Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Compass Point Books (January 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0756544483
ISBN-13: 978-0756544485

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.

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The Great Molasses Flood

The Great Molasses Flood:  Boston 1919 by Deborah Kops is an account of a very unusual disaster. On a quiet day in January 1919, a huge tank of molasses burst open and flooded a Boston waterfront neighborhood. The massive wall of sticky liquid did an amazing amount of damage. People were injured and eventually 21 died. Several buildings were destroyed and the elevated train tracks were damaged. After the immediacy  of rescue and clean up efforts came the questions. Why had the giant tank broken open? What caused this disaster?

In the prologue, Kops sets the historical stage to the flood by recalling the significant events of the previous year, including the outbreak of the Spanish flu and the ending of World War I. In chapter one she targets the happenings of the area right before the tank bursts, giving an introduction to some of the people and places involved. Chapter two recounts the events of the disaster from the third person perspective of a number of the victims. The next chapter covers the rescue and clean up efforts, and the final three chapters discuss the mystery surrounding how the tank burst and the resulting legal investigation.

After recently reading books about Prohibition (Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition) and World War I (Unraveling Freedom), this book revealed how the events of the time were intertwined in yet another way. It turns out that the previous batches of molasses owned by the U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company had been turned into alcohol that was used in the manufacture of ammunition for World War I. Now that the war had ended and Prohibition was on its way, the company had to convert the molasses to alcohol fast or it would lose a lot of money. Talk about a sticky situation.

Not only will The Great Molasses Flood thrill history buffs, but it is also a very good mystery. Definitely deserves a spot on the library shelf.

Investigate the science behind the disaster with a hands-on activity at Growing With Science.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580893481
ISBN-13: 978-1580893480

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 here at Wrapped In Foil.