Nonfiction For Older Readers

Thanks again to Chronicle for these nonfiction books that will become fast favorites once I share them in my classroom.

I have been looking for longer nonfiction that students can read over several days. These books are great examples of books that fit that need. Too often, I am finding that my third and fourth graders are finding books with so much on a page, they can't really navigate it independently. So, they end up skimming, looking at photos, and flipping pages. But, with books like BABY WHALE'S JOURNEY and THE TRUTH ABOUT GREAT WHITE SHARKS, intermediate students can gain information from the pictures and the text.

BABY WHALE'S JOURNEY is more of a narrative text--sharing lots of information about the life of a baby whale. The illustrations are lifelike and will engage readers. There are not many words on the page so it is a great choice for children new to nonfiction. Following the narrative, is an afterword giving more information on the sperm whale.


THE TRUTH ABOUT THE GREAT WHITE SHARKS is packed with information and photographs about great white sharks. There is a great deal of text on each page. The diagrams, sidebars, and photographs add more information. The text is set up with bold words and good spacing so that it won't be an overwhelming read for students in the middle elementary grades. The author gives us many "truths" about the great white shark. She shares information on the work of biologists who study sharks.

The Truth is...Great White Sharks Aren't White.
One of the things that spooks people who are diving with great whites is that the animals seem to appear suddenly, out of nowhere. One minute the ocean is empty in every direction, and the next thing you know, a great white shark is nibbling at the bars of your shark cage. Camouflage may be key to the shark's ability to sneak up on divers....

This is just one of the "truths" that the author shares about great white sharks. I learned a lot from reading this book. I am excited to share it with my students!

A Seed Is Sleepy

So, those of you who know me know that I am not so into nature or the outdoors. But, this book, A SEED IS SLEEPY by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long makes me want to spend more time outside. With answers to questions like "Who would guess that a seed as small as a freckle would grow into the world's tallest tree?", even I want to learn about seeds. This book is just as amazing as their previous book, AN EGG IS QUIET. The writer and illustrator team has a very effective way of making the topic of seeds so interesting to readers. The text takes on several formats--labels, poetry, etc.

The page layout is very unique and works well. Information is spread across the page but the font and illustrations make it feel more inviting that your typical nonfiction text. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the subheadings that the author uses. Headings such as "A Seed is Adventurous" and "A Seed is Generous" say so much and the information on the page builds on that thought. Words that you don't usually associate with seeds. I can't wait to share this book with my students as part of Writing Workshop and discuss the way the author uses words in interesting ways.

There is so much information in this book that you can read and reread it, noticing more on each page.

This seems like a must-have classroom book no matter which grade or subjects I teach. It is a great model for nonfiction writing and every page is brilliantly written. The author has a way of writing about seeds so that we understand them by helping us understand how and why seeds do what they do.

Another Great Nonfiction Book from Chronicle

Have you seen the new ABC book, C IS FOR CABOOSE: RIDING THE RAILS FROM A-Z? It is a pretty unique nonfiction alphabet book about the history of trains. Each letter of the alphabet introduces one or two words that relate to trains and the history of trains (Handcar, Hospital Train, Ticket) with a sentence about that word. The power is in the illustrations and photos. Several letters are accompanied by photos from history. There are also artifacts such as maps, tickets, etc. that accompany the text. This book seems great for lots of ages. Young children who love trains, will love to look through the pictures. For older children, the photos, illustrations and artifacts are engaging and educational. The final page of image credits helps readers see where each image originated. The combination of black and white photos and bright-colored illustrations works well. I can see this as another book that is one that children can grow with.

New Nonfiction

A great box of new nonfiction books arrived from Chronicle the other day. Every one is great and I have been dying to share them with you. I'll try to share one a day this week.

PENGUINS, PENGUINS, EVERYWHERE by Bob Barner is a fun nonfiction picture book for young readers. The book is small--perfect for tiny hands. The text is rhyming and is written in a way that almost dances across each page. The illustrations are bright colored and very inviting. Each page tells the reader something interesting about penguins. There are two great spreads at the end of the book that add to the reasons why I love it. There is a "Penguin Puzzler" with illustrated questions and answers about penguin. The last page is the "Penguin Parade" which shows illustrations of 17 different penguins along with their names, place where they live and size. Good nonfiction books for young readers are sometimes hard to find. Because of the last 2 spreads, this book can grow with young children.

Author Interview: April Pulley Sayre

Back in February, April was the visiting author at my school and at Franki's school, and then she was one of the featured authors at the Dublin Literacy Conference. If you don't know her books, it's time for a trip to the library or the bookstore! Please welcome...




April Pulley Sayre!


Tell a bit about how the places you've visited in the world have wound up in the books you write.

