Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Upcoming Releases from Macmillan

July 23, 2014 Alyson Beecher

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

I am always excited to see what new nonfiction titles will be coming out and I enjoy sharing them with the readers of my blog. Usually, I do just one new release post for the month. However, today I am doing a special on upcoming fall releases from Macmillan (Roaring Brook Press & Henry Holt & Co). Recently, I had a chance to read through a stack of picture book releases coming in September & October. Though you will want to add all of these to your TBR list, I have starred (*) a few of my absolute favorites.

September 2014

* Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Island by Katherine Roy

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales

Sequoia by Tony Johnston; Illustrated by Wendell Minor

October 2014

* The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan; illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story by Sebastian Robertson; Illustrated by Adam Gustavson

* Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by Stephanie Roth Sisson

November 2014

Strongheart: The World's First Movie Star Dog by Emily Arnold McCully

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - A Home for Mr. Emerson

July 16, 2014 Alyson Beecher

A Home for Mr. Emerson

by Barbara Kerley; Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Scholastic Press (February 25, 2014)

Nonfiction * Biography * American Writers

IndieBound | WorldCat

Teacher's Guide

Description from GoodReads:

From the award-winning creators of THOSE REBELS, JOHN & TOM, a joyful portrait of an American icon and an inspiring blueprint for how to live your life.

"All life is an experiment.
The more
experiments you make
the better."

Before Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great writer, he was a city boy who longed for the broad, open fields and deep, still woods of the country, and then a young man who treasured books, ideas, and people. When he grew up and set out in the world, he wondered, could he build a life around these things he loved?

This moving biography--presented with Barbara Kerley and Edwin Fotheringham's inimitable grace and style--illustrates the rewards of a life well-lived, one built around personal passions: creativity and community, nature and friendship.

May it inspire you to experiment and build the life you dream of living.

My thoughts on this book:

In honor of my recent trip to Massachusetts, I am sharing a few vacation pictures and some thoughts on Barbara Kerley's book A Home for Mr. Emerson.

Emerson's Concord home was one of the sites I wanted to see while visiting Massachusetts. I have to admit that I did not know a lot about the famous American writer and thinker of the 19th century. Sadly, it seemed that anything related to Emerson was not to be. Notice the "closed" sign.

I felt a bit weird trespassing since there was an actual fence around the property. However, It didn't stop me from taking pictures of Emerson's home from the roadside. I had this image in my mind as I read the book. I love this quote about the house from Emerson included in the book.

"But we shall crowd so many books and papers, and, if possible, wise friends, into it that it shall have as much wit as it can carry."

Emerson loved his home, he loved Concord, and he loved the people. In turn, they loved him.

In the story, Kerley writes about a fire. It is through the help and support of his neighbors and friends that so much of his belongings and writings survived the fire. In Kerley's end notes, she indicates that during the repairs Emerson spent time at the Old Manse Home, as well as, overseas.

As I said, I was two for two in not getting to spend time visiting any of the places that he called home. There was a big "closed" sign at the Old Manse House too.

The Old Manse home was a gathering place for many of the great thinkers and writers of that time. Can you imagine a place where Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau and many more would have spent time talking with one another? I would have loved to have listened in on these conversations.

Since I was unable to visit Emerson's home or the Old Manse House, I did track down where Emerson's family burial plot was located. The cemetery was called Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (no connection with the one in NY and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow).

Apparently, all these amazing writers & thinkers who were friends in real life were buried within walking distance of each other. Some were across the pathway from one another.

I did manage to get to see Louisa May Alcott's home in Concord where she wrote Little Women. It was during this tour that I was able to get a glimpse not only into my favorite childhood writer but also in the character of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Below is a quote and a paraphrase of how Alcott felt about one of her favorite authors.

"When the book-mania fell upon me at fifteen I used to venture into Mr. Emerson`s library and ask what I should read, never conscious of the audacity of my demand, so genial was my welcome." - Louisa May Alcott

As I was on the tour of the Alcott home, the tour guide spoke of Louisa's sister Anna's wedding day. At the wedding, Mr. Emerson gave the bride a kiss on her cheek in congratulations. The guide said that Louisa, who never married, commented that she might actually consider marriage if she could also receive a kiss from Emerson. It was evident from the tour that Emerson was a beloved friend of the Alcott family and a wonderful, and kind man.

And it is also evident from the work of Kerley and Fotheringham that they too discovered that Emerson was a well loved neighbor and friend. Pick up a copy of A Home for Mr. Emerson at your local indie bookstore or library, and discover the amazing world of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Wednesday - July Releases

July 9, 2014 Alyson Beecher

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.

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:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - The ALA 2014 Edition

July 2, 2014 Alyson Beecher

Normally on the first Wednesday of the month, I do a post about new nonfiction releases. However, this week, I am pre-empting my normal post to share about the Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries presentation that I was a part of at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas this past weekend.

In preparing for the presentation, I had the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in different places around the country. This was a phenomenal learning opportunity.

On Sunday, June 29th, in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, we shared the information and our experiences working with students with our audience. There were some great questions at the end of the session, and we are hoping to create future Common Core IRL: In Real Library posts in ways that will respond to questions.

If you are interested in checking out the presentation slides, the slideshare of our presentation is below (click the image). Please share this with friends and colleagues who may be interested.

Mary Ann Scheuer posted a portion of the introduction on her blog post, here.

Thank you to these amazing professionals, who I am thrilled to also count as my friends.

Mary Ann Scheuer, School Librarian, Emerson Elementary School (California) -

greatkidbooks.blogspot.com

Louise Capizzo, Youth Service Librarian, Scarborough Public Library (Maine) -

nonfictiondetectives.com

Cathy Potter, School Librarian, Falmouth Elementary School (Maine) -

nonfictiondetectives.com

A special thanks to the following publishers for donating books for a special giveaway at the end of our presentation.

Boyds Mills Press

Candlewick

Capstone

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

National Geographic Kids

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

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Top Five Picks for the First Half of 2014

June 25, 2014 Alyson Beecher

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

In the past, I have tried to review all of the picture books I have read during the first half of the year and select my favorite 10 at the end of June. This year, I decided to select my top five nonfiction picture books and then do another post for my top five fiction picture books. Out of the the 50+ nonfiction picture books published in 2014 that I have currently read, here are my favorites in no particular order.

Grandfather Gandhi

by Arun Gandhi, Bethany Hegedus; Illustrated by Evan Turk (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, March 2014) - A glimpse into the life of Gandhi by his grandson Arun. Readers learn about peace along with Arun.

A Baby Elephant in the Wild

by Caitlin O'Connell; Photographs by Timothy Rodwell (HMH Books for Young Readers, March 2014) - By the team that brought us The Elephant Scientist comes a story about the birth and life of a baby elephant. Informative and very accessible for younger readers.

Handle With Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey

by Loree Griffin Burns; Photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz (Millbrook Press, January 2014) - I was fascinated about the story of a butterfly farm in Costa Rica and the photographs brought it to vivid life.

Water Can Be...

by Laura Purdie Salas; Illustrated by Violeta Dabija (Millbrook Press, April 2014) - This follow up to A Leaf Can Be... is just as beautifully illustrated. The simple phrases bring new vision to something as meaningful as water.

The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra

by Chris Raschka (Candlewick Press, May 2014) - Both the illustrations and text work together beautifully in this picture book biography of the jazz musician, Sun Ra. Raschka does an amazing job capturing the spirit and life of this unique musician.

What are your favorite nonfiction picture books published in 2014?

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

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