Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Life in a Coral Reef by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Steve Jenkins (a Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out, Stage 2, book) has colorful, textured collage illustrations that wonderfully match the child-friendly text. The text is written in present tense, which helps the reader feel present in the setting, among the tentacles of the sea anemone with the clown fish
The Tyranny of Printers by Jeffrey L. Palsey (University of Virginia Press, 2001) is a scholarly history of, as the subtitle says, Newspaper Politics in the Early American Republic. With an abundance of research and a readable set of examples in each chapter that focus on specific newspaper printers and situations, the book opened my
The lovingly illustrated One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies (illustrated by Jane Chapman; Candlewick, 2005) combines just the right amount of rhythmic text, full page illustrations, and factual subtexts to immerse the reader into world of sea turtles. The picture book begins with a scientific note about turtles. Then, a story starts with a young
In Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel (illustrated by Alexandra Colombo; IDW Publishing, 2008), the goofy illustrations and the rhyming text make for an amusing read aloud. The picture book gives the reader helpful information on how to recycle when a superhero (the titular “Michael Recycle”) comes to town to help the town learn what it
The nonfiction picture book Volcanoes by Franklyn M. Branley (illustrated by Megan Lloyd; Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out book, Level 2; published 1985/reissued 2008) starts by telling the story of a few famous volcanoes, including Mount Tambora, Mount Vesuvius, and Mount Saint Helens. These very real stories immediately draw in the reader to the subject. Subsequent pages cover the
The text-heavy picture book The Island that Moved: How Shifting Forces Shape Our Earth by Meredith Hooper (illustrated by Lucia deLeiris; Viking, 2004) may be too wordy for a read-aloud, but it is an illustrated example of the changing geologic earth from era to era, thanks to the many forces at work on the tectonic
The nonfiction picture book The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle by Nuria Roca (Sourcebooks, 2007), offers a refreshing perspective on the environmental subject through a first person plural and a second person narration (“we” and “you”), allowing us to delve into the concept of these three terms and comprehend the issue of excessive waste. This
The picture book Wired by Anastasia Suen (illustrated by Paul Carrick; Charlesbridge, 2007) gives two levels of text to teach about electricity in our communities. First, rhythmic poetry provides just a few words on each page to give a gentle poem about electricity going from a power station to a home for young readers. The
Our Colonial Year written and illustrated by Cheryl Harness (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005) is a unique picture book to introduce the thirteen original colonies in the Americas, using a calendar as a frame. Each month of the year is represented by a different colony, with an illustration to show the way
The young boy narrating When Mr. Jefferson Came to Philadelphia: What I Learned of Freedom, 1776 by Ann Turner (Harper Collins, 2003) is the child of a Pennsylvania lodging house owner that welcomes Thomas Jefferson during an important summer in American history. Ned’s first person story introduces Jefferson, as well as the core message of the
Give Me Liberty!: The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Russell Freedman (Holiday House, 2000) gives a thorough account of the early days of the Revolutionary War with a storytelling voice, making it a highly accessible and interesting middle grade nonfiction book. The title suggests that the book is about the Declaration of Independence,
The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence by Judith St. George (illustrated by Will Hillenbrand; Philomel Books, 2005) is a nonfiction story about the physical copy (copies) of the Declaration of Independence. Rather than talking about the reasons for its creation (which is briefly touched upon), it is about the parchment itself
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