Nonfiction Picture Wednesday - July Releases

Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.  

At the beginning of each month, I like to try to do a post to spread the word about recent releases or upcoming nonfiction/informational titles.  It is not comprehensive, but I do try to include a variety of titles that might be of interest to readers.  Some of them I have read and some I have yet to read.  Often I include reviews in later posts.

Here are some July titles.  If you missed the posts from the past six months, I have included links to them below.

January Post | February Post | March Post | April Post | May Post | June Post

July 2014 Releases

Animal School: What Class Are You? by Michelle Lord; Illustrated by Michael Garland (Holiday House)

Body Bones by Shelley Rotner; Illustrated by David A. White (Holiday House)

Not My Girl by Christy Jordan-Fenton, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton; Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard (Annick Press)

Roller Derby Rivals by Sue Macy; Illustrated by Matt Collins (Holiday House)

The World's Best Noses, Ears, and Eyes by Helen Rundgren; Illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius (Holiday House)

50 Body Questions: A Book That Spills Its Guts by Tanya Kyi; Illustrated by Ross Kinnaird (Annick Press)

Summer seems to be a slow time for nonfiction picture book releases but there are some wonderful titles being released in September and October. Keep an eye out for mentions of these upcoming releases. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Slice of Life - Summer Fun

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  Join us each week and come to love this awesome writing community.

Squeals of delight drifted in through the open windows while sounds of rushing water melded together for a summer soundtrack for childhood play. As I listened to the ecstatic shrieks, I was drawn back in time to my own childhood when water and heat and friends were the perfect recipe for entertainment.  For a moment, I wondered where my own sense of unabashed enthusiasm had gone.   

As I looked around my living room and the piles of books and other things that I was organizing, I knew that joining in was impossible but the longing was still there. Maybe I wasn't going to be able to be carefree and embrace the moment but my eye landed on my camera.  I could capture it.  I snuck outside with my camera to where the girls were fully engaged in their play.  

I nearly burst out in laughter when I saw the older one using the cooler as a makeshift water tub while drinking from the hose. Before long, she had turned the hose on her sister.  The spray of cold water shocking her as it shot out from the hose causing her to turn away. 

Oh to be young and carefree and fully in the moment.  I am glad I captured this slice on camera.

It's Monday! What are your reading? From Picture Books to YA - July 7, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

In looking at my posts, I realized that I have been so busy that I have not done an IMWAYR post since June 9th. I think that is the longest I have gone without doing one. However, I have been reading. Over the course of that time, I have read 65 books and since I started #bookaday, I have read 126 total books. 

Here are my favorites from the past several weeks:

Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin (Razorbill, February 20, 2014)

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate; Illustrated by Brian G. Karas (Clarion Books, October 7, 2014)

Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lizano; Greg Salsedo (Ink); Alexis Siegel (Translator)  (First Second, April 2, 2014)

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix, August 26, 2014))

My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I am Not.) by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, July 1, 2014)

The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo (Clarion Books, June 3, 2014)

The Hueys in None the Number: A Counting Adventure by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, July 1, 2014)

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won (HMH Books for Young Readers, June 3, 2014)

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak (Dial Books, September 30, 2014)

Swamp Chomp by Lola M. Schaefer; Illustrated by Paul Meisel (Holiday House, January 14, 2014)

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant; Illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Eerdman's, September 15, 2014)

The Bathing Costume: Or the Worst Vacation of My Life by Charlotte Moundlic; Illustrated by Olivier Tallic (Enchanted Lions Books, 2013) 

So, what are you reading?
 

Schneider Family Book Award 10th Anniversary Blog Tour & Giveaway

Confession time!  Despite having been a Special Education Teacher and Administrator, I did not learn of the Schneider Family Book Award until 2009. Yes, I was a bit late to the party. It was in 2009 that I had joined twitter and met some amazing teachers and librarians who began to expand my awareness of the different awards that made up the American Library Association's (ALA) Youth Media Awards. From various conversations, I discovered a book called Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin.  I read it aloud to a class of 5th graders in preparation for our National Inclusive Schools Week celebrations.  The class was comprised of mostly typically developing 5th graders but we also had several students who were fully included in the classroom that were identified as being on the Autism Spectrum.  Additionally, a few of the students in the classroom had siblings with Autism. After reading the book, I was curious what these students would think.  

The book took us several weeks to read.  However, I loved watching as the students began to make connections between Jason (the main character) and some of their classmates.  Other students would pipe in with how their sister or brother were similar to Jason.  The comments and discussions were never mean or negative. For many of them, having a classmate or sibling with special needs was just a regular part of life.  They nodded with understanding or made comments of how they might have helped Jason in a different way. I was pleased with their responses and also thankful for the opportunity to have a school where children with special needs were included and were apart of the school community.  

Several weeks later, I was thrilled to come back to the class and announce to them that Anything But Typical had won the Schneider Family Book Award and showed them what the medal looked like.  They were excited that a book that they had read had won an award.

In 2010, I picked Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper as my read aloud prior to National Inclusive Schools Week.  Melody's story resonated with me.  I had taught in a classroom with young children with severe special needs for several years and the story brought back a flood of memories for me. I wanted the 4th graders I was reading with to understand Melody and through her story begin to imagine how difficult it was if you could not speak for yourself or even do simple tasks. We went slowly through chapters to try and better understand Melody's world and how she would feel.   

