Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Congratulations to the 2017 Orbis Pictus Winners

Last week, the National Council of Teachers of English held their annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. At the Children's Luncheon on Saturday, they announced the winners of the Orbis Pictus Award. 

The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award was established in 1989 for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children. The name Orbis Pictus, commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius, Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures (1657), considered to be the first book actually planned for children.

Winner:

Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Honor Books:

Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Animal Infographics by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers)

The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial by Susan E. Goodman; Illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Bloomsbury)

Giant Squid by Candace Fleming; Illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Roaring Brook Press)

I Dissent: Ruth Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy; Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley (Simon & Schuster)

¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z!: Descubriendo el bosque nublado / Olinguito, from A to Z: Unveiling the Cloud Forest by Lulu Delacre (Children’s Book Press)

Recommended: 

Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Jessie Hartland (Simon & Schuster)

Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood, Sally Wern Comport (Simon & Schuster)

Comics Confidential: Thirteen Graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box compiled and edited by Leonard Marcus (Candlewick Press)

Dive!: World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific by Deborah Hopkinson (Scholastic) 

How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden (Viking)

Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber by Sue Macy, illustrated by C. F. Payne (Simon & Schuster)

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson (Carolrhoda)

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness by Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by Daniel Minter (Lee & Low Books)

Congratulations to the authors and illustrators who were honored for producing high quality nonfiction for children. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Hopping Ahead of Climate Change - Guest Post with Author Sneed Collard

Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science, and Survival
by Sneed Collard
Bucking Horse Books (November 1, 2016)
Nonfiction * Environment
Audience: Grades 3 to 6
Indiebound | WorldCat

Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science, and Survival takes a look at the impact our warming planet is having on snowshoe hares. Every winter, snowshoe hares change their coat color to white. This helps them blend in with snow. Unfortunately, shorter winters are leaving many hares “mismatched.” With less snow, their white fur stands out against the brown forest floor, making them more likely to get eaten by a predator.

I loved doing the research for Hopping Ahead of Climate Change. For this book, I got to interview scientists, read about animals, and go out with Professor Scott Mills to catch snowshoe hares. As always, though, when writing the book, I had to leave out 90% of the information I gathered. Why? One reason is that longer books cost more money to manufacture. Another is that not all of what I learned related directly to my main topic. Last, I wanted to keep the book as interesting as possible so that you, the readers, wouldn’t start yawning and drooling all over the pages!

Still, some cool information always gets left on the cutting room floor. But now, thanks to Kid Lit Frenzy, for the first time ever I am pleased to give you TEN HAREY FACTS that you won’t find in Hopping Ahead of Climate Change—or any other book. They are things that I learned while writing the book, but just didn’t quite make it into the final draft. Enjoy!

Harey Fact #10:

A jackrabbit is actually a kind of hare!

Harey Fact #9:

For a small animal, hares need a lot of space to live in. In his work, Scott usually finds only .5 to 2 hares per hectare. Can you figure out how many hares that per acre?

Harey Fact #8:

Scott and his team named one of their favorite hare study areas “The Milk Shake.” That’s because it was close to a great milk shake place in the nearby town of Seeley Lake. Mmmmm… milk shakes…

Harey Fact #7:

Have you ever wondered why science museums collect and store millions of dead animal specimens? Scott’s work provides the answer: because future scientists might need them one day! Old museum specimens are helping Scott and his team in at least two ways—telling them how early or late coat colors changed in the past, and if the animals genes have changed in the last century or so.

Harey Fact #6:

When I first started talking to Scott, he was about to spend a year in Bhutan, at the foot of the Himalaya Mountains. There, Scott expected to find coat-color-changing animals, but guess what? There weren’t any! That’s startling in one of the world’s highest and snowiest regions, but it shows the importance of having scientists to actually look at places instead of just assuming what the world is like.

Harey Fact #5:

Besides finding hares in their traps, Scott and his team have caught marten, grouse, wood rats, and gray jays. More than anything else, though, they catch skunks! It takes real skill to get a skunk out of a trap without getting sprayed!

