Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Winner of the 2015 Mock Sibert Award

On Monday, February 2, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois, the ALA Youth Media Awards will be held.  One of the awards that will be announced is the Robert F. Sibert Medal winners. Though I am not sure who will win, I had fun hosting the 2015 Mock Sibert Awards with Kellee from Unleashing Readers and Carrie from There is a Book For That.  

*drum roll*

AND THE WINNER IS...

Congratulations to Cathy Ballou Mealey for being the winner of our 2015 Mock Sibert Award Giveaway. Her choice of a winning book was Handle With Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns. 

Next year, Kellee, Carrie and I are looking forward to expanding the Mock Sibert Award to other blogs that might be interested in participating. Until then, we will all be eagerly awaiting the announcements on Monday. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Mock Sibert, Mini Reviews, and New Releases

Thank you everyone for participating each week in the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge (#nfpb2015). It is one of my highlights of the week to see all of the books that everyone has read and included in their posts. Today's post is a mixture of mini reviews and spotlights on new releases. - Happy Reading! 

2015 Mock-Sibert Award:

If you haven't checked out the Mock-Sibert Predictions that Kellee Moye (Unleashing Readers) and Carrie Gelson (There is a Book for That) and I have made, there is still time to do so and also enter the giveaway.

Mini Reviews:

Earmuffs For Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs by Meghan McCarthy (Simon & Schuster, January 2015) - Meghan McCarthy has a way of mixing humor with her work to draw in readers. I enjoyed how she provided readers with the history and how Chester Greenwood was credited with the invention despite others having put in patents earlier. Though this one may appeal more to those in colder climates, teachers can discuss the issues of getting patents, and who gets credit for discovering or inventing things with the reading of this book.

Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books, January 2015) - Beautiful photographs and lyrical text made this a favorite of mine. Sayre provides young children with a delightful read aloud about rain and water, and older students with a mentor text for writing. This one is a must have in my opinion.

The Founding Fathers!: Those Horse-Ridin', Fiddle-Playin', Book-Readin', Gun-Totin', Gentleman Who Started America by Jonah Winter; Illustrated by Barry Blitt (Atheneum, January 2015) - This book is part background information, part encyclopedia, and part questions and answers all mixed with a reasonable amount of humor. This one can be read a little at a time and in whatever order that a student would like. I enjoyed learning new facts about the 14 Founding Fathers featured in the book.

Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Praevot; Illustrated by Aurelia Fronty (Charlesbridge, January 2015) - I think I have read every picture book biography on Mama Miti. I enjoyed the focus on the political challenges that Wangari had to take on in order to see her dream come to fruition. A welcome addition to the collection of books on this amazing woman.

Books I missed for the New Release Post:

28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith; Illustrated by Shane W. Evans (Roaring Brook, January 13, 2015)

Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff; Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch (HMH Books for Young Readers; January 27, 2015)

Whale Trails, Before and Now by Lesa Cline-Ransome; Illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Henry Holt and Co., January 20, 2015)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Abayomi The Brazilian Puma

Abayomi: The Brazilian Puma
by Darcy Pattison; Illustrated by Kitty Harvill
Mims House (March 2014)
Audience: K-3
Nature * Science * Mountain Lions
Amazon * WorldCat
 

Description from GoodReads: ***Outstanding Science Trade Book 2015 from the National Science Teacher's Association***

From the award-winning team that brought you WISDOM, THE MIDWAY ALBATROSS, comes a new heart-warming story of an orphaned puma cub. 

A mother puma, an attempt to steal a chicken and an angry chicken farmer—the search is on for orphaned cubs. Will the scientists be able to find the cubs before their time runs out?

In this “Biography in Text and Art,” Harvill takes original photos as references to create accurate wildlife illustrations. These aren’t generic cats, but one particular individual in detail. Pattison’s careful research, vetted by scientists in the field, brings to life this this true story of an infant cub that must face a complicated world alone—and find a way to survive. 

My thoughts on this book: 
I discovered Abayomi: The Brazilian Puma on the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books list a couple of months ago. Darcy Pattison saw my post and reached out to me about her book. Since I had marked it as one of the titles that I wanted to read, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the book.

Though I was interested in the story of Abayomi, it was Harvill's illustrations that initially captured me. The soft watercolors were the perfect backdrop for the story Pattison was about to tell. In clear, straight-forward language, Pattison shares the story of a mother puma and her cub. Readers feel the emotions that rise as we learn of the loss of the mother puma and the relief when the cub is finally found. 

