Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Mock Sibert 2018

It's the best time of the year. Not because of the holidays but for book lovers, the chatter about books increases as the "Best Of" lists start to pop up.  Everyone has been reading lots of books and speculating what books will make the end of the year "Best of" lists. Amid all of the buzz around the "Best Of" books is the chatter about which titles might win which awards. Well, around this blog, I am always ready to talk about the outstanding books in the world of Children's Nonfiction. 

The ALA Youth Media Awards , the biggest awards in Children's Literature, will be held on Monday, February 12, 2018. In the past there nearly no Mock Sibert groups; however, the last few years has seen a significant increase in teachers and librarians sharing titles with students and making predictions. If you hadn't thought about hosting a Mock Sibert group at your school or library, the good news is that you have nearly an extra month this year to share and discuss books with your students.  If you haven't hosted a Mock Sibert group before, here are some guidelines to help you out.

What is the Sibert Award? The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award goes to the most distinguished informational book published in the United States. To be honored/win the Sibert Award, the book must include these important elements and qualities:

  • Excellent, engaging, and distinctive use of language.
  • Excellent, engaging, and distinctive visual presentation.
  • Appropriate organization and documentation.
  • Clear, accurate, and stimulating presentation of facts, concepts, and ideas.
  • Appropriate style of presentation for subject and for intended audience.
  • Supportive features (index, table of contents, maps, timelines, etc).
  • Respectful and of interest to children.

March Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell (Top Shelf Production) - Winner of the 2017 Sibert Award.

Some years, I have joined with friends to promote great nonfiction titles.  This year, I am hearing lots of buzz about Mock Sibert Groups and Sibert Smackdown events.  If you pop over to Michele Knott/Mrs. Knott's Book Nook, you can check out her post.  If you are curious about the Sibert Smackdown, Melissa Stewart has written an excellent post, here.

If you are interested in participating here is what you need to do.

  • Decide whether you will do your Mock Sibert predictions as an individual or with students or children from your school or library. 
  • Go back through the new release posts found at this blog and think about which ones would be eligible (based on the criteria above).
  • Read, read, read. Either by yourself or with students and begin to create a top 5 list. 
  • Post about your top 5 books and if you have students participating in your Mock Sibert indicate which ones they would like to see win.
  • By February 7, 2018, share with everyone which of your favorites that you think will walk away with the "gold".  If you share your posts via social media, please use the hashtag #mocksibert2018
  • If you need to tweak the above suggestions in order to participate, please do. Make this fun and no stress.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2018, I will post the winners of the Sibert Award announced on Monday, February 12, 2018.

Please indicate in the comments if you think you will be participating in the 2018 Mock Sibert event or a Sibert Smackdown event. And I do hope to see many of you participating this year.

Don't forget to check my Early Thoughts post on Mock Sibert book selections. After Thanksgiving, I will post another list of books for teachers and librarians to consider. 

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews....

#Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Some Early Thoughts on Mock Sibert

It's November. Holiday season is in full swing by the look at TV commercials and a glimpse at any store. The Hallmark Channel is running their holiday movies. And newspapers, libraries and others are beginning to share their end of the year best of lists. So, I have started to scroll through the 2017 nonfiction releases that I have read with an eye towards my own best of list. I am still am frantically looking for titles that I haven't read yet and know I need to find and read.

Aside from the end of the year best of lists, I have been chatting with friends about ALA's Sibert Award and Mock Sibert or Sibert Smackdown lists. Last year, when the Sibert Award was announced, I was surprised that it skewed towards the higher age range. Only one picture book made the list.  I keep wondering about this year. Will it lean towards the older or younger end of the age range? Will it somehow resonate with where we are as a country? 

Here are a few titles that are popping up onto an early Mock Sibert list for me....

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, Illustrated by Shawn Harris (Chronicle Books)

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton, Illustrated by Victo Ngai (Millbrook Press)

How to be An Elephant by Katherine Roy (David McCaulay Studios)

The Hidden Life of a Toad by Doug Weschler (Charlesbridge Publishing)

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson, Illustrated Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Check back in a couple of weeks for my official 2018 Mock Sibert post.

