Nonfiction Monday

June 13, 2022June 12, 2022

10 at 10: The Surprising Childhoods of Ten Remarkable People

10 at 10: The Surprising Childhoods of Ten Remarkable People
by Carlyn Beccia (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Audrey Hepburn, Roberto Clemente, Albert Einstein-kids know the names, but do they know what some of history’s most famous figures were like at the age of ten?

Snippet:
Frida Kahlo
You have probably heard the art advice to paint or draw what you see. But what if all you can see is limited to what surrounds your bed? This was the reality Frida Kahlo faced after a bus accident confined her to her bed for over a year. So, Frida chose to paint the most fascinating subject contained in the four walls of her room–herself.

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June 6, 2022June 5, 2022

Strong

Strong
by Rob Kearney (Author), Eric Rosswood (Author), and Nidhi Chanani (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Rob dreams of becoming a champion strongman. He wants to flip huge tires, lug boulders, and haul trucks — and someday be the strongest man in the world! But he feels like he can’t fit in with his bright leggings, unicorn T-shirts, and rainbow-dyed hair. Will Rob find a way to step into his true self and be a champion?

In this biography, readers meet author Rob Kearney and follow his journey from an athletic kid trying to find his place to the world’s first openly gay professional strongman.

Snippet:

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May 30, 2022May 29, 2022

Our Seasons: The World in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn

As spring moves to summer, it is a good time to explore the unique board book, Our Seasons: The World in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn by Sue Lowell Gallion and illustrated by Lisk Feng.

Our Seasons is a sculpture as well as a book. Each spread is cut in the shape of a globe sitting on a base. Opened, the book can stand alone because the front and back covers fasten together with magnetic closures, giving it three dimensions.

The text is layered. For those who aren’t familiar with that term, there is a primary rhyming text that would be good for reading aloud to younger readers and a prose secondary text that is perfect for older children who want to learn more.

Our Seasons will likely capture the attention of young artists. It would also be perfect for a lesson on seasons. Open up a copy today!

Be sure to visit Wrapped in Foil Blog for more information and an activity suggestion.

May 23, 2022May 22, 2022

Bach to the Rescue!!!

Bach to the Rescue!!!: How a Rich Dude Who Couldn’t Sleep Inspired the Greatest Music Ever
by Tom Angleberger (Author) and Chris Eliopolous (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Every famous piece of art has an origin story–even Bach’s Goldberg Variations! When the richest dude in town can’t sleep, he hires a much-less-rich dude named Johann Gottlieb Goldberg to play him lullabies on the harpsichord. Goldberg does an OK job, but as the Rich Dude hollers for Goldberg each night, he wakes up the whole town in the process. As the town gets sleepier and sleepier and grumpier and grumpier, Goldberg worries he may be out of a job soon. But then, the one and only Bach enters the scene with a series of lullabies composed specifically for the Rich Dude. And, thus, the Goldberg Variations are born!

Snippet:

Hear it yourself at The Open Goldberg Variations.

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May 23, 2022May 22, 2022

Outdoor School: Hiking and Camping

Outdoor School: Hiking and Camping: The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide
by Jennifer Pharr Davis (Author), Haley Blevins (Author), and Aliki Karkoulia (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Rewild your life and make every day an adventure with:
– Immersive activities to get you exploring
– Write-in sections to journal about your experiences
– Next-level adventures to challenge even seasoned nature lovers

No experience is required–only curiosity and courage. This interactive field guide to hiking and camping includes:
– Planning your next adventure
– Essential outdoor gear
– First aid & survival
– Navigation
– How to handle extreme weather
– Crossing dangerous terrain
– Setting up camp
– Building a fire in rain or shine
– Games for the trail
– Finding and filtering water
– Animal tracks, calls, and sounds
– Bird watching
– Plant spotting
– Rock hunting
– What to do if you’re lost
And so much more!

Snippet:

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May 16, 2022May 15, 2022

A Rose Named Peace

A Rose Named Peace: How Francis Meilland Created a Flower of Hope for a World at War
by Barbara Carroll Roberts (Author) and Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Francis Meilland was passionate about roses. He loved their rich perfume, their buds unfurling in the summer sun, and their petals, soft as lambs’ ears. Like his father and grandfather before him, Francis cultivated flowers on the family farm in France. In his teens, he set about grafting and experimenting, determined to create a rose no one had seen before, and as the world braced for World War II, he rushed cuttings to rose-growing friends around the globe. Six patient years later, word reached him: his rose had not only flourished; people were calling it the Peace Rose.