This story is accessible as a read aloud for younger classes and older students can read this one independently. The addition of the videos shown below provide students with a greater connection to this special cub, and also an awareness of how we need to be aware of crowding out animals from their homes, and create a safer environment for them to live.

For further background information about the impact the work of Pattison and Harvill have had, check out this article on the Mims House Website.  

Check out these videos of Abayomi.  Since I do not read Portuguese, I am not exactly sure what the text says, but the videos are self-explanatory.:

Abayomi protecting his food:

Abayomi checks out his surroundings:

Website: The Brazilian Puma Corridor Project

Thank you everyone for your support of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge. Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews and stop by the other blogs to see what everyone is reading. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: January New Releases

Welcome to the first Nonfiction Picture Book New Releases post of 2015, and thank you for supporting the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge for the 4th year. If you are just finding out about the challenge, it is not too late to join in. Actually, everyone is welcome to join in at any point in the year. This is a wonderful community of teachers, librarians, and other book related folks that love to celebrate nonfiction books for kids. So, if you are finding this for the first time, welcome and if you are returning, so glad you are a friend.

At the beginning of each month, I do my best to round-up as many new quality nonfiction books for children and share them with readers of this blog.  I know that this is an extremely useful resource for me and hope that it is to you as well. ~ Happy Reading!

Here are the new releases that are coming out this month:

December 23, 2014

Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century by Carole Boston Weatherford; Illustrated by Raúl Colón (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

January 1, 2015

Birdology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Birds by Monica Russo; Photographs by Kevin Byron (Chicago Review Press)

January 6, 2015

Big Red Kangaroo by Claire Saxby; Illustrated by Graham Byrne (Candlewick Press)

Bilby: Secrets of an Australian Marsupial by Edel Wignell; Illustrated by Mark Jackson (Candlewick Press)

Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts by Nikki Grimes; Illustrated by Michele Wood (Orchard Books)

Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews by Kathleen Benson Haskins; Illustrated by Benny Andrews (Clarion Books)

Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs by Meghan McCarthy (Simon & Schuster)

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson; Illustrated by Sean Qualls (Schwartz & Wade)

The Founding Fathers: Those Horse-Ridin', Fiddle-Playin', Book-Readin', Gun-Totin' Gentlemen Who Started America by Jonah Winter; Illustrated by Barry Blitt (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayer (Beach Lane Books)

Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia's Desert Wilderness by Narelle Oliver (Candlewick)

Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted a Million Trees by Franck Praevot; Illustrated by Aurelia Fronty (Charlesbridge)

January 20, 2015

Winnie: The Remarkable Tale of a Real Bear by Sally M. Walker; Illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss (Henry Holt & Co.)

January 27, 2015

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko; Illustrated by Sean Qualls (Arthur A. Levine)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2015

When I first began the nonfiction picture book challenge, I simply wanted to close up a personal book gap I had. I read very little nonfiction for children and knew that needed to change. By starting the challenge in 2012, I was excited to read 60 or 70 nonfiction picture books in a year. However, this year (2014), I made an even bigger push to read more and to fill in some of my nonfiction book gaps.

Here are my stats for this year...

I read 140 nonfiction books published in 2014.
I read 5 nonfiction books that will come out in 2015.
I read 8 nonfiction books from 2012.
I read 24 nonfiction books from 2013.
I read 85 nonfiction books from pre-2012.
Grand Total: 262 nonfiction titles

As I look to 2015, I am looking at my fourth year of hosting the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  Reading nonfiction has become a wonderful habit and one that I do not see myself giving up anytime soon.  Additionally, the community of readers who are participating in the challenge have become a wonderful source of information and new titles, as well as, on-line friends & even in person friends.

For 2015, there are somethings that I will continue, such as, reading as many new releases from 2015 that I can find. Though I squeezed in some MG/YA nonfiction books towards the end of the year, I would like to do better and read at least one to two per month.

Of course, I will continue posting each month the upcoming new releases as I find out about them. As I have been thinking about next year, I also would like to feature interviews with and guest post by children's nonfiction authors. Finally, I would like to include more ways to have fun with nonfiction in the classroom.

If you would like to participate in the challenge in 2015, 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 2015. Maybe you want to read one a month or one a week. Will they all be from 2015 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 but I may start posting on a second day in order to fit everything in.  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.

4. If you would like to participate in this challenge, please link up your blog or GoodReads Shelf using the Widget below. 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 #nfpb2015.

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

Don't forget to link up your Blog or GoodReads Shelf below: