Tag Archives: nonfiction

Aardvark or Anteater?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Readers Level 1: Spotting Differences is a twenty book set that delves into the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details their physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include table of contents, index, glossary and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar words are bold type and the animal pair’s differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Aardvark or Anteater? is a highly engaging look at two animals that initially seem very similar. Yet, we learn that despite those similarities, they are very different animals. They are both mammals with long tongues that eat ants. But, their fur, snouts, ears and habitats are very different. New readers will enjoy discovering new information in a simply written book packed with facts and wonderful photos. This won’t be on your shelves for long!

Crow or Raven?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Reader Level 1: Spotting Differences is a twenty books set that delves in the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details their physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include table of contents, index, glossary and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar word are bold type and the animal pair’s differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Crow or Raven? There’s a lot to learn about these two types of birds! This book gives some really solid differences between two birds that seem very alike. For instance, crows have fan shaped tails and ravens have wedge shaped tails. Additionally, their beaks, size and throat feathers differ. Accompanying these memorable facts are photos that show those characteristics very clearly. Young readers will enjoy learning about these differences and will be quick to share! Word choice is appropriate to the audience and the nonfiction text features are helpful. Recommended.

Dolphin or Porpoise?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Readers Level 1: Spotting Differences is a twenty book set that delves into the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details their physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include: table of contents, index, glossary and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar words are bold type and the animal pair’s differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Dolphin or Porpoise? starts out by sharing that both are mammals and swim in oceans or rivers. Then, the book describes several different features, including fin shape and size, tooth size and their general body types. Behavior differences are also touched upon. Young readers will be able to share some solid facts about each animal and make some great comparisons. This book would be great for beginning animal reports. It has just enough information to be interesting and not so much that it’s overwhelming. Perfect for the target audience!

Lizard or Salamander?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Readers Level 1: Spotting Differences series is a twenty book set that delves into the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include: table of contents, glossary, index and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar words are in bold type and their differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Lizard or Salamander? looks at the differences between those organisms. Different physical features are noted like dry skin vs. wet skin and claws vs. no claws. Then, behaviors are compared. The reader also learns that lizards come out at daytime and salamanders are active at night. and each live in different places. Photos are clear and crisp and text is not dense. Give this to your new readers as the books have high interest content. These won’t stay on the shelves!

Shall We Dance?

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written and illustrated by Robin Page

Animals move in many ways for a variety of reasons. Many use these “dances” as a courtship behavior while some animals spin and pirouette to warn of danger or to remove parasites. Whatever the reason, animals exhibit some amazing moves in this beautifully illustrated book.

Each page or two page spread has a large illustration of an animal (or pair) along with a short description of its “dance” and the possible reasons for such movement. There is a lot of information packed into those short paragraphs and they might pique the interest of would-be scientists, who will want to learn more about the featured creatures. Digital illustrations are colorful and dynamic. Text is not overwhelming and sometimes humorous. For example: the male praying mantis hopes that the female is well fed and won’t eat him after their courtship. This nonfiction book will certainly be popular in your library.

What’s in Your Body? (Ready-To-Read: Level 2-Super Gross)

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written by Ximena Hastings; illustrated by Alison Hawkins

Blood, boogers, pus, gas and other bodily excretions and their origins are discussed in this early reader. Do you want to know how many skin cells you shed per hour? How about the mites on your eyelashes? You’ll learn all about those topics and more in this short, but informative, book.

Cartoon-like illustrations and photographs accompanied by simple informative text pack a lot of stuff into a relatively short book. A glossary, bold-faced type and a skeleton craft at the end will help would-be scientists learn basics of the messier parts of human anatomy and physiology. It might be too much information for its target audience. But, they’ll be happily ‘grossed out’ and will certainly share what they’ve learned.

A is for Oboe : The Orchestra’s Alphabet by Lera Auerbach and Marilyn Nelson

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“A is for Oboe: The Orchestra’s Alphabet” is a poetic journey through music and instruments. Each letter is on a page or two page spread with at least one musical word. Many are recognizable, such as drum and clarinet. Others are less obvious, like meter and motif. We are introduced to the notion that musical instruments can be a ‘he’ or ‘she’ or even somewhat gender-bending (glockenspiel) because to musicians the instruments are ‘beings’ with character and mood.

