At the beginning of 2012, I challenged myself to read more Nonfiction Picture Books. This is the last Wednesday post of the year and here is how I did with the challenge.
Throughout the year, I read 86 nonfiction picture books and 6 more nonfiction middle grade books that were heavy on the pictures. I had so many more on my list. Some that I am still hunting for and some that I found but just didn't get a chance to read. In October, I did a guest post on the Nerdy Book Club and listed 10 of my favorites at that point in the year. I have revised my list and some books made the final top ten and a few other books came on board.
So, here is my final favorite nonfiction picture books for 2012:
Island: A Story of the Galápagos by Jason Chin - This remains one of my favorites from the whole pile of nonfiction picture books from the year. Text and illustrations worked together beautifully. Definitely a must have. Read my review here
Here Comes the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette 'Daisy' Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure by Shana Corey; Illustrated by Hadley Hooper - Again, another book that works well with both text and illustrations. Corey does a fabulous job creating this biographical picture book about Juliette 'Daisy' Gordon Low and what guided her to starting up the Girl Scouts. Another must have book.
Birds of a Feather by Bernadette Gervais - Thanks to the Nerdy Book Club Award nominees, I found this book. It is over-sized, and creative, and well done. Children will love looking at the illustrations and learning more about birds.
Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S.D. Nelson - I was so glad to have discovered this nonfiction biographical picture book. A great book to add to any collection of biographical picture books. Read my review here
Fifty Cents and a Dream: A Young Booker T. Washington by Jabari Asim; Illustrated by Bryan Collier - You will quickly notice that biographical picture books dominate this list. This one came out late in the year, but shouldn't be missed. Read my review here
There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived by Matt Tavares - I love the paintings in this one and Tavares tells just the right elements of Williams' life in this book. Baseball fans will certainly want to pick up a copy. Read my review here
Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris; Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch - Ferris found just the right balance in talking about Noah Webster and the creation of the Dictionary. This one is fun and informative. Check out the book trailer below:
Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper by Ann Malaspina; Illustrated by Eric Velasquez - Can you tell that I like biographical picture books? Here is another one that provides great information about Alice Coachman and her quest to become an Olympic High Jumper.
In the Sea by David Elliott; Illustrated by Holly Meade - It was hard to choose which book of poetry to add to this list. I knew I wanted to include at least one but there were several I could have gone with. I featured UnBeelievables in the Nerdy Post so I thought I would add In the Sea to this post. Both are fabulous and should be part of a collection of poetry with a nonfiction twist.
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr.; Paintings by Kadir Nelson - It is no secret that I love the work of Kadir Nelson and this book combines the full text (as well as a cd) of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech accompanied by the beautiful paintings of Kadir Nelson. A must have.
Check out all of these amazing books at your local library or independent bookstore. For more titles, check out my NFPB 2012 GoodReads shelf. If you participated in the 2012 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge and did a final post, can you add a link below?
