Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: March New Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I do my best to round-up as many new quality nonfiction books for children and share them with readers of this blog.  Some months, I miss the release of books and add them to the next month's post. Though I have not read all of these titles yet, I will be on the lookout for them.  Hope this is a helpful resource for you, since I know that this is an extremely useful resource for me. ~ Happy Reading!

Links to previous 2015 new release posts: January | February

Here are the new releases coming out this month. So many interesting ones this month:

March 1, 2015

Bug Detective by Maggie Li (Sterling Children's Books) 

How to Spy on a Shark by Laurie Haskins Houran; Illustrated by Francisca Marquez (Albert Whitman)

Noisy Bird Sing-Along by  John Himmelman (Dawn Publications)

Over On a Mountain: Somewhere in the World by Marianne Berkes; Illustrated by Jill Dubin (Dawn Publications)

The Queen's Shadow: A Story About How Animals See by Cybéle Young

The Red Bicycle: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Bicycle by Jude Isabella; Illustrated by Simone Shin (Kids Can Press)

A Rock Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas; Illustrated by Violeta Dabija (Millbrook Press)

March 3, 2015

Egg: Nature's Perfect Package by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Flowers are Calling by Rita Gray; Illustrated by Kenard Pak (HMH Books for Young Readers)

You Nest Here With Me by Jane Yolen, Heidi E.Y. Stemple; Illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Boyds Mills Press)

March 10, 2015

Bird & Diz by Gary Golio; Illustrated by Ed Young (Candlewick Press)

I, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are by Bridget Heos; Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas (Henry Holt, & Co.)

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff; Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno (Candlewick Press)

Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli (Viking Books for Young Readers)

March 17, 2015

In Mary's Garden by Tina Kugler and Carson Kugler (HMH Books for Young Readers)

March 24, 2015 

Orangutankas: A Story in Poems by Margarita Engle; Illustrated by Renee Kurilla (Henry Holt & Co.) 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Countdown Zero Blog Tour: Interview with Chris Rylander & Giveaway

Kid Lit Frenzy is excited to welcome author, Chris Rylander to the blog. Four years ago when THE FOURTH STALL came out, Chris chatted with us about his first novel and writing and more. You can check out the interview here.  I love Chris's books and recommend them often so I am glad to be able to share a little bit about his newest book COUNTDOWN ZERO. 

The Codename Conspiracy is your 2nd series. How did writing (if at all) THE FOURTH STALL series prepare you for writing this series?

This is a great question, but I'm not sure that I can provide an equally great answer.  The truth is, I never feel remotely prepared to write anything.  Each new book/series feels like I'm playing a brand new sport for the very first time.  It's scary, tiring, confusing, fun, and exciting all at once.

Carson is the king of pranks. Is writing pranks as fun as it seems it would be? Any pranks that you played as a child (or teen or adult) that would be worthy of Carson?
 
Haha, it's actually a lot less fun writing pranks than actually executing them probably would be.  Brainstorming pranks that are all at once somewhat original, funny, not too mean-spirited, but still pretty mischievous, is certainly not easy.  At least, it wasn't for me.  But then again, I am probably the last person who would ever pull a high stakes crazy prank like Carson.  (Which, I think likely answers the second part of the question.)

Is there a favorite quote or scene in COUNTDOWN ZERO that you can share?
 
I think my favorite scene is what happens once Carson is inside the secret.  The discussion he has with the other characters, the Spanish speaking gun, all of those things and more, I really like all combined together within a 50 page span.  (That answer was intentionally vague to hopefully not give away too much.)

Where do you like to write? Do you have any special writing routines? And can we get the view from where you work?
 
It seems to change a lot.  But right now, my writing spot is sitting at my dining room table.   Which sort of annoys my wife - you know, the whole turning our dining room into my messy, disorganized office strewn about with books and papers constantly.  I have no real routines, except that coffee or tea is usually involved.  Lots of it.  Here's one version of what I sometimes see from where I sit...

What is the funniest letter/email/question that you have received from a kid? Or any favorite emails/letters?

I once received a well-written three page rant on how all of the cheap shots that Mac and Vince take at the Yankees during the Fourth Stall series are completely unfair and incorrect.  It was really funny, intelligent, passionate, and convincing... I mean, deep down we all know that kid's argument is ultimately wrong, but he did a nice job stating his case just the same.  I also hide a ton of references to my favorite bands and movies and books in my own books and I love getting emails from people pointing out that they noticed.  (It doesn't happen very often... it's usually really obscure stuff - which is why it's so fun when someone notices.)

Do you have a favorite Indie Bookstore (or two) and if so, which one(s) and where?
 
My absolute favorite was this placed called BBGB in Richmond, VA.  The women who own it are incredible and the store could not have had a better, hand-picked selection of books.  I loved it, and if you're ever in Virginia it's worth stopping in.  Also, and this is certainly no secret, but Powell's in downtown Portland is always a fun visit.

COUNTDOWN ZERO by Chris Rylander:

There are people in this world who live secret lives. There are people who fight the evil that lurks in the shadows so that the rest of us can live free from tyranny and fear. There are people—perhaps the person who is sitting across from you on the bus or waiting tables at your favorite restaurant—who put it all on the line for us, every day, whose names we’ll never know.

None of these people is Carson Fender.

At least, not since he was let go by the secret agency that enlisted his services to help foil a nefarious plot perpetrated by one of their former agents. Carson is back to hanging out with his friends, pulling pranks, and not having to lie to everyone about how he’s spending his days. And that’s for the best. Isn’t it?

 Of course, this was all before a note showed up in his school lunch, informing him that Agent Nineteen has three days left to live, and that there might still be someone inside the Agency working against them. Carson has always been able to rely on his friends—but what happens when there’s no one left to trust?

Author Bio: 
Chris Rylander is the author of the Fourth Stall Saga and the Codename Conspiracy series.  A fan of brown shipping boxes turned on their sides, dance-offs to win a girl's heart, and rice, he lives in Chicago.  You can visit him online at www.chrisrylander.com.

Find Chris on Twitter and his website.

For all of the stops on the blog tour, please click here.  Chris will be at Paige in Training tomorrow (Wednesday, March 4, 2015).

For more information about Walden Pond Press, check out the links below:

Twitter | Facebook |  Pinterest |  Blog  

To enter to win a copy of COUNTDOWN ZERO by Chris Rylander, please complete the rafflecopter below. Participants must be 13 years old or older and have a U.S. mailing address to enter.

Author Visit with Bob Shea and Lane Smith

Four months ago, I created a short animoto video with pictures of a window display from Once Upon a Time, an indie bookstore in Montrose (CA).  The store owner, Maureen Palacios, wanted to enter a contest being sponsored by Macmillan Publishers to win a store visit from author/illustrators Bob Shea and Lane Smith. Part of the requirements was to create a window display for the book, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads. One of the staff created the window to match the book, and I had about 7 pictures of the window display, but no idea of how I would create something that might actually win the contest.  Several weeks later, we learned that the video did indeed win and Bob and Lane would be coming out to California for not only a store visit but a school visit.  

Here is the video I created using animoto:

On Friday, February 27th, Hamilton Elementary School hosted Bob Shea and Lane Smith for an author visit. It was also the day that they were celebrating Read Across America. 

If you haven't read, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads, I would strongly encourage you to find a copy and read it.

Bob setting up his presentation before the kids arrived.

There were 300 excited 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in the audience. 

Bob and Lane read Kid Sheriff to the audience and alternated characters and voices. It was a lot of fun.

Bob also shared with students his upcoming book, Ballet Cat The Totally Secret Secret.

Bob and Lane took turns sketching pictures for the students.

Lane sketched out the Stinky Cheese Man for young fans.

There were many enthusiastic questions from the audience. 

Principal Frances Weissenberger and Librarian Wayne Yorke have a photo op with Bob and Lane.

Some Pasadena Police Officers were on hand to read in classes and stopped by to pick up some books for kids and grandkids.  

Pasadena Unified School District Board Member Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy was also there to read in a classroom and stopped by to meet Bob and Lane.

