Nonfiction Monday: The Day-Glo Brothers - Chris Barton

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors

by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani

Ages 4-8

48 pages

Charlesbridge, July 2009

I've been waiting and waiting for my public library to buy a copy of this book so I could review it!  I so wanted to include it in my Mock Caldecott.  I should have just shelled out the bucks and bought a copy for myself.  It's a fantastic book and full of quirky details.

From Amazon:

Joe and Bob Switzer were very different brothers. Bob was a studious planner who wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Joe dreamed of making his fortune in show business and loved magic tricks and problem-solving. When an accident left Bob recovering in a darkened basement, the brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. Together they invented a whole new kind of color, one that glows with an extra-special intensity: Day-Glo.

What I liked best about this biography is the very human fallibility of brothers Joe and Bob.  Neither are perfect, but they complement one another well.  Their story speaks to the importance of working together to make things happen, which is not something kids ordinarily learn from a biography.  Most famous heroes are portrayed as being the best or the smartest or the hardest working.  These guys were none of  those things.  They were ordinary people who had a good idea and were curious to see what would happen with it.  Plenty of their ideas failed, and that's cool too.  Kids need more opportunities to fail.

The science is first rate and would be great to replicate in a controlled environment, but I wonder how much of it was dangerous.  I don't think making a fluorescent sponge cake is a good idea.

Ivy chose this one two nights in a row for bedtime reading.  She loved the stunt plane and the glowing flowers.  She also noted how they got older in the pictures as the book went on: "Look, here's Bob and he's a little older than the last Bob!"  Last night I didn't edit any text and she fell asleep on the last page.

Winner of the 2010 Cybil Awards for best nonfiction picture book; also a 2010 Sibert Honor winner.

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 8 - I'm a sucker for the first book written on a subject (*cough* Claudette Colvin)
  
• Wordsmithing: 7 - Funny and comfortable, like my Uncle Chuck.
  
• Personages: 8 - These guys were neat individuals.
  
• Mesmerizitude: 8 - Even my 1.5 year old couldn't look away from the day-glo!
  
• Illustrations: 8 - Clever use of color, but the retro design is even cooler. Those guys riding in their car look like the happiest inventors on earth.
  
• Factfulness: 8 - Excellent back matter on fluorescence.
  

Other Reviews

• Chris Barton's web page
• its own Facebook page
• on Boing Boing
• on Oz and Ends
• on Abby (the) Librarian
• at Simply Science
• on Wrapped in Foil

Review: Bad News for Outlaws - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Bad News for Outlaws

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Ages 6-10

32 pages

Carolrhoda Books, November 2009



Okay, I admit it.  My father hooked me on westerns when I was a little kid.  One of my very favorite movies of all time is Silverado.  The sense of adventure, the open prairie, the black and white morality all appealed to my childhood brain -- and now, of course, it's too late.  It's embedded in my psyche.

But even if you don't care much for westerns, or if you have (heresy!) never seen Silverado, Bad News for Outlaws is a smashing success.  It begins with a strong hook.  I defy any child to resist the power of Bass Reeves capturing the criminal Jim Webb:

Webb couldn't outrun a horse.  And he knew he'd hang for sure this time.  In a last-ditch effort to escape, Webb stopped in his tracks, turned, and let loose with his rifle.

The rest of Reeves' story is told chronologically, with one-page episodes of each part of his life, from the slavery of his youth to becoming a Deputy U.S. Marshal.  The focus is on his time capturing criminals.  The text is scattered with fascinating facts, anecdotes and quotes about Reeves.

One of the distinguishing features of this biography is the quality of Bass' character.  He was an exemplary shot, but killed very few men in his lifetime.  A touching segment tells how Reeves was required to arrest his own son, who'd killed his cheating wife.

The back matter is rich with additional detail, including a glossary of "Western Words," a timeline of Reeves' life, books and web sites for further reading, more about Indian Territory and Judge Isaac Parker, who hired Reeves, a selected bibliography and an author's note.

The illustrations by R. Gregory Christie are colorful and rich paintings, with a thick line and impressionistic style.  You can read an interview with him at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast here.

When judging biographies for sharing with my classes, I always go back to Judy Freeman's 10 biographical "ingredients" in her recipe for Biography Hash.  Not all biographies need to have all ten, but it sure helps -- and this one does.  I can predict some serious hash-making next week!

Winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King Award.

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 8 - superb example of biography and a smashing story to boot.
  
• Wordsmithing: 8 - compelling descriptions and evocative quotes.
  
• Personages: 7 - Bass is a fabulous character and a great role model.
  
• Mesmerizitude: 7 - a quick read.
  
• Illustrations: 7 - though not my style, the paintings are very eye-catching.
  
• Factfulness: 9 - truly excellent scholarship and inclusion of notes about the research process.
  

Reviews & Other Stuff

• at the publisher web site
• at Happy Nappy Bookseller
• at INK
• at The Reading Tub
• Listen to the author reading from the beginning of the book at Teachingbooks.net.

