Nonfiction Monday

May 17, 2021May 16, 2021

The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art

The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art
by Cynthia Levinson (Author) and Evan Turk (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: As a child growing up in Lithuania, Ben Shahn yearns to draw everything he sees–and, after seeing his father banished by the Czar for demanding workers’ rights, he develops a keen sense of justice, too. So when Ben and the rest of his family make their way to America, Ben brings both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what’s right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art–by disarming classmates who bully him because he’s Jewish, by defying his teachers’ insistence that he paint beautiful landscapes rather than true stories, by urging the US government to pass Depression-era laws to help people find food and jobs.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

May 10, 2021May 9, 2021

A Shot in the Arm!

A Shot in the Arm!: Big Ideas that Changed the World
by Don Brown (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Explore the history of vaccinations and the struggle to protect people from infectious diseases, from smallpox–perhaps humankind’s greatest affliction to date–to the COVID-19 pandemic in this nonfiction graphic novel.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

May 3, 2021May 2, 2021

Parents Here and There: A Kid’s Guide to Deployment

Parents Here and There: A Kid’s Guide to Deployment
by Marie-Therese Miller (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Parents have many different jobs. Some work in the military and are away from home for months or years. When your parent is gone, you miss what you did together. What are some things you can do while they are gone?

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

April 26, 2021April 25, 2021

On Wings of Words

On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson
by Jennifer Berne (Author) and Becca Stadtlander (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: In a small New England town lives Emily Dickinson, a girl in love with small things–a flower petal, a bird, a ray of light, a word. In those small things, her brilliant imagination can see the wide world–and in her words, she takes wing.

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Nonfiction Monday

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April 19, 2021April 18, 2021

Wilderness

Wilderness
by John Muir (Author) and Giovanni Manna (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: A collection of some of John Muir’s most memorable and inspirational words reminds us of a shared responsibility and inescapable bond–that all inhabitants of this planet “travel the Milky Way together.”

Snippet: The sun shines not on us but in us.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

Nonfiction Monday

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April 12, 2021April 12, 2021

Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story

Now it is time to celebrate some wonderful picture books for National Poetry Month. Our first selection is Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story by Maria Gianferrari and illustrated by Jonathan Voss.

Told in a series of haiku poems, the story follows a pair of great horned owls as they raise their owlets.

Pip. Pip. Pip. Poking
A hole. Cracking. Cracking. Out
Pecks the white owlet.

The life of the owls is not easy. Although great horned owls are predators, they also have enemies such as crows, raccoons, hawks, and foxes. The owlets are particularly vulnerable to danger.

Although the text is written entirely in haiku and the emphasis on haiku in the title, it flows together so effortlessly that you get lost in the story and forget about the structure. Maria Gianferrari allows the owls to shine as the main characters.

The illustrations are gorgeous. The owlets look so soft and realistic that you want to reach out and touch them. If you look more carefully, you will see they contain much information about owl habitats in a subtle way. For example, the nest is made of leaves, an abandoned squirrel nest. Without resorting to too many dark pages, you realize the birds hunt at night. The way Jonathan Voss controls the lighting is incredible.

The back matter also emphasizes the owls, giving more information about different aspects of their biology and resources for deeper research.

Whoo-Ku Haiku is a wonderful example of how to use poetry to entice readers into a nonfiction story. It is a must have for budding ornithologists, nature lovers, and poetry aficionados alike. Enjoy a copy today!

Be sure to visit Wrapped in Foil blog for more information and activity suggestions.

April 12, 2021April 11, 2021

Science and Me

Science and Me: Inspired by the Discoveries of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine
by Ali Winter (Author) and Mickael El Fathi (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Discover some of the inspirational men and women who have received Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine from 1901 to the present day, among them Marie Curie, Hermann Joseph Muller, and Donna Strickland.

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Nonfiction Monday

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April 5, 2021April 4, 2021

How to Change Everything

How to Change Everything: The Young Human’s Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other
by Naomi Klein (Author) with Rebecca Stefoff (Adapter)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Warmer temperatures. Fires in the Amazon. Superstorms. These are just some of the effects of climate change that we are already experiencing.

The good news is that we can all do something about it. A movement is already underway to combat not only the environmental effects of climate change but also to fight for climate justice and make a fair and livable future possible for everyone. And young people are not just part of that movement, they are leading the way. They are showing us that this moment of danger is also a moment of great opportunity–an opportunity to change everything.

Snippet: In early 2020 the virus grew into a pandemic, a disease that affected people in nearly every country. Rates of sickness and death were tragically high. Millions of people had to change their ways, staying home and avoiding other people, to slow the spread of the virus. Schools closed in many countries, throwing kids into a new routine of learning at home while missing their friends.

At the end of this book you’ll find what I think we can learn from this shared worldwide experience. But as you read the following chapters, keep in mind that the coronavirus pandemic did not halt climate change–or the movement to bring climate change under control.

The movement is underway now. Its goal is to fight climate change while also making a fair and livable future for everyone. This is called climate justice. And young people are not just part of that movement. They are leading the way. Will you be one of them?

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

March 29, 2021March 28, 2021

June Almeida, Virus Detective!

June Almeida, Virus Detective!: The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus
by Suzanne Slade (Author) and Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: June Almeida loved learning about science and nature. An excellent student, she was especially interested in biology and won the top science prize at her school. Creative and observant, June noticed details that others often missed. She dreamed of attending university but economic hardships caused her to leave school at age 16. Still, June was determined to pursue her passion for science. She was hired by a local hospital to work in its lab, using a microscope to magnify and examine cells. Her work helped doctors treat patients. June later worked in labs in London and in Toronto. Her skill in using the electron microscope to examine cells and help identify viruses earned her promotion and respect in the science community. When June was 34 years old, she discovered the first human coronavirus. Her groundbreaking work continues to help researchers today in the fight against illnesses caused by viruses, including COVID-19.

Snippet: June dreamed of studying science at a university. But college was expensive. Her father was a bus driver, which didn’t pay much. Her mother’s job at a local shop didn’t either. With no savings for college, she left school at age 16 to help pay the family bills.

June wanted to find a meaningful job.

Fascinated by biology, she hoped to learn more about it. She longed to help people with illnesses like her brother.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

March 29, 2021March 28, 2021

Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs

Right in time for National Poetry Month (April), at Growing With Science we have Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion and illustrated by Robert Meganck.

Author Leslie Bulion has a subtly playful approach to spiders.

All spiders are arachnids
But some arachnids
mite not be spiders.

If you like that kind of word play, you are in for a real treat.

Illustrator Robert Meganck also has a subtle sense of humor. For example, in the front endpapers he shows a fly near a spider web. The back endpapers shows the same spider with a small webbed up package. He leaves it up to the reader to figure out what happened to the fly.

Intermingled between poems of different forms — in spite of the title, not all are haiku — is detailed information about spiders, from what they eat to how they build webs. If the text isn’t enough, there’s extensive back matter as well.

Spi-ku is perfect for budding arachnologists and poets alike. Readers are likely to find something new every time they read the book. Investigate a copy today!

And crawl over to Growing with Science blog for more information and activity suggestions.