Nonfiction Monday – Page 3 – Booktalking #kidlit

A Penguin Named Patience: A Hurricane Katrina Rescue Story

A Penguin Named Patience: A Hurricane Katrina Rescue Story
by Suzanne Lewis (Author) and Lisa Anchin (Illustrator)

Booktalk: At roughly 6 pounds and approximately 20 inches tall, Patience, the South African penguin, is small, but at 24 years old she is also the “penguin in charge” of the penguin exhibit at New Orleans’s Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and severely damaged the aquarium.

Snippet:
Patience knew something was terribly wrong.

It was dark and steamy hot inside her home at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans. Being an African penguin meant she was used to a warm climate, but not this warm!

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The White House for Kids

The White House for Kids: A History of a Home, Office, and National Symbol, with 21 Activities
by Katherine L. House (Author)

Booktalk: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live and work in the most important house in the country, or what it’s like to grow up there?

Kids can:

* Build a model White House

* Design an official china pattern

* Play key passages of “Hail to the Chief”

* Practice signing a bill the way presidents do

* Make White House fruit punch

* Play an aerobic game designed for President Hoover

* And much more

Snippet:
The White House itself has six levels if you count its two-story subbasement. It boasts 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 12 chimneys. The president and his family live mainly on the top two floors. Only family members, invited guests, and employees have the privilege of seeing those floors.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Football (Fantastic Sports Facts)

Football (Fantastic Sports Facts)
by Michael Hurley (Author)

Booktalk: Discover some of the most fascinating and unusual facts about the sport.

Snippet:
Fun Fact
The Super Bowl was nearly named “The Big One.”

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Playing Pro Football

Playing Pro Football
by Paul Bowker (Author)

Booktalk: Playing professional football is a dream for many—but it’s also a high-pressure, grueling job. If you’re the pro player on the field, millions of people are scrutinizing your every play, expecting you to make your blocks, outsmart your opponents, move the ball to your end zone, and score. To play at 100 percent on Sundays, you are constantly preparing for the next game—practicing, lifting weights, going to meetings, or watching video. Throughout the year, you must also maintain your fitness through proper workouts, rest, and nutrition. Playing in the pros is an incredible challenge. But for those who suit up on Sundays, the journey is totally worth it.

Snippet: Getting to the NFL is one thing. Staying in the league is a whole other challenge. The NFLPA lists the average NFL career as approximately 3.5 seasons. The best and most consistent players often stay in the league much longer. However, many careers are cut short by injury and ineffectiveness. Athletes such as Peyton and Eli Manning who last for many years in the NFL must dedicate themselves to the sport. After all, football is their full-time job. They must stay fit, They must continue to improve and perform well. And, importantly, they must stay healthy. A badly timed injury or a poor performance can end one’s career in an instant.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The Cart That Carried Martin

The Cart That Carried Martin
by Eve Bunting (Author) and Don Tate (Illustrator)

Booktalk: This story about the funeral procession of Dr. King begins with the two men who found the cart to carry him through the streets of Atlanta.

Snippet:
The cart was old.
Its paint had faded.
It was for sale outside Cook’s Antiques and Stuff.
Nobody wanted it.
Then two men came along.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

**Don is one of my former students!**

Kitchen Math

Kitchen Math (Math Everywhere!)
by Katie Marsico (Author)

Booktalk: Math is everywhere in the kitchen! See what’s cooking inside this book—and how we need math to finish the job! You’ll need your math smarts to help measure ingredients, calculate cooking times, add and subtract fractions, double and halve recipes, convert cups to ounces and back again, and more.

Snippet: Aunt Megan says that the roast’s size affects the cooking time. Overcooking meat makes it tough. Undercooking it can make people sick.

Tony studies the label. The roast weighs 5 pounds [2.3 kilograms]. The directions say to preheat the oven to 325F [163 C]. The beef needs to cook for 23-25 minutes per pound.

Tony and Aunt Megan need to figure our how long the beef should roast.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Strike!: The Farm Workers’ Fight for Their Rights

Strike!: The Farm Workers’ Fight for Their Rights
by Larry Dane Brimner (Author)

Booktalk: In 1965, as the grapes in California’s Coachella Valley were ready to harvest, migrant Filipino American workers—who picked and readied the crop for shipping—negotiated a wage of $1.40 per hour, the same wage growers had agreed to pay guest workers from Mexico. But when the Filipino grape pickers moved north to Delano, in the Central Valley, and again asked for $1.40 an hour, the growers refused. The ensuing conflict set off one of the longest and most successful strikes in American history.

Snippet: The Delano grape workers wanted better wages. Growers only paid them 90 cents an hour, plus 10 cents a log, or box, of grapes picked. At the end of the day, the average picker earned about $1.20 per hour, while some other farm workers were earning more.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The United States Marines

The United States Marines (U.S. Military Forces)
by Michael Green (Author)

Booktalk: For younger readers, a simple introduction to the United States Marine Corps.

Snippet: The Marines quickly respond to threats against the United States. They are often the first troops called into battle.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Today’s U.S. Army

Today’s U.S. Army
by Don Nardo (Author)

Booktalk: The soldiers of the U.S. Army stand ready to defend their country. To become a soldier, recruits train hard to get into tip-top shape. They learn to use weapons of all kinds. Some head to war zones. Others undergo training to become special ops fighters. They are super-soldiers who perform top-secret, dangerous missions around the world.

Snippet: After finishing basic training, the recruits are full-fledged soldiers. Their initial rank is private. Over time some may be promoted to corporal or sergeant.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

A Halloween Drawing Spooktacular!

A Halloween Drawing Spooktacular!
by Jennifer M. Besel (Author) and Lucy Makuc (Illustrator),

Booktalk: What’s more fun than celebrating Halloween? Try drawing Halloween! Become an artist, and learn to sketch the sights and symbols that make this holiday special. It just takes a pencil and a spooktacular attitude!

Tip 1: Draw lightly. You will need to erase some lines as you go, so draw them light.

Tip 2: Add details. Little details, such as cobwebs or eyes, make your drawings super scary.

Tip 3: Color your drawings. Color can make a creepy drawing even scarier!

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!