Review: The Boy on Fairfield Street - Kathleen Krull

The Boy on Fairfield Street

by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Ages 6-10

43 pages

Random House, 2004



Every year we celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday during March (is Reading Month).  I do a week of activities with my students and read them all the Dr. Seuss books they've never heard of.  This is my favorite book to read to the older kids, fourth or fifth grades, who think they know everything about Dr. Seuss.

Krull presents a chronological story of the early life of Theodore Seuss Geisel, focusing on his experiences as a boy in Springfield, Massachusetts.  It includes the happy details, such as Ted's mother reciting lists of nonsense words to help him go to sleep (names of pies!), and not so happy details, such as Ted being bullied by anti-German neighbors.  At the end there are four pages of further information about Geisel's later years, a comprehensive list of books written by Seuss and some suggestions for further reading.

This biography appeals to children of all ages, but I especially like to share it with older children who have had the experience of being punished for dreaming too much.  Ted is presented as a creative but unfocused genius, full of ideas but not a lot of drive.  I think many creative children (myself included) can relate to this state of being.

It is beautifully illustrated with a painting on each two-page spread.  At the bottom of each spread is a character from one of Seuss' books.  I took these icons and made a trivia/word puzzle out of them, appropriate for 3rd grade and up.  (Post a comment with your email address if you'd like a copy.)

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 7 - full of great information about Seuss, and gorgeous to boot.
  
• Wordsmithing: 6 - well written, and only a bit too long for reading aloud in one session.
• Mesmerizitude: 6 - I especially liked all the stuff at the end (back matter?).
  
• Illustrations: 7 - perfectly captured the capricious, creative nature of Geisel as a boy.
  
• Factfulness: 7 - very well done!
  

Other Reviews

• on SMS Book Reviews

Nonfiction Monday: Extra Cheese, Please! - Cris Peterson

Extra Cheese, Please!

by Cris Peterson, photos by Alvis Upitis

Ages 4-8

32 pages

Boyds Mills Press, 1994

It's Nonfiction Monday (see the roundup this week at Great Kid Books) and I have another book about cows!  (My school is planning to buy a cow to support Heifer International during this year's March is Reading Month (MIRM), so I checked out all the books on cows and milk we had in our public library. You'll see several of these reviews come up over the next few weeks.)

Cris Peterson, the author of eight books on farming and agriculture for children, is a full time dairy farmer in Wisconsin.  She is also the author of Huckleberry Bookshelf, a syndicated weekly column on children's literature.  She and photographer Alvis Upitis have created this excellent nonfiction book on how milk is made into mozzarella cheese.  Peterson won the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Children's Literature Award for Extra Cheese, Please! as well as for four other of her books.

Description:

When Cris Peterson's cow Annabelle gives birth to a calf, an amazing process begins. Now Annabelle can produce milk--about 40,000 glasses of milk each year, or enough cheese to top 1,800 pizzas. Alvis Upitis's sparkling photographs document the cheese-making process--starting on the farm where Annabelle's calf is born and milking begins, then moving to the cheese-making plant where the milk is heated and cooled, stirred and swirled, thickened, drained, and sliced--and finally packaged for stores. Cris Peterson's personal and informative text explains the process in a simple and engaging manner. Mr. Uptits's photographs capture moments on the farm with the cows and the calves and reveal an inside view of the cheese-making process. A wonderful collaboration, concluding with the author's own recipe for pizza.

The writing is about as technical as in Aliki's book on milk, which is to say perfectly accessible to younger readers, but complicated enough to satisfy students who appreciate technology.  The text is peppered with fun similes ("The bricks of cheese float like overgrown building blocks in a bathtub.") that make it easy for students to visualize the process.  Because it's illustrated with photographs, this will be a good compliment to Aliki's book, too. 

Oh, and I was hoping for instructions on how to make cheese, but instead there's a pizza recipe.  Perhaps I'll try it and bring in the results for students to taste!  (Too bad we had to take out the kitchen to install the book room...)

Lesson ideas: 

• While reading, students listen for ways in which owning a cow would be beneficial for Heifer International donor families.  Scribe a class list after reading.  
• Use the description of cheesemaking to guide students in writing their own how-to book on making mozzarella.  Then, make cheese using a kit.
• Research one of the villages serviced by Heifer International.  Using the figures given in the book on how much cheese a cow can produce, determine how many cows a village would need in order to provide cheese for all residents.

Additional Resources

• Here's a brief lesson plan for 2nd-3rd grade provided by Powell Center on identifying natural, capital and human resources. (PDF)
• Oregon State Extension has a module in their Start Smart Eating and Reading breakfast program for 1st-2nd grade about milk and calcium.  (PDF)
• The curriculum Bringing History Home uses More Cheese, Please! to teach about assembly line production.
• The Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri State University present a webquest called Dig Into Dairy, in which students learn about different cattle breeds in the United States.  

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 5 - a very useful book for teaching the how-to style
  
• Wordsmithing: 6 - clear description of a technical process
• Mesmerizitude: 5 - I'm only slightly interested in factory cheesemaking
  
• Photographs: 6 - very clear
  
• Factfulness: 5 - just enough for younger students, but would have loved additional info

Nonfiction Monday: Eleanor Quiet No More - Doreen Rappaport

Eleanor Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Gary Kelley Ages 4-8 48 pages Hyperion Books, February 2009

Eleanor was a serious child.  Her parents died when she was ten.  Even though she had money, she was poor in love and affection.  She was taught to be quiet and not speak up for herself or others.  But Eleanor's compassion was awakened as she matured, and she found many opportunities to help others all over the world, by herself, as First Lady and, later, for the United Nations.  