Harey Fact #4:

Scott measures the health of a hare by the ratio of its weight to the length of its hind foot. The length of the hind foot gives Scott an idea of how old the hare is. Its weight tells him how healthy it is for that age. Which do you think survives better—heavier or lighter hares? (Answer at the bottom.)

Harey Fact #3:

Scott’s team has given names to some of the hares they keep in captivity. These include Harry Houdini, Buns, Nibbler, and my favorite, David Hopperfield.

Harey Fact #2:

As a college student, Scott wanted to be a wildlife veterinarian. After spending a summer working with mountain goats in Olympic National Park, he decided to become a wildlife biologist. He got his PhD at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

And now for…(drum roll and hares thumping)…

Harey Fact #1:

During his career studying hares, Scott Mills and his crew have caught and tagged more than 10,000 hares!

___________________
Answer to Fact #4: heavier hares.

About the author:
Sneed B. Collard III is the author of the award-winning books Fire Birds—Valuing Natural Wildfires and Burned Forests; Double Eagle; Shep—Our Most Loyal Dog; Dog Sense; Pocket Babies and Other Amazing Marsupials; and The Prairie Builders—Reconstructing America’s Lost Grasslands, winner of the AAAS/Subaru/Science Books & Films Prize for Excellence in Science Books. Sneed has evolved through several life-history stages on his way to becoming one of today’s leading children’s authors. His first book, Sea Snakes, was published in 1993. His seventy-fifth (or so) book, his memoir Snakes, Alligators, and Broken Hearts—Journeys of a Biologist’s Son, was released in Fall, 2015. In 2006, Sneed was the recipient of the Washington Post Children’s Book Guild Children’s Nonfiction Writer of the Year Award for his body of work.

Thank you Sneed for stopping by Kid Lit Frenzy and sharing great facts about hares and your new book. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Cover Reveal: Can An Aardvark Bark?

Do you have a favorite author or illustrator? The one author or illustrator that when you hear that they have a new book coming that you mark your calendar or place a pre-order? The author or illustrator that your students or readers are always excited to read? I know I do. 

Both Melissa Stewart and Steve Jenkins fits this for me. For a book to be written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, it is a dream book. So, mark your calendars because in June of 2017 there will be a new book you will want to add to your personal, class or school library.

And I am excited to be able to share with all of you the cover for Can an Aardvark Bark. 

In talking with author, Melissa Stewart, I asked her to share what inspired her to write this book. Here is her response: 

"Can an Aardvark Bark? was inspired by a question my nephew asked me in 2010 while we were on a family trip to Disney World. It lead to a google search, which satisfied him, but only made me ask more questions. I set off on a fascinating research journey in which I eventually compiled a list of more than 300 animals that bark, bellow, chirp, chatter, grunt, growl, and more. That’s when I knew I had the makings of a book.

"It took four long years to find the perfect format and text structure for the book. When it was acquired shortly before Christmas in 2014, I couldn't wait to share the news with my nephew. He was gobsmacked. He couldn't believe I'd been thinking about his question for all those years. But that's what nonfiction writers do. They become obsessed with ideas and information and don't give up until they find a way to share it with other people."

Can an Aardvark Bark? 
by Melissa Stewart; Illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Beach Lane Books (June 13, 2017)
Audience: Preschool to Age 8
Nonfiction * Animals

Description from GoodReads: 
From award-winning author Melissa Stewart and Caldecott honoree Steve Jenkins comes a noisy nonfiction exploration of the many sounds animals make.

Can an aardvark bark? No, but it can grunt. Lots of other animals grunt too…

Barks, grunts, squeals—animals make all kinds of sounds to communicate and express themselves. With a growling salamander and a whining porcupine, bellowing giraffes and laughing gorillas, this boisterous book is chock-full of fun and interesting facts and is sure to be a favorite of even the youngest animal enthusiasts.

