YALSA has released the names of the five finalists for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for young adults (ages 12-18).
Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone
Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman
Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose
The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming
Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker
The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, PhD.
This book covers snow from the way it begins with a tiny speck and how it turns into a snow crystal. Filled with delightful details like the types of things that form the tiny specks in the atmosphere. (It could be sea salt or plant leaf bacteria!) The book is a mix of drawings and snowflake photographs which works well. The images of the crystals are stunning and will have readers poring over the pages and discussing their favorites. The book talks about the different types of snowflakes, whether they are unique, and how you too can study their structure.
Snow is such an amazing weather phenomenon all on its own (or at least that is what I am repeating over and over again to myself as a winter storm bears down on Wisconsin.) This book will mix well with fiction books about snow and winter, though it is one that children will want to hold and look closely at.
Ideal for units on snowflakes and just for the pleasure of snow itself, this book has a place in all libraries. Appropriate for ages 4-9.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books.
Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins
Jenkins of the amazing paper art illustrations returns with a book dedicated to animals that may not seem dangerous. The problem is, you do have to know the tricks of how to avoid danger with them. Some of the animals in the book are surprisingly dangerous. The cone shell will make you never look at sea shells the same way again. Then you have the obviously dangerous animals like the spitting cobra and you get tips to deal with an encounter with them. Turning each page is a delight as you get a surprise each time and then the treat of wondering what in the world the danger could be. Great fun.
Jenkins is best known for his art. Here it is as gorgeous as one has come to expect. He manages to create tangible fur from paper, eyes that really seem to see, and somehow loses that flat paper feel of most collage. One forgets it is art and starts to think of it as photography. Jenkins also excels at writing informational paragraphs about the animals. They are short, fascinating and here they are filled with adventure too.
Highly recommended, this book belongs on all public and school library shelves. A great science picture book with a great hook, this book is appropriate for ages 6-10.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Year of Reading, TheBookNosher, A Patchwork of Books, and Fuse #8.
Apples for Everyone by Jill Esbaum
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum
Celebrate the fall season with this pair of book from National Geographic Kids. Both book have simple text just right for beginning readers combined with vivid photographs. In Apples, readers follow apples from blossom to harvest to different uses. Mouths will be watering at the caramel apples, applesauce and cider. In Pumpkin, readers get to see the pumpkins grow on the vine, turn orange, and be made into pies, jack-o-lanterns, and even boats. Yes, boats. The photographs feature children of different ethnicities, which is wonderful to see in nonfiction titles.
Esbaum’s photographs steal the show here with their crisp focus, bright colors and interesting compositions. But her text is not to be ignored. Her words add context and detailed information that make the photographs even more interesting.
Perfect to expand your fall seasonal shelves, these books come paperback bound so buy a bushel.
Reviewed from copies received from publisher.
Also reviewed by The Well-Read Child.
Yellowstone Moran: Painting the American West by Lita Judge
Thomas Moran was a painter who lived in the city. When he met Dr. Hayden, a geologist, who was heading into Yellowstone, he didn’t want to admit that he had never been on a horse, never shot a gun, and never slept outside. Moran joined the expedition in the summer of 1871 and learned on the trail to ride a horse. Tom befriended the team photographer on the difficult journey. After weeks of travel, they entered Yellowstone: a place of sulfur smells, white rock, gorges, waterfalls, and wonder. Tom painted everything he saw, recording in small paintings and sketches with notes. When he returned home after a harrowing exit from Yellowstone, he painted large canvases capturing the grandeur of this new landscape.
A delightful mixture of adventure and art, this book will intrigue children interested in both subjects. Judge uses humor, drama and a great sense of pacing to tell a story that will keep young reader riveted. Just the idea that the United States had not been fully explored in 1817 will astound some children. Judge’s paintings that accompany the story offer a sense of the place itself, without attempting to mimic Moran’s style. The illustrations help create the sense of journey, danger and amazement.
Recommended for art classes, but also as a fascinating biography in picture book form. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from copy provided by publisher.
You can check out Lita Judge’s blog to see some of her illustrations in sketch form.
Building on Nature: the Life of Antoni Gaudi by Rachel Rodriguez, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
This picture book biography of the renowned Spanish architect and artist is a true celebration of his art and gift. Readers follow Gaudi from his sickly boyhood to his dreams of rebuilding cathedrals and his study of architecture. Then, of course, Gaudi goes his own way, covering a house in colorful tiles, creating ramps for horses to reach a stable in the basement, and making balconies from what looks like huge bones. All of his buildings are unique and unlike anyone else’s. They turn the rules on their head and are filled with imaginative touches, both small and big. The book ends with a fascinating author’s note, links to see photos of the buildings online, and a bibliography.
