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How I Survived: Four Nights on the Ice

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How I Survived: Four Nights on the Ice
by Serapio Ittusardjuat (Author) and Matthew K. Hoddy (Illustrator)

Booktalk: After his snowmobile breaks down halfway across the sea ice on a trip back from a fishing camp, Serapio Ittusardjuat recounts the traditional skills and knowledge he leaned on to stay alive. This harrowing first-person account of four nights spent on the open sea ice–with few supplies and no water–shows young readers the determination and strength necessary to survive in the harsh Arctic climate, even when the worst occurs.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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We Are Water Protectors

Today at Wrapped in Foil Blog, we have a picture book that has been included on a number of best of 2020 lists, We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade.

Why has it landed on “best of” lists?

Important message

Living things need clean water to survive. That is a fundamental fact. We Are Water Protectors is a call to action to protect the Earth’s precious water resources while we still can.

Distinct, Individual Voice

Author Carole Lindstrom is tribally enrolled with the Turtle Mountain Band of the Ojibwe. She uses her unique, passionate voice to explain the issue and share historical perspective about the Indigenous-led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Gorgeous Illustrations

Michaela Goade’s watercolor illustrations are exquisite. What  better medium than watercolor for a book fundamentally about water? In addition, she captures the emotions of each scene with her palette and includes culturally-relevant symbols. Words can not describe how beautiful her illustrations are.

 

Because this book is written like a story, including having a refrain, there may be some confusion about what genre it falls in and whether it qualifies for Nonfiction Monday. After all, Google Books calls it fiction. Responsive Reads calls it historical fiction. Looking at the amount of information in the text, one could easily argue the genre might be closer to creative nonfiction or informational fiction. In fact, in an interview at Two Writing Teachers blog, Carole Lindstrom considers her work to be lyrical nonfiction. If you have read it, what do you think?

We Are Water Protectors offers a lot to consider. It is likely to challenge young readers and to stimulate discussion. Educators should download the activity guide and read the back matter to be prepared.

Bottom Line:
The best books stay with you long after you have read them, which is likely why this one is landing on so many lists.

 

Copyright © 2020 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.

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Music Is . . .

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Music Is . . .
by Stephen T. Johnson (Author / Illustrator)

Booktalk: Experience ten different types of music–classical, Latin, jazz, country, heavy metal, hip-hop, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, electronica, pop, and a surprise finale in this accordion book with an in-depth glossary for each genre on the reverse side.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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The Impossible First: An Explorer’s Race Across Antarctica

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The Impossible First: An Explorer’s Race Across Antarctica (Young Readers Edition)
by Colin O’Brady (Author)

Booktalk: Prior to December 2018, no individual had ever crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone, without support, and completely human-powered. But Colin O’Brady was determined to do just that–even though ten years earlier a tragic accident raised doubts that he’d ever walk again normally.

O’Brady’s quest drew him into a head-to-head battle with British SAS Captain Louis Rudd–also striving to be “the first.” Enduring Antarctica’s sub-zero temperatures and pulling a sled that initially weighed 375 pounds in complete isolation and through a succession of whiteouts, storms, and a series of near disasters, O’Brady journeyed 932 miles to a world first.

Snippet: The plane shuddered and shook as it landed, its skis rattling on the sea ice. The crew helped me pull off the sled, offered a few bang-bang handshakes of good luck, and jumped back in with a schedule to keep, taxiing off to deliver Rudd to his drop-off a mile away, the same distance as me from the starting line waypoint at the continent’s edge.

See the PBSNewsHour story.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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The Fangirl’s Guide to the Universe

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The Fangirl’s Guide to the Universe: A Handbook for Girl Geeks
by Sam Maggs (Author) and Kat Goodloe (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Fandom, pop culture, feminism, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more–there’s never been a better time to be a fangirl, or a better guide to navigate the wide universe of fandoms. Experience the joys of the fandom community in this fun, feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey

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The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey
by Alexis O’Neill (Author) and Edwin Fotheringham (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When Melvil Dewey realized every library organized their books differently, he wondered if he could invent a system all libraries could use to organize them efficiently. A rat-a-tat speaker, Melvil was a persistent (and noisy) advocate for free public libraries. And while he made enemies along the way as he pushed for changes–like his battle to establish the first library school with women as students, through it all he was EFFICIENT, INVENTIVE, and often ANNOYING as he made big changes in the world of public libraries–changes still found in the libraries of today!

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Eighty-Dollar Champion: The True Story of a Horse, a Man, and an Unstoppable Dream

Lynn: There is nothing I like better than an uplifting underdog story and this underhorse story was a pleasure to read–especially as it is a TRUE story! In this time of soaring egos, disdain for others, and scorn for real integrity, this is a lovely tale of the quiet, humble, and hard-working immigrant whose act of kindness rewarded him and his family–AND the horse he rescued. The Eighty-Dollar Champion: The True Story of a Horse, a Man, and an Unstoppable Dream (Random/Delacorte, 2020) is a story that will lift readers’ hearts.

Harry De Leyer and his wife Johanna came to the U.S. from Holland following WWII with almost nothing in their pockets. Harry’s hard work and ability brought him to a job as a riding teacher at an exclusive girls school on Long Island. Needing a gentle lesson horse, Harry set out one winter day to attend a horse sale but arrived too late, just as the “kill buyer” was loading the rejects. One of the horses, a big undernourished grey, caught Harry’s eye and on instinct, he paid all he had, $80.00 for the horse. It was 1956 and Harry had no idea the bargain he had just made.

Snowman, under Harry’s care, prospered and became just the lesson horse he needed–gentle, patient, and loving. The girls at the school loved him as did Harry and his whole family. But no one suspected the amazing ability Snowman’s gentle nature hid. That spring, reluctantly, Harry sold Snowman to a neighbor needing a gentle horse for his young son. Snowman had other ideas. Again and again, he jumped increasingly high and challenging fences to return home to Harry. Snowman knew where he belonged and it was with the De Leyers! It was then that Harry began to discover just how skilled a jumper Snowman was and to train and enter him in horse jumping shows around the state.

Snowman had been a plow horse and even in his coddled days with Harry, he never looked like the highly bred, highly strung horses at the top of the equestrian meets. In the beginning, most people laughed at Harry and Snowman as they began competition. Steady and unflappable, Snowman began to win every competition, cheerfully jumping easily over every obstacle before him. Eventually, he went on to win two Triple Crowns in a row–something that had never been done before.

Harry and Snowman became celebrities and throughout it all remained humble and little changed by fame. Snowman continued to be a lesson horse and Harry to resist all offers to buy him.

This is a very successful abridgment of Letts’ adult book and it was a perfect joy to read. You don’t have to be a horseman or to have had experience with the sport of jumping. Letts gives us a wonderful peek at that world, with just enough of the experience and tension of the various competitions to raise suspense and heighten the pace. But she also makes readers feel as if they know Harry and Snowman and they become vivid and heartfelt characters we deeply care for. And in this dark time, it is a welcome reminder that humility and hard work have rewards, that kindness makes a difference, and that the underestimated can achieve it all. I teared up several times, especially with the book’s conclusion.

“Never give up, even when the obstacles seem sky-high. There is something extraordinary in all of us.”

Back matter includes an interview with Harry De Leyer and a conversation with the author as well as extensive source notes. Give this to kids wanting an uplifting story, engaging nonfiction, or a very unusual horse story.

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