WNBA Superstars
by K. C. Kelley (Author)
Booktalk: Learn about the most talented players in the top women’s pro league in the world.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane
Just in time for Women’s History Month we have the picture book biography Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten W. Larson and illustrated by Tracy Subisak.
Emma Lilian Todd loved to tinker. As a child she made a weather vane and took apart a clock. As an adult, she made model airplanes and tested their designs until she was ready to build a real one. Could she achieve her dreams and get a flying machine off the ground?
With text that soars, Kirsten W. Larson reveals the compelling story of a woman whose contributions might otherwise be forgotten. She draws young readers in and establishes the setting with a fascinating collection of inventions made around the time Lilian Todd was growing up. She then cements their interest with details of Lilian’s childhood love of tinkering. Finally, she uses Lilian Todd’s own words to describe what she was thinking during the significant events of her young life.
Tracy Subisak’s lovely illustrations lend just the right amount of airiness to match the theme of flight. At times it seems like young Lilian might fly right off the page.
Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane will thrill young inventors as well as budding historians. It is also a perfect example of how picture book biographies should be done. Check out a copy today!
Look for the original review and activity suggestions at Wrapped In Foil Blog.
Copyright © 2020 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
Flight for Freedom
Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany
by Kristen Fulton (Author) and Torben Kuhlmann (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Peter was born on the east side of Germany, the side that wasn’t free. He watches news programs rather than cartoons, and wears scratchy uniforms instead of blue jeans. His family endures long lines and early curfews. But Peter knows it won’t always be this way. Peter and his family have a secret. Late at night in their attic, they are piecing together a hot air balloon–and a plan. Can Peter and his family fly their way to freedom? This is the true story of one child, Peter Wetzel, and his family, as they risk their lives for the hope of freedom in a daring escape from East Germany via a handmade hot air balloon in 1979.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Puffins and Penguins
Puffins and Penguins (Comparing Animal Differences)
by Arnold Ringstad (Author)
Booktalk: Explore the similarities between puffins and penguins to find out how to tell them apart. Discover how traits like habitat, ability to fly, and beak shape can be used to identify these black and white sea birds.
Snippet: A bird dives into the sea. It uses its wings to swim. Sunlight flashes over its black and white feathers. The bird dives deeper. It grabs a fish in its mouth. Then it rises to the surface. Is it a puffin or a penguin?
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Animals Illustrated: Caribou
Animals Illustrated: Caribou
by Dorothy and David Aglukark (Authors) and Amanda Sandland (Illustrator)
Booktalk: In this book written by elders from Arviat, Nunavut, kids will learn how caribou raise their babies, where they live, what they eat, and other interesting information, like how fast caribou can run–up to 50 miles per hour!
Snippet: Inuit have known for generations that caribou herds are led by one lead caribou. The rest of the herd is always watching the lead caribou for guidance. This caribou communicates to the others when it is safe to walk, and when they should stay still. The lead caribou could be a male or a female.
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Fred’s Big Feelings
Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers
by Laura Renauld (Author) and Brigette Barrager (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Fred Rogers was a quiet boy with big feelings. Sometimes, he felt scared or lonely; at other times, he was playful and joyous. But when Fred’s feelings felt too big, his Grandfather McFeely knew exactly what to say to make him feel better: I like you just the way you are. Fred grew up and created Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the television program that would go on to warm the hearts and homes of millions of Americans.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Superfast Stock Car Racing
Superfast Stock Car Racing (Extreme Speed)
by Beth Bence Reinke (Author)
Booktalk: Enter the thrilling world of stock car racing! Discover the history of stock car racing, what a typical race day looks like, who the hottest racers are, and more.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
50 Things You Didn’t Know about Colonial America
50 Things You Didn’t Know about Colonial America
by Sean O’Neill (Author / Illustrator)
Booktalk: Discover some of the most amazing and amusing facts about life in Colonial America and how they survived it all.
Snippet: 38 Before becoming father of our country, thirteen-year-old George Washington wrote “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company.” One rule: “In the presence of others, sing not to yourself, nor drum your fingers or feet.”
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Joel Embiid (Sports All-Stars)
Joel Embiid (Sports All-Stars)
by Jon M. Fishman (Author)
Booktalk: Center Joel Embiid racks up points for the Philadelphia 76ers. Readers will learn how this All-Star National Basketball Association (NBA) player stays at the top of his game and how he spends his time off the court.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon
At Wrapped in Foil blog we are featuring a new picture book biography find for us, The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Sean Rubin.
Pete Conrad and Alan Bean were the third and fourth people to walk on the moon, but they aren’t the household names their predecessors Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong are. This picture book helps correct that omission and bring Alan Bean’s story to the next generation of readers.
Dean Robbins actually knew and worked with Alan Bean, so there is real depth here. He doesn’t present Alan Bean’s life in strict chronological order. Instead he captures the reader’s imagination with the tension of the spacecraft launching, then interrupts the flight and goes back in time to Alan’s childhood interest in model airplanes, and later in painting as a hobby. The back story helps readers understand how Bean began painting again after he retired and why he considered himself to be an artist.
As to be expected, the illustrations are amazing. They combine the look of Alan Bean’s art with Sean Rubin’s skillful images. The highlight is a wordless two-page spread of the surface of the moon with the shadows of the two astronauts in the foreground and the blue, spherical Earth in the distance. Wow!
The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon will thrill budding astronauts and artists alike. Be inspired by a copy today!
Copyright © 2020 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.