Rodriguez takes a complicated subject and lengthy life and distills them down to just the right level for young readers. She excels as using only a few words, not over-explaining things, and letting Gaudi’s work speak for itself. As she describes Gaudi’s buildings, her prose is almost poetry. Paschkis’ gouache illustrations are vivid, colorful and dynamic. Her work embraces the swirling lines of Gaudi’s celebrating him in ever whorl.
Recommended for art classes in elementary schools, this picture book captures the essence of Gaudi with style and color. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Reviewed from copy received from publisher.
Check out the interview with illustrator Julie Paschkis on Jacket Knack.
Our World of Water: Children and Water around the World by Beatrice Hollyer
This book focuses on one of the world’s most precious things: water. Water and its use is seen through the eyes of six children who live around the world. From Peru to Mauritania, from Tajikistan to Ethiopia, from the United States to Bangladesh, each child uses water to bathe and drink, but there the similarities end as we see deserts and monsoons. Hollyer’s use of bright, clear photographs helps to bring our understanding of our own relationship with water into clarity as we also learn about the hardships of other cultures from other parts of the world.
Hollyer’s photographs are windows into the lives of these children. They show their homes, siblings, families, and daily lives. Though it focuses on water, readers will also get a sense of the overall culture as they read. Hollyer has written the prose with simplicity and a great feel for the young reader. There is just enough detail to be easy to read and interesting.
Expect a lot of conversation after sharing this with a group of children or even one child. This is a winning look at our world and our water.
Reviewed from copy received from publisher.
The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass, illustrated by E. B. Lewis.
This picture book biography offers such a strong portrait of American master Walter Anderson that readers will find themselves transported to a different place and viewing things from a new perspective. Readers follow Anderson on his twelve mile journey to Horn Island, long and solitary row from the mainland. Though there were no people on the island, Anderson had companions in the animals that lived there. He kept a journal of his time on the island and of course created art while he was there for weeks at a time. After presenting Anderson’s unique way of working, the book builds tension about what is in Anderson’s locked room. The beauty of the reveal after his death is captivating. This is a true celebration of an artist as author and illustrator embrace his work and life.
The book opens with three strong lines that I found entirely engaging:
There once was a man whose love of nature was as wide as the world.
There once was an artist who needed to paint as much as he needed to breathe.
There once was an islander who lived in a cottage at the edge of the Mississippi, where the sea meets the earth and the sky.
Turning the page, readers will see Anderson climbing a tree to reach a nest and out in the water up to his shoulders to get close to another subject. Bass’ text draws us into Anderson’s perspective, joyously depicting the barren island and its animal inhabitants and deeply accepting his choices and lifestyle. Lewis’ watercolor illustrations focus on Anderson himself in his chosen environment. The various aspects of the island are shown in all of their colors, changing light, and beauty.
At the end of the book, there is more detailed information about Walter Anderson, his artistic family, and the effect of Hurricane Katrina on their family homes and studios. Readers of all ages will want to look at the photographs of Anderson’s work. Make sure to turn all the way to the back for a photograph of that locked room. Amazing! There is also a nice bibliography for further reading.
This is a beautiful example of a picture book biography. Highly recommended for art classes and to expand for children the role and work of an artist. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
Reviewed from copy received from publisher.
Check out another review at Chasing Ray.
Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrations by Gennady Spirin.
Released on September 29, 2009.
This book so clearly captures the beauty and life in the boreal forest that one can almost hear the birds and smell the freshness of the air. The great northern forest stretches from Alaska and Canada to Scandinavia and Russia Showing the brevity of the northern summer, the activity of the stark winter months, and the glory of the spring and the return of warmth will bring readers face-to-face with nature and its drama. Spirin’s illustrations show delicate detail, dazzling vistas, and many many animals. This is a book to sink into, explore and learn.
Guiberson’s text is filled with sounds, from bird calls to wolves howling to smaller noises like hares hopping on snow. Each sound and its explanation brings this unique ecosystem to life. Her words create an understanding through the small details of the importance of this forest for all of us. Spirin excels as capturing animals with their small details and yet showing the forest itself as more than a background, as a living thing. Her art is large and breathtaking even while the details are shown.
Highly recommended, this book is a great nature book for children. For children in the north, this book is like coming home. For everyone it is important to see forests celebrated in this way. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.
Waking Brain Cells 