When I attended ALA's Youth Media awards in 2011, I was of course cheering for Out of My Mind.  Since the Schneider Family Book Award is announced right after the Alex Awards, I did not have to wait long for the announcement.  I was super thrilled to hear that The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon had won for Best Book for the Young Child. And when they announced the Best Book for Young Adult as Five Flavors of Dumb by Anthony John, I was ecstatic.  However, in the middle, the Best Book winner for Middle Grade was not my beloved Out of My Mind, but instead Jordan Sonnenblick's After Ever After.  I was a bit disappointed but I believed that the committee had worked hard and had made a decision that met the criteria of the award. 

A little over a year later, in 2012, I was asked to be on the 2013 Schneider Family Book Award Jury. This was a huge honor for me.  It was during this time that I saw first hand how hard the committee works and how many books they read and how seriously they take the discussions to select the winners for each category.  Though I do not know any of the reasons why the 2011 jury selected After Ever After over Out of My Mind, my understanding and appreciation for the process had grown.  In 2013, I then served as chair of the 2014 Schneider Family Book Award Jury.  This time, I had an opportunity to lead a committee through the process.  It was truly a rewarding experience and one that I will cherish for a very long time.   

At the end of June, the Schneider Family Book Award jury, and winners, along with publishers and ALA staff members celebrated the 10th Anniversary of this very important award.  In an effort to raise more awareness for both the award and the books honored through the award selection, we are hosting a two week blog tour.  Join us in celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Schneider Family Book Award.  This award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.  By celebrating together we can raise awareness for the need for more quality books about the disability experience to be written and published.  As we think about the need for diversity in books, let us remember that children and adults with special needs should also see themselves portrayed positively among the pages of the books that we read.     

For more information about the Schneider Family Book Award: webpage | list of winners  

Check out all of the links of the Schneider Family Book Award 10th Anniversary Blog Tour & Giveaway:

July 6, 2014    Nerdy Book Club

July 6, 2014    Kid Lit Frenzy (that's me)

July 7, 2014    Nonfiction Detectives

July 9, 2014    Teach Mentor Texts

July 10, 2014    There’s a Book For That

July 11, 2014    Kathie Comments

July 12, 2014   Disability in Kidlit 

July 14, 2014    Librarian in Cute Shoes

July 15, 2014    The Late Bloomer’s Book Blog

July 16, 2014    Read, Write, and Reflect

July 17, 2014    Read Now Sleep Later

July 18, 2014    Unleashing Readers

July 19, 2014    Great Kid Books

July 20, 2014    Maria’s Mélange

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Schneider Family Book Award, we are providing readers with an opportunity to win a set of all three 2014 Schneider Family Book Award Winners. Participants must be 13 years or older and have a US or Canadian mailing address. 

Celebrating This Week - July 5, 2014

This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me.  To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayers' Celebrate This Week.  

Recently there has been so much happening that my blogging has been significantly impacted. However, there has also been a lot to celebrate.

Here is what I am celebrating:

1. ALA 2014 Annual Conference - From June 26th to June 30th, I attended the annual conference for the American Library Association, which was held in Las Vegas this year. Despite the setting (which is not my favorite location), I really enjoyed my time at the conference.  After months of communicating with friends via facebook, twitter, and blog comments, the opportunity to meet up in person for meals or to walk around the exhibit hall and continue those conversations in person is truly wonderful. I usually get too little sleep, and have more than a few blisters on my feet, but I come away re-energized and eager to explore new challenges. 

2. Schneider Family Book Award Celebration - Last year, I served as the Chair of the Schneider Family Book Award.  In January, I had the honor to be seated in the auditorium as the Youth Media Awards were announced including the winners of the Schneider Family Book Award. Less than a week ago, I was further honored to be able to escort Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet to receive their award for A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin.  Additionally, the celebratory lunch was another highlight of my time in Las Vegas.  I love when Dr. Schneider calls and speaks directly to each of the winners sharing her thoughts about the books that were selected by the Jury.  She also provides the Jury and Winners with predictions about where she believes the trends will be in publishing more stories featuring the disability experience. 

3. Presenting at ALA with colleagues - Five years ago, I joined twitter. At that time, I never imagined how it would change my life for the better. Through this form of social media, I began conversations with teachers and librarians, which inspired new ideas and opportunities. As I began to meet twitter friends in person, new ways of collaborating became realities.  This past week, I had the opportunity to present at ALA with Mary Ann Scheuer (Great Kid Books), Louise Capizzo (Nonfiction Detectives), and Cathy Potter (Nonfiction Detectives).  Our topic - Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries.  We pulled information from our Common Core IRL blog posts about using nonfiction in the classroom.  The presentation went well and to read more about it click here.

4.  Scholastic Book Fairs Reading Summit in Salt Lake City - A few days before ALA, I flew to Salt Lake City, Utah to present at one of Scholastic Book Fair's Reading Summits. My presentation was on the Power of the Book Talk.  Salt Lake City was friendly and spending time with colleagues was very special. The enthusiasm and energy present among the attendees was wonderful. I have truly enjoyed my partnership with Scholastic Book Fairs over the past several years, and extremely thankful for the opportunities that they have provided to me.