Illustrations are vibrant and full of detail, with a great diversity in orchestra members. Text flows and is rich in tone and meaning. This book, while not necessarily a quick read for a student, will be a wonderful read aloud for music teachers as an introduction to the orchestra and all its members/instruments. Recommended

Wow in the World. The How and Wow of the Human Body: From Your Tongue to Your Toes and All the Guts in Between

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You can find just about any answer you need to your questions in this fast-paced nonfiction book about the human body. It begins with the head and moves its way through the systems, stopping here and there to deliver some facts that will add a “Wow” factor (actually, more of a “Gross” factor) to the information. It is illustrated with cartoon-like characters and body parts. The characters are diverse, with differing skin tones and abilities.

A glossary, bibliography and source notes are available. Something really cool to note is a page of QR codes that lead to relevant episodes of the authors’ podcasts of Wow in the World on NPR.

There is a lot of information to take in through these 188 pages. But, kids will likely be engrossed in the gross facts added to the information presented. A rather vivid description (and illustrations) of various types of poop on the Bristol Stool Scale is one example of the extra stuff that kids will love to read about and share with unsuspecting adults. Now, I know seven types of feces and I might just share that information, too!

This book is part of a series called “Wow in the World”, in which there are currently two books and a third due out in April 2022.

That’s No Dino! Or Is It? What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur by Helaine Becker

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What are the characteristics of dinosaur? That’s No Dino! Or Is It? takes the reader through several ancient creatures and compares their bodies to what scientists believe are true dinosaurs. An Anomalocaris may have lived 508 million years ago, but it didn’t have a backbone. Therefore, it wasn’t a dino. A Pleisiosaurus was old enough and had a backbone. But, it lived in the water and, therefore, was not a dino! The last animal to be described is a velociraptor and it has all the characteristics of a dinosaur and there are ten different characteristics! The author concludes with a list of those characteristics, a glossary, an index and a short list of extra resources.

Illustrations are cartoon-like and the writing is accessible for young readers. This book is a nice introduction to dinosaurs and budding paleontologists will take note of what makes a dino a dino after reading this book.

Insects by the Numbers: A book of infographics by Steve Jenkins

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Steve Jenkins has done it again. This is a science book that every budding entomologist will love and so will those readers that aren’t super fans. Aspects of the insect world are brilliantly and succinctly described using simple infographics, illustrations and spare text. This book is chock-full of facts presented in an accessible way. Includes glossary, bibliography and table of contents. Buy this book right away. Highly Recommended.

The Beak Book by Robin Page

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This book is takes a close look at twenty one different birds’ beaks, their shapes and uses. Some beaks are for filtering and others are for crushing or tossing. Each beak is described and pictured in colorful detail. Budding ornithologists will devour the information in this book and will never look at birds (or beaks) the same way again.

The last few pages include size comparisons with the average adult human, where the birds live and what they eat. There is also a short bibliography and further reading noted on the last page. Highly recommended.

Viral: The Fight Against AIDS in America by Ann Bausum

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Review by OHS Library Secretary, Mikel
Viral: The Fight Against AIDS in America by Ann Bausum chronicles the appearance of, spread of, and struggle against HIV/AIDS. This history of the AIDS epidemic is rich in the personal anecdotes of the victims and researchers, never releasing the reader from the humanity of the crisis. This technique presents the science and history in memorial and engaging fashion that will buoy most readers through the dry statistics and tragic circumstances. Bausam’s narrative carries us through the earliest occurrences of the disease, its mysterious nature, the frustrating delays in research and funding because it is initially stigmatized as a gay disease, the activism for facing the crisis, and the stepwise progress of the scientific community in dealing with this complex disease slyly attacking the immune system itself, thus appearing with the diverse symptoms of an array of opportunistic diseases obscuring the common underlying cause: the AIDS virus. The development of medication to arrest HIV is also briefly described. This readable account concentrates on what the author calls, “the bleakest years” (1981-1996) and includes a handy timeline. This book is recommended for teenagers and beyond for its concise, readable history of the AIDS crisis with the emphasis on, and in empathy with the human side of the story.

Amazon.com: VIRAL: The Fight Against AIDS in America (9780425287200): Bausum, Ann: Books

Card and Coin Magic to Shock and Amaze

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This book, part of the Super simple Magic and Illusions series, is a solid introduction to sleight of hand with cards and coins. It begins with a general introduction to this type of magic trick, discusses props that are needed and then goes into step by step directions for several tricks. Each trick has illustrations to help young magicians perfect their craft. Young magicians pictured are fairly diverse and the materials are simple to acquire. There are added tips to become more polished in your magic. Examples are practice (no surprise) and using distractions. This book will not be on the shelf for long. It’s got some great, simple tricks that are accessible to most young readers. Recommended.

