Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Congratulations to the 2019 Sibert Winners

Since this is my first time doing a Sibert Smackdown/Mock Sibert with students, I went into the Youth Media Award announcements with my fingers and toes crossed that some of the books that my students have been reading and considering would win. When I first, heard that there would be five honor books, I felt hopeful. However, as the honor books were announced, my hope faded. I had called only one of the honor books. Now, I was on the edge of my seat. Would the winner be one of the books we had read? Alas, we were not going to have bragging rights. Though I loved so many of these books, it was sad to not see certain books get much love and recognition.

I will say I recognize the hard work that the Sibert Committee put in to select these six books. Several of the books were ones that I really enjoyed and I was especially happy for Joyce Sidman.

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award goes to the most distinguished informational book published in the United States. Last week, I made my predictions. On Monday, at the ALA Youth Media Awards the Sibert Winners were announced. Click here to read the ALA Press release for the 2019 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winners.

Here are the winners….

The Winner:

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science, written by Joyce Sidman, and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Honor Book Winners:

Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild, written by Catherine Thimmesh, and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America, written by Gail Jarrow, and published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Highlights

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees, written and Illustrated by Don Brown, and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac, and published by Charlesbridge

When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, written by Michael Mahin, illustrated by Jose Ramirez, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

Congratulations to all of the authors, illustrators, and publishers.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: ALA Midwinter and My Mock Sibert/Sibert Smackdown Prediction

On early Friday morning, I take off for Seattle for the ALA Midwinter Meeting. I am not ready. Seriously, it has been a weird January. I know once I touch down in Seattle and get involved in discussions and seeing friends that I will be completely excited but until then I will be practicing mindful breathing. If you can’t make it to Seattle, join us on Monday for the YMA announcements via livestreaming.

Mark your calendars for the ALA Youth Media Awards (YMAs). They will begin at 8 a.m. Pacific/11 a.m. Eastern on Monday, January 28, 2019. Catch the live webcast here and follow the #alayma hashtag on twitter.

If you have been following the blog, you know that in the fall, I did several Mock Sibert blog posts. You can read them here: Getting Ready for the Mock Sibert | Mock Sibert Predictions Part I | Mock Sibert Predictions Part II

On January 7, 2019, I kicked off a Mock Sibert/Sibert Smackdown with six classes. This is my first time working with multiple classes to run Sibert Smackdowns. For the Sibert Smackdown, each class received the 10 books in the image above. I created a google folder with all of the resources that I thought they would need to learn about the books and share each book with their students. The teachers and I met back in December to talk about the Sibert Award and what was expected of them.

During the first week, I ran around to six different schools to touch-base with each teacher and her students. I loved pulling out the books and seeing the reactions of students. Most of the students participating in the Sibert Smackdown are in grades 3 to 6. Last week, I did a second visit to check in and help with any issues that had cropped up. This is our final week and I am encouraging teachers to wrap up and have their classes vote.

Here are a few photos from the past couple of weeks…

I made it in time for a read aloud of Adventures to School, in one of the classes. I loved how the students were blown away about children taking a snow mobile to school. We don’t get any snow in Southern California so this was particularly thrilling to them.

At another school, I stopped by and students were putting together google slides on each of the books.

Another school created a mountain and moved the books up as favorites rose to the top.

Another school did a quick vote to narrow the books down from 10 titles to six. Some clear favorites are emerging. I look forward to hearing who there final winners and honor book choices will be.

Now time for my picks. I decided to use the ten titles from the list that our students are considering.

My winner is a favorite of many of the students:

Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by Katherine Roy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

My Honor Book Winners:

Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went From the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace, Illustrated by Bryan Collier (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books)

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Tracie Sorell, Illustrated by Frané Lessac (Charlesbridge Publishers)

What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan by Chris Barton, Illustrated by Ekua Holmes (Beach Lane Books)

If Polar Bears Disappeared by Lily Williams (Roaring Brook Press)

For fun, I am doing a Sibert Giveaway.  Here are the rules:

1. You must complete a Mock Sibert post or a Sibert Smackdown post with your own predictions (or the predictions of your class) by Sunday, January 27, 2019 and add the link below and a comment in the comments section.

2. A Winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday, January 29th and announced on Wednesday, January 30th here on the blog. 

3. You must be 13 years or older to enter (or have a parent enter on your behalf). 

4. You must have a US or Canadian mailing address or if the book is available through Book Depository and they deliver to your country, please feel free to enter. 

5. Winner will receive a copy of the 2019 Sibert Winner (or if you already own that book then one of the honor titles). 

6. Special prize: If more than one of my predictions are correct, then the winner will receive a complete set of the 2019 Sibert titles (winner and all honor books selected this year). 

7. Please do not add personal information like your email or mailing address in the comments. 

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews or Mock Sibert posts below.