Some related posts to check out: Melissa Stewart's Getting Ready for the Sibert Smackdown | Sibert Smackdown Wrap-Up | My Mock Sibert 2017 | My Mock Sibert 2017 Winners Post | Mrs. Knott's Book Nook Mock Sibert 2017

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews....

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Dinosaurs, Spiders, and Bugs

Since I try to read as many new nonfiction picture books that I can find in a year, and since I also want to share as many books with readers of this blog, sometimes I try to share several books in a mini-review format. Today, I have three titles to share. 

Bugs From Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick; Illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya (Kids Can Press, October3, 2017) 

Roderick has written a couple of nonfiction picture books in this series of Head to Tail format ( Ocean Animals From Head to Tail and Dinosaurs From Head to Tail).  I enjoy the question and answer format that Roderick uses to communicate information through her text.

In BUGS FROM HEAD TO TAIL, readers see a portion of the bug revealed on the page and a question that leads into making a prediction followed by an informative response. This style is particularly good for young readers and can also be used as a mentor text for writing.

Pinocchio Rex and Other Tyrannosaurs (Let's Read and Find Out Level 2) by Melissa Stewart & Steve Brusatte; Illustrated by Julius Csotonyi (HarperCollins, November 7, 2017) - This book was probably my favorite of the three titles this week and I hope to follow this up with a longer post and interior spreads. So, I won't say a lot about it now other than look for it to come out next week. 

Spiders! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle; Illustrated by Meryl Henderson (Boyds Mills Press, October 10, 2017)

Pringle has a number of books in the Strange and Wonderful Series. For additional titles information, click here.  Spiders! Strange and Wonderful provides information about spiders with illustrations and smaller illustrations with labels that introduce to readers details about the drawings. 

Younger readers may be more attracted to the drawings and labels and picking pieces of information out of the text. Older readers may read through the book in a more in depth way. Fans of spiders or those wanting to learn more about arachnids, will find lots of facts and details within the pages of this book. 

Look for all three books at your local bookstore or community library. 

Illustration by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: September & October New Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, one of my favorite things is to round-up as many new quality nonfiction books for children about once a month to share them with readers of this blog.  Some months, I miss the release of books and add them to the next month's post.  Since I have not seen every book listed, I cannot always confirm if they are truly a nonfiction book or more of an informational fiction text or a bit of historical fiction.  Here are some recent releases.

Previous Nonfiction Release Post: January | February | March | April | June | August

August & September Releases

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R.B.G. vs. Inequality by  Jonah Winter, Stacy Innerst (Harry N. Abrams, August 8, 2017)

Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade, Illustrated by Alice Ratterree (Peachtree Publishers, September 1, 2017)

The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright by K.L.Going, Illustrated by Lauren Stringer (Beach Lane Books, September 5, 2017)

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Eric Velásquez (Candlewick Press, September 12, 2017)

October Releases

Deadliest! 20 Dangerous Animals by Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Children, October 10, 2017)

Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song by Kathryn Erskine, Illustrated by Charly Palmer (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, October 10, 2017)

Why, Fly Guy?: Answers to Kids' BIG Questions (Fly Guy Presents) by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic, October 10, 2017) 

Fallingwater: The Building of Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterpiece by  Marc Harshman, Anna Egan Smucker, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Roaring Brook Press, October 17, 2017)

Meet Cindy Sherman: Artist, Photographer, Chameleon by Sandra Jordan, Jan Greenberg (Roaring Brook Press, October 17, 2017)

My Journey to the Stars by Scott Kelly, Illustrated byAndre Ceolin (Crown Books, October 17, 2017)

A Boy, A Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White by Barbara Herkert, Illustrated by Lauren Castillo (Henry Holt and Co., October 24, 2017)

The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation): My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawerence Anthony, Graham Spence, Thea Feldman (Henry Holt & Co., October 24, 2017)

Science Comics: Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch (First Second, October 31, 2017)

Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say (Arthur A. Levine, October 31, 2017)

Look for these and others at our local bookstore or public library.

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...