Ayes-Ayes

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A book about Aye-Ayes is difficult to find, yet here is one that is full of great pictures and information. Readers learn about the characteristics of this animal, as well as its habitat, food sources and population levels. Labeled photos, bolded words, text boxes and short, informative paragraphs make this nonfiction book an engaging read. Other nonfiction features include table of contents, index, glossary and an online resource list. The “bells and whistles” of this book are the QR codes that lead the reader to linked videos and activities online. That is some great extra content!

This books is part of the Weird and Wonderful Animals series. Adding this to your collection will add some dimension to the typical shelves of big cats, elephants whales and so forth. How many librarians can point a student to the Aye-Aye book? Recommended.

Swimming

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This nonfiction book gives a good overview of swimming, including four basic strokes. equipment and safety. labeled photos accompany the simple text, with bolded words that might be unfamiliar. Those words are then defined in the glossary at the end of the book. Typical nonfiction features (table of contents, index, resource list, text boxes, labels) are present. An additional feature, which makes this book stand out over others is the number of QR codes, which link to extra resources. Once accessed, there are activity pages to print, videos and many other extras that take this book a step above the rest. While it is a fine introduction to the sport of swimming for young readers, the extra features will engage students and the adults around them. Highly recommended.

Fall Harvest Fun

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After a quick tour through the work of Spring (planting) and Summer (growing, weeding, bug eradication), this book moves into harvesting and all the fun around it. Different types of harvests are described. The book moves into harvest festivals from different cultures and then ends with a glossary, index and critical thinking questions.

Pictures are bright and the characters are diverse. This is a great book to introduce the younger set to this aspect of Autumn. It is part of a six book set that will give a fuller understanding of all aspects of the season. Highly recommended.

Masters of Disguise

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Six animals and their use of color, shape or markings to disguise themselves are described in this colorful slim volume from the Animal Superpowers series. The animals are from a variety of habitats, from ocean to desert and their natural abilities in camouflage are noted as occurring for a variety of important reasons. We learn that some animals are predators and use this ability to sneak up on their prey and others use it as a protection against their own predators.

Full color photos complement the text and bold words are defined in a glossary at the end of the book. Some cartoon-like illustrations break up the text and “Now you know!” boxes with additional cool facts are interspersed throughout.

This is a good introductory book to a variety of species and their use of camouflage. It might be lead to further investigation into this aspect of the animal kingdom.

Basketball Records

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Young basketball enthusiasts will devour this slim volume of records detailed in glossy photos and succinct prose. Both NBA and WNBA records are included, along with the former record-holders. While there are no long lists of the sport’s record-holders, readers will appreciate the information about the current top placer. Those that want more will use this book as a jumping off point for further research.

Typical nonfiction features, such as captions, table of contents, glossary, bold words and index are included. Fans wanting more information are advised to go to the publisher’s ‘Factsurfer’ website.

Soccer Records

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Soccer is gaining in popularity at a fast pace and this book will satisfy your young sports enthusiasts’ craving for information. Both male and female athletes and teams are highlighted, with glossy photos an short descriptions of their record-breaking feats.

Typical nonfiction features are included: index, glossary, table of contents, bold words and captions. Suggested websites for further exploration are included. This book is attractively laid out and will not be on your shelves very often!

Baseball Records

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Baseball has been around for a very long time. As a result, there are many records that have been achieved and broken over the years. This book, part of the Incredible Sports Records series, goes into many team and individual records. Readers will learn about the longest game on record (26 innings!) to pitcher Cy Young’s long-time win record set in 1911. Not only are current, record-holders described; their predecessor is listed as well.

Young sports enthusiasts can rejoice in a book chock full of information about baseball greats over the long history of the sport. Glossy pictures and short write-ups detailing important records in the baseball are a pleasing addition to a somewhat crowded field of sports trivia books. Recommended.

One is a lot: (except when it’s not)

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The concept of enough, too much and not enough are thoughtfully and simply conveyed in this picture book. One is a lot when talking about the sun, but not enough when talking about feeding ducks with one breadcrumb.