My idea of a great day is standing in an army ant swarm in Panama or swimming with squid in the Caribbean. My husband and I travel to many biomes but focus our trips on rain forests and coral reefs. We've visited rain forests in Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Belize, and Panama. We've even led adventure tours to Panama so we know that country well. The direct experiences we've had in Panama have shown up in ARMY ANT PARADE and an upcoming book about howler monkeys. (I love to witness army ant swarms and see the many birds that follow the chaos.)


Photos from the rain forest are in my young readers book, TROPICAL RAIN FOREST, and in SECRETS OF SOUND: STUDYING THE CALLS OF WHALES, ELEPHANTS, AND BIRDS.

What do you feel is the best quality of your writing?

I think the best technical quality of my writing is probably what people have called "lyrical language." When I write picture books, in particular, I approach them with a certain voice, and polish them until they have a push and pull of language that is pleasing to my ear. The words have to be right. When I am done polishing a picture book it lingers in my mind—the rhythms and rhymes. I have a great sense of satisfaction when I am done writing these picture books and I never tire of reading them out loud. Perhaps that is the point. A great picture book has to hold up to repeated readings. It has to be delicious in every way.

My specialty is narrative nonfiction—material that is true but that uses suspense and other narrative techniques to give the feel of a story. I like to choose material that has layers of meaning. Often my books seem to be about something small but ultimately make a reader feel connected to something deep and large, such as the sunrise, the water cycle, and so on.

What's your favorite of all the books you've written, and what's the story behind that book?

I love so many of my books and each in its own way. One of my favorites is certainly DIG, WAIT, LISTEN: A DESERT TOAD'S TALE. It's about listening for the sound of desert rain. The illustrator, Barbara Bash, and the art director and designer just made it the perfect book. Kids just hug it to them. You can tell each part of the book was made with love. THE BUMBLEBEE QUEEN had that same quality and the illustrator, Patricia Wynne, made that text sing.



One of my favorite book texts is certainly my recent picture book STARS BENEATH YOUR BED: THE SURPRISING STORY OF DUST. It's about how you and I help create the color of the sunset and sunrise. It's about how we live in a world sprinkled with star dust and dust from long ago, even dust in which dinosaurs rolled. Again, it's one of those think small, think big kind of books. It's probably my best writing. I thought it would never be published; it was rejected 52 times over the course of 8 years until the wonderful Rebecca Davis, who was at Greenwillow, took the risk of making a book about dust. When STARS BENEATH YOUR BED won the best Science Picture Book of the Year from the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru/Science Books and Films, I cried I was so happy. I was so amazed that book would now have a life.

Would you tell us a little about your upcoming books?

I have three books coming out this year and two next year. My first, in April, is HUSH, LITTLE PUPPY, from Holt. It is a loving lullaby with beautiful illustrations by British artist Susan Winter.

In the fall my third chant book, BIRD, BIRD, BIRD: A CHIRPING CHANT will be released. A new chant illustrator, Gary Locke, has done this one and his work is spectacular. Really laugh out loud hilarious with an underlying bubble of good-natured joy.

The third book is VULTURE VIEW by Holt. I am so excited about this book. It's illustrated by Caldecott Honor winner Steve Jenkins. I think it's one of my best read aloud books and a perfect pairing with Steve's art and sensibility. I can hardly wait until it's released by Holt in October 2007. It's not just about vultures; it teaches about physics...how warming air rises and cooling air falls.

I wrote the book while standing on a tower in Panama. Yet the book isn't set in Panama at all. I was taking care of a tour participant who had gotten too excited while watching all the sloths, migrating hawks, toucans, and other spectacular things. She literally needed to rest and calm down. So, I sat with her. As I did, I looked out the window and a troop of howlers came and peeked in at us but I couldn't tell her they were there. Then, vultures started circling up out of a valley and suddenly I could hear in my head how my new book, VULTURE VIEW, should go. I had to grab a notebook and scribble the words.

In 2008, another spectacular book is coming: TROUT ARE MADE OF TREES. Of course this will be a great pairing with my book TROUT, TROUT, TROUT: A FISH CHANT. But TROUT ARE MADE OF TREES, from Charlesbridge, is another one of my deep lyrical nonfiction books, about how leaves fall into streams and are eaten by insects that are eaten by trout that are eaten by people and bears. It begins "Trout are made of trees. In fall, trees let go of leaves, which twirl and swirl and slip into streams..." I just saw the first art by Kate Endle. It is colorful and amazing collage...almost quilt like. It shows a family exploring the aquatic side of a stream.

Anything else?

Well, I just returned from speaking at the Dublin Literacy Conference, near Columbus, Ohio. It's run by you and the teachers of your district. Perhaps you're too modest to mention it, but that conference ROCKS! Any authors who are invited should definitely go. My only complaint is that I had to speak so I couldn't attend all the sessions. Moan. Moan. But I'm already using some of what I learned there.

