Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Non-fiction Picture Book Wednesday


Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I am giving it a try for the first time.

Here are some of the best non-fiction picture books I have read in the past week or two.


Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi & Bethany Hegedus and illustrated by Evan Turk is a picture book memoir. I have upper grade teachers asking for memoirs for their literature units and this is one I can certainly hand to them enthusiastically. The text has a positive and powerful message about anger and the illustrations are fabulous.


Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Steve Jenkins is another book with fantastic illustrations. Steve Jenkins always wows me. The book is set up to have a simple rhyming text as one portion paired with a paragraph or two of informational text about each of the types of birds and the varieties of their nest styles. I found it fascinating.


Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell and illustrated by Sarah C. and Richard P. Campbell is exactly what narrative non-fiction for young readers should be. It is compelling and tells a story filled with facts, but not so many that it is overwhelming or boring for young readers. It won a Geisel honor and I would love more books like this.

Have a great week!

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10 comments:

  1. Carrie GelsonApril 23, 2014 at 6:57 AM

    I really am excited to read Grandfather Gandhi - seems like a hugely important book to share and talk about. The other two titles you featured here also look like books I would love in my classroom collection. Yikes - Wednesdays are always my potentially most expensive days!

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    1. CrystalApril 25, 2014 at 5:13 AM

      Yes, Wednesdays could be a hit to the wallet. Non-fiction is a little pricier to start with and add the fact that there are so many great ones to buy...

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  2. ElisabethApril 23, 2014 at 6:36 PM

    I can't wait to get my hands on Wolfsnail. And I'm with Carrie--so many books I want to purchase on Wednesdays!! (Including all three of the titles you feature!)

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    1. CrystalApril 25, 2014 at 5:16 AM

      Wolfsnail is so fun. It really is cool to realize that there are predator snails and see them in action.

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  3. Linda BApril 23, 2014 at 7:25 PM

    Wow, Grandfather Gandhi looks wonderful, Crystal. I've seen about the other two, and they also are on my ever-growing list. Wolfsnail sounds fascinating. Thanks a bunch!

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  4. GatheringBooksApril 24, 2014 at 3:55 AM

    I have to FIND Grandfather Gandhi - this will be a perfect book for our upcoming reading theme. We're also having a regional focus on India for this year's Asian Festival of Children's Content here in Singapore - this sounds like a perfect book to share as well. :)

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    1. CrystalApril 25, 2014 at 5:18 AM

      That would work well for a focus on India. It helps show Gandhi as a person rather than only a legend since he is introduced as a family member and doesn't deny his own anger in spite of his lack of violence.

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  5. AnonymousApril 24, 2014 at 3:09 PM

    Grandfather Gandhi looks wonderful indeed. I have to see if we still have it in the store.

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