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: What are you reading? Nonfiction Edition

Before I jump too fast into 2019 titles, I requested a stack of books from the library in order to read a few more 2018 titles before ALA’s Youth Media Awards. Below you will find a combination of titles from this year and from past years.

Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face by Larissa Theule, Illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley (Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 2019) - I enjoyed the lively voice and fun in this book. However, don’t miss the information in the back about the importance of bicycles to the women’s rights movement.

If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas, Illustrated by Jaime Kim (Millbrook Press, 2017) - Not sure how I missed this one in 2017 but excited to finally read it.

Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy McNulty, Illustrated by David Litchfield (Henry Holt & Co., 2018) - For some reason, I didn’t have high expectations about this book. However, once I got my hands on the book, I really enjoyed it.

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McNulty, Illustrated by David Litchfield (Henry Holt & Co., 2017) - This book came out before SUN! And I loved them both.

Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonara Carrington by Michelle Markel, Illustrated by Amanda Hall (Balzer & Bray, 2019) - I really loved the pairing of the text and illustrations in this book.

Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, Illustrated by Julia Sarda (Tundra Books, 2018) - Fascinating book about Mary Shelly and how she ended up writing Frankenstein.

Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented by Tanya Lee Stone, Illustrated by Steve Salerno (Henry Holt & Co, 2018) This was another book from 2018 that I was excited to finally get to read.

Look for these and other titles at your local indie bookstore or community library.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews below…

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Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: January New Releases

Recently, I started looking for nonfiction titles that will be released in 2019. I have been scrolling through publisher catalogs, online book review sites, and searching for favorite nonfiction authors to see when their next books are being released. I currently have shelved 116 titles to read. Each month, I will attempt to share those new titles with you.

Here are eleven new titles that were recently released. Unfortunately, at this point, I haven’t gotten my hands on them to check for quality but after I have a chance to read them, I will share my favorites.

What If I Had a T. Rex Teeth? And Other Dinosaur Parts by Sandra Markle, Illustrated by Howard McWilliam (Scholastic, December 26, 2018)

Hair! Animal Fur, Wool, and More by Marilyn Singer, Illustrations by Julie Colombet (Millbrook Press, January 2019)

Little Monsters of the Ocean: Metamorphosis Under the Waves by Heather L. Montgomery (Millbrook Press, January 2010)

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison (Little Bee Books, January 2019)

Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington (Balzer & Bray, January 2018)

A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan (Sterling Children’s Books, January 2019)

Superheroes are Everywhere by Kamala Harris, Illustrated by Mechal Renee Roe (Philomel Books, January 2018)

Baby Elephant Joins the Herd by American Museum of Natural History (Sterling, January 2019)

Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins by Michelle Meadows, Illustrated by Ebony Glenn (Henry Holt & Co., January 2019)

Grandpa Stops a War: A Paul Robeson Story by Susan Robeson, Illustrated by Rod Brown (Triangle Square, January 2019)

Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stage Coach Driver by Tami Charles, Illustrated by Claire Almon (Albert Whitman & Co, January 2019)

Look for these and other titles at your local indie bookstore or public library.

Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews below…

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Kicking Off 8 Years of Reading

Welcome to the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge! I am excited to share that this fabulous community of readers will be embarking on our 8th year of celebrating nonfiction. Once again, I am inviting you to join me on this amazing journey of books and learning.

This year, I am exploring ways to expand and feature more posts on nonfiction. Though it is great to get the word out about new titles being released, I would like to explore more lesson ideas and other ways to support nonfiction in the classroom. I would love to hear what would be helpful to you and other teachers and librarians. Feel free to make suggestions in the comment section.

Stop by next week to learn about new releases that will be coming out in January and February 2019.

For those of you, who are new to the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I want to welcome you and encourage you to read the guidelines below.

If you would like to participate in the challenge in 2019, here are the details:

1. Set a goal as to how many nonfiction picture books (or nonfiction MG or YA books) you would like to read over the course of 2019. Maybe you want to read one a month or one a week. Will they all be from 2019 or will you be reading ones previously published? Do you have a gap with a particular area of nonfiction? The important part is to set a goal that will be fun and not stressful.

2. My nonfiction book reviews and posts will be on Wednesdays (and one additional day). There will be a link if you want to connect up one of your reviews or progress towards your goal. If you post on Mondays (Nonfiction Mondays) or Fridays (STEM Fridays), please feel free to link up on Wednesdays with us, we would love to get to know more bloggers talking about nonfiction.

3. There will be interviews, guest posts, giveaways, and new release posts for you to check out.

4. If you would like to participate in this challenge, please link up your blog or GoodReads Shelf using the Widget at the very bottom of the post. Please know that you can join in at anytime throughout the year.

5. If you tweet about what you are reading as part of this challenge, please use the twitter hashtag #nfpb2019.

6. You are welcome to grab the image at the top of the post to use in your weekly posts.

7. On behalf of this community, we welcome your participation and look forward to learning about the books that you have discovered.

Please use the link up widget below to link up a review or your challenge goals.