On another note, one of the things I emphasize to kids is that not all the "cool" stuff is in rain forests and far away countries. Many of my great nature experiences have happened right here in the Midwest, in my Indiana backyard. The biodiversity here is terrific and there are lots of camouflaged, wild and wonderful creatures to see. My husband used to run a native plants nursery and he's kind of an expert in that field. So we've landscaped our tiny yard with prairie, wetland, and forest plants that bring creatures to our door.

Even a small patch of milkweed and other butterfly plants can bring great wildlife viewing to a yard or schoolyard. The future of wild life and wild experiences in the U.S. is really in the hands of landowners, even those with tiny yards. It's about planting trees and allowing places to be a little bit wild so there is room for birds, frogs, and the berries and insects they depend upon. Seeing a butterfly or a frog can make my whole day and many children feel that way, too. We need to keep that, for our health and quality of life.

I welcome teachers to take a look at my site, www.aprilsayre.com. It has lots of extension activities for my books. When I visit schools I try to take photos of what teachers are doing with the books and post those photos on my site. I better get to work because I have a lot of new material to add!

WHY DO I HAVE TO EAT OFF THE FLOOR? by Chris Hornsey

I had to share a highlight from my weekend's book shopping. I picked up WHY DO I HAVE TO EAT OFF THE FLOOR by Chris Hornsey. This is a picture book with simple text and amusing illustrations. In the book, the dog asks its owner many questions such as the one that serves as the title. (My favorite was "Why can't I drive the car?") I am not always a fan of books written by the dog in the family. But this one is a must-have. The dog is your pretty typical house pet with some great facial expressions. While reading it aloud to my daughter, I quickly realized that the questions the dog was asking its owner, are those same questions that my 7 year old asks me---the "why can't I" questions of life. The owner finally reminds the dog that he is a dog, not a person:-) (I have seen quite a few dogs shopping at the mall lately, dressed up and in strollers, so this could be a good message for lots of dogs!) This would be a fun book for young children. It could also be used with older kids in writing workshop. It has lots of possibilities. This book was originally published in Australia in 2005.

Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers

You've probably guessed that Cover to Cover is our favorite bookstore. They just updated their website with their spring picks and lots of great pictures of the store and various author events. Now you can visit, too!

Poetry Friday on Caffeine

A New Lifestyle by James Tate the whole poem is here A New Lifestyle People in this town drink too much coffee. They're jumpy all the time. You see them drinking out of their big plastic mugs while they're driving. They cut in front of you, they steal your parking places. . . . . . .They're so serious about their coffee, it's all they can think about, nothing else matters. Everyone's wide awake but looks incredibly tired. * * * * * * * * * * * I am wide awake and incredibly tired. When it comes to caffeine, I'm serious about my tea. And my Dove Dark Chocolate. I've had plenty of both in the **gasp** TEN days since I blogged! What can I say: Lit. Conference weekend, report cards (grading, grading, grading), Saturday conference, Sunday leadership retreat (another weekend -- poof -- gone), powerpoint to create and present, physical therapy, etc., etc., etc. But I think my head is finally above water. It's good to be back.

IT'S A BUTTERFLY'S LIFE by Irene Kelly

I am on the lookout for examples of great nonfiction writing. I found a new one this week that I had to add to my classroom collection. It is called IT'S A BUTTERFLY'S LIFE by Irene Kelly. Since there were so many great books for sale at the conference, I had to really justify each purchase I made:-)

I HAD to have this one for lots of reasons:

1. The illustrations are wonderful. The butterflies seem to be flying across the page and there are several butterfly illustrations on each page.

2. The facts are presented in interesting ways. ("You may not be able to taste a cupcake by standing on it, but a butterfly can!")

3. I loved the layout. There is a lot going on on each page. The font and the text layout make it very engaging.

4. The language--it is not so easy to find nonfiction that is crafted well.
One of the great lines:

"Butterflies fly by rippling their wings up and down slowly gliding on air currents, just like birds."

5. Great facts and labels add to the information on each page.

This is a great book to use in a study of butterflies/life cycles, one to use to look hard at the way the author crafted the nonfiction or just a great nonfiction read.

Poetry Friday!

This poem is from a GREAT new poetry book called SHOUT: LITTLE POEMS THAT ROAR. Every poem in this book begs to be read aloud. I can't wait to add it to our collection for Poetry Friday! reading. I know the kids will love it. Every poem is as fun as the next. Enjoy!


SHOUT

Shout it! Shout it! POETRY!
Fun for you and fun for me.

Clap your hands! Stomp your feet!
Feel the rhythm! Feel the beat!

Chunky words all chopped in chips!
Silky sounds upon your lips.

Tell a story--happy, sad;
Silly, sorry; good or bad.

Leap a leap, hop a hop,
See the ocean in one drop.

Shout it! Shout it! POETRY!
Fun for you and fun for me.

by Brod Bagert