Children's Books for Parents and Teachers » Nonfiction

A Pair of Wings

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:29:00 +0000

Fairies and other storybook characters that fly make wings seem magical. So does Marilyn Singer, even though this book is pure nonfiction. Facts about wings are just truly remarkable. Dragonflies can zoom up to 60 miles per hour. Ordinary houseflies can take off backwards or sideways. And did you know that not all wings are … Continue reading →

Building Big

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:32:17 +0000

Future designers, engineers, and architects will find hours of discovery in Macauley’s newest book about what can be accomplished with common sense, imagination, and technology. It focuses on the design challenges and solutions that go into the building of everyday structures — bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams. It also contains detailed drawings and a … Continue reading →

Cats

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:21:13 +0000

Cats is part of a series of nonfiction readers about animals that have kid-friendly illustrations with helpful labels. It’s a great introduction to the behavior and characteristics of felines and includes information on the history of their domestication, descriptions of different breeds, and a primer on cat body language. Additional pages provide a list of … Continue reading →

Crashed, Smashed, and Mashed: A Trip to Junkyard Heaven

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:27:04 +0000

Twelve million cars are recycled in the United States and Canada every year. This book shows the recycling process from the moment the car is hauled to the junkyard until its crushed chassis is delivered to a recycling shredding center. A glossary of terms and recycling facts are included.

Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:31:34 +0000

Paulsen writes about the real events that influenced Brian Robeson’s story in Hatchet. Paulsen’s stint as a volunteer emergency worker, experiences racing dogs in Alaska, and other hair-raising exploits give a glimpse into the real-life adventures that inspire his characters.

Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:29:45 +0000

Hatshepsut’s male siblings died, leaving her young nephew pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Although second-in-command, Hatshepsut gradually took more and more control and had herself crowned. There was no word in her language for a female ruler, so she called herself pharaoh, or king, a male title. She began to wear men’s clothing and a gold beard in public. After Hatshepsut died, her nephew destroyed symbols and statues of her in an attempt to erase all signs of her reign. In spite of this, archaeologists have pieced together the remarkable story of her life.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

admin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:51:11 +0000

Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy’s in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong.

Mighty Mississippi: The Life and Times of America’s Greatest River

admin — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:34:51 +0000

The winding, epic history of one of America’s greatest natural wonders.

The mighty Mississippi River has wound its way through our country’s heartland—and the course of history—for thousands of years. Formed when the last glaciers of the Ice Age melted, the river became a 2,550-mile-long drainage basin for almost half of the United States. Before Europeans arrived in the New World, it was a means of exploration and trade for Native Americans. It later witnessed some of the most pivotal events in American history, from the Revolutionary War to the Trail of Tears to the Civil War. It has survived flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes.

Linda Vieira and Higgins Bond use their talents and expertise to explore the science and the history of the great Mississippi River, showing us why the Ojibwe Indians called it “Mes-sipi,” Father of Running Waters.

Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:20:18 +0000

Seeds sprout. Flowers bloom. Bees buzz. Pumpkins grow. Pumpkins decay and return to the earth. Spare lyrical text accompanies vivid close-up photographs showing the life cycle of pumpkins. You’ll also find information about growing your own pumpkins.

Rice Is Life

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:26:06 +0000

Fact-filled poetry and prose, accompanied by exquisite watercolor illustrations, communicate the importance of nasi (rice) to the people of Bali. As children turn the pages they will join the Balinese in the sawahs, or rice fields, as they grow this life-sustaining grain.

Robert Wadlow: The Unique Life of the Boy Who Became the World’s Tallest Man

admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:03:04 +0000

Imagine being the tallest person in the world. As a child. You just keep growing and growing and growing…six feet…seven feet…eight feet up. The world is made in miniature and you must constantly endure. The crush of public attention is relentless. Some people are kind, some are mean. All are curious. This may sound like a tale from long ago, but this is the inspirational true life story of young Robert Wadlow. The victim of an overactive pituitary gland, Robert lived from 1918 to 1940. He stood just shy of 9 feet tall by the time of his death at age 22. Robert didn’t choose his situation, but his accomplishment was in how he handled it.

The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and Uncover Mysteries of the Dead

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:30:44 +0000

Dead men don’t tell tales. But their bones do! Lively text and color photos — in combination with the subject of solving crimes through the bones of the victim — is a sure way to whet the appetite of pre-adolescent readers. Dr. Michael Charney, a forensic anthropologist, takes the reader on a step-by-step investigation that … Continue reading →

The Grapes of Math

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:28:00 +0000

This clever book is told in rhymes that give clues for solving math problems quickly and innovatively. Tang makes looking for patterns and regrouping numbers both fun and challenging. Strategies for solving these problems are found in the back.

Those Building Men

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:22:44 +0000

Angela Johnson’s original new picture book pays tribute to the men, “from Native Americans to Europeans to Asians to Africans,” who with their “blood, sweat, and courage” have built America’s bridges, railroads, and skyscrapers. Poetic text and dramatic watercolors illustrate the hard work and danger these men faced.

Upstairs Room

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:11:28 +0000

A Life in Hiding… When the German army occupied Holland, Annie de Leeuw was eight years old. Because she was Jewish, the occupation put her in grave danger-she knew that to stay alive she would have to hide. Fortunately, a Gentile family, the Oostervelds, offered to help. For two years they hid Annie and her sister, Sini, in the cramped upstairs room of their farmhouse. Most people thought the war wouldn’t last long. But for Annie and Sini — separated from their family and confined to one tiny room — the war seemed to go on forever.

In the part of the marketplace where flowers had been sold twice a week-tulips in the spring, roses in the summer-stood German tanks and German soldiers. Annie de Leeuw was eight years old in 1940 when the Germans attacked Holland and marched into the town of Winterswijk where she lived. Annie was ten when, because she was Jewish and in great danger of being cap-tured by the invaders, she and her sister Sini had to leave their father, mother, and older sister Rachel to go into hiding in the upstairs room of a remote farmhouse.
Johanna de Leeuw Reiss has written a remarkably fresh and moving account of her own experiences as a young girl during World War II. Like many adults she was innocent of the German plans for Jews, and she might have gone to a labor camp as scores of families did. “It won’t be for long and the Germans have told us we’ll be treated well,” those families said. “What can happen?” They did not know, and they could not imagine…. But millions of Jews found out.

Mrs. Reiss’s picture of the Oosterveld family with whom she lived, and of Annie and Sini, reflects a deep spirit of optimism, a faith in theingenuity, backbone, and even humor with which ordinary human beings meet extraordinary challenges. In the steady, matter-of-fact, day-by-day courage they all showed lies a profound strength that transcends the horrors of the long and frightening war. Here is a memorable book, one that will be read and reread for years to come.

What to Do when You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:09:51 +0000

What to Do When You Worry Too Much is an interactive self-help book designed to guide 6-12 year olds and their parents through the techniques most often used in the treatment of generalized anxiety. Metaphors and humorous illustrations make difficult concepts easy to understand, while prompts to draw and write help children to master new skills related to reducing anxiety. Engaging, encouraging, and easy to follow, this book educates, motivates, and empowers children to work towards change. Includes a note to parents by psychologist and author Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.