Don't forget to link up  your nonfiction reviews below: 

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph

Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph
by Roxane Orgill; Illustrated Francis Vallejo
Candlewick Press (March 8, 2016)
Nonfiction * Music * Jazz
Audience: Grades 3 to 7
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads: 
What happens when you invite as many jazz musicians as you can to pose for a photo in 1950s Harlem? Playful verse and glorious artwork capture an iconic moment for American jazz.

When Esquire magazine planned an issue to salute the American jazz scene in 1958, graphic designer Art Kane pitched a crazy idea: how about gathering a group of beloved jazz musicians and photographing them? He didn’t own a good camera, didn’t know if any musicians would show up, and insisted on setting up the shoot in front of a Harlem brownstone. Could he pull it off? In a captivating collection of poems, Roxane Orgill steps into the frame of Harlem 1958, bringing to life the musicians’ mischief and quirks, their memorable style, and the vivacious atmosphere of a Harlem block full of kids on a hot summer’s day. Francis Vallejo’s vibrant, detailed, and wonderfully expressive paintings do loving justice to the larger-than-life quality of jazz musicians of the era. Includes bios of several of the fifty-seven musicians, an author’s note, sources, a bibliography, and a foldout of Art Kane’s famous photograph.

Quick thoughts on the book:
Recently, I was chatting with a friend about picture books. One of the things we were talking about is how some books might need to be taught. JAZZ DAY: THE MAKING OF A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH maybe one of those books that are beautiful but may not find its way into the hands of children without the support of an adult. 

Orgill brings to life the history behind Art Kane's 1958 jazz photo through a series of poems. 

Vallejo's paintings are gorgeous and capture the mood and setting of the day and the energy of the day. 

Along with the poems, Orgill includes an introduction, an author's note, short biographies of various jazz musicians, source material and bibliography. I can see using this book as part of a poetry unit but also to share with students a piece of history including the music of the musicians featured in the photograph. When students are exposed to poetry and music, there is a level of learning that goes beyond the simple academics of history and poetry. Jazz Day is definitely one of those books that with a little support can emotionally connect with students.  

Look for a copy of Jazz Day at your local indie bookstore or community library. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews: 

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Fun Science

Fun Science: A Guide to Life, the Universe and Why Science is So Awesome
by Charlie McDonnell
Quadrille Publishing/Chronicle (October 18, 2016)
Audience:  Ages 12 and up
Nonfiction * Popular Science
IndieBound | WorldCat

 

Description from GoodReads: 
Welcome, fellow humans (and others), to the the world of FUN SCIENCE! I'm Charlie, also known across the internet as charlieissocoollike.

In my book, I'll be taking you on an awesome journey through the cosmos, beginning with the Big Bang through to the Solar System and the origins of life on Earth, all the way down to the particles that make up everything around us (including you and me!).

Expect frequent digressions, tons of illustrations of not-so-sciencey things (NB a microwave flying through space), and pages packed with my all time favourite mind-bending science facts.

So, get ready for a faster-than-the-speed of-light (OK, not quite) tour of all of the best and most interesting things that science has to offer us… and most importantly: WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSE!

(Written by a Science Fan NOT at scientist!)

Official Book Trailer:

Quick thoughts about the book:
Usually when I begin reading a book, I just dive right in. As a non-scientist, I prefer my science in the least geeky and non-techy manner as possible. So I will preface, I have no idea if the science within this book is 100% accurate or not. I will also say that those who are fans of Young Adult author, John Green and his brother Hank and follow their vlog posts, this is your kind of science. Below is a taste of Charlie and his style.

Charlie talks about how he wrote the book:

By watching some Charlie's videos, I felt that I was able to catch the flow of the writing of the book and also carry over Charlie's enthusiasm and passion for science from the videos into the book. 

This is one of those books that the right 10 or 12 year old might enjoy but can also be enjoyed by an adult. 

The font changes and sizes and illustrations provide as much voice and personality as the writing itself contributes to the book. Despite the general seriousness of the topic, there is also quite a bit of humor laced throughout. 

Though this book may seem as if it is for kids and adults who love science, it could also be a fun read for those who are fascinated by science. Look for a copy at your local indie bookstore or public library. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews: