A few non-fiction picture books for summer reading

The Food Parade by Elicia Castaldi

Information imparted in a colorful and interesting way! While not strictly non-fiction, the foods all have faces and march by in a semblance of a parade, the information is true and accurate. Five food groups are presented with a variety of foods representing each group. Each page features a few fun facts about nutrition and the end of the book is a note to parents and caregivers about healthy choices for four to eight year olds. If you are the type that eats nothing with a face, then stay away from this book. All the foods, even a slice of bread, have faces here.

Goal! By Sean Taylor, photographs by Caio Vilela

Just in time for the World Cup, this book works on a myriad of levels. It has photographs of people playing soccer all over the world. (Just wish more than two of the photos featured girls!) It has a large font, short soccer fact on each page, as well as a small font, more complicated fact about soccer in a particular country. For example on the first page, the large font text says, “Where there’s a ball, there will always be someone who wants to play soccer.” Simple text that even very young children could understand. The smaller text inset talks about soccer in Brazil and highlights Pele as one of the greatest soccer player of all time. This makes the book interesting for an intermediate reader, especially one who is interested in soccer.

Anna and Solomon by Elaine Snyder, pictures by Harry Bliss

Ann and Solomon live and marry in a small village in Russia. When the Czar makes life unbearable for the Jewish people, Solomon leaves for America where he works hard and sends money for Anna to join him. Being a kind hearted sister, Anna sends her younger brother instead. Next she sends her older brother and her mother. When, finally, Anna uses the money that Solomon sends for her own passage, he can hardly belief his eyes. A family memoir with simple pictures including several views of the statue of liberty, this would be a great introduction to family trees and interviewing grandparents. Not everyone will have a story of immigration, but all families will have some story worth telling!

Gravity by Jason Chin

Chin draws beautiful pictures of the world and simple pictures of people, combining these with very simple text to explain gravity to young children. For those who have more questions, there are some additional explanations in the back. For any teacher who has difficulty teaching the difference between mass and weight, here’s the book for you!

The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery by Peter Sis

Peter Sis is one of the best children’s book illustrators working today. The drawings in this book could not convey Saint-Exupery’s love of flight any better than they do. The writing is also simple enough for young children to understand, while being sophisticated at the same time. This book is best suited for those children in grades 3-6 who have an interest in flight, or for anyone who has ever read and loved The Little Prince.

Five random picture books

Books May 2014

Dinner with the Highbrows by Kimberly Willis Holt, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker

 

Holt has written other picture books, but I know her better for her middle grade chapter books like Dancing in the Cadillac Light and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. In this new picture book, Bernard Worrywart is invited to dinner at the home of Gilbert Highbrow. Expecting the Highbrows to live up to their name, Bernard’s mother primes him with table manners for the week prior to the dinner. Imagine Bernard’s surprise at the informal meal he partakes with the Highbrows at a classic Italian restaurant. Brooker’s illustrations do justice to the comical writing, with colorful backgrounds and superb facial expressions. Great light read for those days when you need a transition before lunch or closing of the day.

When the Wind Blew by Allison Jackson, illustrated by Doris Barrette

A cleverly constructed nursery rhyme with a lesson at the end. Using familiar rhyme patterns along with familiar nursery rhymes, Jackson lets the wind take us from rock a bye baby through the old woman in a shoe, Jack be nimble as well as several others. As the wind blows pieces of each nursery rhyme in and out of the story, the old woman follows trying to put all things to rights. Eventually she returns home and discovers that the most precious of all her “things,” her many children, are safe and that’s how she likes it. The penultimate verse expresses the moral of the story: “The woman and children returned to their shoe,/but discovered that they’d learned a lesson or two./From kitten to king, they examined the cost/Of constantly grasping for things that are lost.” So, no more chasing after the wind and the things that it blows. Great book for those children who know all the nursery rhymes. Those who aren’t familiar with these will still laugh at the antics and enjoy the colorful drawings.

Sophie Sleeps Over by Marisabina Russo

Sophie is an anthropomorphized bunny whose best bunny friend is Olive. For Olive’s birthday, she invites Sophie to sleep over and Sophie is “happy from the tops of her ears to the tips of her toes.” The picture that accompanies this line shows Sophie in her bright green dress and orange trim, dancing on one foot, carrying her sleepover pillow case in one hand and the purple paper wrapped gift in the other. Sophie’s face has the sublime smile of a child who knows she is in for a good time. Of course, there are a few predictable bumps in the road. But, all turns out well. Such a sweet story and the illustrations are inspirational. I love Sophie!

Tea with Grandpa by Barney Saltzberg

A little girl with beautiful curls celebrates tea with her grandpa. Told in short verse, with a few large-font words on each page, the reader is not aware that grandpa and his little sweetie are celebrating virtual tea via computer screens. A story for today when so many grandparents live far from the grandchildren. This one will be sent to Rayne, our own sweetie in California! She can read it to us at our next tea party!

What’s Your Favorite Animal by Eric Carle and Friends

Several well-known children’s authors and illustrators have answered this question, resulting in a picture book of multiple styles that includes animals for all tastes. Chris Raschka loves the snail, Nick Bruel does not choose the Kitty, which gets him in predictable trouble, and Lane Smith chooses a pachyderm, one with large tusks and a great smile. If you are helping children to recognize different illustrative styles and author voice, this would be a useful book. Otherwise, I would leave it on the shelf. Of course, the kids might say differently!