Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: What I am Reading? - August 23, 2017

With a super busy start of the school year, I haven't had the chance to do as much nonfiction reading as I would like. However, here are a few titles that I was able to read recently. 

Let's Investigate With Nate: The Water Cycle by PBS Host Nate Ball; Illustrated by Wes Hargis (Published August 1st 2017 by HarperCollins)

Here is an interior shot of the first Nate book:

Let's Investigate With Nate: The Solar System by PBS Host Nate Ball; Illustrated by Wes Hargis (Published August 1st 2017 by HarperCollins)

This series by Nate Ball can be read once through with the dialogue bubbles and then with the text. 

Hidden Dangers: Seek and Find 13 of the World's Deadliest Animals by Lola M. Schaefer; Illustrated by Tymn Armstrong (August 8th 2017 by Chronicle Books) - I don't have an interior image of this book, but I love the illustrations in the book and I am thinking about ways to use this as a mentor text. 

Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre (August 29th 2017 by Beach Lane Books) 

The third book in this series is the follow up to Raindrops Roll and Best in Snow.  Though I loved the first two books, this may just be my favorite because I love fall. 

Engineered! Engineering Design at Work by Shannon Hunt; Illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock (September 5th 2017 by Kids Can Press)

This book is busy and has a lot of text and illustrations making it a great book for pairs or trios of children to share and discuss as they linger on individual pages. 

Look for all of these titles at your local indie bookstore or community library. 

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

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

#Road2Reading Challenge: Micromania Tiny-Raptor Blog Tour

Thank you to Macmillan Kids Books for including Kid Lit Frenzy in the Microsaurs Blog Tour.

Microsaurs: Follow That Tiny-Dactyl
by Dustin Hansen
Feiwel & Friends (Published January 17th 2017)
Fiction * Animals * Dinosaurs
Audience: Ages 7 to 10 years old
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from GoodReads: 
Danny and Lin never say no to adventure, so when Danny’s spy camera captures a tiny dinosaur crashing into Lin’s helmet during her skateboarding tryouts they know they have to investigate. But even they weren't prepared for a secret laboratory filled with amazing inventions (including the Shrink-a-Fier and the Expand-o-matic 2) and astonishing discoveries (Triceratops are NOT fond of the color red!).

Who knew that tracking one tiny pterodactyl would open up such a giant world of adventure with the Microsaurs!?!

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids meets Jurassic Park in this new action-packed illustrated chapter book series from author and illustrator Dustin Hansen. 

Quick thoughts on the book:
Though the focus of the #Road2Reading Challenge is often on early readers, there are times Michelle and I take a look at books for 2nd to 4th graders. Today, I am sharing a new series that combines adventure with tiny dinosaurs. The new Microsaurs series by Dustin Hansen is just right for children that are ready to handle a chapter book with multiple chapters (approximately 15 chapters) and longer length (220+ pages). 

Though the series does have multiple chapters and longer length, readers have illustrations that appear on nearly every page of the book. 

Additionally, the font used in the book is a bit larger, which makes for easier reading. Both of contribute to easier reading and comprehending of the story. At the end of each book, Hansen provides readers with some nonfiction facts about the dinosaurs featured in the book. 

Check out the video drawing lesson by creator Dustin Hansen: 

Below is a step by step guide to drawing Bruno!

Young readers interested in dinosaurs and adventure will enjoy this new series. Look for Microsaurs at your local indie bookstore or community library. You can also enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a set of the books. 

Don't forget to check out book 2:

Microsaurs: Tiny-Raptor Pack Attack (Book 2) by Dustin Hansen (July 18th 2017 by Feiwel & Friends)

About the creator: Dustin Hansen was raised in rural Utah where he spent many days hiking red-rock canyons that once belonged to the dinosaurs. After studying art at Snow College, Dustin began working in the video-game industry, where he has been following his passions of art and writing for more than twenty years. When not writing or making video games, Dustin can often be found hiking with his family in the same canyons he grew up in, with a sketchbook in his pocket, a new idea in his mind, and a well-stocked backpack over his shoulders.

All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.

Each week, Michele Knott and I post about new early readers and transitional chapter books. 

Check out other stops on the blog tour:
Sunday, 8/20: Expect Miraculous & book giveaway
Monday, 8/21: Mom-Spot
Tuesday, 8/22: Kidlit Frenzy & book giveaway
Wednesday, 8/23: Beyond the Car Seat
Thursday, 8/24: Daddy Mojo
Friday, 8/25: Meanest Look
Saturday, 8/26: Pragmatic Mom & book giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter to win Microsaurs book set:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to link up your reviews: 

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Upcoming Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, one of my favorite things is to round-up as many new quality nonfiction books for children about once a month to share them with readers of this blog.  Some months, I miss the release of books and add them to the next month's post.  Since I have not seen every book listed, I cannot always confirm if they are truly a nonfiction book or more of an informational fiction text or a bit of historical fiction.  Here are some that I am looking forward to reading.

Previous Nonfiction Release Post: January | February | March | April | June

Alexander Graham Bell Answers the Call by Mary Ann Fraser (August 15th 2017 by Charlesbridge Publishing)

I Like the Farm by Shelley Rotner (August 15th 2017 by Holiday House)

John Deere, That's Who! by Tracy Nelson Maurer; Illustrated by Tim Zeltner (March 28th 2017 by Henry Holt and Co.)

Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing by Leda Schubert; Illustrated by Raúl Colón (June 13th 2017 by Roaring Brook Press)

The Man Who Loved Libraries: The Story of Andrew Carnegie by Andrew Larsen; Illustrated by Katty Maurey (August 15th 2017 by Owlkids)

Newton's Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist by Kathryn Lasky; Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (April 18th 2017 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

The Quest for Zee: The True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon by Greg Pizzoli (June 13th 2017 by Viking Books for Young Readers)

Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! by Andrea J. Loney; Illustrated by Keith Mallett (June 15th 2017 by Lee & Low Books)

Science Comics: Flying Machines: How the Wright Brothers Soared by Alison Wilgus; Illustrated by Molly Brooks (May 23rd 2017 by First Second)

Science Comics: Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield by Falynn Koch (August 29th 2017 by First Second)

Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth by Don Tate (August 22nd 2017 by Charlesbridge Publishing)

What Makes a Monster: Discovering the World's Scariest Creatures (The World of Weird Animals) by Jess Keating; Illustrated by David DeGrand (August 8th 2017 by Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Wolf Pups Join the Pack by American Museum of Natural History (June 6th 2017 by Sterling Children's Books)

The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter (August 22nd 2017 by Beach Lane Books)

Look for these at your local indie bookstore or community library. 

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

#Road2Reading Challenge

All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.

Each week, Michele Knott and I post about new early readers and transitional chapter books. Today, I am taking a week off because of the busy start of the new school year. I will be back with a post next week. Check out Michele Knott's Early Reader spin on the #pb10for10

Check out Michele's post here and link up your posts below....

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: What Are You Reading?

It seems that my life is going to be incredibly hectic for awhile. But one thing that continues to be constant is that a stack of picture books and some time to read is incredibly restorative and that even when things are simply out of control, I need to find time to sit down and center myself with a stack of books. 

This past weekend, I went through a large stack of picture books and here were some of the nonfiction titles that popped out....

Cat Tales: True Stories of Kindness and Companionship with Kittens by Aline Alexander Newman (April 11th 2017 by National Geographic Society) - I am a sucker for a good cat story and this book provides you with some feel good stories of cats and their owners. 

Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by Jeanne Walker Harvey; Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk (May 2nd 2017 by Christy Ottaviano Books) - I was very much touched by the story of how the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial was created. Definitely a picture book biography that I would recommend. 

Women In Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win by Rachel Ignotofsky (July 18th 2017 by Ten Speed Press) - Ignotofsky's follow up to Women in Science is just as good. Even if you haven't read the first one, go pick up this one. 

Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville; Illustrated by Brigette Barrager (August 29th 2017 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers) - I had never heard of Mary Blair and the illustrations in this book celebrated the life of color that was the trademark of Blair and her work. 

Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade; Illustrated by Alice Ratterree (September 1st 2017 by Peachtree Publishers) - I really appreciate multiple biographies on the same character. Though I knew some things about Jane Addams, this biography shines a light on some things I did not know about her. 

Look for all of these at your local indie bookstore or community library.

Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews?