Nonfiction Picture Book Releases February 2012

The Nonfiction Detectives and I are hosting a Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge.  At the beginning of each month, my goal is to post all of the new non-fiction picture books being released over the next 30 days. 

February 1, 2012

*A Blackhole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami Decristofano, Michael Carroll

A Leaf Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas, Illustrated by Violeta Dabija

Snowmobile: Bombardier's Dream Machine by Jules Older

February 8, 2012

The President's Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems About the Presidents by Susan Katz, Illustrated by Robert Neubecker

February 14, 2012

Citizen Scientist by Loree Griffin Burns, Ellen Harasimowicz

*The Impossible Rescue by Martin W. Sandler

There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Whoever Lived by Matt Taveres

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Mark Heard

February 15, 2012

I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery by Cynthia Grady, Illustrated by Michelle Wood

February 16, 2012

Women Explorers by Julia Cummins, Illustrated by Cheryl Harness

February 28, 2012

*Boston's Great Molasses Flood by Deborah Kops

Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O'Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky, Illustrated by Yuyi Morales

The links for the above books will take you directly to the IndieBound.org book page for purchasing information, unless otherwise noted.  Please note, I do not make anything off these links or profit in anyway from posting the links.   If you know of a book that should be included in this list, please include the title and author in the comments section and I will update the list. 

* Indicates Non-fiction children's books that are not specifically picture books.

Review: Angelfall

Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Feral Dream
Release Date: May 21, 2011
Audience: Young Adult
Source: Purchased via Amazon Kindle
Reviewed by: Renée
Fiction * Post-Apocalyptic * Paranormal Romance

Description from GoodReads:
It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.


I'll be honest and say that I've always been skeptical of self-published books or e-books. Despite the crazy success stories of novels like The Tiger's Curse and Eragon that were purportedly initially self-published, the few interactions I've had with self-published novels or releases from small lesser-known publishing houses have usually been dismal and disastrous. However, I had been hearing some good buzz about Angellfall on Goodreads from bloggers and bestselling authors alike, and I noticed that it was chosen as a finalist for a Cybil award, so I decided to give it a try, and it blew my expectations out of the water. I am so happy to be proven wrong and to have my faith in less conventional publishing methods restored!

The prose was so powerful and strong in Angelfall. The novel is fairly short -- probably a little under 300 pages if it was in print -- so I was worried that the author might not give enough description, but Susan Ee commands words so well that you get a detailed, descriptive story without endless pages of reading. The world constructed in Angelfall is very original. I liked how it blended elements of post-apocalyptic fiction with the paranormal element of angels, so I got the gritty survivalist tough-girl protagonist that I like, with a bit of the fantastical elements that I love. The post-apocalyptic California in the novel is very unique and not like any other post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds I've encountered before. The concept of this world and this story is just so brilliant. I'm a fan of angel lore, but with so many new stories about angels coming out, some of the themes can get a little too familiar. Angelfall does something great and gives us angels as these destructive, almost evil creatures exacting a brutal apocalypse on humankind, which is a refreshing take on "bad" angel.

Another great thing about this story was the character development. The protagonist, as I mentioned before, is very touch and independent, without being surly or unlikeable. I loved Penryn's devotion to her mother and sister (and eventually Raffe). She was loyal and fierce and had a great personable quality about her that balanced being tough without coldness or hardness. I also loved Raffe. He was very mysterious and multidimensional. There were many surprising things about him that are slowly revealed throughout the novel, and I loved watching his reluctance turn into genuine respect and possible affection for Penryn. These two characters had great chemistry as partners and I loved their interactions together long before there was even a hint of possible romance. Also, their "romance" is so subtle and subdued, taking a backseat to the plot and action, which I surprisingly liked -- I'm a sucker for romance -- because it didn't distract from the serious things happening in the story.

My favorite character, though, was Penryn's mother. Susan Ee tackles some big issues in the novel. Aside from the mechanics of creating a post-apocalyptic world, Penryn's sister has a physical disabilty and her mother is described as schizophrenic. I think the author did a fantastic job of addressing some sensitive topics without making the novel feel preachy or obviously educational. Penryn's relationship with her mother felt very realistic, oscillating between annoyance or guilt about her mother's "insanity" and a unique kind of fondness and love that springs up amidst extraordinary circumstances. As much as I loved the male/female dynamic of Penryn and Raffe, it was her mother who I found to be the most exciting, unpredictable, and ultimately endearing.

I cannot recommend this more highly. The plot moves quickly from the first chapter, the writing is very rich and beautiful, the setting is fresh, and the characters feel so human (even the non-human ones). I read this in one day and the ending left me dying for the sequel. Get it while it's still only $0.99 at Amazon -- if you don't have an e-reader you can still read it on your computer with a free Kindle for PC/Mac download. Fans of Blood Red Road will devour this.