This story begins with a girl and her dog and a boy and his dog. Individually, the children play in the park with their pets and we see how the same number can be a lot, not enough or too much. Two is most often too much, especially when the two dogs’ leashes become tangled. But, one hello is a lot and brings the two friends and their pets together. The final page is a lovely scene with the now grown boy and girl, their daughter and a dog that looks like a mix of their two pets from the book’s beginning.

The illustrations are colorful and appealing. The text is minimal and the characters are diverse. The story will generate a good discussion about numbers and perspective.

If Pluto Was a Pea

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“If Pluto was a pea,” begins every two page spread of this delightfully illustrated science book for the younger crowd. Two children camping in their backyard compare the solar system to everyday items, using a pea and Pluto as a starting point. For example, earth would be a golf ball (with measurements in both centimeters and inches) and the Jupiter would be a beach ball. The book ends with how small they are, but how big their thoughts are and how great the things they could do might be.

Digital illustrations of a black girl and white boy are energetic and engaging. Text is simple and repetitive. The information is presented in a format that young readers can understand, which is very helpful for a topic that is much bigger than most children can grasp. Comparisons at this level are a fantastic way to help students understand and relate to scientific content that they cannot touch or examine easily. It will be quite simple to gather the items noted in the text for reinforcement. Recommended.

A Royal Ride: Catherine the Great’s Great Invention

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Catherine the Great accomplished many things during her tenure in 1700’s Russia. She had a girls’ school built, wrote a book, built museums, fought battles and invented the first roller coaster. Yes, that’s true! She was a fan of ice slides, huge wooden structures coated with ice in the cold Russian winters, which had been around since the 1400’s. Unfortunately, the fun on ice slides ended each spring with the thaw. Catherine wanted to keep the fun rolling, so she sketched a design and her royal subjects got to work. She climbed forty feet to the top and rode the rails in a jewel-adorned roller coaster car. Then, she did it again and again!

This nonfiction book is a packed with information, including a timeline, author’s note, acknowledgements and bibliography. The ‘story’ of Catherine and her invention is written in simple language with accompanying illustrations add a colorful and sweet feel to the text. The book is geared toward the younger reader, but is packed with good information that will lead to further research. Very accessible nonfiction piece for those that need it.

Titanosaur: Discovering the World’s Largest Dinosaur

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Nothing gets a budding paleontologist more excited than a book about a newly discovered dinosaur. But, this book will turn many young readers into future paleontologists when they see the photos of the dig and the resulting life-size model.

Dr. Jose Carballido and Dr. Diego Pol followed the lead given by a local gaucho, who discovered the bone on his ranch in Patagonia while looking for sheep. When they arrived, they found a dinosaur femur (upper leg bone) that was nearly eight feet long, the largest on record! This amazing fossil was the first of over 180 bones that the paleontologists and their team uncovered and took back to the museum. Here, they cleaned them and made fiberglass replicas of every bone in order to build a model of this new species of Titanosaur.

The book is laid out in two corresponding parts. The main part details the discovery of the fossils and the painstaking work it took to remove them safely, clean them, study them and make the life-size replica. The corresponding part, which is in sidebars or the bottom of the pages, explains unfamiliar words and gives information about titanosaurs and the work of a paleontologist in this case.

Illustrations are well-done and the photographs interspersed throughout help the reader be part of the excavation. The two page spread showing the 122 foot long titanosaur, Patagotitan mayorum, is breathtaking and the final pages with a note and photos from Dr. Carballido and Dr. Pol is very engaging.

This book will be a great addition to a library collection, especially those looking to update their information. Put this book out and you won’t see it on the shelf. It’s that good!

I’m Trying to Love Math

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For those that dislike math (or those that like math and want to prove how cool it is!), one need look no further than I’m Trying to Love Math. The unseen narrator has some very valid reasons for disliking math and the cute purple alien is able to refute them all with the reality that math is useful, necessary and all around us! And, just when the narrator gets overwhelmed with the sheer volume of numbers (yep, math), the alien suggests that he give the book a shake to drop some of ’em out of the book.

Cartoon-like illustrations and some really cool math facts make this book thought-provoking and engaging. Young readers will enjoy the funny dialogue between the alien and the unseen narrator. And, they will keep reading to discover whether the narrator changes his mind. Along the way, they might find that math can be really interesting.

So, the next time you make cookies, play the guitar or travel to outer space, you’ll have to remember that it all takes math! Kinda cool, right?