Snippet:

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May 9, 2022May 8, 2022

Army Rangers

Army Rangers
by Ashley Gish (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Readers learn about the training, skills, and gear utilized by this elite special operations force.

Snippet: The first ranger units were formed during the French and Indian War (1754-63). The most famous was Rogers’ Rangers. Major Robert Rogers taught his men “Rules of Ranging.” This guide was made up of 28 tactics he had learned from allies and enemies alike.

Nonfiction Monday

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May 9, 2022May 8, 2022

Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama

Just in time from World Bee Day May 20, we have the nonfiction picture book, Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama by Loree Burns and photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz.

When a honey bee colony gets too crowded, a portion of the bees split off to find a new place to live, which is called “swarming”. Sometimes the bees of the swarm set up their new nest in an inconvenient place, like inside a house. Find out how bee rescuer Mr. Jon Nelson safely captures wild honey bees and moves them into a hive box for relocation. It’s a fascinating process!

Photographs are detailed and close-up, so the reader feels like they are standing right next to the bee rescuer.

The most amazing part is that Mr. Nelson doesn’t wear fancy protective clothing. That because he lives in a place where the honey bees are relatively gentle and because he knows exactly how to act around bees to keep them calm.

Honeybee Rescue would be perfect, of course, for budding beekeepers and entomologists. However, it might also be important to share with young readers who are scared of honey bees. Reading about things that frighten us often lessens those fears.

In any case, sweeten your week with a copy of this heartwarming book!

And be sure to visit Growing with Science blog for more information and activity suggestions.

May 2, 2022May 1, 2022

Jackie and the Mona Lisa

Jackie and the Mona Lisa
by Debbie Rovin Murphy (Author) and Jen Bricking (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Jackie Kennedy loved the arts. And America loved Jackie Kennedy. The first lady knew she had the country’s attention–what would she do with it? Encourage Americans to appreciate art, of course! She turned the White House into a historical site filled with some of America’s most treasured artifacts and pieces of art. She brought Shakespearean theater to the White House and ballerinas to the South Lawn. And most epically, she brought the Mona Lisa to the states (much to the chagrin of many Parisians) to encourage Americans to visit museums–and it worked!

Snippet: The first time eleven-year-old Jackie visited the White House, she wasn’t very impressed.

Drab curtains.
Boring furniture.
And no guidebook to teach visitors about the most famous house in America.

The next time Jackie visited the White House, she was the First Lady. But the White House looked the same.

Drab curtains.
Boring furniture.
And no still guidebook!

Nonfiction Monday

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April 25, 2022April 25, 2022

Becoming Beatrix: The Life of Beatrix Potter and the World of Peter Rabbit

Today at Growing With Science Blog, we are celebrating the middle grade biography Becoming Beatrix: The Life of Beatrix Potter and the World of Peter Rabbit by Amy M. O’Quinn.

On September 4, 1893, a 27-year-old woman with thick brown hair and bright blue eyes penned a letter to a friend’s sick child. To cheer him up, she wrote a story and decorated it with pen and ink drawings of a family of rabbits. It was not unusual for her to do this; she was always writing letters to children that contained stories and drawings. What was special about this particular letter was several years later she would turn the story into her first book for children, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Beatrix Potter went on to write more than 20 books. Many are still available and popular today, even though they were written over 100 years ago.

Author Amy M. O’Quinn reveals Beatrix Potter’s life from her early childhood in a privileged but highly-restricted household, to her later years as a farmer and conservationist. The journey of this beloved children’s book author and illustrator is fascinating, full of hardships and disappointments as well as successes.

Beatrix continued to write even after she could no longer see to draw. Her last book, Wag-by-wall (illustrated by J.J. Lankes), was published after her death.

Becoming Beatrix is smaller in size, 5.5 by 8.5 inches, which echoes Beatrix Potter’s own ideas about book size.

“She’d loved Anna Barbauld’s tiny child-sized book when she was young and was inspired to create something similar that would easily fit into small hands.”

The illustrations are mostly historical photographs, giving a sense of the times and places Beatrix lived. It also has design touches that celebrate Potter’s illustrations, including rabbits in the beginning of chapters and carrots between sections.

Becoming Beatrix Potter is perfect for young fans of Beatrix Potter and those interested in women’s history. The book would be wonderful to accompany a trip to Hill Top Farm. Get lost in a copy today!

We seem to have a gardening theme going on today at Nonfiction Monday. Visit Growing with Science to learn about Beatrix Potter’s gardens and growing your own storybook theme garden based on The Tale of Peter Rabbit.