This picture book biography is in the same style as Rappaport's Martin's Big Words, which is a staple for reading at any time of the year in my school.  It combines description with quotes from King and others in his life.  The format works equally well to tell Roosevelt's story.  I found myself tearing up at her selfless and inclusive actions.  


It includes that most useful of all biographical tools, a timeline, in the back, as well as several suggestions for more reading.  I would have loved a list of references for each quote, but I doubt it would be important to the intended audience.

I've always been fond of Eleanor Roosevelt.  She seemed to me a sensible, funny individual.  Now I'm inspired to learn more -- which, I think, is the ultimate goal of any nonfiction book.  Another fine achievement by Doreen Rappaport.

A Recommended book listed by the Orbus Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 7 - memorable and significant contribution to the picture book biography genre
  
• Wordsmithing: 8 - a lovely selection of quotes in particular
• Mesmerizitude: 6 - enjoyable read
  
• Illustrations: 7 - muted colors emphasize the challenges of the time and Roosevelt's plain appearance
  
• Factfulness: 6 - concentrates on Roosevelt's character rather than facts about her, but highlights some interesting moments
  

Other Reviews - one lone review at readerbuzz -- write a comment if you know of another!

Review: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice - Philip Hoose

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose Ages 10 and up 133 pages Melanie Kroupa Books, January 2009

This is my first Nonfiction Monday post in a long while, and my first time participating in the actual event.  You can find today's roundup at Playing By The Book.

Many young readers easily sort themselves into two categories: those who prefer fiction and those who prefer nonfiction.  I can really only say I've met a handful who bridge these categories without any effort.  If I'm trying to get a fiction reader to try some nonfiction, or vice versa, I often go the biography route.  Even non-narrative biographies can be compelling reading.

As a young reader, I definitely fit into the former category, though I did love me some joke books and folklore ephemera.  Even now, I have a hard time picking up a nonfiction picture book when I could choose a fiction one.  Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice sat on my shelf for mmmrrph weeks before I finally looked at my calendar, sighed, and scheduled it for review this week.

Can I just say?  Compelling doesn't begin to cut it. Really.  As in, I'm putting all Hoose's books on my to-read pile NOW.

For those of you who, like me, have been lured away from the nonfiction side of the library by your When You Reach Mes and Homer P. Figgs, this book is an account of a little-known hero of the civil rights struggle.  Claudette Colvin was a teenager who was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for not relinquishing her seat on the bus -- eight months before Rosa Parks.  Colvin played a pivotal role in the little-known case of Browder v. Gayle, in which she and four other African-Americans successfully sued the city of Montgomery, claiming bus segregation laws were unconstitutional.

Colvin has largely been quiet about her role in the civil rights movement until recently; although she does appear in books, there are no other sources for young readers which quote her directly or provide this level of detail into her involvement.  Young people who read about the history of civil rights for African-Americans may never have known that a teenager could, and did, do so much for the movement.  Reading this book may very well provide a huge breakthrough for students who may be interested in participating on a personal level in social justice.

Hoose has compiled a winning collection of artifacts, quotes and historical data and interspersed it seamlessly with Colvin's own account of her experiences in the Montgomery bus boycott and court proceedings.  I wish student textbooks were written this way.  I mean, really, can't we just toss our dead white guy books in favor of a collection of award-winning, compelling nonfiction like this??

My only struggle here is knowing to whom I can recommend this book.  I think many of my fifth graders could and would enjoy it, with some guidance through some of the bits on teen pregnancy, but I doubt they'll pick it up without a lot of prodding.  All my teachers, of course, but who has time to read nonfiction?  I showed it to my principal today with a 20 cent review and she said, "Hmmm, looks kind of long."  Yeah.  True.  But really, those 133 pages (yes, I even read the notes at the end) just flew by.  I'm hoping my booktalks and reading aloud bits will lure in those students for whom nonfiction is an unexplored territory.  Maybe I'll even make some converts.  After all, you got me, Philip Hoose.

A Newbery Honor book, a finalist for the YALSA Award for Nonfiction for Young Adults, a Sibert Honor book and winner of the National Book Award.

Ratings

• Awesomeness: 9 - solid journalism, compelling original material and thoughtful analysis
  
• Wordsmithing: 8 - reads smoothly, especially for a nonfiction title
  
• Mesmerizitude: 8 - some important a-has about the civil rights movement as a whole and the bus boycott, Parks and MLK in particular
  
• Illustrations: 8 - my favorite photo is Rosa Parks on page 42
  
• Factfulness: 10 - and how often does one find a truly NEW addition to civil rights historical literature?
  

Other Reviews

• at A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy
• at Reading Rants
• at Becky's Book Reviews
• at nomadreader
• at Rasco from RIF
• Leave a comment if I forgot your review!