On Saturday morning, Once Upon a Time hosted a storytime with Bob and Lane. 

Judy recreated her winning window display.

Books were on display and available for purchase. 

Children's Illustrator Vincent X. Kirsch stopped in to say hi to Bob and Lane. 

2015 Caldecott Winner, Dan Santat came by with his two boys and posed for a picture.

Lots and lots of books were signed.

We gathered some of the local children's illustrators for a picture with Bob and Lane. 

At the end, the employees from Once Upon a Time got in for some picture action too.

Thank you Macmillan for this wonderful opportunity and thank you Bob Shea and Lane Smith for sharing your books, talent and humor with us. 

YA Friday Book Review: Red Queen

Red Queen

by Victoria Aveyard (Orion Publishing Group, February 10, 2015)

IndieBound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads:

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Carolyn's thoughts on the book: 
Red Queen is a lush and satisfying read. Described as "Graceling meets The Selection" (on the publisher's page), the book is at once a dystopian and a fantasy novel. The complex, developed setting, from the elaborate magic to the oppressive class system/government, adds a rich layer to an already well developed and powerful debut novel. Mare, the protagonist, has compelling (and realistic) motivations behind her elaborate charade, in addition to being instantly likable and charming. The plot is intricate, but not at the cost of good pacing. The complicated politics (of both the revolutionary group and of the royal family) is intriguing, and just one of the many facets of this jewel of a read.

Overall, Red Queen is a wonderful and engrossing start to the series. In addition to looking forward to the release of the next book (hopefully next year), I'm excited to see Victoria Aveyard speak at the Pasadena Teen Book Fest this May. Red Queen is an excellent and captivating read, perfect for fans of fantasy and dystopian alike. 

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Nonfiction Series for Early Readers

Discovering new nonfiction that I can use with students and share with teachers has become a little bit of an obsession with me. When I find something and I realized that it came out in a previous year, my initial question is "how come I didn't know about this"? Rationally, I know that I can't account for every nonfiction book that is released in a given year, but with all of the time I spend searching for it, you would think there would be no surprises.

This past Saturday, I attended the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) Children's Literacy Day. One of the sessions was called Kid's Rep Picks. Four publishing reps selected specific titles to book talk to the audience. Simon & Schuster Rep, Kelly Stidham, talked about the Science of Fun Stuff series. Of course, my ears perked up at this.  In addition to being nonfiction, they were early readers. I am always on the look out for early readers that are well done and appeal to kids. 

Imagine my excitement at all of this early reader goodness...

Simon and Schuster's new Science of Fun Stuff series was recently released with The Innings and Outs of Baseball and The Thrills and Chills of Amusement Parks by Jordan D. Brown.

Here are some of the images and resources found within the text: 

Newton makes more sense when you pair his theories with real life examples. 

One of the resources at the end of the book is a timeline.

At the end of Innings and Out of Baseball, readers get an explanation of how an arm works in order to throw a ball.

Thrills and Chills of Amusement Parks: 

Colorful cartoon-like images paired with humorous, informative text will draw in readers.

At the end of each book, there is a Science of Fun Stuff expert page. 

One of the resources at the end of the Thrills and Chills of Amusement Parks is the Geography of Amusement Parks spread.

As I was looking for more information about the Science of Fun Stuff, I discovered another series published by Simon & Schuster called the History of Fun Stuff. 

It appears that Simon and Schuster began with the History of Fun Stuff series in 2014 and will be releasing more in this series in 2015.  

Here are a couple of interior spreads from The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate:

An interior spread of some of the text from the early reader about hot chocolate.

An example of some of the additional information included at the end of the book.

Another series to keep an eye out for: Women Who Broke The Rules (Bloomsbury, May 2015)

In May 2015, Bloomsbury Publishers will release a new series called Women Who Broke the Rules by author, Kathleen Krull.  Similar in length (48 pages) to an early reader, these books are more like a chapter book in shape and style. The text will draw readers in and encourage them to seek out additional materials on these four women. I look forward to seeing the finished version of these books later this spring. 

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews: