Nonfiction Monday

Mami King: How Ma Mon Luk Found Love, Riches, and the Perfect Bowl of Soup
by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri (Author) and Kristin Sorra (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Rejected by the parents of the girl he loves for being poor, Ma Mon Luk strikes out from China and boards a steamship headed for the Philippines in 1918. He vows to make a fortune and return for his beloved. Ma creates a chicken noodle soup he calls mami–“ma” for his name and “mi” for noodles–and peddles it as a street vendor. He eventually earns enough to open his own restaurant and wins the approval of the parents of his true love.

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It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Everybody’s Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
by Linda Leopold Strauss (Author) and Tim Smart (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: This true story begins long ago in Spain, where a bride and groom are gifted a hand-painted haggadah. It is used at many Passover seders until the Spanish Inquisition when the family escapes. The haggadah survived for centuries in different countries. Scholars declared it a treasure. To protect it from the Nazis, a curator smuggled it out of a Sarajevo museum and hid it in a village mosque. On Passover of 1995, with bombs exploding overhead, the Bosnian president brought out the book from an underground vault to show the world that it was safe. The Sarajevo Haggadah has become a symbol of people of many faiths and cultures working together.

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BONUS! Download the Teaching Guide

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Renewable Energy: Power the World with Sustainable Fuel with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids
by Erin Twamley (Author), Joshua Sneideman (Author), and Micah Rauch (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Scientists ages 9 to 12 learn how switching from nonrenewable energy sources to renewable ones can help make our homes, businesses, cities, and world better, healthier places. What are those renewable resources? Solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and bioenergy!

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MAKE YOUR OWN LANDFILL
Landfills are where waste and garbage are buried between layers of soil. They are a crucial part of keeping our planet healthy. But there is a right way and a wrong way to construct one! Landfills need to be built so they can be safely contained far into the future.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

One Day This Tree Will Fall
by Leslie Barnard Booth (Author) and Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Discover how a tree’s wounds and decay bring new life to the forest ecosystem in this lyrical nonfiction picture book.

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It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Worries Big and Small: A child’s guide to talking about feelings
by Hannah Wilson (Author) and Samara Hardy (Illustrator)

Booktalk: This question and answer book gives kids practical strategies for dealing with tricky situations at school, visiting friends, and other places.

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It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Changemakers in Music: Women Leading the Way
by Ngeri Nnachi (Author)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Women have been groundbreakers in music of all genres. Young readers will learn about changemakers from the past and present, their musical accomplishments, and their contributions to the industry.

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It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Wrestling (Amazing Summer Olympics)
by Mari Bolte (Author)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: From technical holds and weight classes to pins and escapes, discover the strength and control it takes to win gold in the Greco-Roman and freestyle events at this year’s Summer Olympic Games.

Snippet: Wrestling is the oldest known sport in the world. In ancient times, Olympic wrestlers were seen as heroes. Wrestling was part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman
by Joanna Lapati (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: In 1862, the war between North and South showed no signs of stopping. In rural New York, nineteen-year-old Rosetta Wakeman longed for a life beyond the family farm. One day she made a brave, bold choice: she cut her braid and disguised herself as a man. No one suspected that “Lyons” was a woman–not even when she signed up to fight for the Union. As Rosetta’s new regiment traveled to Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana, she sent letter after letter home to New York. Army life wasn’t easy, but Rosetta knew it was where she belonged–supporting her family and serving her country.

Snippet: She practiced speaking in deep, low tones and pondered a name for her new self. “Lyons Wakeman,” she whispered.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

I Am a Masterpiece!
by Mia Armstrong (Author) and Alexandra Thompson (Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Mia likes many of the things other people like–going to the beach, the color blue, drawing. But she doesn’t like when strangers stare at her because she looks different from them.

Down syndrome allows Mia to see and understand the world in a way that may not make sense to others. She considers it her superpower–and instead of it making her strange, she considers herself a masterpiece. As we all are.

Snippet: I know people aren’t used to seeing someone like me. I tell them, “Don’t whisper. Don’t look away. Do say hello.” I have Down syndrome and I like myself exactly the way I am. I just want people to be nice to me and to like me for who I am, too.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Small Shoes, Great Strides: How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Author) and Alex Bostic (Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost didn’t set out to make history. But when these three Black first graders stepped into the all-white McDonogh No. 19 Public School in New Orleans on November 14, 1960, that’s exactly what they did. They integrated their school just ten minutes before Ruby Bridges walked into her school, also in New Orleans. Like Ruby, the trio faced crowds of protestors fighting against public school desegregation efforts and relied on US Marshals (seen in the excerpt below) to keep them safe. Their teacher protected them every step of the way, and the girls formed a close bond, becoming friends for life.

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It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)