Puppies (Spot Baby Farm Animals)
by Anastasia Suen (Author)
Booktalk: This search-and-find book invites early readers to look for new vocabulary words and pictures of baby dogs. It gives simple facts about puppies living on a farm.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Abraham Lincoln: The Making of America #3
by Teri Kanefield (Author)
Booktalk: Born in a cabin deep in the backwoods of Kentucky, growing up in a family considered “the poorest of the poor,” Lincoln rose to become the sixteenth president of the United States. As president, he guided the United States through the Civil War, helped end slavery in America, and strengthened the federal government.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past by Jamia Wilson and illustrated by Andrea Pippinsis is a middle grade title that celebrates the lives of visionaries who also happen to be people of color.
Author Jamia Wilson has gathered the stories of 52 amazing people and condensed them into must-read single page summaries. Readers will learn about astronauts, athletes, entertainers, mathematicians, poets, and a president.
Although Wilson celebrates each person’s triumphs, she also doesn’t shy away from each person’s struggles. For example, both Stevie Wonder and Sidney Poitier were born prematurely, which caused Stevie Wonder to lose his sight. Madame C. J. Walker lost her parents when she was seven. When children read how others overcame challenges to become successful, hopefully they will be inspired to keep trying and dream big for themselves, too.
Andrea Pippinsis’s illustrations are so vibrant. They capture the energy and vitality of these strong personalities with bold lines and shapes that suggest movement.
Young, Gifted and Black is a perfect choice for both Black and Women’s History Months. Pick up a copy and inspire a child today.
You can find more details at Wrapped in Foil Blog.
Copyright © 2019 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
I’m running a bit behind this morning, so Snails Are Just My Speed! by Kevin McCloskey is a perfect choice to read.
Part of the Giggle and Learn series, this title combines fun illustrations with serious information about snails.
The first thing I love is that Keven McCloskey put the eyes where they should be, on the eye stalks or tentacles. Yes!
The second thing I love is that he puts in a lot of mucus for the “ick, gross” factor, but also adds useful information, like humans make mucus too, but it is mostly on the inside.
The thing I love most? The awesome lesson on how to draw a snail in the back! (Turn the page for useful tips for parents and teachers about “How To Read Comics With Kids.”)
The books in this series are marketed as beginning readers, which may discourage some older children from picking them up. That would be too bad because they have potential to appeal to a larger range of ages.
Snails Are Just My Speed! should fly off the shelves. Check out a copy today!
If you want a bit of snail silliness, visit my post at Growing With Science blog.
Copyright © 2019 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
by Anika Aldamuy Denise (Author) and Paola Escobar (Illustrator)
Booktalk: When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura’s legacy.
Snippet: The library needs a bilingual assistant.
Pura speaks Spanish, English, and French.
She is perfect for the job.
But where are her abuela’s stories?
Not one folktale from Puerto Rico is on the shelves.
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
The Things That I LOVE about TREES by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by Charlotte Voake is a wonderful picture book for winter and for all seasons.
Combining facts about how useful trees are with a narrative tour of how trees change from season to season, Chris Butterworth’s gentle prose is relaxing and enlightening.
Summer trees are shady
and so full of leaves that
when the wind blows.
they swish like the sea.
Voake has an obvious affinity for trees and her watercolor and ink illustrations are mesmerizing. With a few strokes she can create the feel of an ancient forest or a swaying sapling.
The Things That I LOVE about TREES is a delightful book. It might not be for everyone, but for youngsters who love nature and want a comfortable, quiet book, this is a good choice. Curl up with a copy today.
The complete review is at Wrapped in Foil today.
Copyright © 2019 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
The Civil Rights Movement
by Eric Braun (Author)
Booktalk: The Civil Rights Movement started in the 1800s and remains a prominent movement within our modern society. Find out how activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer set the stage for activists in modern times and learn how activists are speaking out today to expand rights for African Americans.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
US Women’s National Team: Soccer Champions
by Jeff Savage (Author)
Booktalk: The US Women’s National Team has won more Olympic gold medals and Women’s World Cup titles than any other team. Learn how the team got started and meet some of the biggest superstars in soccer history.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just
by Mélina Mangal (Author) and Luisa Uribe (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Ernest Everett Just was not like other scientists of his time. He saw the whole, where others saw only parts. He noticed details others failed to see. He persisted in his research despite the discrimination and limitations imposed on him as an African American. His keen observations of sea creatures revealed new insights about egg cells and the origins of life.
Snippet:
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Struttin’ with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong becomes the First Lady of Jazz
Illustrated by Rachel Himes
Charlesbridge, 2018
Almost everyone has heard of jazz trumpet player Louis Armstrong, but what of his wife, Lil Hardin? In this illustrated, novel-in-verse, Patricia Hruby Powell introduces us to the the talented piano player and composer, Lil Hardin. She was Louis Armstrong’s wife, his early manager, and the composer of several famous jazz hits of the day, including “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue.” With or without her famous husband, Lil Hardin was destined to be a star.
Short chapters in chronological order start with Liz’s upbringing with her strict mother—a staunch foe of “race music,” as jazz was called at the time. However, Liz’s talent, drive, and ability to make money, finally won over her disapproving mother. Lil began dating the shy Louis Armstrong in 1922. Together they played music, married, and rose to the top,
Lil and Louis
were struttin’ high on the hog
right there in Chicago,
up from the South,
makin’
raw and raucous
rompin’, rollickin’
music.
Dang, they were musical royalty—
inventing
a new kind of sound—
makin’
jazz.
After reading Struttin’ with Some Barbecue, you won’t be able to look up
a recording of Lil’s music fast enough. I’ve saved you the trouble.
A link to listen to “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” is on my blog, Shelf-employed.
In addition to a glossary, bibliography, index, etc., back matter includes additional information on Lil, jazz, and racial conditions of the era.
My copy of Struttin’ with Some Barbecue was provided by the publisher.
You can read all of my reviews on my blog, Shelf-employed.
It’s Nonfiction Monday!
Copyright © 2019 L Taylor All Rights Reserved.