Susan Ee is the author of Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1). Her short stories have been in various publications including Realms of Fantasy and The Dragon and the Stars anthology. She is also a filmmaker whose latest film played at major film festivals and on cable TV stations throughout the U.S. She studied creative writing through workshops at Stanford, The Iowa Writers' Workshop and Clarion West. You can follow her on Twitter: @Susan_Ee

Her website is:  http://susanee.com/

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (10)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen & Kellee from 

Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Each week I'll recap what I've read/reviewed the week before 

and then look ahead to what I am planning on reading/reviewing in the upcoming week.

Last week's book adventures:

Though January has been an incredibly strong reading month, last week was a busy week which made for a slow reading week.  However, I did manage to read some amazing books.  It appears that 2012 is going to be an incredible year for books. 

Here are some of my favorites from the week:

Caldecott Update:
Last week, I finished reading all of the Caldecott Medal Winners!  WooHoo!  I have now started in on reading the Honor Books.  My favorite Caldecott Medal winner from last week goes to:

Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale by Gerald McDermott - Caldecott Medal Winner in 1975 and as I flipped through this story and looked at the illustrations, I was struck by how it still seemed new and not dated. 

My runner-up for the week:

Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley, Illustrated by Ed Emberley - This 1968 Caldecott Medal winner may not be the most exciting story written but the illustrations were quite interesting. 

Favorite Picture Book of the Week:
After discovering Tim Egan's Dodsworth series, I decided I wanted to read through some of Egan's other picture books.  I love his illustrations and it is fun to get some background on Dodsworth and the duck.

Friday Night's At Hodges Café by Tim Egan

My favorites of the week though go to two amazing Middle Grade novels:

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (release date: February 28, 2012) - If you are a fan of The Secret Garden, then you will want to pick up Ellen Potter's new novel when it comes out at the end of February.  The Humming Room is inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic tale.  I love The Secret Garden and I love Potter's writing which only made this book even more enjoyable. I will be sharing this one with students as soon as it comes out.  

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - This book came highly recommended from Paul Hankins (@paulwhankins on twitter) when he and his students skyped with my third graders.  I was so excited to finally get to read this book.  It is simply a beautifully told story about a silverback gorilla who befriends a young elephant.  Students are going to love this.

On Wednesday, I will be posting the nonfiction picture books I read this past week.  There were some fun ones in the pile.

Upcoming book adventures:
My goal this week is to continue with the Caldecott Challenge by reading through as many Honor Books as I can find.  I have been trying to read one middle grade novel and one young adult novel to each week.  In January, I didn't quite manage 4 YA novels, but I did read 7 middle grade novels, one young adult novel and 1 professional text for a total of 9 full length books which certainly was a great accomplishment.  

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please share! And remember to check in at Sheila's or Jen & Kellee's blog to see what they and others are reading!


 

Nonfiction Picture Book Giveaway

At the end of each month, I hope to hold a giveaway featuring nonfiction picture book(s).  Chronicle Books has graciously offered up 4 titles from their collection for our first giveaway.  An Egg is Quiet is one of my personal favorites in this collection.  I found it to be beautifully illustrated, simple in execution, and very well done.  

Thank you Lara for supporting the Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge of 2012 with this wonderful collection of books which will be great in any classroom or school library.  Don't forget to check out the Chronicle webpage for each of these books.  They have included teaching guides to use with the books.
 

Here are the rules:

1.Though comments are very much appreciated, please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (including your email, website, etc.).  If you do enter personal information, you comment will not be posted.
2.  You must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
3.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 25, 2012 to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on January 31, 2012.

4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  You do not need to follow the blog to enter the contest, but you will receive additional entry points if you are participating in the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2012.  

6.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
7.  Only those with US and Canadian addresses are eligible to enter this giveaway.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

As part of the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge 2012 (Twitter: #nfpb2012), my goal is to read and review as many of the new non-fiction picture books that are released this year.  Wednesdays will be my primary day to post the reviews for this challenge.

In honor of the American Library Association Youth Media Awards which were announced on Monday, January 23, 2012, I am giving a shout out to one of my favorite picture books of 2011 and the winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award.  What is the Sibert Award?  The winning book is considered the "most distinguished informational book for children".  This year's winner is Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. 

Many congratulations to author and illustrator, Melissa Sweet for an amazing job.  

Check out Melissa's website (http://melissasweet.net/) for some great pictures and information about Balloons Over Broadway.

Kirkus Reviews did a great interview with Melissa. Click here to read it.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a wonderful interview with Melissa.  Click here to read it.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children has created an activity kit to be used with the book.  Click here to download the activity kit.

And though I don't typically send folks over to Amazon, they do have a very cool look into the inside of Balloons Over Broadway.  With their Click to Look Inside feature. 

So what is the book about?  Here is the description from GoodReads:
Who invented the first balloons for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Parade.

What do I think of it?
Melissa Sweet has married together the perfect combination of facts and information with an eclectic mix of collage, illustrations, and fabulous design.  Readers will explore the history behind the Macy's Day Parade in an unique and wonderful manner.  This is one book that you will want to own and giveaway. 

If you are participating in the Nonfiction Picture Book challenge and would like to link your recent reviews, please add your link to the Mr. Linky below.